Development Office courts “VIP” high schoolers, children of potential donors

Colleges & Universities Yale University
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"On Oct. 1, current first-year counselors received an email from Adam Cohen, program coordinator for Yale’s Office of Development, asking them to host two ‘VIP’ high schoolers for lunch and a campus tour.

A current FroCo, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the University, said that upon receipt of the email, fellow first-year counselors were confused by the term ‘VIP’ and taken aback that those ‘VIPs’ were high school students.
This was not an isolated incident — according to another email obtained by the News, first-year counselors received similar notes in 2017.

In both 2017 and this year, the meetings occurred before any application deadline had passed, raising questions about how the Office of Development selects its ‘VIPs’ and why some prospective applicants receive preferential treatment." …

https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2018/11/02/development-office-courts-vip-high-schoolers-children-of-potential-donors/

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What’s so surprising about hosting a prospect? Or before app deadlines? The fact these are kids of donors ensures zero quid pro quo, as the article goes on to say. The use of anonymous sources, some “ex admissions officer” who spilled the beans to two sophomores? (I’d bet this source is a recent grad, not a policy maker.) What’s alarming here? It’s lunch and a chat. A small group of kids related to a major donor or two.