# Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin indicted in Ivy League bribery scheme **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 12, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001 "2019-03-12T15:06:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/41 "2019-03-12T20:59:09Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > And in case anyone is wondering, yes, William Macy [was up to his neck in this](https://twitter.com/studentactivism/status/1105527039732449280). Of course. Have you seen Shameless? ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/42 "2019-03-12T21:03:02Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Well for one “whatever happened here” has been very clearly laid out in all the stories. As for the stereotypical buying a building, if it is a direct quid pro quo it may be illegal depending on the circumstances. One big difference is in one case the school and a large number of its students benefit from the donation. In the other one dude pockets $25 million dollars. Didn’t mean to suggest that whatever happened here was right, just that we have a long history of buying our way into college and nobody bats an eyelash at it. There’s a certain senior advisor to the president of the United States (not to mention the president himself) whose parents openly bought his way into school. If this story brings that larger issue to light, then I’m all for it. By the way, Lori Laughlin’s daughter’s twitter feed is chock full of videos of her talking about how she is only at school to party and doesn’t care anything about classes. She’s about to become the face of this whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/43 "2019-03-12T21:08:53Z")
> [@CAH66](#): > > If nothing else, I’d love to see the degrees revoked for those students that made it all the way through. But the privileged class rarely suffers much real harm when scandals like this erupt, so I would be surprised if any of the repercussions are very serious. A few firings, a few fines, and that’s about it. 😕 Apparently some of the kids literally didn’t know. I can believe it. . .youth is moreidralistic than adults. I don’t think revocation is fair in those cases. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/44 "2019-03-12T21:13:31Z")
So they paid [$500,000](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/lori-loughlin-daughter-olivia-jade-160906917.html) to get their kids into college? The older daughter didn’t even want to go to school! I’m assuming with in-state tuition they would have paid far less to send their daughters to USC if they hadn’t bribed. Are they going to bribe employers to hire their children for work? I am quite baffled by this whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/45 "2019-03-12T21:13:59Z")
From the SAT scores I heard bandied about, community college should have been the target–1020 is not too far above room temperature. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/46 "2019-03-12T21:14:11Z")
> [@Fiveyearlurker](#): > > Didn’t mean to suggest that whatever happened here was right, just that we have a long history of buying our way into college and nobody bats an eyelash at it. There’s a certain senior advisor to the president of the United States (not to mention the president himself) whose parents openly bought his way into school. If this story brings that larger issue to light, then I’m all for it. But I’m saying its rarely a one for one exchange. The Johnson family of Band-aid fame has enough buildings named after them in and around Rutgers that they probably let anyone in with the name just to be sure. I doubt any money has to be exchanged when RWJ VI applies. Is that a crime? And maybe its me and maybe I’m wrong but I see a big difference between a donation for the betterment of all and a bribe to fill the pockets of an individual. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/47 "2019-03-12T21:20:32Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > I’m assuming with in-state tuition they would have paid far less to send their daughters to USC if they hadn’t bribed. USC is actually a private university\*, and it looks like [the tuition rate](http://catalogue.usc.edu/content.php?catoid=8&navoid=2383) is the same for residents and non-residents. - - I only learned this, myself, a few years ago; I’d always incorrectly assumed that it was a public university, like UCLA. USC was originally affiliated with the Methodist Church, and became independent in 1952. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/48 "2019-03-12T21:34:02Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > But I’m saying its rarely a one for one exchange. The Johnson family of Band-aid fame has enough buildings named after them in and around Rutgers that they probably let anyone in with the name just to be sure. I doubt any money has to be exchanged when RWJ VI applies. Is that a crime? And maybe its me and maybe I’m wrong but I see a big difference between a donation for the betterment of all and a bribe to fill the pockets of an individual. I see a distinction without much difference. In both cases, an unqualified kid’s parents bought a qualified kid’s spot. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/49 "2019-03-12T21:37:11Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > USC is actually a private university\*, and it looks like [the tuition rate](http://catalogue.usc.edu/content.php?catoid=8&navoid=2383) is the same for residents and non-residents. > > - > - I only learned this, myself, a few years ago; I’d always incorrectly assumed that it was a public university, like UCLA. USC was originally affiliated with the Methodist Church, and became independent in 1952. Although I knew it was a private school if someone told me they graduated USC I wouldn’t be any more impressed than if they said UCLA. Well I would probably be impressed if they were a starter on the football team because there aren’t many who could. Maybe its because I’m on the east coast. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/50 "2019-03-12T21:38:06Z")
> [@sachertorte](#): > > I’m only seeing one, but I haven’t dug deeper than the quote. One one hand, if there were more, I’d think the article would jump at the chance to include more. On the other hand, I’d guess that more Americans think Stanford is in the Ivy League rather than Dartmoth, Brown or Cornell. Or UPenn, because obviously that’s just Penn State Philly campus right? Yeah, my first thought when I read the article was “UT must be loving this; they’re being lumped in with the Ivy League and Stanford for the purposes of admissions bribery.” That’s a huge endorsement for them, considering that they’re nowhere near Stanford/Ivy caliber. ---
**Author:** ![mikecurtis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikecurtis/32/3284_2.png) [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/51 "2019-03-12T21:42:19Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > . . . Beyond the Ivy League there are at most a handful of other schools that are perceived as elite enough to impress someone just by having the diploma. Texas is not one of them. . . … Depends on the field of study. UT Austin is considered **very** prestigious in law and political circles. Univ of MI and Washington U (St Louis) are top med schools. And Univ of PA has the #1 ranked business school. It’s not all about the Ivy League any more. mc ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/52 "2019-03-12T21:43:22Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Yeah, my first thought when I read the article was “UT must be loving this; they’re being lumped in with the Ivy League and Stanford for the purposes of admissions bribery.” That’s a huge endorsement for them, considering that they’re nowhere near Stanford/Ivy caliber. I’m going to guess that it was a case of some very rich daddy who’s a proud Texas alum, who desperately wanted his dumb-as-a-post kid to attend his alma mater, and learned of the test-fixers through a fellow rich daddy. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/53 "2019-03-12T21:52:46Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Although I knew it was a private school if someone told me they graduated USC I wouldn’t be any more impressed than if they said UCLA. Well I would probably be impressed if they were a starter on the football team because there aren’t many who could. Maybe its because I’m on the east coast. In the [Times World University Rankings](https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2019/world-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank/sort_order/asc/cols/stats), IIRC one of the three major university ranking sites: UCLA is in the top 20 worldwide UT Austin is in the top 50 USC is in the top 75 (and attending USC Film School has its own cachet) ---
**Author:** ![BeeGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@BeeGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeeGee)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/54 "2019-03-12T21:54:02Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I think that the people who have flipped have done so already. > > None of them will see jail time. They will pay big fines that they can easily afford and probably start scholarship funds for underprivileged youth. The CEOs may lose their jobs and the actors will continue on having lost a bit of pride. They will make public statements about how they lost sight of things out of love for their children. Actually, UT tennis coach Michael Center was arrested and jailed today. [https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/ut-coach-actresses-charged-in-cheating-scheme-involving-ut-others/1842478712](https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/ut-coach-actresses-charged-in-cheating-scheme-involving-ut-others/1842478712) He’s probably made bail by now. I don’t know if he’ll see prison time. But jail, he got. I pretty much guarantee he’s gone from UT. The new administration will cut you off quite handily. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/55 "2019-03-12T21:58:58Z")
This is an old story. in the early 50s, my cousin got into Wharton because of a $10k donation to Penn (a lot of money in those days). AFAIK, he did graduate on his own. Another $10K got him into Penn Law. Then he became an ambulance chaser, ads on TV, the whole works, and became quite wealthy. Later he went to prison, although I never found out what for. Now I know another case of a Wharton graduate who could not possibly have got in on his record. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/56 "2019-03-12T22:06:56Z")
> [@BeeGee](#): > > Actually, UT tennis coach Michael Center was arrested and jailed today. > [https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/ut-coach-actresses-charged-in-cheating-scheme-involving-ut-others/1842478712](https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/ut-coach-actresses-charged-in-cheating-scheme-involving-ut-others/1842478712) > > He’s probably made bail by now. I don’t know if he’ll see prison time. But jail, he got. I pretty much guarantee he’s gone from UT. The new administration will cut you off quite handily. I meant the parents. Sure some of the underlings might see some jail or prison time. Anyway, getting arrested and then making bail doesn’t count. I was talking about after conviction. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/57 "2019-03-12T22:18:56Z")
It’s not just about prestige. Schools lile UT and USC offer a fantastic, traditional college “experience”. Great Greek life, amazing foitball games, night life, lots of fellow elites to go to Europe with. . . I think it’s quite possible that mediocre children of the elite would want to go there simply for FUN, not because they think it will impress others or pay off in their professional life. It seems crazy to spend that kind of money for fun, but hey, people go to Disney World and thats probably a higher % of their assets than this is for a lot of those families. Second, however prestigious UT may or may not be, it’s fucking hard to get into, especially in Engineering or Business. I’ve personally taught 2 students who got into MIT and not UT and known plenty of others who got into highly selective schools you WOULD call prestigious but not UT. An SAT of 1500 and near perfect grades can EASILY earn a big ole “nope” from UT. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/58 "2019-03-12T22:19:20Z")
kids of alums get special help for free a lot of places. One thing they do for alum kids is if you are out of state then you get in based on the in state criteria which is easier. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/59 "2019-03-12T22:21:37Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > USC is actually a private university\*, and it looks like [the tuition rate](http://catalogue.usc.edu/content.php?catoid=8&navoid=2383) is the same for residents and non-residents. > > - > - I only learned this, myself, a few years ago; I’d always incorrectly assumed that it was a public university, like UCLA. USC was originally affiliated with the Methodist Church, and became independent in 1952. Ignorance fought! Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001/60 "2019-03-12T22:22:57Z")
> [@mikecurtis](#): > > Depends on the field of study. UT Austin is considered **very** prestigious in law and political circles. Univ of MI and Washington U (St Louis) are top med schools. And Univ of PA has the #1 ranked business school. It’s not all about the Ivy League any more. > > mc Perception is not reality. Yes there are many schools that have prestige within a field. That doesn’t mean a thing when it comes to general perceptions. On the other hand there are probably some with prestigious names that don’t quite live up to the hype. We are talking about the difference between “Great you got a degree” and “Wow you graduated from XXX.” Within your chosen field you would expect the hiring manager to know the difference. That doesn’t mean the general public will consider you to be a graduate from an elite school. I remember from when my brother went to Rutgers Engineering that they had one of the best ceramic engineering programs at least in the country. Unless you worked for Owens Corning you probably wouldn’t know that. At this point it doesn’t appear that we are talking about gifted students trying to get into difficult programs at schools that happen to have a great reputation within a narrow field. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/felicity-huffman-lori-loughlin-indicted-in-ivy-league-bribery-scheme/831001.md?page=4)