College entrance cheating scandal

[cleverclovers]

They bought their kids' way into elite schools. Did they also buy their diplomas?

 

[tex1989]

Every generation since the beginning of time no doubt has had the older generation critical of their ways. The familar names of flappers, hippies, boomers, Gen x, to millineals. Older generations are always critical of the generations that follow. Despite it all we seem to continue to prosper and move forward. In that regard though it seems that the actions of the current youth groups are more readily available via social media and everyone carrying a handheld video recorder in the form of their smartphone with the ability to share across the web in seconds after the event. It takes very few videos to make people belive that something is suddenly widespread and happening everywhere.

I work for a large energy company and we hire quite a few college graduates every year and I can say that they are for the most part bright, intelligent, and hardworking. They don't always share the same values or ideals as me, but that's okay. We can talk and understand each other. Through diversity training and actually understanding where they are coming from you understand their motivations. Millenials were raised in such a way that they were always asked their opinion. They were used to solving problems with everyone getting a say in the solution. I on the other hand came from a generation where the boss said "do it this way!". While I certainly think there are benifits to the group think approach I have been in corporate America for 38 years and the old way is ingrained. Doesn't mean I can't change and I have some, but since I have little time left in my working career I don'rt advocate my way, but sort of work between the two worlds.

Finally to the actual topic, the wealthy and powerful have always sought shortcuts for their kids and family's and that may never change. Forgeting the current scandle I read that 80% of the kids that attend Ivy League schools come from something like the top 3 to 4% wealthiest families as it is. They are not illeagaly buying their way in, but rather leagally buying their way in by attending the best prep schools, and being able to afford the best tutors and extra curricular programs that make their applications the best of the best. Certainly large donations to the universities don't hurt either. In other words it's been going on forever, someone just decided to jump the shark and actually start paying outright instead of through legal methods to get their kids in.

As far as I am concerned, whatever! Slap some hands collect some fines, kick some kids out of school and move on. State schools that average kids can get in with a little hard work will work fine for most. It won't open all the doors the Ivy League schools will but then again what sort of lifestyle are you looking for. I can assure you a degree in Texas from A&M or University of Texas will open plenty of doors if you want to continue to live and work in Texas. Heck, even degrees from LSU, Oklahoma, Oklahoma Stae and several others work pretty well too.

 

[kaytieeldr]

As far as I am concerned, whatever! Slap some hands collect some fines, kick some kids out of school and move on.

you're saying that while actual crimes were committed, just slap the hands of everyone involved, an poof!

 

[tex1989]

you're saying that while actual crimes were committed, just slap the hands of everyone involved, an poof!

What I am saying is they had the money to buy the kids into school so they have the money for attorneys and I don’t want to millions more in taxpayer money spent in long trials that end up with few results, so yeah slap them with fines and move on. The Feds will spend more investigation and prosecution then they collect, and handout 0 jail time. What’s the point?

 

[jdb in AZ]

They bought their kids' way into elite schools. Did they also buy their diplomas?

It's possible to pay a hacker to change grades. I personally know of a couple of cases from several years ago, and I doubt things have changed for the better.

 

[kaytieeldr]

What I am saying is they had the money to buy the kids into school so they have the money for attorneys and I don’t want to millions more in taxpayer money spent in long trials that end up with few results, so yeah slap them with fines and move on. The Feds will spend more investigation and prosecution then they collect, and handout 0 jail time. What’s the point?

Not every person involved/arrested/indicted/suspected/etc. is a wealthy celebrity or business owner - not that any person's net worth should determine their sentence.

 

[mom2rtk]

you're saying that while actual crimes were committed, just slap the hands of everyone involved, an poof!

It seems to be a popular approach of late.

 

[soccerdad72]

you're saying that while actual crimes were committed, just slap the hands of everyone involved, an poof!

It's easy enough to say that those who committed felonies (fraud, etc.) should receive jail time, but I think we all know that's unlikely to happen. And when time comes for the actual sentencing to happen (if it ever does), it will likely be a non-story that is reported and goes mostly unnoticed.

 

[cabanafrau]

Every generation since the beginning of time no doubt has had the older generation critical of their ways. The familar names of flappers, hippies, boomers, Gen x, to millineals. Older generations are always critical of the generations that follow. Despite it all we seem to continue to prosper and move forward. In that regard though it seems that the actions of the current youth groups are more readily available via social media and everyone carrying a handheld video recorder in the form of their smartphone with the ability to share across the web in seconds after the event. It takes very few videos to make people belive that something is suddenly widespread and happening everywhere.

I work for a large energy company and we hire quite a few college graduates every year and I can say that they are for the most part bright, intelligent, and hardworking. They don't always share the same values or ideals as me, but that's okay. We can talk and understand each other. Through diversity training and actually understanding where they are coming from you understand their motivations. Millenials were raised in such a way that they were always asked their opinion. They were used to solving problems with everyone getting a say in the solution. I on the other hand came from a generation where the boss said "do it this way!". While I certainly think there are benifits to the group think approach I have been in corporate America for 38 years and the old way is ingrained. Doesn't mean I can't change and I have some, but since I have little time left in my working career I don'rt advocate my way, but sort of work between the two worlds.

Bolding is mine. It bears consideration that the educational experience for many millennials, along with the current generation still in school, was designed as a collaborative process with everyone expected to participate -- even in subjects such as mathematics. Their elders made that decision for them from their older and wiser perspective. What do you expect a generation educated (and graded) on participation in the collaborative process of solving problems and developing creative methods to achieve a goal to do when they enter the workplace -- where they were told they would need to use these skills they were honing since elementary school? (That question is not directed at you specifically tex1989, rather the general you.)

Perhaps some of the pompous blowhards riding millennials so hard need to take a step back and learn a few things themselves about history and how we got here.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Millenials were raised in such a way that they were always asked their opinion. They were used to solving problems with everyone getting a say in the solution. I on the other hand came from a generation where the boss said "do it this way!". While I certainly think there are benifits to the group think approach I have been in corporate America for 38 years and the old way is ingrained. Doesn't mean I can't change and I have some, but since I have little time left in my working career I don'rt advocate my way, but sort of work between the two worlds.

I feel like I'm in between your description.

You had no choice in school but to participate. You were regularly forced into a group. You were expected to discuss things as a group. That said often you'd have leaders. Sometimes that was me and sometimes it was not. My experience was there were times you followed the leader (who could be equated to your boss) and sometimes you were the leader.

In corporate culture this is what I adhered to. My boss was my boss. But I'm not really sure you're describing what I experienced. Even in school you were still all expected to discuss even if naturally you'd have people who stood out and became the leader. IMO it wasn't that it was a group approach or effort in coporate world it was that the company was open to suggestions (though some companies meant that as a PR thing rather than truly meaning it) on how to improve.

For a while my husband was on the R&D team while he was inbetween projects. The R&D team basically fielded any and all suggestions looking at them from a practical standpoint, financial standpoint, PR standpoint, etc. I remember my husband telling me about his coworker who was right around his age and the guy came up with a way to streamline a process and it saved the company an estimated $600,000 per year (I sure hope that guy got a good raise lol). Another time it came across that nursing mothers would love to be able to have a space any space that they could go into and privately pump. At no cost to the company really a room was then converted from being strictly meeting room that was rarely used to a room that nursing mothers could reserve to pump. A minifridge was installed in there (not anything actually impactful cost-wise).

In any case that shift in openess may be a generational adjustment. As always there's resistance too. If the boss was used to being the boss without any oversight into ways to improve things because well the buck stopped with the boss of course there's going to be resistence to a more collaborative approach where employees may have a true impact on their working environment or help out on something they work with day in and day out (meaning processes, client interaction, etc).

 

[kaytieeldr]

It's easy enough to say that those who committed felonies (fraud, etc.) should receive jail time, but I think we all know that's unlikely to happen. And when time comes for the actual sentencing to happen (if it ever does), it will likely be a non-story that is reported and goes mostly unnoticed.

It will be interesting to see who gets what punishment. Simmons obviously, but I hope to check that the courts don't decide based on income or position.

 

[soccerdad72]

It will be interesting to see who gets what punishment. Simmons obviously, but I hope to check that the courts don't decide based on income or position.

Agree on both parts, it definitely will be interesting. As an accountant, at a minimum I would hope (but not confident) that those who were writing off the payments as charitable get charged with tax fraud.

 

[jdb in AZ]

I read that Lori Loughlin was signing autographs on her way into court this morning. Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?

 

[cabanafrau]

Agree on both parts, it definitely will be interesting. As an accountant, at a minimum I would hope (but not confident) that those who were writing off the payments as charitable get charged with tax fraud.

If that doesn't happen it will be THE go to for defense attorneys in tax fraud cases for decades. The fact not a single tax fraud charge has been brought yet really makes me think it's likely we've only seen the part of the iceberg above the water at this point.

I read that Lori Loughlin was signing autographs on her way into court this morning. Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?

If that's true it demonstrates she is not only tone deaf, but she would have never qualified to enroll at USC herself.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I read that Lori Loughlin was signing autographs on her way into court this morning. Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?

that Felicity Huffman has more class? She apparently didn't stop for fans.

 

[Floridaman999]

At least they didn't get on top of a car and start dancing.

 

[Chocolate Cake]

I read that Lori Loughlin was signing autographs on her way into court this morning.

I just saw the video of her signing the autographs. Not a worry in the world.

Her body language said: Court? Oh, dahling, they can't touch me. Look at me! I am rich and beautiful! Smiles. Smiles. Smiles.

What a puke.

 

[cabanafrau]

I just saw the video of her signing the autographs. Not a worry in the world.

Her body language said: Court? Oh, dahling, they can't touch me. Look at me! I am rich and beautiful! Smiles. Smiles. Smiles.

What a puke.

Really? Even if she's not listening intently to what a lawyer says, or if she has a lawyer with a different strategy, I'd have thought she would have had a top notch PR consultant onboard to advise regarding the course to steer regarding her career, particularly after the coverage of her initial court appearance was so negative. She's gonna have to branch out to a completely different type of roles and audience if she ever hopes to resume her career.

 

[Imzadi]

I read that Lori Loughlin was signing autographs on her way into court this morning. Does anyone else see something wrong with this picture?

She's probably trying to keep what fans she has left and appreciating the fans that showed up for her in compassion. She's going to need them if she is ever going to have a career again in TV. Or she may feel it's her last time to ever do that and she was savoring the feeling.

 

[RamblingMad]

They bought their kids' way into elite schools. Did they also buy their diplomas?

Pick the right major, throw in grade inflation, and it’s not hard to sleep your way through uni. I bet none of them planned to be engineers or scientists.