Stanford University, which was implicated in the nationwide college admissions fraud scandal that was centered around a west-coast admissions consulting firm via its now fired sailing coach, has rescinded the admission of and expelled only one female student connected with the scandal.
The university has said in recent weeks that it was reviewing all student applications for the class of 2023, and doing a comprehensive review of its athletic program recruitment processes in order to guard against any future fraud cases. The school initially identified two prospective students and one current student connected with possible bribes to the sailing program and disgraced sailing coach John Vandemoer. The two prospective students, the university said, never "completed the admissions process" — the Chronicle reports that one student was denied admission and one chose Brown University instead.
As for the recently enrolled student, the university says that because of some false material found in her application, she has been expelled and "any credits earned have also been vacated." The student is no longer on campus.
The Stanford Daily reports that the student in question "was accepted through the standard process and not as a recruited athlete, [but] her admission was followed by a $500,000 contribution to Stanford’s sailing program paid through former head coach John Vandemoer." The story, thus, becomes a bit murky when it comes to how the student was accepted and whether Vandemoer played any role — but it was apparently found that the former student had included fabricated sailing credentials in her application. The student was never a part of the school's sailing team.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen, speaking to a federal judge in a plea hearing for Vandemoer last Tuesday, Vandemoer did not influence the female student's "application in any material way."
Vandemoer's attorney, Rob Fisher, spoke to the Mercury News last week and said that while the $500,000 donation from the foundation of scandal mastermind Rick Singer may seem suspicious in regard to the student, it may have simply been meant to "establish a relationship" with Vandemoer for the future.
Vandemoer pleaded guilty to accepting bribes, but not in connection with the expelled student.
As Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Provost Persis Drell further explained, "we already have confirmed the athletic credentials, prior to admission, of all members of our sailing teams who received an athletic recommendation during the admission process, dating back to 2011."
A Stanford spokesperson issued a statement regarding the expelled student, saying, "Applicants to Stanford sign a statement verifying that the information they are providing is accurate. If it is found to be inaccurate, they can be disenrolled from the university or have their admission cancelled, as has regretfully happened in the past."
