来源：《洛杉矶时报》
原文刊登日期：2023年1月6日
The former college admissions consultant who cooked up a multimillion-dollar scheme to fraudulently admit kids of wealthy clients, including Hollywood celebrities, into elite U.S. colleges was sentenced to 3½ years in prison Wednesday, closing a sordid chapter on the unfair world of university admissions.
前大学招生顾问，策划了一个涉及数百万美元的骗局，帮助包括好莱坞名人在内的富有客户的孩子以欺诈的方式进入美国精英大学，周三被判处三年半监禁，结束了大学招生不公平世界的肮脏一章。
William “Rick” Singer, the mastermind of what prosecutors called the nation’s largest college admissions fraud, pleaded guilty in 2019 to several charges including money laundering. Prosecutors had sought a six-year sentence, but the judge took into consideration Singer’s cooperation with authorities, which enabled them to indict 53 people in the far-reaching case. Among those previously sentenced to jail were actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman.
威廉·“里克”·辛格是检察官所称的美国最大的大学招生诈骗案的主谋，他于2019年承认了包括洗钱在内的多项指控。检察官曾寻求判处辛格6年有期徒刑，但法官考虑到辛格与当局的合作，这使检方能够在这起影响深远的案件中起诉53人。此前被判入狱的人中包括演员洛里·拉芙琳和费利西蒂·霍夫曼。
The investigation uncovered a complex web of relationships that Singer developed with coaches, parents, testing proctors and others to take advantage of the lack of controls in college admissions systems at USC, Stanford, Georgetown, UCLA and other universities. During court proceedings, Singer detailed the three “doors” to gain admittance into these colleges: a front door for students taking the proper steps; a back door for those whose parents could donate to a university’s endowment; and a side door he created for parents willing to pay six-figure sums for their kids to be admitted as fake athletes.
调查发现，辛格与教练、家长、考试监考员等人建立了一个复杂的关系网，以利用南加州大学、斯坦福大学、乔治城大学、加州大学洛杉矶分校等大学招生制度缺乏控制的漏洞。在法庭诉讼过程中，辛格详细介绍了进入这些大学的三个“门”：一个大门，让学生迈出正确的步伐；为那些父母可以为大学捐赠的人提供后门；他还为那些愿意为孩子支付六位数的费用让孩子成为假运动员的父母设计了一个侧门。
The scandal highlighted the essential unfairness of college admissions, a high-stakes process that unfairly disadvantages students without resources. Parents with financial resources don’t have to break the law to get a leg up. They can choose from an array of pricey services to help their kids that lower-income families can’t afford. And who’s to say that there isn’t another “consultant” like Singer who’s figured out other ways to game the system?
这一丑闻凸显了大学招生的本质不公平，这是一个高度利益攸关的过程，不利于没有资源的学生。有经济实力的父母不必为了获得优势而触犯法律。他们可以选择一系列昂贵的服务来帮助他们的孩子，这些服务是低收入家庭负担不起的。谁能说没有另一个像辛格这样的“顾问”想出了其他办法来玩弄招生制度呢？
USC has adopted a number of admission reforms in recent years, including adding more oversight to recruiting and admitting student-athletes. Stanford commissioned an external review of its policies and procedures that resulted in various reforms, such as adding more controls into verifying student-athlete credentials and to the university’s process of accepting monetary donations.
近年来，南加州大学采取了一系列招生改革措施，包括对学生运动员的招募和录取增加更多监管。斯坦福大学委托外部对其政策和程序进行了审查，并进行了各种改革，比如在核实学生运动员证书和大学接受捐款的过程中增加了更多控制。
Other changes have taken place as well by university admissions and recruitment officials to create a more level playing field for students who lack resources. Many top schools stopped requiring SAT or ACT scores for admission in recent years, and some say they may never again require those scores again. USC doesn’t currently require letters of recommendation.
大学招生和招生官员也做出了其他改变，为缺乏资源的学生创造了更公平的竞争环境。近年来，许多顶尖学校不再要求SAT或ACT成绩作为录取条件，一些学校表示，它们可能再也不会要求这些成绩了。南加州大学目前不要求推荐信。
It’s good that universities have taken steps, but it’s not clear they will be enough to prevent future admission schemes. University administrators who want to preserve the integrity of their admissions process must ensure the system is as fair as it can be for all students regardless of who their parents are.
大学已经采取措施是好事，但尚不清楚这些措施是否足以阻止未来的招生欺诈。大学管理人员如果想要保持招生过程的诚信性，就必须确保招生制度对所有学生都是公平的，不管他们的父母是谁。