Sunday, March 17, 2019

Bribery vs Affirmative Action

       The MSM has been abuzz over the lastest college admissions scandal.  Some are calling it another example of white privilege totally gone awry.  It seems that wealthy parents using a phony charity as a cover have been paying loads of cash to get their mostly undeserving children into prestigious schools that they otherwise probably would have been denied admission.  In some cases very bright students would be paid to take SAT and/or ACT college entrance examinations, assuring a high score, worthy of admission.  Some were done through outright bribes to college admissions officers or to athletic coaches to request that a student be admitted to play on a college team. Photoshopped pictures of the head of a student involved  placed on that of someone playing the sport and on an athletic body were sometimes included.  In most instance that child never even played the sport.  The money was funneled through a phony charity set up by Richard Singer to at least give parents a tax write off.  Over all about $25 million was paid into this scheme.
      The FBI in operation "Varsity Blue" uncovered the scheme and has indicted more than 50 individuals  on a variety of chargers including money laundering and tax evasion.  Since wealthy parents were involved who were mostly white, the MSM has looked at this a white privilege gone completely off the deep end.  Think of it, children being admitted to prestigious colleges for which they probably would not be admitted otherwise. Even several Hollywood liberal actresses have been indicted. These cheaters have taken the places of other applicants who are more qualified according to admission standards to matriculate at these universities.  Law suits by students denied admission have started to pop up.
      But colleges have always admitted students who did not meet the academic standards meant for their average admission..  The student athlete is a good example.  At least these students may earn large sums of money for the university totaling in the millions of dollars.  Although grading scandals occasionally arise, most universities have a means to make students eligible with mandatory study halls, tutoring, and class attendance monitoring as the student athlete can't earn tons of monet for the university, if he is academically ineligible.  The money the University receives from ticket sales, bowl games, and happy alumni is used for scholarships and other school projects.  Legacy students may also see standards eased a bit, especially if their parent or grandparent are regular donors, the more donated the better the chance of securing admission.
      There are other ways to cheat.  President Obama was able to transfer to Columbia University from Occidental even though he had a B- average,  using his Indonesian passport to secure admission and access to scholarship money as a foreign student.
      The most glaring example of the bending of admission standards is affirmative action. Liberals have decided that even though their efforts at improving education for minorities has failed, it just doesn't matter.  Bussing to integrate mostly segregated schools failed, because it not only wasted money that could have been used for books, supplies, teachers' salaries on bussing itself, but de facto segregation within the school house occurred, as newly arriving minority students needed to be placed in classes in which they could compete.  In most cases, their previous education had failed to keep pace with those of whiter students so they were behind through no fault of their own.  Although some bright and determined students could be move into normal classes as their education progressed many could not catch up and so forced bussing is considered a failure.  Affirmative action at all levels placed students who were less qualified ahead of those that would otherwise be admitted.  The United States Supreme Court in 5-4 decisions has sided with affirmative action, though a limit on for how many years it should go on was discussed.  Realistically though, why should skin color be a better indicator for admission than money.  After all money allows the University to build better dorms and classrooms and hire top professors.
      Now I'm not saying that bribing ones way into a university is the equivalent of affirmative action, far from it as the former is illegal and those involved should be and are being prosecuted.  Besides the obvious that has already been mention, all minority students are tagged as affirmative action whether they are or not. It also demonstrates that the liberal approach to education has been a failure.

1 comment:

  1. Another informative and thought provoking blog. Thanks Doc.

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