UT launches investigation of admissions practices that hint at corruption

Houston Chronicle:

The University of Texas System is slated to launch a full-scale investigation into admissions practices at its flagship campus in Austin, just weeks after a preliminary look into possible legislative influence over the process failed to unearth anything concerning for system officials.

“There’s been some other information that’s come to light, some questions raised by members of the public,” said Jenny LaCoste-Caputo, executive director of public relations for the UT System. “Based on that information, the chancellor decided we need to do a full investigation.”

The Texas Tribune was the first to break the news of the investigation late Friday. The probe adds another complicating factor to an already tumultuous year for the system and UT-Austin.

Concerns about state lawmakers helping secure friends and family admissions to the UT School of Law were heavily publicized by Wallace Hall, the UT system regent that undertook his own massive investigations into the capital campus in what critics say was an effort to oust UT-Austin President Bill Powers. As a result of these investigations – and allegations of Hall bullying campus officials, issuing massive public records requests and releasing confidential student information – a House committee found grounds for impeachment exist for the Rick Perry appointee.
...

Watchdog.org has done some good reporting on this subject and it has found several cases where people whose test scores would not merit admission were admitted, apparently because of ties to people in the legislature.  It appears to me that the legislature attempted to cover up this abuse by pursuing an impeachment proceeding against Wallace Hall for bringing the matter to light.  The mainstream media has done a poor job of looking into the matter to date.  They should be questioning the legislators who were alleged to have sought favoritism and get them on the record.  Instead they have mostly gone along with the allegations against the man who uncovered the corruption.