From National Scandal to Teachable Moments

On March 12, aberrations of good parenting and the college admission process came to light through the Department of Justice indictments of an operation with California roots and national reach. It touched a nerve for all WACAC members regardless of the affluence of the families with whom they work or the selectivity of the institutions for whom they work.

We should take comfort that no indicted individuals were members of our association and no admission offices were complicit in the bribery. Many see this as a teachable moment in our profession on a number of related issues. Debates have arisen on topics such as the unintended consequences of snowplow parenting, grade and testing inequities based on economic resources, and the obsession with brand names over best matches. Thanks to all of you who have helped to interpret relevant issues and guide discussions on these topics in your communities throughout California and Nevada.

This is an excellent time, in the waning glare of a national scandal, to re-emphasize to ourselves, the families with whom we work, and our school administrators the importance of ethics in our profession and the admission process as taught by NACAC’s Code of Ethical & Professional Practices (CEPP). WACAC is the answer to a fairer, more transparent process. If we espouse our shared ethics and values strongly enough, long enough, and often enough, then we can hopefully avoid future illegal or unethical system manipulations by those involved with the college admission process.

Marc McGee
WACAC Past President
CSU Maritime Academy Director of Admission