UNITED STATES—By now, most of you are well aware that actress Felicity Huffman has been sentenced in her role in the college admissions scandal where she paid someone off to alter the SAT scores for her daughter to help her get into an elite college. Yes, when the news first broke several months ago it left many people quite upset to say the least. Why? The sentence that Huffman was given was light to say the best. Fourteen days in jail, and a $15,000 fine.
I get it, a lot of people are upset, and so am I for the reason that it raises concerns now just about how fair the college admissions process is, but rather people who commit crimes will actually pay the price for their devious deeds. It is quite laughable and yes, I can understand the judge saying no one was physically harmed with what Huffman done, but you’re basically saying if you have the money you can purchase your child’s college education.
Now this is no secret, and I’m certain this has transpired for years, it’s just in 2019 and the scandal blew up in front of the cameras. It was exposed to say the least, but raises bigger questions: how fair is the college admissions process? Does everyone get a fair shake? Does names, race, sex, gender, class, wealth, environment all play a role in the decision making process? Of course it does, and anyone who says otherwise is just blind or refuses to see what they know to be true.
I think I’m more pissed over the fact that there are students out there who boss their tails preparing for the SAT or ACT exams in hopes of scoring a decent score that boosts their chances of getting that acceptance letter to the school of their choice. So when you have a parent willing to PAY someone to alter the real test scores with a manufactured one, it only hurts the process more. Someone who may not be qualified gets accepted over someone who actually worked their tail off to prove their value.
Yeah, it’s hard to explain that outcome without getting angry in the process and anyone who says otherwise is just delusional. The one thing that I would argue matters most about Huffman is that she has shown guilt over her actions, she is apologetic. Whereas actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli haven’t admitted their guilt in the scandal. We know you paid far more money than Huffman did and in the process may have even committed fraud along the way. If you have committed a crime and been caught, you need to acknowledge your role in it.
Why? You’re showing you are remorseful of your actions, but failing to acknowledge your wrongdoing is a sign that you think you are above the law and you can weasel your way out the slippery slopes. Which let’s just all say it, many celebrities attempt to do it all the time. It doesn’t make it right, but it’s an angle they utilize to get out of certain situations.
I think the college admissions scandal has so many people in uproar because of the level of sacrifice some students make in a quest to have access to equal education like everyone else. When you have a scandal of this magnitude it forces all us to question what we think, with what we now KNOW. That’s not a good feeling America, not at all!
Written By Zoe Mitchell
