SALT LAKE CITY — Olivia Jade Giannulli reportedly wants to head back to the University of Southern California in the wake of the college admissions scandal, according to US Weekly magazine.
An unnamed source told US Weekly that Giannulli wants to go back even as her status remains in question.
- “Olivia Jade wants to go back to USC,” a source told US Weekly. “She didn’t get officially kicked out and she is begging the school to let her back in.”
However, a separate unnamed source told US Weekly that it’s unlikely she’ll be allowed back into school.
- “She knows they won’t let her in, so she’s hoping this info gets out,” the second source told US Weekly. “She wants to come out looking like she’s changed, learned life lessons and is growing as a person, so she for sure wants people to think she is interested in her education.”
Be smart: There are a lot of unnamed sources floating out there when it comes to the Lori Loughlin scandal. I reported Monday how CNN and US Weekly appeared to use similar unnamed sources when reporting on how Loughlin plans to fix her public image after the scandal.
Bigger picture: The University of Southern California placed Giannulli and her sister Isabella on hold in the immediate aftermath of the college admissions scandal, which I wrote about for the Deseret News. Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli allegedly paid $500,000 so that their daughters could be admitted to the USC as crew team recruits.
- "We have confirmed that both Olivia Giannulli and Isabella Giannulli still are enrolled,” USC media relations specialist Ron Mackovitch said in a statement to NBC News back in April. “USC is conducting a case-by-case review for current students and graduates that may be connected to the scheme alleged by the government and will make informed decisions as those reviews are completed."
USC released a full statement about all students whose parents are embroiled in the scandal, according to my report for the Deseret News.
“USC determined which applicants in the current admissions cycle are connected to the alleged scheme and they will be denied admission. A case-by-case review of current students who may be connected to the alleged scheme is also underway. We will make informed decisions about those cases as the reviews are completed.
“USC has placed holds on the accounts of students who may be associated with the alleged admissions scheme," the statement continued. "This prevents the students from registering for classes (until they have agreed to participate in the review of their case), withdrawing from the university, or acquiring transcripts while their cases are under review.
"USC, like other universities around the country, follows a federal law regarding the privacy of student records called the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, often referred to as FERPA. According to FERPA, personally identifiable information in an education record may not be released without prior written consent from the student.”