SHOCKING: Yet another college admissions scandal has been revealed, this time at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
By Natalie Vargas, Staff Writer
Just as everyone thought all the admission scandals were finally dealt with, Willam Singer, the mastermind behind it all, throws another one at us. A “soccer player” from British Columbia was seemingly scouted just like any other athlete wishes to be: to a huge Pac-12 school like UCLA. However, the student’s admission to UCLA was guaranteed after a $100,000 bribe was paid to the former head coach of the men’s soccer program, Jorge Salcedo. Even though the mother of the teen, Xiaoning Sui, has not commented on the recent events, it was revealed that she paid Singer $400,000 in order to get her son into the university on an “athletic scholarship.” It is unknown whether she is aware of the $100,000 bribe to Salcedo, but it’s clear she was aware of Singer’s intentions with the large sum of money she paid him.
On behalf of all competitive athletes wanting to play in college, it is extremely unfair for someone to use their money to be scouted by the most competitive sports schools. Some athletes dream of being scouted by schools like UCLA, the University of Southern California (USC) and Stanford. If these scandals seems shocking to non-athletes, just imagine these athletes’ surprise when they found out they could just pay merely $500,000 to play wherever they want. Who needs years of training and practice when someone could bribe their way onto an elite team? Why should athletes try to become the best in their area to maybe get scouted by a small Division III program, when instead, they can call Mr. Singer and become the top recruit of their graduating class? Students who are “scouted” in order to guarantee admission undermines all of the athletes that have sacrificed their social life and mental strength to receive the opportunity to play for a Pac-12 school like UCLA. Additionally, the wealthy parents paying their child’s way into these competitive schools undermine the students who have worked hard to earn admission to these prestigious universities based solely on their merit. Imagine being a student, who is stressed with the huge workload of trying to maintain an above average GPA, SAT score and extracurricular activities. As a student, hearing about these privileged children who are paying their way into these academically rigorous universities, wouldn’t you feel that the situation is unfair? What justifies their admission to a school that you could almost, maybe get into? This is exactly the backlash students must be feeling.
Even though the UCLA admissions scandal is only one of many, it shows how far parents will go to get their child ahead. Why can’t their children learn how to get ahead on their own? We will never know. As this story unfolds, this scandal will become one of many that Singer helped orchestrate.