Oh, to live the life of a college administrator. There seems to be something so simplistic about your job that makes everyone believe that they're qualified to replace you. Suggestions are always making their presence felt. Should SATs count so much? How much should affirmative action affect student ratios? Can we get rid of those legacy brats? Now obviously it's hard for anyone to conduct his or her job in such a fishbowl. It's made even harder when the decisions you make are labeled either illogical or undeniably obvious.
Recently, officials at Yale University have begun to flirt with the idea of eliminating the early admissions process, a decision that would lessen the scrutiny on college administrators. If this change were to be implemented, it would continue a dangerous trend in American schooling. While it has become abundantly clear that schools in America lack serious funding, what has become all too taboo among many educational leaders is whether we should reform the system in hopes of creating academic equity. The truth is that while reforms such as the abolition of early admissions may make the educational field more balanced, problems will continue to present themselves until monetary issues are resolved.
Advocates of Yale president Richard C. Levin's proposed reforms point out that early admission severely favors students from wealthy families. Students of lower, working-class upbringings often cannot take advantage of the higher acceptance rates that those who apply early receive. Their situation requires that they compare possible financial aid packages, something made impossible by early admission's binding application process. Yet the elimination of such early applications would inevitably result in a greater pool of students competing for the same amount of college finances.
The reasoning here is difficult to understand. Let's say, for comparison's sake, that 25 percent of financially needy students (we will call them group A) are accepted through early admission. That means that the remaining 75 percent (group B) must compete for the remaining allocated financial aid. If we were to eliminate early admission, some members of group A would receive more favorable financial aid packages. But some members of group B, because they now must compete for college financing with group A, will inevitably have to settle for worse packages. There simply aren't enough financial resources to go around. The theme -- students facing tougher application periods when they require economic aid -- would repeat itself.
The inequity of educational America, in which students with more money often receive greater academic advantages, is not simply a product of the system. There are faults in all levels of American education that perpetuate this pattern. But a resolution to many of these problems cannot be achieved through simple reformation.
Last year the administrators of University of California, Berkeley proposed a reform that would eliminate the usage of SAT scores to judge high school applicants. This suggestion was met by rave reviews. It seemed, and probably is, a logical step towards the end of capitalism in American schools. What must be understood is that reforms such as these are only temporary solutions to a much greater problem. If schools are underfunded, teachers underpaid and supplies severely lacking, Darwinian unfairness will persist. Reforms such as the abolition of the SATs and early application process momentarily succeed in covering up this greater issue, but a final solution is impossible. As long as the playing field is not level, the rich will find a way to get richer.
We must refocus our efforts from reforming the system to enriching it. On the college level, greater funding would help alleviate the need for additional financial aid. On the high school level, greater funding would result in superior education for those who can't afford it. Together these changes would achieve better results than simple tinkering with the system. Educators and academic officials need to push harder than ever for the government to take a greater role in the intellectualizing of our country. Only when we leapfrog these financial difficulties can the educational playing field be leveled.
