Local scandal

Reported in England.

Like many students, Elizabeth Paige Laurie found it difficult to balance work and play while at university. Unlike most of her friends, however, the Wal-Mart heiress could afford a solution to the problem.

The 22-year-old graduate, heir to a £1.5 billion slice of the global supermarket empire, is facing an investigation by the University of Southern California (USC) into allegations that she paid a “surrogate” £11,000 over three years to study in her place and complete her degree.

The alleged surrogate, Elena Martinez, an impoverished student, claims that Laurie employed her to write papers, handle her e-mail correspondence with professors and complete a final essay required to graduate in communication studies.

Meanwhile, Laurie made a name for herself as “the hottest blonde to hit the Sunset Strip since Paris Hilton”, according to a USC student magazine. She also dated several college athletes.

Her parents, who paid £13m for the right to name a sports arena after her at the University of Missouri earlier this year, have refused to discuss the cheating allegations, insisting that her college records are a private matter.

The heiress, who graduated last summer, was said to be in Europe and was unavailable for comment.

  Times Online article

A co-worker claims that the Paige Arena (which we can see out our window - it's nice, but it's another glaring reminder that there's always money for sports on campus and never any for wages) is going to be renamed; that the Lauries gave back the naming rights. (Sold them back, I think would be more likely.) This is much bigger news around here than genocide in Iraq. We love to see a rich bitch go down! (They're asking what she needs with a college degree anyway.)

Another co-worker wondered about Ms. Martinez, who spilled the beans on Ms. Wal-Mart. Won't her degree be in jeopardy as well for being a party to the fraud? I should think so. What a stupid fool. Too poor to pay her own college fees, Ms. Martinez says she even had to show Ms. Wal-Mart how to do laundry and then ended up doing it for her. Idiot.

Martinez's role as helper is said to have turned into a paid job that continued even after she dropped out of the course because she could not afford to pay the £16,000 annual fees.

“I did not intend it to go so far, but I needed the money to study at community college. She gave me $20,000 (£11,000) over three years which she told her parents was for charitable donations,” she claimed.

Martinez said that Laurie had sent her books to read and essays to write, complaining if her typing was less than perfect. “I rarely got her a bad grade but if she did, she would say, ''That was horrible''. She was a very demanding boss.”

Yeah, dumbo, you got my sympathy.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.