Richard Blum: Senator Dianne Feinstein’s husband told UC Berkeley to admit underqualified student, says report
Senator Dianne Feinstein has found herself in hot water after it came to light that her wealthy investment banker husband used his influence to help an underqualified student secure admission at the University of California, Berkeley. Richard Blum, a UC alumnus and regent since 2002, wrote a letter to the school chancellor's office on behalf of an unnamed student who was reportedly waitlisted and had just a 26 percent chance of getting into the university, according to San Jose Mercury News.
The outlet reported that Blum's letter was forwarded to UC's admissions office — which gave preference to the said student's application over more qualified candidates.
“It is therefore likely that the applicant whom the regent recommended would have been on a list that received priority admission from the waitlist,” according to an audit of the university's admissions practices released on Tuesday, September 22. “Given the low likelihood of this applicant’s admission and the prominent and influential role that regents have within the university, we conclude that the decision to admit this applicant was likely influenced by the regent’s advocacy.”
While the audit did not name the regent involved, university spokeswoman Margarita Fernandez confirmed to Mercury News it was Blum. When the outlet reached out to Blum, he said he's written letters of recommendation about friends and family for years, and didn't think he “ever had much influence.” “Wherever they were applying. Wherever they wanted to get in,” he said, adding that he recalled sending letters specifically to the chancellors at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UC Irvine, but added: “almost everywhere.”
“This is the first time I’ve heard that maybe I did something that wasn’t right,” he said. “I think it’s a bunch of nonsense.” Meanwhile, Blum told the San Francisco Chronicle that “no one” had told him “it was wrong.” “My cousin’s brother wanted to get into [UC] Davis,” the outlet quoted him as saying. “They’d send me a letter and tell me why it’s a good kid, and I’ll send it on to the chancellor. Been doing it forever.”
On Thursday, September 24, Regents Chair John Pérez issued a statement saying the “UC Board of Regents takes these matters very seriously, and any violations will be promptly and appropriately addressed.” Pérez said the information was being reviewed by UC’s ethics and audit compliance office “to determine whether the alleged conduct violates” the regents' policy, which is reportedly in place since 1996.
The audit would later find that the school took into consideration “inappropriate factors” in admitting at least 64 applicants over more qualified students. Among those, 22 got in with exaggerated athletic resumes while the rest relied on ties to influential donors or staffers. The audit also found that the majority of those students were White, and that at least half of them came from families with annual incomes of $150,000 and above.
The review comes shortly after the massive college admissions scandal that took place at the California university. Among those busted in the scam were 'Full House' actress Lori Loughlin and 'Desperate Housewives' star Felicity Huffman, the New York Post reported. That said, this is barely the first time Blum has caused a stir. In 2018, Feinstein made headlines after she didn't disclose that her husband allegedly owned more than $100,000 in Facebook shares until after CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified to the Senate.