Thailand’s energy and telecom mogul, Sarath Ratanavadi, one of the wealthiest individuals in the country, managed to secure a spot for his son at the prestigious University of Southern California (USC) through a donation of $3 million to the Trojan golf team. This donation came after his son was deemed a mediocre student by the admissions officer, with grades equating to four Ds and two Fs from a Bangkok private school.
The admissions officer noted that Ratanavadi’s son would not likely contribute to the team’s success, but his father was now a big supporter of USC Athletics. Subsequent investigations revealed that USC had a quiet pathway for wealthy and well-connected families to secure admission with lower academic expectations and higher acceptance rates than regular applicants, with up to 85-90% admission rates for these individuals.
Thousands of internal university records indicated a manipulation of the admissions system meant for athletes to favor individuals connected to real estate developers, financiers, CEOs, and sports team owners. USC’s emphasis on donor children raised concerns about equity and fairness in the application process, with VIP applicants having a higher chance of admission than regular students.
The scandal surrounding the Varsity Blues case exposed USC’s systemic incentives for admitting well-heeled students, with donor walk-ons gaining preferential treatment. USC’s intricate admissions apparatus was under scrutiny, revealing how athletics and fundraising were interconnected, potentially compromising the integrity of the university’s admissions process. Despite USC’s efforts to present itself as an institution focused on diversity and merit-based admissions, the revelations about donor favoritism have raised questions about the fairness and transparency of USC’s student selection process.
Source
Photo credit www.latimes.com
