Editorial: There have been too many examples of self-dealing, corruption and willful ignorance at USC to dismiss the college cheating scandal as the result of a few bad apples. (via latimesopinion)
, interim President Wanda Austin said the scheme was perpetrated by just a few employees — unbeknownst to senior administrators and admissions employees — and that USC was a victim of their deceit.
Sure, it may prove to be true that no other USC administrators knew that coaches were selling admission to parents wealthy and shameless enough to pass their mediocre progeny off as star athletes. But USC cannot be called blameless. There have been too many examples now of self-dealing, outright corruption and willful ignorance of misconduct to dismiss the latest controversy on campus as the result of a few bad apples.
In earlier scandals, the university let serious complaints go ignored and hid bad behavior, rather than forcing it out into the open. Problem employees were allowed to quietly exit, and the priority was protecting the university’s reputation, rather than fixing the problems. That’s why USC needs to conduct a full and transparent investigation into how such bribery and corruption could occur in the admissions process.
Austin and Board of Trustees Chairman Rick Caruso have been trying valiantly to change the institutional culture and set USC on a path forward, sometimesfrom alumni and donors. Austin gets credit for her work so far, but it would be a mistake to dismiss the college admission fraud as an isolated incident and crime committed upon the university. This is one in a series of scandals that illustrate how much work still needs to be done to reform USC.
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