In a time of budget crisis and scarce resources, statistics
show that eligible underrepresented students would be mostly
affected, and hundreds would have to be turned away if new UC
eligibility requirements are approved next month.
The Board of Regents are considering these changes as the
University of California has exceeded what is required of the
California Master Plan for Higher Education.
Last year, 14.4 percent of California’s high school
students achieved the GPA and testing standards required to be
eligible to the University of California. The Master Plan expects
only 12.5 percent of California students to be eligible for the UC
each year.
Normally, the increase in high- achieving
students would be a cause of celebration for many. Yet
the UC is now faced with the difficult task of denying access to
qualified students due to limited funding.Â
Changes in GPA requirement and the Eligibility in Local Context
““ a measure to grant UC eligibility to the top 4 percent
of students from each California high school ““Â were
recommended to bring the percentage of eligible students down to
12.5 percent.
Many of the students who will be cut if the proposed changes are
passed by the regents will be students from underrepresented
groups.
The proposed changes were approved by the UC Academic Senate in
June, and all but the minimum GPA increase has been approved by the
regents.
The vote for increasing the minimum GPA requirement from 2.8 to
3.1 was delayed to a special meeting in August. The GPA could also
be adjusted up or down to bring eligibility to 12.5 percent.
Adjustments to GPA calculation to reflect all “A-G”
courses taken in the sophomore and junior years and a change to
define students eligible in ELC only after completion of UC course
requirements were approved by the regents on July 14.
The minimum GPA increase, which would be effective fall 2007,
has some concerned that the UC will turn into an
“elitist” institution by denying access to
students.
UCLA student Justin Kastenbaum said the changes in eligibility
criteria will promote policies which will reduce already
underrepresented groups and urged the regents to reject the
increase in GPA.
The proposed changes will bring down eligibility rates for all
ethnicities, but the proportion of whites and Asians in the total
eligibility pool will increase while the percentage of
underrepresented groups will go down.
Nathaniel Gilkerson, a student at East Avenue Elementary School,
asked the regents to further study the impact of changing
eligibility requirements to inner city schools before a decision is
made.
“You will decide whether my classmates and I will be going
to a UC,” Gilkerson said.
Some also asked the regents to delay voting until the academic
year begins so students can have a chance to voice their
opinions.
UC President Robert Dynes delayed the vote until August to give
the regents and the public time to understand the changes. Dynes
said the vote needed to be in August so high school counselors will
know what to tell students in September to prepare for those
changes.
Dynes, along with many other regents, expressed regret that the
UC does not have the resources to provide access to more than 12.5
percent of California students, but said changes in eligibility are
required to maintain the quality of the university.
Lawrence Pitts, chairman of the UC Academic Senate, believed the
university would not be able to maintain its quality if access was
expanded to 14.4 percent of students.
Pitts said taking more students than the UC could provide a
quality education for “would change the nature of the
university, change its contribution to the state and to the
world.”
Student regent-designate Matt Murray urged the regents to
balance its priority between quality and access. Murray warned
denying access to many students could make the UC “elitist
and inequitable.”
“Education is a great power that can be used to maintain
elitism or to tear it apart,” Murray said.
The eligibility issue attracted prominent politicians to the
regent’s bimonthly meeting to try to protect access for
underrepresented groups.
Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante said the Master Plan’s 12.5
percent eligibility should be interpreted as a floor, not a
ceiling.
Richard Alarcon, D-San Fernando Valley, expressed his belief
that personal achievement, and not just academic standards need to
be emphasized. Alarcon said comprehensive review ““ the
admissions policy in which a student’s background and life
struggles are considered ““ is the best way to ensure that
underrepresented students have an opportunity to succeed.
While expressing their commitment for protecting
underrepresented groups, many regents said the proposed changes
would be the best solution to solve the problem presented by having
a high percentage of eligible students with not enough resources to
admit them.
Dynes said the changes “emphasize academic achievement
while avoiding a disproportionate impact on any particular group of
students.”
The California State University system, which has not reached
its Master Plan eligibility target, will be expected to take the
students who will not meet UC requirements under the proposed
changes.
“There is nothing wrong with a state graduate. We’re
not denying anyone an education,” said Regent George
Marcus.
Traditionally, the UC has admitted all applicants who are
UC-eligible to at least one of its campuses. Last year, the UC was
not able to admit all applicants who met UC eligibility.
Instead, qualified applicants who were not offered freshman
admission to any UC campus were offered a Guaranteed Transfer
Option by one or more of the UC campuses. Students who accept the
GTO offer start in a two-year community college and then can
transfer to a UC.
Last year was the first time in 25 years that eligibility has
been higher than 12.5 percent, according to studies done by the
California Postsecondary Education Commission. In previous years,
the UC created programs to increase the percent of students
eligible for the UC system. Â
Changes already approved for fall 2005 include considering
students accepted through the Eligibility in Local Context program
eligible only if they have completed UC course and test
requirements. Previously, students could be considered eligible
before completing the requirements.
The Eligibility in Local Context program was established to
increase the pool of eligible students by giving eligibility to the
top 4 percent of students from any California high school. ELC was
established in part to reward individual academic accomplishments
in the context of opportunities available to the student.