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If these are private institutions, why does it matter if people can pay their way in. You might think it would be a problem if only rich people can attend thes

If these are private institutions, why does it matter if people can pay their way in. You might think it would be a problem if only rich people can attend these schools, but the schools want the diversity as well. They should be able to allow whomever they want (and lose any public financing). edit: spelling

freewilly1040 8y ago
They get tax exemptions on their massive hordes of wealth on the premise that they provide education to the nation's best and brightest students.
- ajross 8y ago
  But they do provide education to the nation's best and brightest students. The question at hand is if it should be illegal for them to also subsidize that education by educating a few rich losers too. I agree it's distasteful, but like the grandparent I don't see that this is a problem worth solving. US universities are doing well at their jobs, on the whole. They're doing so well that the rest of the world wants to send their rich losers there instead of educating them locally!
Jabbles 8y ago
In this particular scandal, the accused are not paying the institution for a place. Instead they are defrauding the institution by bribing coaches and other personnel to falsify records and gain admission.
- smacktoward 8y ago
  Exactly. The problem isn’t that they bribed someone, it’s that they bribed the wrong someone. Parents: don’t cheap out on your kid’s future! If you want to get them a slot at an elite school, do it the honorable way and buy the school a new building.
conistonwater 8y ago
When people buy their way in, the money goes to the school, the school uses that money consistent with its own goals (e.g., reducing other people's tuition, research grants, etc., it's the school's money). When people cheat, they still pay the money, but the money goes to some random person at the school, and they keep the money for themselves. When you explain it this way, it explains what the problem is regardless of whether the underlying practice of selling university admissions for money is acceptable to you. Here's a longer explanation: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-03-13/you-have-to-pay-the-right-person https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-03-13/you-ha...
etrautmann 8y ago
Even if this is legal, schools have taken a strong stance against it, although one could argue that the legacy admissions process or any athletic scholarships are in the grey area.

freewilly1040 8y ago

They get tax exemptions on their massive hordes of wealth on the premise that they provide education to the nation's best and brightest students.

ajross 8y ago
But they do provide education to the nation's best and brightest students. The question at hand is if it should be illegal for them to also subsidize that education by educating a few rich losers too. I agree it's distasteful, but like the grandparent I don't see that this is a problem worth solving. US universities are doing well at their jobs, on the whole. They're doing so well that the rest of the world wants to send their rich losers there instead of educating them locally!

Jabbles 8y ago

In this particular scandal, the accused are not paying the institution for a place. Instead they are defrauding the institution by bribing coaches and other personnel to falsify records and gain admission.

smacktoward 8y ago
Exactly. The problem isn’t that they bribed someone, it’s that they bribed the wrong someone. Parents: don’t cheap out on your kid’s future! If you want to get them a slot at an elite school, do it the honorable way and buy the school a new building.

conistonwater 8y ago

When people buy their way in, the money goes to the school, the school uses that money consistent with its own goals (e.g., reducing other people's tuition, research grants, etc., it's the school's money). When people cheat, they still pay the money, but the money goes to some random person at the school, and they keep the money for themselves. When you explain it this way, it explains what the problem is regardless of whether the underlying practice of selling university admissions for money is acceptable to you. Here's a longer explanation: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-03-13/you-have-to-pay-the-right-person https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-03-13/you-ha...

etrautmann 8y ago

Even if this is legal, schools have taken a strong stance against it, although one could argue that the legacy admissions process or any athletic scholarships are in the grey area.