penn nation
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Reg: 12-02-04
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Article: Jerome Took Bribes at Penn
03-18-19 06:43 PM - Post#281959
In response to Go Green
I just checked Columbia's Hall of Fame to see if a former All-Ivy QB who was later convicted of securities fraud is in there.
He is not.
Luckman's father, however, was in fact in trouble with the law.
https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-polit ics...
Edited by penn nation on 03-18-19 06:45 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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JAG
Freshman
Posts: 30
Reg: 11-26-04
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03-18-19 07:32 PM - Post#281963
In response to SteveChop
I hope that Jerome Allen's name is not removed from the Palestra display walls. It is easy to ostracize. It is a form of scapegoating, a fear of coming to terms with one's own motivations. And we need to remember that Jerome took the Penn coaching job in the worst circumstances possible. It was to be a one year situation. But when finances prohibited a sensible budget for men's basketball, Jerome stayed on. None of this excuses his part in the scandal, but he needs to have his University acknowledge his contributions, not erase them, despite the blight on his record.
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palestra38
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Reg: 11-21-04
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03-18-19 09:22 PM - Post#281975
In response to JAG
Again, I disagree. And I disagree a lot more strenuously than I do with Otto about the CBI/CIT. I think anyone who betrays his trust and commits a felony in the interest of greed should be shunned and any honors he was given withdrawn. And frankly, I cannot see a serious argument to the contrary.
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penn nation
Professor
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Reg: 12-02-04
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03-18-19 09:34 PM - Post#281980
In response to palestra38
I think anyone who betrays his trust and commits a felony in the interest of greed should be shunned and any honors he was given withdrawn.
I'd first start with most of the named parts of Wharton.
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palestra38
Professor
Posts: 32802
Reg: 11-21-04
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03-19-19 08:19 AM - Post#282014
In response to penn nation
Story gets deeper
https://www.thedp.com/article/2019/03/admis sions-s...
Esformes paid $400K to Rick Singer's bogus "charity" and discussed having his son take the SATs in Arizona. Can't imagine that he would have paid $400K just to talk to the guy---remember, he was paying Jerome directly (unless Singer also was paying Jerome).
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rbg
Postdoc
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03-19-19 10:07 AM - Post#282023
In response to palestra38
The Chronicle of Higher Education asked 20 elite school Admissions Deans about the scandal:
(Trigger Warning - Cornell is not included in the CoHE list of 20 elite schools interviewed)
https://www.chronicle.com/article/We-Asked-20-E lit...
- Harvard University: A university representative declined to comment. Harvard has not been named in the federal investigation. -
- Columbia University: Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and Financial Aid Jessica Marinaccio declined to comment. Columbia has not been named in the federal investigation. -
- Princeton University: Acting Dean of Admission Jill Dolan declined to comment. Princeton has not been named in the federal investigation. -
- Yale University: Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Jeremiah Quinlan responded to The Chronicle's questions with a written statement. Yale has been named in the federal investigation.
"I encourage you to review President [Peter] Salovey's recent messages regarding the investigation, including [Friday's] update regarding our next steps. A collection of frequently asked questions about the case is also available on the website of the Office of the President. I am, of course, committed to working with President Salovey, Director of Athletics Vicky Chun, and other university leaders to prevent this type of fraud from happening again. The coach who was charged no longer works for the university, and there is no indication that any other member of the Yale administration or staff knew about the conspiracy."
(Editor's note: In the FAQ, Yale said its athletics director would review coaches' proposed recruits before they were sent to the admissions office and would scrutinize instances in which a recruited athlete did not make a team.) -
- Brown University: Dean of Admission Logan Powell responded to The Chronicle's questions. Brown has not been named in the federal investigation.
Q. Will your university exert more oversight over how students are designated as athletic recruits in the admissions process? If so, how?
A. Our first step was to complete a case-by-case review of every varsity athlete admitted and enrolled as part of the athletic recruitment process over the last four years. That review generated no concerns — fewer than five recruited athletes did not ultimately end up on a varsity athletics roster, and in each case that was due to legitimate reasons such as a major sports injury. As we think of next steps, we are of course looking closely at all our existing processes to identify if there are ways to strengthen what we have in place. It’s too soon to speak definitively about what our assessment might identify or determine, but we are taking this very seriously.
Q. Does "Operation Varsity Blues" show a broader need for reform in selective admissions?
A. Each institution has to reflect on its own processes. Ultimately, our rigorous, comprehensive and individual review of every prospective student’s qualifications remains essential in enrolling an academically talented and diverse class through a fair and equitable process. We will certainly explore new safeguards and remain vigilant to the potential for fraudulent applications. -
- University of Pennsylvania: Dean of Admissions Eric J. Furda responded to The Chronicle's questions. Penn has not been named in the federal investigation.
Q. Will your university exert more oversight over how students are designated as athletic recruits in the admissions process? If so, how?
A. Yes. Penn Admissions and Penn's Department of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics have worked with an outside consultant to review and strengthen our processes for the recruitment of student-athletes. We are further establishing checks and balances within each department and across the departments with standard operating procedures to document, verify and audit the recruitment and evaluation processes for student-athletes. Furthermore, there are lessons learned from this case which can be applied to all candidates, regardless of whether they are recruited student-athletes. As an example, similar to the Fafsa verification process, selected applicants can be chosen for further vetting randomly or because of inconsistencies in a student's application.
Finally, we will not be naïve to think that all people will act in the manner in which we hope they should or underestimate how persuasive some people can be in trying to influence the admissions process. Operation Varsity Blues may also, hopefully, demonstrate to others who may try to manipulate the system that there are no shortcuts and that their actions will eventually come to light, with heavy repercussions.
Q. Does "Operation Varsity Blues" show a broader need for reform in selective admissions?
A. Yes, there is a broader need for reform in highly selective admissions. Operation Varsity Blues, along with litigation and court cases currently pending centered around highly selective admissions, exposes the deepening divide across our country along socioeconomic, geographic and racial lines. These gulfs have only deepened since the 2008 global financial crisis. The sense of zero-sum competition and winner-take-all to gain admission to "the 20 most selective universities" adds to this divide and is detrimental to the fabric of our nation and, most regrettably, damaging to our children. As educators we need to highlight and celebrate the range of options in American higher education, from community colleges which can become a path to a four-year degree, [to] our flagship state university systems and private institutions, that should be measured by their graduation rates rather than admit rates. Once we admit students to our institutions, we need to make sure all of our students, regardless of background, are entering into a supportive learning environment where they can find their own voices and learn from those who have different lived experiences. In this way, they will be better prepared for the lives they will enter into as young adults. -
- Dartmouth College: A university representative responded to The Chronicle's questions. Dartmouth has not been named in the federal investigation.
Q. Will your university exert more oversight over how students are designated as athletic recruits in the admissions process? If so, how?
A. Dartmouth is proud of its athletic program and the academic accomplishment of its student athletes. That achievement is fostered by a rigorous practice and protocols designed to yield students capable of succeeding on and off the field. In light of these revelations, the athletics office is redoubling its efforts to ensure the integrity and strength of that process. We are committed to formalizing the protocols for administrative approval of each recruit and an annual review of all first-year students who were recruited athletes to ensure that they appear on the appropriate team roster.
Q. Does "Operation Varsity Blues" show a broader need for reform in selective admissions?
A. "Operation Varsity Blues" has uncovered a sophisticated fraud scheme. Our review process of each application is rigorous, multifaceted, and thorough. Dartmouth remains vigilant to the potential for fraud; committed to the energetic response to, and investigation of, any allegations of misconduct; and proactive in working to prevent fraud within our own institutional processes. In addition, we encourage the admissions testing agencies in their efforts to carry out their prevention efforts. -
Here is the Yale FAQ page:
https://president.yale.edu/frequently-asked-ques ti...
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SRP
Postdoc
Posts: 4909
Reg: 02-04-06
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03-19-19 03:24 PM - Post#282092
In response to rbg
A satirist's ignorance trips her up, although her delivery is pretty good:
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-statement- fr...
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rbg
Postdoc
Posts: 3050
Reg: 10-20-14
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03-21-19 09:15 AM - Post#282305
In response to SRP
It looks like Jerome has some company.
Former University of San Diego coach Lamont Smith allegedly took $100,000 from a real estate developer to get his son, who does not play basketball, into the school as a recruit athlete.
Smith, who was serving as an assistant at UTEP, resigned as soon as the school was notified by USD yesterday.
He resigned from USD last year after he was charged with domestic assault following an encounter he had after a game at USF. The charges were dropped, but he still resigned. From what I remember, he resigned because his having the affair did not look good for a religious based school.
https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/forme r-univ...
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Go Green
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03-21-19 09:34 AM - Post#282308
In response to rbg
From what I remember, he resigned because his having the affair did not look good for a religious based school.
At which schools does it look good?
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rbg
Postdoc
Posts: 3050
Reg: 10-20-14
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03-21-19 09:53 AM - Post#282310
In response to Go Green
That's a good one!
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palestra38
Professor
Posts: 32802
Reg: 11-21-04
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03-21-19 10:10 AM - Post#282313
In response to Go Green
Well, the assault doesn't look good, anyway.
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Go Green
PhD Student
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Age: 52
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03-28-19 09:35 AM - Post#282953
In response to palestra38
Am willing to bet that Esformes is the student referred in the second and third paragraphs here.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the...
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palestra38
Professor
Posts: 32802
Reg: 11-21-04
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03-28-19 10:06 AM - Post#282956
In response to Go Green
Sure looks that way.
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rbg
Postdoc
Posts: 3050
Reg: 10-20-14
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04-01-19 09:27 AM - Post#283138
In response to palestra38
The Miami Herald notes that the Esformes trial is heading to a jury today.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article228 5...
There was a bit of Allen-centric information in its trial summary.
- Perhaps the most riveting testimony at Esformes’ trial came from a former University of Pennsylvania basketball coach, Jerome Allen, who got to know the businessman through a fellow coach who trained his son. He testified that Esformes paid him about $300,000 in cash bribes and wire transfers to place his son, Morris, on a priority list as a “recruited basketball player†so he could be accepted to Penn and its exclusive Wharton School.
Allen, now an assistant basketball coach with the Boston Celtics, said Morris Esformes was not cut out for Division I basketball but he still put him on a short list of five recruits to get him into the Ivy League school. Morris Esformes didn’t make the team after entering in the fall of 2015 but he is expected to graduate this spring.
Allen, who was fired in March 2015 after a string of losing seasons before Esformes’ son started at Penn, pleaded guilty to a bribery-related money-laundering charge. He will be sentenced in April. -
Here is an article from Think Progress on how a recent decision from another Penn person may influence the trial. I'll leave it to the lawyers on this board to interpret the information.
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-obamacare-medic are...
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Streamers
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Loc: NW Philadelphia
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04-01-19 04:43 PM - Post#283157
In response to rbg
Incredible...
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palestra38
Professor
Posts: 32802
Reg: 11-21-04
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04-05-19 11:00 AM - Post#283307
In response to Streamers
New allegations--Harvard fencing coach:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/04/0...
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Go Green
PhD Student
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Age: 52
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04-05-19 12:10 PM - Post#283316
In response to palestra38
Probably just a matter of time before this type of thing is uncovered at all the Ivies...
I imagine that the father was really, really, really unhappy to get that phone call from the Globe reporter asking for comment.
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10Q
Professor
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04-05-19 12:31 PM - Post#283320
In response to Go Green
Giving new meaning to "fencing".
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rbg
Postdoc
Posts: 3050
Reg: 10-20-14
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04-05-19 01:01 PM - Post#283324
In response to 10Q
Philip Esformes faced 26 charges and was found guilty of 20 this morning. Jurors did not reach a verdict on the main count of Medicare fraud. The Miami Herald article notes that even without the Medicare fraud conviction, he could still spend the rest of his life in jail.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article228 7...
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rbg
Postdoc
Posts: 3050
Reg: 10-20-14
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Article: Jerome Took Bribes at Penn
04-17-19 08:41 AM - Post#283708
In response to Go Green
Looking back at Go Green's 3/28/19 post, it would seem that the 2nd, 3rd and 13th paragraphs of the WaPo article deal with the PR agent and the younger Esformes.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the...
I wonder if this is part of the PR strategy:
https://hitechwiki.com/2019/04/morris-esform es-on-...
https://morris-esformes.com/
Edited by rbg on 04-17-19 08:42 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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