I know what you are thinking, these rich people are getting unfair benefits because they are, well, rich. But, hear me out, I see it as caring about the university so much that you want them to get the top students. And, coincidentally, you happen to have a personal relationship with those students (Are UNC trustees influencing admissions? Updates on applicants are just a text away):
When a typical student applies to UNC-Chapel Hill, they might submit their application and go months without hearing an update from the university. But for applicants who have ties to members of the university’s Board of Trustees, updates about admission are more readily available — just a text message away in some cases. …
At universities across the country, including at UNC-Chapel Hill and others in the public UNC System, trustees are generally tasked with overseeing broad, high-level decisions at the university. In the UNC System, trustees are expected to serve as advisers to the university’s chancellor, but are not authorized to direct “matters of administration,” as system President Peter Hans reminded the UNC trustees in a memo earlier this year. …
At least one trustee, Jennifer Lloyd, wrote a letter of recommendation for a student and submitted it through the official channel for doing so, according to the messages obtained by The N&O. In an undated message to Jen Bowman, associate vice chancellor in the Office of University Development, Lloyd mentioned the letter and appeared to say the student was a “total superstar.” …
Most of the trustees who made inquiries about applicants did so to Chris McClure, a senior adviser to Chancellor Lee Roberts who is also the Board of Trustees’ secretary. White told The N&O that “all trustees are told to refer any question on admissions” to McClure. It is unclear from the messages obtained by The N&O whether McClure then referred trustees to other officials with their questions. At least one trustee communicated with Rachelle Feldman, the top university official overseeing admissions and enrollment, and at least two trustees, including Lloyd, communicated with either of the top officials overseeing university fundraising — Bowman and Vice Chancellor Michael Andreasen. (It is unclear what role development officials are authorized to play in the admissions process.) …
In the same undated message exchange to Bowman in which Lloyd mentioned writing a letter of recommendation, Lloyd asked if Bowman would add the student to Bowman’s “tracking.” Lloyd then asked for and received updates throughout the admissions process, with the inquiries stretching from late February to mid-June. (Because many of the messages are heavily redacted, it is sometimes unclear whether Lloyd was inquiring about a student’s application or another issue at the university.) At one point, Lloyd appeared to provide information to Bowman about a student athlete who was seeking admission. …
The waitlist and applicants’ status on it appear to be the most common themes in trustees’ inquiries. For instance, the head of the Office of University Development, Andreasen, frequently exchanged messages with [Trustee Ramsey] White between late January and mid-May, with the pair appearing to communicate about the status of a student who was placed on the waitlist after applying for admission. In a March 19 message to White, Andreasen said he had “arranged” a “personalized approach,” though it is unclear if that message is about the same student White initially inquired about in January. The approach “starts with a specific issue that needs to be resolved before discussing alternative first year options,” Andreasen wrote to White. “This is going to take a few steps. But the plan is in motion.”
Best did not answer a question from The N&O about the “personalized approach” Andreasen was referencing. White declined to comment on her communications with Andreasen to The N&O. …
On March 18, [UNC Board of Trustees Chair John] Preyer wrote to McClure, the board secretary, asking for a “status report” on two applicants, including one on the waitlist. On April 4, Preyer and McClure exchanged messages about a student, whom McClure said was on the waitlist and was in the “middle of the pack from [redacted].” Preyer responded that it was “hard” to see the student as “middle of pack unless there is a bunch of Asians there.” …
On June 24, McClure informed Preyer that there had been “no movement” on the waitlist and that “no one was moved off transfer waitlist.” Preyer responded: “That’s it — no [expletive] off or go to hell?” McClure responded by saying “no” and reiterating the earlier point about the transfer waitlist.
It’s heartwarming really, until you imagine you were a parent of a student on UNC’s waitlist and were, um, not rich.
Here is a link to UNC’s Board of Trustees if you want a visual on the cast of characters: https://bot.unc.edu/
