For the class of 2026, Harvard admitted only 2,000 individuals out of thousands of valedictorian and perfect-GPA applicants. It is clear: high-achieving students want to apply to the best schools. But recent scandals have shown that as “elite” schools fight for that title, ethics may be sacrificed.
On Oct. 3, 538 patients of the now-convicted sexual predator Dr. Robert Hadden, filed a class-action suit against Columbia University and others associated with Hadden for allegedly failing to adequately respond and tend to the victims. The former Columbia OB-GYN is thought to be the “most prolific serial sexual predator in New York State history,”
The patients are represented by the DiPietro Law Firm, which has been defending victims of Hadden since his crimes first came to light in the early 2010’s. Among the many charges against Columbia, the firm claims the university’s administrators protected the abuser, ignored and even silenced numerous reports made by the victims and failed to inform other patients of his actions or of their ability to speak up.
Earlier versions of the lawsuit previously amounted to nearly $240 million in settlements to 226 victims during 2021 and 2022. The scandal, which DiPietro claims has been in play since the early 1990’s, is one of the most expensive and extensive sexual abuse cover-ups from any of the nation’s top universities. It goes to show the lengths administrators at institutions like Columbia are willing to go in order to keep their own records clear and unsuccessfully prevent the school’s reputation from being tainted.
For senior Rupika Jai Ganesh, who is currently going through the college application process, the scandal has changed the way she perceives esteemed institutions. “I know these things are common–it’s the reason why so many abusers go free and so many victims feel like they can’t speak up. But he was a doctor with one of the best universities in the country. Shouldn’t respect and support increase at institutions as respected as Columbia?” Jai Ganesh asked, and her question is one which can be applied to many of the nation’s other top universities.
Columbia’s cover-up may be part of a trend of questionable actions by American universities, showing the moral ambiguity behind their institutions.
In late August, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, the president of Stanford University, was forced to resign following allegations of academic dishonesty and ethical misconduct of research papers published under his name.
That same week also happened to be the release-week of Tony Blatt’s “The Scandal of Cal: Land Grabs, White Supremacy and Miseducation at UC Berkeley,” a book criticizing the University of California Berkeley for its minimal efforts to address its complicated history. The book specifically notes the irony of the university’s stripping of buildings previously named after slave-owning founders while continuing to display memorials for those same founders.
Another highly-ranked public university, the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill has had similar scandals involving a history of slave-owning founders, prompting the university to be more transparent about its problematic past.
Gretchen Highberger, who graduated from Pleasant Valley in May, is currently a freshman at Clemson University–another southern university with a history of slave-ownership. Highberger made a point to educate herself about the institutions she was considering attending.
“What I found was that each university had its own problems, and none were close to perfect. To me what mattered was the university’s response to the issues,” Gretchen explained.
Tessier-Lavigne’s resignation could signal a new start for Stanford; the steps taken by UC Berkeley and the acknowledgements and greater emphasis on intersectional history at UNC Chapel Hill and Clemson may promise more accountability.
But DiPietro claims that Columbia’s initial response was to brush off victims and protect Hadden. And their straightforward cash settlements after beginning to lose the lawsuits may not promise much change for their conduct. A part of the settlements, however was for Columbia to assure that they will do what’s necessary to prevent sexual assault in its medical facilities in the future.
Highberger firmly believes accountability should be the standard for universities. “The interest of the students and the interest of the victims both point the university toward being transparent, taking responsibility, and working with the victims to provide support,” Highberger expressed.
Columbia administrators’ derailed attempts to cover-up Hadden’s misconduct may have activated the wheels of accountability and emphasize the need for a stronger sense of transparency between administrators and students. It seems now is the time for elite institutions to set a new paradigm for responsibility and the support of students, staff, and their surrounding community.
