Father Who Donated $40K to Jesuit Private School Sues When Son Gets Turned Down

[RamboLiberal]

Source: ABC News

A father who donated tens of thousands of dollars to a prestigious private school in Houston is suing the institution, claiming that school administrators rejected his son despite promising that his generous contributions to the school would ensure his son's acceptance.

Dr. Michael Bardwil told ABCNews.com that he feels as though he was scammed by school officials at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston, Texas, where he himself graduated from in 1973.

According to Bardwil, a school administrator he met during a fundraising event suggested that in order in ensure his son got into the very competitive school that Bardwil should start contributing money.

"They told me they'd like me to give them a contribution and said that they like people to give 'until it hurts,' to give 'more than you are comfortable giving,'" said Bardwil.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/dad-sues-school-rejectin...

[valerief]

1. Bwahahahaha!!!! nt

[Name removed]

48. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Vincardog]

2. It is obvious 40K was not enough

[Beaverhausen]

32. It wasn't. The article says the school asked for $100K

[Liberal_in_LA]

54. lol. n/t

[LiberalFighter]

3. No sympathy for the father and I hope the school suffers too.

I would consider the request to be bribery. But they probably make sure they are legally safe.

[mudplanet]

16. I'm not sure donating money to a non-profit in the expectation that your

child will accepted for membership constitutes a bribe.

It's how the stupid children of every Ivy League school graduate get educations.

I really used to think a degree from Harvard or Yale was "something" and then George Bush came along and it became apparent that not only could the stupid get admitted, they can graduate. If you have money and a senator for a father, you can go to college and graduate without ever going to the library or writing a paper.

[Poll_Blind]

20. This isn't always the case, IMO, but for the wealthy/political class it sure is. +1 n/t

PB

[No Elephants]

58. Buying your kid entry into a private school is not bribery,

especially if you are (ahem) donating to the school, as opposed to, say, paying off the dean or the admissions officer. Even then, though, I doubt it would be a crime in a private school context (though taking a tax deduction for the faux donation probably would be--if he dis so.)

This is no different from the school saying to the dad, we charge a fee to admit kids with grades and test scores that are below certain standards.

Obtaining money by false pretenses, however, is a crime. If these allegations are true, the school may be guilty of a crime.

[petronius]

22. If the request was really made - we have only Bardwil's word for it, and he may have

heard what he wanted to hear. If the school is so bare-faced about demanding money like this, he should be able to find some other families in similar positions to corroborate his claim...

[No Elephants]

64. No, we have his sworn statement.

Allegations made in Complaints filed with a court are made under pains and penalties of perjury, plus there are fines for a statement filed in bad faith.

Did you follow the link to the article? Either Daddy is risking jail and fines for telling the court a very elaborate fairy tale in which he perjured himself over and over and over, or the school obtained his money by false pretenses.

Plus, suing is expensive in legal fees, court costs and other expenses. He may be paying for it from his own pocket since a percentage of $49 is not enough to entice most lawyers into spending their own money and a lot of time suing. If hes paying, he will never get reimbursed for legal fees and costs, even if he wins.

But, if a lawyer did take such a small case on contingency, the lawyer probably is fairly sure of a quick win, or is literally starving. Even then, the lawyer could spend his or her time and money more wisely.

On the other hand, we do have only the word of the school--in a letter, not sworn under pains and penalties of perjury--that fund raising is always separate from admissions, a claim that would make any admissions officer anywhere double over laughing.

[petronius]

82. 'He wouldn't sue if he didn't have a case' is the same logic as 'the police wouldn't arrest someone

if they weren't guilty.' Did you follow the link to read my entire post (it was only one line after all)? Bardwil has so far presented no evidence, thus we have only his word. And, he runs no risk of a perjury sanction because it's more nearly impossible to prove he's lying as it is for him to prove it happened.

As I implied, it's perfectly possible that he made it up from whole cloth, it's perfectly possible that he misunderstood (willfully or otherwise) the conversations, and it's perfectly possible that the school scammed him. But until he presents something other than an unsupported statement and some canceled checks, I'm reserving judgment...

[No Elephants]

57. No sympathy for a parent desperate to improve his son's prospects for a future? k

[texshelters]

79. No sympathy

obviously, dad wasn't smart enough, or clever enough, to find a better way to educate his son.

The school can't be that good compared to other private schools that charge less than say, $40,000.

He panicked, overreached and his son has to pay the price. I guess that is one lesson he taught his son. yea dad!

Boo hoo. I don't feel bad for a dad that has $40,000 to spend on a school when so many others can't even pay for a school uniform or books for their child.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. Ha Ha!

Sucker.

I hope the IRS is watching the case as I'm sure he wrote the donations off as "Charitable" contributions - meaning no tangible benefit in return.

[NashVegas]

38. He Wrote the Checks in His Mother's Name

Pretty odd, no?

[msanthrope]

44. Maybe he took financial advice from Senator Ensign. n/t

[No Elephants]

60. Good one!

[sarcasmo]

5. Sue because you're bribe didn't work, funny stuff, thanks for the laugh.

[No Elephants]

70. Please see Reply 58.

[tammywammy]

6. He should have been helping his son study more for the entrance exam

Instead of donating so much money. His son failed the exam the first time he took it, no wonder they didn't accept him. Dumbass.

[pleah]

7. LMAO!

Heaven forbid you get scammed by a religious organization.

[TheDebbieDee]

18. Yeah, imagine that! A religious organization making a promise

that they could never deliver on.........

[McCamy Taylor]

8. ROFLMAO!

I guess $40K was not enough for the Jesuits. He should have cut them a check for $400k.

[LibDemAlways]

30. He certainly should have been more upfront about asking what

amount they were looking for, and then he should have asked to get the promise of admission in writing. If they said no, he could have saved himself the $$.

[Odin2005]

9. BWAHAHAHA!

[Submariner]

10. Ballsy move letting potential child rapists teach his kid

Kids should be yanked out of these catholic schools for their safety, not enrolled.

[juajen]

37. Jesuit education is not exactly Catholic schools. Check out the differences. NT

[msanthrope]

46. Eh--It's not so different. They like to pretend it is,

but the Jezzies aren't as different from the Christian Brothers as they would like to believe.

AMDG??? Please.

[SoCalDemGrrl]

56. The Jesuits are some of the finest educators in this country -my son

graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles and it prepared him well for a

top ranked college. The Jesuits also stress being "a Man for others" and every student

must spend part of their Senior year donating their time to worthwhile causes such as

Habitat for Humanity, tutoring elementary students, volunteering at hospitals, etc.

Our son spent six weeks - 8 hours a day working with Autistic children.

I dont know about this Houston school and Dr. Bardwil's experience, but no one we knew

bought their way into Loyola, it was based on entrance exam scores.

[No Elephants]

63. Many secular schools now require public service and/or put a thumb on the admissions

scale for someone who did public service before applying for admission.

By saying that, I do not mean to take anything away from Loyola, which is obviously a fine school.

[Davis_X_Machina]

11. I know of cases...

...of the sons of sitting mayors and sitting governors not returning to school after a year or two at Jesuit high schools, due to poor grades and behavior.

They generally mean what they say, when they tell you 'this isn't good enough'.

[NashVegas]

39. Kid Failed the Entrance Exam

and re-took it 4 days later, increasing his score by 55 points.

But the story doesn't say what it was increased from/to.

I wonder if they suspect the kid of cheating on the re-do.

[savalez]

12. Sue your kid too.

[customerserviceguy]

13. I don't totally blame the father

For centuries, the Catholic church has worked like a vending machine. Put your money in, and you can get indulgences, marriage annulments, hospital wings with your name on them, etc.

Why would he think that it wouldn't work this time?

[boppers]

17. Well, this time, it was for something of material value.

They'd have to actually work for that money.

[customerserviceguy]

50. They'd get tuition, too

Maybe the little darling was more trouble than he was worth.

[No Elephants]

61. The U.S., if not the Western world, works like a vending machine. I do not blame the dad at all.

See also, Reply 58.

[texshelters]

80. So what you are saying is the dad didn't give the $40,000

and he's not suing?

If it's not on the dad, who's fault is it? Give me a break. Having a smarter dad would do more for the child's education than that Jesuit school. Geesh.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[bluestateguy]

14. Suing your way into school

Great. So if he wins, his son will have that label planted on him until the day he graduates: that he's here because his Dad sued his way in. His teachers and the other kids will probably never let him forget it either.

[Mz Pip]

25. Yep, big time.

The kid will be a pariah. The kids will resent him and the teachers will be wondering if the grades they give him will be good enough to keep Daddy off their backs.

Years ago when I worked as a high school counselor I had a student who's mom would threaten lawsuits on a regular basis. The kid did nothing and wasn't liked much by his peers or the teachers. He graduated probably because his mom did his final assignment for him and threatened to sue the school if he didn't walk the stage.

Now I read admissions applications for a university that is very very difficult to get admitted to. Often kids will write in their personal statements that their parents are alumni. Doesn't matter. You have to make it on your own merits. That's the way it should be.

[bluestateguy]

29. That may be but a good many schools do have legacy admissions

Being a legacy at at Ivy League school may not be an automatic ticket in, and it helps if your parents are donors, but a legacy with a 3.2 GPA might get a second look, whereas a non-legacy wouldn't make the cut.

[No Elephants]

62. Not so great for the reputation of the school or its graduates, either.

The next time a graduate applies for a job, will the prospective employer wonder what the grades and degree really mean?

School should have settled out of court.

[No Elephants]

65. Tsk, tsk. Did not read the article, eh?

[marshall]

15. He should have spent the money on private tutors

Maybe they could have brought the boy up to the standards of this school.

[No Elephants]

66. Please see Reply 65.

[marshall]

83. Is there some point?

I'm not sure what it is.

[Poll_Blind]

19. Interesting, amusing, and disgusting on a couple of levels. It's tough to give the father both...

...barrels on this because he was played by the school like a sucka. Of course, as a couple of people have (I think astutely!) pointed out: His son failing the entrance exam showed he likely felt he could buy his way in, instead of having his son gain admittance, at least somewhat, on his own merits.

I have some pity to dispense to both the father and the school but overall condemn them for helping prop up a nasty class/wealth-based system.

So they can both sling shit at each other now in a court of law because that's about the level of their moral character, each of them.

The only important person in this is the son: I hope he succeeds without either his father or that money-hungry institution.

PB

[No Elephants]

67. Please see Reply 65.

[Downwinder]

21. Do like Leland Stanford. Build your own school. nt

[postulater]

23. Isn't that how Scientology works?

[crim son]

24. NOW he's given until it hurts, if hadn't before. Heh. n/t

[Stevenmarc]

26. LOL the father isn't too bright and apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree

[jmowreader]

27. What do they say about fools and their money?

[Dappleganger]

28. Your kid ain't all that...

and neither are you.

That's a thought that rich people should be forced to choke upon every morning when they wake up.

[No Elephants]

68. Why do you assume dad is rich? He started (ahem) donating when the kid was in 5th grade, spaced out

the payments and was unable to make the last payment. Plus, he had negotiated the sthool down from $100,000 to $50,000 to begine with, even though getting his kid into this school obviously meant so much to him.

Did you read the article?

Besides, even rich folks are entitled to get what they were promised for their money.

Nothing wrong with getting money honestly, anyway. Not every wealthy person is evil and/or greedy.

[Dappleganger]

78. Yes, I read the article.

Anyone who can donate 50K like that is RICH. If you don't think that is the case then you are out of touch with the reality of most people on this planet.

[texshelters]

81. Giving $40,000 to a school means you have $40,000 more go give than most

parents.

So what if he's "middle class". He's still a fool. Now, if he gave the $40,000 out of the goodness of his heart, for he believes in education, bless him.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[LibertyLover]

31. Maybe the kid didn't get into the school,

but certainly the father has "laid up treasure in heaven" and will receive his reward there.

[DeSwiss]

33. "give until it hurts"

- I think they may have something a little different in mind.....



K&R

[Jackpine Radical]

34. Maybe the kid just wasn't cute enough.

[DeSwiss]

35. Oooohhhh you're bad!

[mrmpa]

36. This reminds me of the time when

my older brother received a call from his high school alma mater asking for donations to the scholarship fund. My brother told the caller that he would love to send his own son there but that he couldn't afford it. The caller said "well donate so someone else can attend". My brother hung up. His son attended public school, attended a private liberal arts college, where he lettered in 2 sports, got a degree in economics and starts on his MBA this week.

A success story of the public school system.

[Yogi]

40. A bribe is just not what it used to be.

n/t

[No Elephants]

69. Please see Reply 58.

[Anakin Skywalker]

41. Ha ha ha ha ha!

[Demeter]

42. Yes, He Was Scammed

Summon up Martin Luther. Ask about the Indulgences scam of the 16th century.

[Nikia]

43. My sister broke up with her wealthy high school boyfriend

After learning that his father bribed his way into a very competitive college. He ended up transferring to an easier, less prestigous college. It turned out that the professors didn't have the same philosophy as the admissions office.

[No Elephants]

71. Often, admission and grades are treated very differently vis a vis donations.

Something like affirmative action. It gets you a chance, but not necessarily a passing grade.

Giving a kid a chance for any reason, be it affirmative action or goodwill purchased by family donations, does not cost a college its reputation. Sending a lot of people who do not know their stuff out into the world does.

And, if a school loses its reputation, it will have a hard time attracting applicants. No point paying tuition and spending 4 years if the degree gets you neither a job nor prestige.

[lonestarnot]

45. ROFLMAO

[fascisthunter]

47. so, it was a bribery and not really a donation... I see

pathetic

[No Elephants]

72. Please see Reply 58.

[mainer]

49. the son failed the entrance exam

The school has to have some standards. But obviously they promised the father something that wasn't really assured.

[kath]

51. The ABC "writer" needs to learn how to write: "where he himself graduated from in 1973."

OY.

Where the hell did SHE go to school?

[No Elephants]

73. From where was she graduated?

[texshelters]

52. I wish they had rejected GW Bush from Yale

but I guess it's hard to reject a powerful pol.

This is just a symptom of our plutocracy where money rules over talent.

No wonder our educational system and economy is in the dumps.

For $40,000, you could pay some tutors to help the kid. Maybe dad did and his kid wasn't talented enough. Maybe if all of the schools had something to offer, parent wouldn't freak out and act irrationally when their child didn't make it into the best prep school. Maybe...

Great comments y'all.

Peace,
Tex Shelters

[No Elephants]

74. Maybe when the kid was in fifth grade, Daddy had no way of knowing either that

the kid would need tutors or that a Catholic school was lying to him (Daddy Bardwell)?

[Blandocyte]

53. You mean you can't buy your way into a school?

What's next, not buying your way into heaven? Heavens!

[Anakin Skywalker]

55. For $40,000 the rich daddy should've bought the kid a brand new Camaro! (Mustang?)

It will make him feel better about his rejection by the school! And then support this scion with a trust fund like all the rich people do!

That way he will get to go clubbing every night and impress women with his money!

[LisaL]

59. He ain't that rich. He says he couldn't afford to pay the school a

100,000 $ it wanted.

[No Elephants]

75. Please see Reply 74.

[No Elephants]

76. Amazing the amount of judgment in this thread for kid, who, as far as we know, did zero

wrong, and for the dad, who committed no crime beyond desperately wanting his son to attend the school, even without bothering to follow the link and read the story.

Also amazing: how few condemn the school.

I learned a lot from reading this thread.

[panzerfaust]

77. Surely he has a case: This is America, where money buys anything.

Certainly it should be able to buy a spot in a religious school: The true religion of America being greed.

Once again, showing how far the Holy Mother Roman Church has fallen.