National college scandal shakes Samo community

On Tuesday, March 12, a widespread college admissions scandal was brought to light, charging over 50 parents with illegally manipulating the college admission system and spending upwards of $5 million to secure spots for their children at elite universities across the nation, from Yale to USC. High profile parents worked alongside college athletic coaches - reporting to “mastermind”  Rick Singer - to create false test scores, grades and athletic careers for students in an effort to get them into the prestigious colleges. As the intricate story continues to unravel, it has become clear that colleges admissions is certainly not a merit-based operation, and it calls into question the validity and morality of the process. However, while many may be cheating the system to be granted acceptance into elite schools, the Samo community finds that it is more important than ever to work hard and prove one’s intelligence without cheating or scams.  The scheme was orchestrated by Singer, a personal college admissions counselor who used his connections to elaborately doctor information to present a more appealing applicant to college admissions officers. Parents would pay Singer to get their children higher test scores on the SAT or ACT, often through being given a test in a “learning disability” environment, where the student would take the standardized test without the normal proctor-style setting, allowing Singer to feed information to the student or even have an entirely different individual take the test for them. However, for some students, they were completely unaware that any cheating was taking place. The parents would hide the scam from them, making the student believe all of the scores were their own. Additionally, Singer bribed colleges athletic coaches to accept phony lists of athletic achievements and photoshopped images of students playing a sport competitively to get the student recruited to the school as an athlete. This would guarantee admission to the college, but it would take a spot away from a dedicated student-athlete who had worked incredibly hard to be recruited. Singer and the parents involved are all facing jail time for their actions and trickery, but the students are not currently facing any criminal punishment. In wake of this revelation, schools that were victims of the scam have made it clear that they were not participants in the scheme; however, the public can see that it has certainly exposed a corrupt system at the core of college admissions. It is not new news that the wealthier have a higher chance of “bribing” their way into admittance - whether it be through buying a new building for a college or donating a large sum of money to an alumni fund - but this level of corruption is unprecedented and shows how elitist the admissions process can be. Samo junior Margaux Maxon (’20) feels that the scandal is very unfair to those who work hard everyday but do not come from the same economic backgrounds as those who paid their way into elite schools. “It is sad and very disappointing to see people have taken such awful actions. I feel terrible for the kids who lost a spot at a top colleges in result of the scam, and hope that we can move forward and provide students with a more level playing field based on intelligence, not money,” Maxon said.  Principal Dr. Antonio Shelton is upset but not surprised at the recent reveal. As the head of a public high school with students who come from a vast range of socioeconomic backgrounds, Shelton feels that it is very unfair for this system to be in place, but it is inevitable. “Do we honestly think that this is the first time people have done this? People have an upper hand advantage, they always have, because their family is able to give money to a college. [When the headlines came out] I wasn’t in shock. These people now just got caught. And I can’t say that I believe it’s going to stop,” Shelton said.  For Samo’s three college counselors, Rosa Mejia, Julie Honda and Ernesto Flores, the scam highlights an unjust abuse of money and power, and is hard for them to swallow. “The most recent events surrounding college access and the admission process have deeply shaken the majority of us who work within college counseling. For the three of us, college counseling isn’t solely a profession, rather it’s a great passion that drives our energy and efforts. Because of this, it’s beyond disheartening to learn of the actions others have taken to manipulate a process that is meant to highlight a youth’s strengths and abilities.”  Shelton believes that there is now a lack of trust in the college admissions system. “Even if you are qualified, the people who have the money, or have access to a special person, can get admittance instead. It creates distrust for the process. The system to them is failing, it is failing them. Is there a legitimate process that I can trust after all of this?” Shelton said.