New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

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NYU Athletics Received $338,379 From Charity Linked to College Admissions Scandal

The university’s athletic department received donations from the charity associated with the recent college admissions scandal.
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Alex Muhawi-Ho
NYU Athletics Received $338,379 from Charity Linked to College Admissions Scandal. (Photo byAlex Muhawi-Ho)

Wealthy celebrities and parents have been accused of sending bribes to influence college decisions in favor of their children in a nationwide college admissions scandal — and the man at the center of it all, William Rick Singer, donated $338,379 to NYU’s athletics department through his charity The Key Worldwide Foundation.

When U.S. Attorney for the District Court of Massachusetts Andrew Lelling announced the charges on Tuesday, he said that parents paid Singer large sums of money to ensure that their children were accepted to schools such as the University of Southern California, Yale University, Georgetown University and Stanford University. Singer allegedly falsified test scores on the ACT and SAT.

Celebrity parents such as Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were also charged in the scandal. Loughlin allegedly spent $500,000 to get her daughters into USC as rowing recruits. The charges raised questions about the merits of the college admissions process.

According to The New York Times, Singer said he bribed coaches to falsely certify that students had been recruited for certain schools’ sports teams, although there is no evidence that this was the case with NYU.

In an official statement, NYU spokesperson John Beckman mentioned that the university was not named in the charges brought forth by the Attorney General and said that NYU has “just begun” to look into the donations the athletic department received from The Key Worldwide Foundation.

Beckman said that as a Division III school, athletics play no role in the admissions process at NYU.

“[O]ur athletic teams are populated with students admitted through the standard admissions process,” the statement reads. “At NYU, the Athletics Department is not empowered to prescribe that certain students be admitted, nor do coaches have direct contact with admissions officers about particular candidates whom they may be interested in having for their teams.”

Email Meghna Maharishi and Victor Porcelli at [email protected].

About the Contributors
Meghna Maharishi, News Editor
Meghna Maharishi is a first-year in LS planning to major in Politics. As someone who’s lived in New Jersey her whole life, she will probably try to convince you that it’s not that terrible. In the rare event she’s not in the office reporting and writing, you can find her probably buying overpriced coffee, browsing through record stores or endlessly watching Bon Appetit videos on YouTube.
Victor Porcelli, News Editor
Victor Porcelli is a junior studying Public Policy. He's from Central Jersey, the existence of which he will vehemently defend. Outside of journalism, he likes romcoms and ... he can't think of anything else. He aspires to becoming verified on twitter so follow him @victor_porcelli.
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  • C

    Concerned StudentMar 17, 2019 at 12:25 am

    Beckman’s statement is a blatant lie. I know NYU athletics students who were guaranteed admission if they were to join.

    Reply