College Admission Scandal, Explained

Lori Loughlin, an actress on the popular family TV show “Full House,” only wanted what any parent would want for their child; For them to be accepted into a prestigious university. But on March 12, 2019, she was accused of paying a college prep business director to help her daughters into college. Her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, and fellow actress Felicity Huffman were also involved in the scandal. Loughlin’s daughters, Olivia Jade and Isabella Rose, were signed as recruits for the crew team at the University of Southern California, though neither have they rowed crew before. Loughlin was one of fifty people in this scandal, becoming the largest admissions scandal yet. Those charged spanned the entire US, with charges ranging from cheating, bribed coaching, and fake recruitments.

As a result of the scandal, Loughlin was fired by the Hallmark Movie Channel. They completely stopped all productions involving Loughlin and cancelled upcoming productions she was involved in. Her planned mystery series for the channel, in Vancouver, has also been discontinued.

As the case remains open, recent news says Loughlin and Giannulli are attempting to plead not guilty, although she waived appear once at her own arraignment, sending her lawyer instead. They have so far been charged with money laundering and mail fraud, which could result in prison time. The biggest college admissions scam to be prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department, it’ll be hard for this family to recover and unlikely they will be acquitted.

Felicity Huffman paid fifteen thousand dollars to push her daughter into college by faking SAT scores and faking athletics. She almost made the decision to repeat this action with her youngest daughter, but decided not to. Huffman pleaded guilty after being charged with mail fraud and lying on an application. She openly said in her statement at court that her daughter had no knowledge of her actions, and she accepts full responsibility. It is unknown how the court will rule.

Olivia Jade Giannulli, daughter of Lori and Mossimo, is a YouTuber influencer with two million subscribers, and an Instagram influencer with over a million followers. On her Instagram page, there are two advertisements showing her identity as a college student. Some of the students involved in the scandal were not aware of the actions brought by their parents, but Olivia played along with it. An anonymous source told PEOPLE, “She would have never gone along with it if she thought this would happen. Her thing is that she trusted her parents.” which shows the embarrassment felt and how it affects these students’ future. Olivia hopes to “rebuild her brand” and stresses out about her career as an influencer. Once the scandal surfaced, many of her contracts were cancelled, as sponsors and companies want to distance themselves from Olivia while this scandal plays out.

People, especially parents, can understand the desire to grant their kids an amazing future, but what are the limits and risks worth taking? Loughlin’s approach to getting her daughters in college leaves CNN reporters in shock, not least because of the wholesome image of her character on “Full House,” Aunt Becky. A CNN article questions Lori’s motives and teachings to her children as a parent, such as being dishonest to get what you want, breaking rules to benefit yourself, and the message that  money can take you places. “We are all Aunt Beckys, just on a smaller scale.” CNN reports, pointing out that all parents try to do what’s best for their family, just not in a way that will hurt their opportunities as well.

Lafayette’s guidance counselor, Mr. Marrow, spoke about his views on the scandals as someone who helps students find their way to college and as a parent. “I felt that it was shocking and alarming that people would cheat and commit fraud only to affect a student’s opportunity for college. They broke the law and the government should take act of that nature.”

Aaron Adam, a Lafayette high school senior, talks about how he felt about the scandal as an uprising college freshman. “What was the point of doing something like this if you have to pay to get your kid in school? Chances are they didn’t have the proper requirements anyway, which will result in them dropping out.”

While waiting for the case to come to a conclusion, Loughlin is on the path to normalcy. She has been doing well since her arrest and is focusing on what she enjoys most to distract herself from all the drama. Olivia decided not to attend college after the scandal and is spending time primarily with her boyfriend. She is afraid that she will have to testify against her mother in court, resulting in her parents possibly going to jail.