Old School

The chairman of the Board of Trustees at the University of Illinois resigned recently amid increasingly incendiary accusations that he encouraged an academic version of “pay to play” politics to flourish, allowing students to be admitted based largely on personal and political connections.

What is it with those guys in Illinois, from the Governor on down? Aren't they supposed to find God or something when they get caught? But at least in Illinois, some are getting caught.

This isn't just about colleges brazenly disregarding academic standards to further athletic programs (as with Memphis in the last couple of years). It is the "average student," who not uncommonly and especially at private colleges, may be accepted on criteria other than merit. As you might guess, those criteria usually involve money. Surprisingly to some, the ability to pay is often an influential factor in acceptance, as a private college that presents a freshman with a $40,000 bill might prefer to accept a student with the ability to pay that bill (leading to more money for the college), especially if outside loan money is less forthcoming. Less known by the general population is that private schools may also favor "legacy" students, i.e., applicants that have a parent or family history of graduates (and especially alumni donors) from that college (alumni who would be pleased to see the family applicant accepted, thereby leading to more money for the colleges). And then, there is the old fashioned who-do-you-know, as disclosed in Illinois (Mayor Daley would have approved- assuming he got a "taste").

The ivory tower may not be so white.