College Scandal: Did Sentenced Parents Get Enough Jail Time?
December 4, 2019
Wealthy parents who paid their kid’s way to get into the best colleges in the United States are horrible people.
The “Varsity Blues Scandal” as it is named, indicted 33 parents by United States federal prosecutors. Some parents paid Rick Singer, the mastermind of the scandal, between $15,000 and $75,000, to pay college entrance exam administrators to change answers on the SAT exams and boost their kid’s scores. While others parents paid Singer up to $500,000 to bribe coaches and college officials to secure admission to top universities.
Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty and admitted to paying $15,000 to raise her daughter’s SAT scores by using a SAT proctor who changed scores. Huffman received a short jail time of 14 days, fined $30,000, and ordered to perform 250 hours of community service.
Huffman was given the easy way out. She is a successful actress with a net worth of $20 million. She received a fine which she easily paid that same day. Huffman should have had more jail time and a longer probation for her poor decisions.
Senior, Alexander Popoca agrees that the sentencing was too short. “I believe Felicity Huffman should have been given a longer jail time to prove that rich celebrities can pay the same price as anyone else,” said Popoca.
According to NBC News, Kelly Williams-Bolar, an African American single mother, was sentenced to five years in prison for using her father’s address to get her children into a better school rather than the dangerous neighborhood where she lived.
What happened to William-Bolar is something that happens way too often within minority and poor communities. Although, William-Bolar’s case was later suspended by a judge who gave her 10 days and three years of probation, it is crazy how drastically different, the initial sentences are with Huffman and Williams=Bolar. Minority students who often work twice as hard and with fewer resources to get into elite colleges are afraid someone who is wealthy can just take their spot. And the wealthy have time and time again.
Businessman Devin Sloane, paid $250,000 to get his son into the University of Southern California and was “recruited” as a water polo athlete. Sloane told the judge he, “wanted what was best for my son.”
Are they doing this for their children or their own status?
Talwani, the appointee to the U.S District Court of Massachusetts, has given out seven sentences so far. Sloane received four months. Talwani sentenced couple, Gregory and Marcia Abbott, to one month in prison. The Abbotts paid $125,000 to have their daughter’s exam questions fixed to get into Duke University.
As seniors complete their college apps, we question if our spot will be taken by people who are wealthy.
Senior, Michelle Ayala, has stayed after school for multiple late nights to work on her FAFSA and college applications.
“It’s surprising these people aren’t serving more than a month in jail. Wealthy people shouldn’t just be given a slap on the hand when they’ve clearly crossed the line,” said Ayala.
This is not the first time it has happened and will certainly not be the last. The amount of media coverage on this college scandal has opened people’s eyes. It just proves how certain people think money is the solution. When you have to pay your way out of jail, it just shows how unfair the judicial system really is.
These are real crimes that deserve longer sentencing. Time needs to be given, not money.
I think we must perceive that the system of the judge isn’t a fair one. People shouldn’t be able to pay things just to get away with the process of time. I believe that people are being too reticent and not speaking their minds. Many people are irate because of the fact that poor people have to work hard and actually take the time to pass classes and exams while others just pay with money and that’s not right. In my opinion, they should enhance the judicial system because other crimes are not that bad and they are more in jail then this crime which is actually the worst.
I strongly believe what these wealthy people did was wrong. Paying for your child´s college shows them that they do not have to put in effort to be successful. Regular kids take time to study and be involved to have a chance of going to college. This article made me more vigilant of how the judicial system needs to be enhanced. I do not tolerate it when there is discrimination between the poor and the rich. This demonstrates the advantage wealth brings and disadvantages of being poor in life.
I believe that wealthy people should not have done that, the way the Judge TERMINATED the case and just gave her a small fine, it is not fair to others. The other people are not as wealthy as them and probably did not even commit a big of a crime as those wealthy families getting their children into higher-ranked schools. The African American wanted to get her kids into a better school sp they have a chance, unlike herself. It was to give them a chance at something better.
I believe that it is clear to see that more AFFLUENT individuals get away with more because of their wealth. This is due to wealthy people being able to hire good lawyers in order to get them a PERFUNCTORY punishment. this is particularly INSANE because people like Kelly Williams-Bolar that do overall less harm than these wealthy parents get ADMONISHED more severely. Not only this but those who actually have gotten to where they are without cheating are getting their rightful spots in colleges stolen from them. For these reasons it is clear to see that these wealthy people should be getting greater punishments for their crimes.
I believe that wealthy people should not have paid for their children to go to college. The people believe that the JURISDICTION was unfair because they didn’t get enough time in jail. The judge just TERMINATED the case and only made the parents pay a small fine. In the beginning, the parents probably felt very FRETFUL because they knew it would ruin their reputation. This shows how much wealthy people can have an advantage in life and very little consequences.