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UC
officials float new plan to
set admission GPA at 3.0
By
Lesli A. Maxwell -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Wednesday, September 22, 2004
University
of California officials Tuesday issued a new plan to raise the
minimum grade-point average for applicants, but the last-minute
revision will probably do little to quell the controversial debate
over whether too many high school students are eligible to attend
the prestigious system.
This
time, the UC Board of Regents will weigh a proposal that would
require freshman applicants to have at least a 3.0 GPA, up from
the current 2.8. Regents had been expected to vote on raising
the GPA to 3.1, a change they postponed making in July.
The
3.0 proposal, if adopted by regents at their meeting Thursday,
would take effect for current high school sophomores who apply
for fall 2007 admission. UC officials said the change likely would
shrink the eligibility pool by no more than 750 students, of which
only 225 would be likely to apply and enroll.
UC
officials said Tuesday that setting the minimum GPA at precisely
3.0 would be transparent to students and parents and would ensure
that the university isn't "overcorrecting" in its attempt
to shrink the eligibility pool.
"A
clear message is to set a round number ... a 3.0, which is a B
average right on the button," said George Blumenthal, chairman
of the universitywide Academic Senate, which devised the original
proposal to raise the GPA as high as 3.1. "It's hard to argue
that you shouldn't have a B average to get into the University
of California."
Thursday's
debate promises to be vigorous with student groups, higher education
advocates and some Democratic politicians vehemently opposed to
the change.
University
leaders say they must rewrite eligibility standards to bring the
university in line with its mandate to draw students from the
top one-eighth, or 12.5 percent, of the state's high school graduates.
A study
released in May by the California Postsecondary Education Commission
found that 14.4 percent of high school graduates in 2003 were
eligible for UC - a finding that's been questioned by some regents
and higher education advocates who believe the study was flawed.
Still,
in response to the CPEC study, regents were asked in July to raise
the minimum GPA to as high as 3.1. The board balked, though, saying
the change would be hasty and would confuse students, parents
and the public. Some regents also worried the adjustment would
erode an already shrinking number of Latino and African American
students admitted to UC's campuses.
Some
high school students who would need the higher GPA if regents
approve the proposal said it's unfair to change the rules in the
middle of the game.
"We
should know before we ever start high school that there is going
to be a higher GPA," said Michelle Luna, a 14-year-old freshman
at John F. Kennedy High School in Sacramento.
Luna,
if she decides she wants to go to UC, would apply for admission
in 2008.
Sue
Vang, another Kennedy freshman, said the change won't likely affect
her since she has a record of straight A's, but she worried how
it might affect her friends.
"There
are students who are struggling and will be able to get the 2.8,
but if it's bumped up, that leaves them out," she said.
Advocates
for higher education are of the same mind.
"The
issue is being able to get your foot in the door," said Bill
Kidder, a researcher with the Equal Justice Society. "Passing
through the UC eligibility threshold makes you able to go to at
least one of the UC campuses. The 2.8 is an important benchmark
of access to California's higher education system."
Admission
to the University of California remains one of the thorniest issues
for the prestigious public system, especially as the number of
black and Latino students admitted to the system's most selective
campuses at UCLA and Berkeley has dwindled.
Despite
the controversy over eligibility, rewriting those standards won't
change the way each of UC's nine undergraduate campuses (including
the new campus in Merced, which will admit freshmen starting next
fall) decide who gets in. Most campuses already have much tougher
academic standards than those outlined by UC's basic eligibility
policy.
Still,
some believe that UC should not be looking for ways to limit access.
"The
bottom line is that everyone involved in this system ought to
be about increasing access," said Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg,
D-Sacramento. "The 12.5 percent ought to be (the) floor.
If we exceed that, we should be happy, not feeling pressure to
lower the number."
About
the Writer
The Bee's Lesli A. Maxwell can be reached at (916) 321-1048 or
lmaxwell@sacbee.com.
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