Earlier this week, news broke that 33 people, including celebrities like Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, were involved in a college admission scandal. If you haven’t been following, here’s the rundown: famous and wealthy parents paid their children’s way into schools like Yale, University of Southern California, and Georgetown. Whether it was by getting someone to take a standardized test for their child, lying about athletic abilities or simply paying off a faculty member, those involved are now being charged for their actions.
Of those involved, the spotlight is on Lori Loughlin of Full House and her husband Mossimo Giannulli. The couple allegedly spent $500,000 to get their daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella, into the University of Southern California as recruits for USC’s crew team, regardless of them not being involved in crew, according to court documents. For me, the most shocking part of the scheme was that Giannulli – who, again, paid half a million dollars to get his daughters into a college that they otherwise wouldn't have been qualified to attend — felt that Olivia Jade and Bella were above Arizona State University. In an email he copied Loughlin on, Giannulli wrote that when meeting with his daughter's guidance counselor, he wanted to “fully understand the game plan and make sure we have a roadmap for success as it relates to [our daughter] and getting her into a school other than ASU!”
As a proud Sun Devil that bleeds maroon and gold, it irritates me that our dated Girls Gone Wild reputation from over a decade ago is still even a thought. Instead, let me remind you what being an Arizona State University student really means — our "roadmap for success," if you will. I could start with how we were ranked number one in innovation four years running by U.S. News, over schools like Stanford and MIT. But perhaps you’d like to hear more about how we've produced athletes like James Harden and Barry Bonds, and household names like Jimmy Kimmel, and Kate Spade. Take away the names and awards, and ASU is still a great school where students have the opportunity to get a quality education while also being part of a community that impacts the world in more ways than one.
Pop quiz: Did you know that ASU is one of the top 20 schools for patents? That Anderson Cooper recorded his nightly news show at the Cronkite School of Journalism after receiving the prestigious Cronkite Award? Or, that Olympian Michael Phelps was one of the assistant swim coaches and his former coach is now our head swim coach? Well, I’m happy to be the one to tell you.
Listen, I'm not here to sound like I’m giving you a campus tour, but the heart of ASU are these activities, and the innovative experiences that students take part in every day — like the student-ran and award winning station Blaze Radio, each campus’ Student Government that makes a difference on campus and in the legislature, and more than 1,000 other clubs and organizations. Whether you have predetermined thoughts about ASU or not, I guarentee that if you spent just 24 hours on campus, you would see that our tired reputation doesn't reflect what we are today.
I couldn’t imagine going to any other school, not just because of the opportunities and skills I've already gained in my first two years here, but also thanks to the amazing people I have met. So, I'm sorry that you were misinformed on ASU, Giannulli. It's a shame that you felt like you had to buy your daughters what you consider to be an elite education. Arizona State University is my elite education, and your daughters missed out.
