If they were going to get through anyway, then where's the harm in then diverting some attention to bring others along too? Also, from the context given here i

If they were going to get through anyway, then where's the harm in then diverting some attention to bring others along too? Also, from the context given here it's not as black and white as pass vs non-pass or "lowering standards" - it's about a rolling cut off on the amount of students they can take.