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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
anwal
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
tothedaily@umich.edu
EMMARIE HUETTEMAN
EDITOR IN CHIEF
GARY GRACA
MANAGING EDITOR
KATE TRUESDELL
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations
represent solely the views of their authors.
Amending admissions
Proposed change could be disasterous for education
f state representative Rick Jones has his way, getting into the University is about
Jto become a lot simpler - if you're an in-state student at the top of your class.
Jones, a Republican from Grand Ledge, has proposed a plan that would grant
Michigan high school students graduating in the top 10 percent of their class automat-
ic admission to any of the state's 15 public universities. The arguments supporting the
initiative include increased geographic and socioeconomic diversity, and these are
praiseworthy goals. However, it is not clear whether Jones's proposal would achieve
them, and this plan creates problems that outweigh the purported pros.
JASON MAHAKIAN
E-MAIL MAHAKIAN AT MAHAKIANJ@UMICH.EDU
d h bBnoted in the story. However, defin-
Byond the box ing oneself by checking a box is
not accorate at all.I wish they had
TO THE DAILY: a box that said: "My father was
I am writing in response to the born in Vietnam when his German
recent Daily article about adding father was serving in the war. My
an additional raceboxtothe admis- mother was born in Sweden, but
sions applications (Students push her parents came from Scandina-
for new race option, 04/10/2008). via. I was born in South Africa, but
The fight for an additional race box now I live in America." Ijust check
option is like picking up one piece Caucasian.
of trash off the ground - it makes I hope that one day we won't
you feel good about yourself, but consider adding one race box a suc-
in order to solve the global pollu- cess - vague race options tell you
tion crisis you need to change the nothing about the true racial iden-
structure of society. tity of a person. Rightnow students
Yes, it is true that an addition- can choose from six options. There
al option for race (mind you, a should be about 6.6 billion differ-
socially constructed concept) will ent options for race.
provide some students "a more
accurate category with which to Justin Erickson
identify," as Sirene Abou-Chakra LSA sophomore
a
a
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The proposal is modeled after
a plan in Texas, where state uni-
versities have admitted the top
10 percent of high school gradu-
ates for more than a decade. The
state's flagship university - the
University of Texas at Austin
- now has its highest minority
enrollment since the program
was enacted.
Jones hopes that a program
in Michigan would have simi-
lar results, arguing for a "great-
er geographic, economic and
racial diversity." With the state
legislature set to adjourn for the
summer, Jones will try to get
the process underway soon. If
passed in the House and Sen-
ate by the required two-thirds
majority, the proposal would
show up on the Michigan ballot
in November.
Jones's plan raises several
immediate concerns. The plan
limits the ability of universities
to view admissions candidates
in a broader context. The Uni-
versity, for example, takes into
account far more than just an
applicant's grades - incoming
students are evaluated on a host
of variables, ranging from stan-
dardized test scores to involve-
ment in their communities. A
blanket program like the10-per-
cent plan would ignore nearly
all these factors, concentrating
solely on a student's GPA. This
focus on an applicant's work
inside the classroom would
undermine the University's
efforts to attract well-rounded
students who excel outside of it
as well.
Another problem in imple-
menting a Texas-style plan is
the fundamental difference in
the structure of the two states'
higher education systems.
In Texas, public universities
are part of the same system,
whereas Michigan's state uni-
versities are autonomous and
independent. In practice, quali-
fied students in Texas can
choose between several large
and relatively equally presti-
gious schools. In Michigan,
the state's two large research
universities - Michigan and
Michigan State - would be the
obvious choice for many admit-
ted students, creating a demand
overload.
Perhaps the biggest problem
of all, however, is the issue of
autonomy. Michigan's universi-
ties enjoy a high level of inde-
pendence under the current
system. Mandating who pub-
lic universities should admit
through state doctrine would
fly in the face of this tradition
and set a dangerous precedent.
Diversity is something that
public universities must strive
for, but it's a goal that they can
achieve on their own terms
without any imposed orders
from above.
The constitutional autonomy
enjoyed by Michigan's public
universities is not something
to be taken lightly. Together
with the mountain of possible
problems that Jones's propos-
al brings, it is safe to say that
Michigan is not the state for
such a plan.
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Giving new life
to stem cells
TO THE DAILY:
After reading Monday's article
about the stem cell research bal-
lot initiative (Repeal of stem cell
research ban seeks spot on ballot,
04/14/2008), I'd like to comment
on the statement by Pam Sherstad,
spokeswoman for Right to Life, that
the group "doesn'ttsee theneed to
destroy embryos that could oth-
erwise develop into a human life."
There seem to be misconceptions
about the embryos that would be
usedifembryonic stemcellresearch
becomes legal in Michigan.
The only embryos that would
be available are those that would
otherwise be discarded by fertil-
ity clinics. of these embryos, some
of them have abnormalities that
would prevent them from ever sur-
viving until birth and would never
be implanted in a woman's uterus.
Other healthy embryos left over
from in-vitro fertilization attempts
are kept until they are no longer
needed by the couples who created
them, and they are then discarded.
It is true that some of these embry-
os are available for adoption by
infertile couples, but the reality is
that far fewer embryos are adopted
than are produced.
Personally, I don't see the need
to destroy embryos that could be
used to save human lives through
embryonic stem cell research.
Kailey Owens
Alum
The letter writer is the former president
of the University's chapter of Student
Societyfor Stem Cell Research.
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Editorial BoardMembers: Harun Buljina,
Ben Caleca, Robert Soave, Matt Trecha