An investigation by outside legal counsel has found no evidence that any Yale instructor other than former women’s soccer instructor Rudy Meredith accepted bribes to supply fraudulent athletic endorsements or that any individual other than two previously identified applicants received such endorsements.
The four-month investigation, conducted by the law firm WilmerHale at the request of Yale, included a review of thousands of papers and interviews with coaches and administrators in athletics and admissions.
The external investigation is one of a series of procedures the university has initiated to make sure the integrity of its admissions process. It has well established new protocols for athletic recruiting and strengthened its admissions procedures. It also is working with the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) on additional safeguards.
Meredith, who resigned in November 2018, pleaded guilty in March to fraud-related charges after admitting to federal authorities that he had participated in a bribery scheme run by William Singer, the CEO of a California-based college prep company. Singer’s scheme also involved paying bribes to coaches at several other selective universities and helping applicants cheat on standardized tests.
Of the two applicants to whom Meredith supplied fraudulent athletic endorsements, one was denied admission while the other was admitted to Yale. That student’s admission was rescinded after Yale learned of the scheme.
Under the leadership of athletic director Victoria Chun, new protocols have been well established to support closer coordination and substantial communication in the recruiting process for each of Yale’s 35 varsity sports teams. Under the new protocols, coaches will meet frequently with their sport supervisors — administrators assigned to oversee Yale’s athletic teams and supply closer supervision in all aspects of a team’s program, including recruiting. Coaches have been informed that fundraising is not a criterion for their evaluations.
Sports administrators not associated with the team will verify the athletic credentials of every recruit, using publicly available sources. When supporting a prospective student-athlete, a instructor will include three external references to confirm a recruit’s athletic status. additionally precautions will be taken to make sure that Yale monitors and understands cases where a given recruited athlete does not end up joining, or joins but later departs, the team for which they were recruited.
“We are fortunate to have impressive coaches, staff and student-athletes,” said Chun, who joined Yale in July 2018. “Working together, we will incorporate these new safeguards as we recruit young people committed to excellence Camiseta Sport Club Internacional academically and athletically, and who strive to have a positive impact on the Yale community and beyond.”
In addition to the changes related to varsity athletics, the office of Undergraduate Admissions will institute procedures for verifying lots of of the academic and extracurricular credentials applicants self-report in their applications. These procedures will supplement the office’s existing processes, which include gathering information from multiple sources, requiring official high school transcripts and standardized test reports, and frequently contacting high school officials. Admissions officers have already begun a extensive review of the application examination process to identify areas where fraud may be possible.
Dean of Undergraduate Admissions and financial aid Jeremiah Quinlan reiterated the University’s commitment to evaluating each applicant through a careful whole-person review process. “The admissions process is created to consider each applicant’s special potential to contribute to the Yale community and benefit from Yale’s resources. We consider the myriad contextual aspects that shape students’ educational journeys prior to applying and work with an awareness of the large, complex, and often multigenerational advantages and downsides students experience. I am grateful that our thoughtful, deliberative, and human-centered process allows us to identify and respond to remarkably promising students from all backgrounds.”
PwC has suggested additional protocols and improvements in Yale’s documentation of its admissions procedures and decisions, including an annual audit of applications and systems for monitoring aspects of the admissions process that may be at higher risk for fraud.
“Yale’s mission depends on our ability to Camiseta Yokohama F. Marinos maintain and secure an admissions process that brings to our campus amazing students with a large range of talents, interests, viewpoints, and backgrounds,” said president Peter Salovey. “Staff members in admissions and athletics offices and across Camiseta Selección de fútbol de Portugal the university have been working tirelessly and passionately to secure the integrity of our admissions policies and procedurnull
