Posted on 02/26/2004 5:54:23 AM PST by Theodore R.
Tech plans change in admissions Race-based policy set for approval by regents
By SEBASTIAN KITCHEN AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
The Texas Tech Board of Regents is expected to approve race and ethnicity as factors in admissions at its Friday meeting.
Other universities, including the University of Texas, returned to race-based admissions after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in June stated that race and ethnicity can be included as factors in the ad missions pro cess.
The change has met opposition on campuses throughout the country, including Tech and Texas, where the Center for Equal Opportunity and other organizations are attempting to overturn the policies.
CEO, a Virginia-based organization that studies civil rights, bilingual education and immigration, filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights after Tech regents voted in October for school officials to move forward with including race in admissions.
Tech regents passed a resolution asking for a policy with an "individualized and holistic" review of applicants.
Tech officials agree with the Supreme Court that diversity benefits the university community, said Robert Black, chairman of the Board of Regents.
"Certainly we see in Texas a continuing change in the diversity makeup of our population," he said Wednesday. "We need to reflect that change in our student body and be more reflective of the demographics of the state of Texas."
Black said the university's level is not where it should be and the policy will be set in place to increase the diversity of the student population at Tech.
Black and President Jon Whitmore said Tech has made increases in its diversity population, but it is not close to the state level.
Tech has a 14 percent diversity rate. The state had a 29 percent diversity rate in the 2000 census.
"It doesn't line up for us equally serving all populations of the state," Whitmore said. "We intend to keep working on it."
The state's Closing the Gaps initiative, which seeks to bring more Texans into higher education, targets Hispanics.
"Frankly, 10 years from now, a majority of students graduating from high school are going to be minority students, and we want to make sure there is a place for them at Tech," Whitmore said.
The summer decision by the high court overturned the 1996 Hopwood decision, which disallowed the use of race in college admissions, scholarships and financial aid.
The change will affect the in coming class in fall 2005.
"It is a valuable experience for students to have a diverse student population," Whitmore said. "It makes for a better educational experience. That is one of the things the Su preme Court said very clearly."
The university is adding a section on diversity that will include race, ethnicity, travel abroad and other cultural experiences, Whit more said.
"We will look at the total application and all aspects of a student's background," he said.
Those factors could be included in the decision to admit someone, along with class rank and SAT scores, Whitmore said.
CEO officials believe Tech will be in violation of the Supreme Court ruling and said the number of minorities on campus increased without racial preferences in ad missions.
The court ruling states that the use of race and ethnicity in admissions is permissible if race-neutral means have failed.
The regents also will look at a proposal to increase tuition for the coming school year at Tech and the Health Sciences Center.
Whitmore said he does not know how much tuition will be in creased but said it will be "substantially higher" than the spring 2004 in crease of $10 per semester credit hour, which cost the average student $120 to $150.
The president said he will continue to meet today with people about tuition before finalizing his recommendation to regents.
"It is unfortunate that is what we need to do in light of today's circumstances to continue to provide a quality education," Black said.
The money will be used for faculty salaries and new faculty, he said.
"Those are the types of areas we need to go into," Black said. "We need to make certain as much money goes into the classroom and not into administrative overhead."
State law requires 25 percent of the tuition increase to go toward scholarships. The state Legislature deregulated tuition last year, allowing regents at each university to set rates.
Whitmore said there would not be any major increases in student fees.
sebastian.kitchen@lubbockonline.com 766-8753
They should look into why there are so few whites on the Dallas Cowboys Football team and the Houston Rockets basketball team. After all, 71% of the state is white, it therefor makes logical sense that these teams should be 71% white...
The battle over selection on academic criteria is over.
Use a lottery. It will save a ton of money.
From another thread...
WASHINGTON -- Barely half of all black, Hispanic and Native American students who entered U.S. high schools in 2000 will receive diplomas this year, according to a new report that challenges conventional methods of calculating graduation rates.
Since half of the 29% are not eligible for college, 14% representation looks to be right on the mark for representation of the college eligible diverse population. It looks to me like the admission policy isn't what needs changing.
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