3 ms·

The most entertaining argument I read about this whole scandal is that it wasn't fraud, it was theft, and that's why the US Attorney is going after it on behalf

The most entertaining argument I read about this whole scandal is that it wasn't fraud, it was theft, and that's why the US Attorney is going after it on behalf of the colleges. Theft from the colleges. 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... "...Here is one thing that U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in announcing the charges: “There can be no separate college admissions system for the wealthy, and I'll add that there will not be a separate criminal justice system either.” Level playing field! Here is another thing he said less than a minute later: “We’re not talking about donating a building so that a school’s more likely to take your son or your daughter. We’re talking about deception and fraud.” There can be no separate college admissions system for the wealthy, except for the extremely well-known one where you donate a building in exchange for getting your kid in! “Lol just donate a building like a real rich person,” the U.S. Attorney almost said. Josh Barro’s analysis on Twitter is exactly right: The admissions slots were stolen from the colleges and resold on the black market. Which is a crime, for good reason. We don’t have to act like there wasn’t a legal, primary market for the admissions slots already. I think the key is not to understand this as a crime against other applicants, or the public, or “fairness.” It’s a crime against the schools. It is not about fairness; it is about theft. Selective colleges have admissions spots that they want to award in particular ways. They want to award some based on academic factors; they want to award others based on athletic skill; they want to award others in exchange for cash, but—and this is crucial—really a whole lot of cash. Buildings are not cheap.

jmole 6y ago
I mean - economically speaking - why wouldn't a college take a student in exchange for a building? It would be unfair to not allow this, no? I think the unfairness argument should be taken up a level - it's unfair that someone can even have the wealth to do this.
- TheOtherHobbes 6y ago
  Colleges should compete for students based on the number of endowed buildings and sports facilities, and not on irrelevant metrics like academics. In fact there should be a two-speed college system - one for very wealthy people who like having buildings and stadiums named after them, and a separate vocational academic system for those who can't afford to operate on that level. Studying would be optional on the fast track. Academic life would become a round of partying, networking, and assortative mating, and efficiency would be enhanced by shortening it by a year or two. This would increase student throughput and further boost the property portfolios of the high status educational institutions. With this system everyone would know exactly what their money was buying, and immoral attempts to cheat the system would become very easy to spot.

jmole 6y ago

I mean - economically speaking - why wouldn't a college take a student in exchange for a building? It would be unfair to not allow this, no? I think the unfairness argument should be taken up a level - it's unfair that someone can even have the wealth to do this.

TheOtherHobbes 6y ago
Colleges should compete for students based on the number of endowed buildings and sports facilities, and not on irrelevant metrics like academics. In fact there should be a two-speed college system - one for very wealthy people who like having buildings and stadiums named after them, and a separate vocational academic system for those who can't afford to operate on that level. Studying would be optional on the fast track. Academic life would become a round of partying, networking, and assortative mating, and efficiency would be enhanced by shortening it by a year or two. This would increase student throughput and further boost the property portfolios of the high status educational institutions. With this system everyone would know exactly what their money was buying, and immoral attempts to cheat the system would become very easy to spot.