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NEWS

Thursday, July 26, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Admissions drops 

ACT and SAT writing 

U-M seeks to reduce 
costs for applicants

By GRACE KAY

Summer Managing News Editor

Following the lead of uni-
versities such as Harvard, Yale, 
Princeton and Stanford, the Uni-
versity of Michigan will no longer 
require students to complete the 
optional writing component of 
the SAT or ACT when the Univer-
sity’s application goes live Aug. 1.
Kedra 
Ishop, 
vice 
provost 
for 
enrollment 
management, 
explained in a University Record 
press release there were several 
reasons that made the optional 
writing component expendable 
for the University.
Erica 
Sanders, 
director 
of 
undergraduate 
admissions, 
explained the new SAT structure 
developed in 2016 was a contrib-
uting factor.
“With recent changes to the 
SAT, we realized that this addi-
tional writing score was no lon-
ger needed,” Sanders said. “We’re 
confident in our holistic review 
process, which is both individual-
ized for each applicant and com-
prehensive.”
In 2016, the new SAT switched 
to more evidence-based writing 
and reading sections. In the new 
SAT, scored from 400 to 1600 
points instead of 600 to 2400, the 
test also no longer categorizes 
reading and writing individually.
In addition to reporting one’s 
SAT or ACT score, the U-M 
application requires students to 
submit multiple writing samples 
in response to several different 
writing prompts.
“We believe we have suffi-
cient evidence to assess an appli-
cant’s writing ability without the 
optional portions of these exams 
that add cost and time to student 
testing,” Ishop said.
Fewer than two dozen schools 
still require the optional writing 
component, which was developed 
in 2005 for both the SAT and 
ACT in an effort to promote the 
importance of clear and effective 
academic writing. The University 
adopted the additional require-

ment the following year.
According to InsideHigherEd, 
about 70 percent of students who 
take the SAT each year take the 
writing test even though many 
will attend universities that do 
not require the additional com-
ponent.
The article quotes James Mur-
phy, director of national outreach 
for the Princeton Review, who 
wrote in response to Ivy League 
universities eliminating the com-
ponent.
“We are really pleased to see 
Princeton and Stanford join not 
only six other Ivy League univer-
sities but also more than 1,600 
other schools across the country 
in their decision not to require 
the essay,” Murphy wrote. “This 
is good for students and does no 
harm to schools. Writing well is 
an essential skill for college and 
beyond, but these assessments 
do a poor job in evaluating writ-
ing skill. We look forward to the 
23 schools that still require the 
essays coming to see the light.”
The 2018 SAT costs $47.50 
without the essay component, 
requiring an additional $17 to 
include it. Similarly, the ACT 
costs $50.50 with the writing 
test an additional $16.50. While 
some students can qualify for 
fee exemptions based on family 
income, the total price of the SAT 
and ACT does not include the cost 
to send test results to more than 
four universities.
According 
to 
The 
Univer-
sity Record, the Office of Under-
graduate Admissions has already 
updated its website to reflect this 
change and shared the news with 
all deans, associate deans, unit 
liaisons and campus communica-
tors.
Currently, 
the 
University 
requires prospective students to 
submit their high school tran-
script, school report – includ-
ing their GPA and class rank 
– one teacher evaluation and a $75 
application fee alongside their 
ACT or SAT score.
The early-action application 
deadline for the University of 
Michigan is Nov. 1 and the regu-
lar application deadline is Feb. 1.

Democratic gubernatorial candidates 
talk healthcare, recreational marijuana

By ALICE TRACEY

Summer Daily News Editor 

Michigan’s Democratic guber-
natorial candidates gathered at 
WDIV Local 4 in Detroit Thurs-
day night for their final debate 
before the Aug. 7 primaries. 
Abdul El-Sayed, former execu-
tive director of the Detroit Health 
Department, entrepreneur Shri 
Thanedar and Gretchen Whit-
mer, former minority leader of 
the Michigan Senate, discussed 
healthcare, tax reform, marijuana 
and partisan division, and clashed 
over corporate involvement in 
their respective campaigns.
Moderators Devin Scillian and 
Kimberly Gill launched the debate 
by asking candidates to provide 
opening statements. Thanedar, 
who currently holds an estimated 
19 percent of the Democratic vote, 
emphasized his underprivileged 
upbringing in India, his climb to 
success in the United States chem-
ical industry and the fact that he 
created jobs through his company, 
Avomeen Analytical Services. El-
Sayed, who lags Thanedar at 17 
percent, focused on his opposition 
to corporate favoritism, saying he 
values real Michiganders.
“It is time to go back to a gov-
ernment for the people and by the 
people,” El-Sayed said.
Whitmer, the leading candi-
date with 40 percent of the Demo-
cratic vote, said she loves the state 
of Michigan and is dedicated to 
improving 
its 
infrastructure, 
insurance systems and education. 
She also brought up her opposi-
tion to leading Republican candi-
date Bill Schuette.

Unemployment
The moderators acknowledged 
Michigan has gained half a mil-
lion jobs and is now at its lowest 
unemployment rate in 17 years 
since current Gov. Rick Snyder 
took office in 2010. Scillian and 
Gill invited the candidates to 
share how they will keep those 
improvements in place.
Thanedar said the key to boost-
ing Michigan’s economy is invest-
ing in education, giving people the 
skills necessary to succeed in the 
workforce. Specifically, he men-
tioned his plan to make commu-
nity college tuition-free.
“I’ve created jobs, and I know 
what it takes to create jobs,” 
Thanedar said. “Corporate incen-
tives don’t create jobs, giving skill 
sets to the people of Michigan will 
create jobs and I will focus my 
efforts on bringing technical and 
skilled education.”
According to El-Sayed, employ-
ment has increased in Michigan, 
but not all jobs are highly skilled 
or well-paid. He accused corpo-
rations of not valuing the aver-
age worker, and promised to help 
small businesses thrive.
“I’m not going to be taking a 
dime of corporate money, so I’m 
not going to be in a situation where 
those same corporations come to 
my office and ask me to use the 
Michigan economic development 
corporation to pass them off these 
subsidies,” El-Sayed said.
Like Thanedar, Whitmer men-
tioned the importance of invest-
ing in high-quality education, 
saying she hopes to provide debt-
free, two-year college to Michi-
gan residents.

Tax Reform
Referencing the fact that the 
Republican gubernatorial candi-
dates aim to cut taxes, the mod-
erators asked the Democrats how 
they will convince people that tax 
increases could benefit Michigan.
El-Sayed suggested the reason 
people feel overtaxed is because 
of inefficient government spend-
ing of tax dollars. When the 
Republicans mention tax cuts, El-
Sayed added, they mean tax cuts 
for corporations rather than mak-
ing business pay their fair share. 
Whitmer agreed with El-Sayed’s 
point about government spend-
ing, saying the state’s refusal to 
invest in resources like clean 
water and high-quality educa-
tion forces people to spend more 
money day-to-day.
“We’re paying an education 
tax every time you hire a tutor 
because your kid’s teacher is so 
overwhelmed with kids packed 
into the classroom,” Whitmer 
said. “We’re paying a water tax 
— if you are in Flint, or if you are 
in one of the 71 communities with 
lead in your water, or the tens, 
maybe hundreds of communities 
with P-Phos in your water, you’re 
paying a water tax because you’ve 
got to pay bottled water because 
government’s not getting the job 
done.”
Thanedar proposed eliminat-
ing the state income tax for any 
family making under $50,000 
annually and said he will tax cor-
porations in order to fund educa-
tion and infrastructure.

Read more at MichiganDaily.com

Whitmer, El-Sayed criticize each other’s campaign finances

COURTESY OF WDIV

