Is it illegal to bribe a private university for admission?
FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme
61–70 of 321 posts
Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme
#62Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Are paywalls ok? It's ok to post stories from sites with paywalls that have workarounds. In comments, it's ok to ask how to read an article and to help other users do so. But please don't post complaints about paywalls. Those are off topic.
Also, complaining about paywalls assumes that everyone on HN doesn't subscribe to the publication in question. Some of us actually support journalism by paying for news. The NYT, for example, is running a special right now at $2/week. Considering the number of Times articles that land on the HN front page, it seems like a worthwhile investment.
But then I'd have to actually read the articles.
Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme
#63Apparently there are no more drug cartels to go after? We’re now worried about a has-been actress who paid $15,000 so her kid could cheat on the SAT?
I’m skeptical of the FBI’s investigative priorities. Wall Street is suddenly squeaky-clean? No more insider trading? Ponzi schemes have all gone away? Municipal governments across the land are staffed by honest and dedicated civil servants? All defense contractors are scrupulously precise about their billing and would never ever bribe a DOD procurement official?
I’m not saying it’s right to engage in cheating on the SAT or bribing someone to get into a university. But inarguably there are many more crimes that are far more serious.
Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme
#64This might be more overt than the usual form, but how does this differ from donating a new building, department, or scholarship fund and subsequently getting your kid in? My mother did well in the Masters program at Stanford and I would have likely gotten in if she donated a couple million dollars but she didn’t and I didn’t (despite getting an invitation a year after accepting enrollment at another university). It’s…
Donating a building is a payment to the university . The university then gets to decide to admit your child in return. It may not be meritocratic, but it's not corrupt (except perhaps insofar as by pretending the exchange is a donation, the university and donor manage to cheat the taxman). The donor is simply paying the university to provide a service that they have every right to offer for money. It also benefits ot…
So, to recap, bribing individuals is bad, but bribing the school is fine. Got it.
Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme
#65Is it illegal to bribe a private university for admission?
It sounds like part of the problem was that only some individuals were involved out of the institution. So it was a case of some coach being paid off to transmit false info to the admissions committee about someone being on a sports team (making it federal wire fraud). The admissions committee was then influenced to accept based on that fake info.
Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme
#66This might be more overt than the usual form, but how does this differ from donating a new building, department, or scholarship fund and subsequently getting your kid in? My mother did well in the Masters program at Stanford and I would have likely gotten in if she donated a couple million dollars but she didn’t and I didn’t (despite getting an invitation a year after accepting enrollment at another university). It’s…
Donating a building is a payment to the university . The university then gets to decide to admit your child in return. It may not be meritocratic, but it's not corrupt (except perhaps insofar as by pretending the exchange is a donation, the university and donor manage to cheat the taxman). The donor is simply paying the university to provide a service that they have every right to offer for money. It also benefits ot…
>> It may not be meritocratic, but it's not corrupt
Maybe not in the 1800s, but doing that today violates any number of published school policies. It likely also violates several laws, especially if the school receives state/federal funding (they all do). Violating published policies, circumventing established admission systems, and denying a spot for a qualified candidate in order to accommodate a wealthy donor, that is the definition of corruption.
Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme
#67Apparently there are no more drug cartels to go after? We’re now worried about a has-been actress who paid $15,000 so her kid could cheat on the SAT? I’m skeptical of the FBI’s investigative priorities. Wall Street is suddenly squeaky-clean? No more insider trading? Ponzi schemes have all gone away? Municipal governments across the land are staffed by honest and dedicated civil servants? All defense contractors are s…
> Apparently there are no more drug cartels to go after? We’re now worried about a has-been actress who paid $15,000 so her kid could cheat on the SAT?
This is a false dichotomy.
Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme
#68This might be more overt than the usual form, but how does this differ from donating a new building, department, or scholarship fund and subsequently getting your kid in? My mother did well in the Masters program at Stanford and I would have likely gotten in if she donated a couple million dollars but she didn’t and I didn’t (despite getting an invitation a year after accepting enrollment at another university). It’s…
Universities can admit who they want to admit based on any criteria they want, including large donations. This news story is about rich people going behind the university's back to get people admitted via exam cheating and employee bribery.
Technically, the same thing, but one side goes to jail because they can't donate millions. One is legal because of wink and a nod, the other is illegal (as it should be) but both sides tried to do their best for their children.
Jared Kushner, the brilliant philosopher went to Harvard at the same his father donated $2 Million to the university.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/oct/21/what-w...
I understand the legality and the law is the law, but let's cut the c*ap, both sides are cheating. The poorer side gets caught because they don't have the money needed to bribe the University, they have just enough to bribe its employees.
Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
Donating a building is a payment to the university . The university then gets to decide to admit your child in return. It may not be meritocratic, but it's not corrupt (except perhaps insofar as by pretending the exchange is a donation, the university and donor manage to cheat the taxman). The donor is simply paying the university to provide a service that they have every right to offer for money. It also benefits ot…
So, to recap, bribing individuals is bad, but bribing the school is fine. Got it.
[deleted]
Re: FBI accuses wealthy parents in college-entrance bribery scheme
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it is well known that anyone can donate a building for easy admission. It is no secret, just something available to only the top 0.1%
> It is no secret It sounds like you agree, then? It should be public.
It is public. Universities almost always include the donation size when they put out press releases about the new building.