Some US Parents Give Up Their Children In Order to Pay for College

Some US Parents Give Up Their Children In Order to Pay for College

United States officials have uncovered a new way parents are abusing the college admissions system.

The University of Illinois found that several parents officially gave up responsibility of their children. The move enabled the children to receive financial aid to pay for a college education. But that money is meant to help truly needy¹ students.

The case comes at a time of intense discussion about the fairness of college admissions. Earlier this year, U.S. officials found that some wealthy parents paid bribes³ to get their children into top universities.

What happened?

Investigative reporters discovered the latest case last month. It was linked to a small group of parents who live outside Chicago, Illinois.

Those parents gave up legal guardianship⁴ of their children to friends and relatives. The children could then claim they were independent of their families and poorer than they really were.

As a result, the students were permitted to receive up to $11,000 a year in education grants from the government. They could also receive university scholarships. Those scholarships pay up to as much as the total cost of the education.

Some of the parents who took part in the scheme told reporters they were following the advice of a consulting business called Destination College. The company’s website says it helps parents pay for college in the least costly⁵ way possible. Destination College did not choose to comment on the case at the time.

How were the parents caught?

The parents were caught when some guidance counselors⁷ at high schools near the University of Illinois heard what was happening. The counselors told the school’s admissions office.

University officials soon noticed that a few applications looked very similar. The forms all came from students who lived in the same areas. They all claimed the students had recently become independent from their families. And they all used a number of the same words. In total, University of Illinois officials identified about 14 of these applications over the last year.

ProPublica, a non-profit group, found that students involved in the scheme have also been accepted at other colleges. The Associated Press says the schools include the University of Missouri, the University of Wisconsin and Indiana University. All three schools said they are investigating the issue.

Andy Borst is the director of undergraduate admissions at the University of Illinois. He says while the parents’ move appears to be legal, it is probably not right.

By using money meant for poorer students, wealthier families take away financial resources for students who truly need help. For example, the Illinois state government gives aid only to the first people who apply. The children of wealthier families who took part in the scheme received some of that aid. Thousands of other students were turned away.

Financial aid is not endless, Borst said. The government cannot give money to every student who needs it.

Mark Sklarow is head of the Independent Educational Consultants⁸ Association. He says both the guardianship scheme and the bribery⁹ case from earlier in the year show the problem of college tuition: The cost of higher education keeps going up and up.

But, he said, the parents who transferred guardianship still acted unfairly.

“Guardianship laws are designed for when parents are unable or should not be responsible for a child’s well-being,” he said. “It isn’t something that is meant to be traded away in order to beat the system.”

What will happen now?

To help make sure parents do not abuse the system again, the U.S. Department of Education is being urged to change its rules. Under one proposal, students would not be considered independent if they continue receiving medical and financial support from their parents.

In addition, the University of Illinois is adding new questions to its application. For example, students who claim they are independent are now asked who pays the cost of their cellphones.

School officials have not yet decided¹⁰ what to do about the families who used the guardianship scheme. They may take away the university scholarships. But for now, they must continue to give government money to students who can legally claim it.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Words in This Story

bribe² - n. something valuable (such as money) that is given in order to get someone to do something. Usually a bribe is used to get someone to do something illegal or dishonest.

scheme - n. a clever and often dishonest plan to do or get something

consult - v. to give professional advice to a person, organization, or company for a fee

destination - n. a place to which a person is going or something is being sent

guidance counselor⁶ - n. a person who gives students advice about school, college, etc.

application - n. a formal and usually written request for something

1 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

2 bribe   

n.贿赂；v.向…行贿，买通

参考例句：

• He tried to bribe the policeman not to arrest him.他企图贿赂警察不逮捕他。
• He resolutely refused their bribe.他坚决不接受他们的贿赂。

3 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

4 guardianship   

n. 监护, 保护, 守护

参考例句：

• They had to employ the English language in face of the jealous guardianship of Britain. 他们不得不在英国疑忌重重的监护下使用英文。
• You want Marion to set aside her legal guardianship and give you Honoria. 你要马丽恩放弃她的法定监护人资格，把霍诺丽娅交给你。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

7 counselors   

n.顾问( counselor的名词复数 )；律师；（使馆等的）参赞；（协助学生解决问题的）指导老师

参考例句：

• Counselors began an inquiry into industrial needs. 顾问们开始调查工业方面的需要。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We have experienced counselors available day and night. ) 这里有经验的法律顾问全天候值班。） 来自超越目标英语 第4册

8 consultants   

顾问( consultant的名词复数 )； 高级顾问医生，会诊医生

参考例句：

• a firm of management consultants 管理咨询公司
• There're many consultants in hospital. 医院里有很多会诊医生。

9 bribery   

n.贿络行为，行贿，受贿

参考例句：

• FBI found out that the senator committed bribery.美国联邦调查局查明这个参议员有受贿行为。
• He was charged with bribery.他被指控受贿。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。