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College Admissions Scandal Parent Released from Prison
The college admissions scandal that made headlines over the past two years came to a close this week as the last celebrity parent was released from prison.
Fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli is now on house arrest after his role in the 2019 college admissions scandal, according to The Associated Press.
He was released from a federal facility in Lompoc, near Santa Barbara, California, and will remain in home confinement until April 17. He reported to prison in November.
This comes after the recent release of Netflix’s Operation Varsity Blues, which detailed how famous and moneyed parents paid to have applications, exam scores and transcripts fixed and fabricated, including wildly exaggerated stories of sports abilities.
Giannulli and his wife, Full House star Lori Loughlin, paid half a million dollars to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as recruits for the university crew team. Loughlin was released from a two-month stint in prison in December.
They were two of the most prominent figures who received a prison sentence but were not the only parents who faced prison time because of the scandal.
The Department of Justice charged more than 50 people who participated in the nationwide bribery scheme.
Actress Felicity Huffman was sentenced to two weeks in prison for paying $15,000 to raise her daughter’s SAT score. Xiaoning Sui, a Canadian, was sentenced to five months in prison after paying $400,000 to college admission consultant William “Rick” Singer to get her son into UCLA.
Singer was the coordinator of the schemes. In March 2019, he pleaded guilty “to facilitating cheating on college entrance exams and using bribery to secure the admission of students to colleges as fake athletic recruits,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Giannulli and Loughlin’s youngest daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli, faced backlash after posting a TikTok video on March 26 where she lamented being publicly shamed. The comments have since been turned off on her video.
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
- By VOA News
STEM, business top subjects for international students
The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.
STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)
- By VOA News
Safety and visa difficulties among misconceptions about US colleges
U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.
Read the full story here. (January 2025)
- By VOA News
Work opportunities help draw international students to US schools
US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)
- By VOA News
British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
Read the full story here. (December 2024)
