(09-08-2022, 05:59 PM)JimD84 Wrote: Those who haven't should take a look at Paul Pringle's book Bad City, which just came out.
It's a pretty good look at the recent scandals that seem to have sprouted like weeds at USC. The first one was Puliafito, the Dean of Medicine who was actively using and supplying drugs before he was quietly eased out the back door. That overlapped with Tyndall, the gynecologist who's cost the university more than $1.1B in settlements so far. Finally, there's Varsity Blues, which affected a number of schools (including Stanford), but mostly of course USC.
Pringle also talks about the cozy relationship between the LA Times (his newspaper) and USC, which are both major institutions in the LA Area. As newspapers like the Times have been weakened, their ability to conduct investigative reporting has been reduced, which affects all of us.
(Speaking of Varsity Blues, John Vandemoer's book Rigged Justice is a good account of the Varsity Blues situation from his viewpoint as a Stanford coach.)
Speaking of Varsity Blues and USC, their former water polo coach was granted a new trial yesterday after a federal jduge found that the school could not be considered a victim while also receiving the alleged bribe money.
Judge Talwani, in her 60 page order wrote "However distasteful, there is nothing inherently illegal about a private institution accepting money in exchange for a student's admission. The resulting prejudice, where the jury may have found a bribe or kickback based not on the tuition payments for Vavic's children but on the funds paid to the USC Water Polo gift account that the government concedes were not misused, warrants a new trial."
Oh. Let the bidding begin.