CAMPUS/AREA
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Tuesday, November 1, 1994
3A
Qualified admissions for Regents schools still debated
By Colleen McCain Kansan staff writer
State legislators have dubbed qualified admissions as the issue that will not go away.
After all, the question of whether to adopt admissions standards at Regents institutions has been debated for several years. Although the six Regents schools and the Board of Regents support qualified admissions, the legislature has failed to pass any admissions standards.
Burdett Loomis, professor of political science, said a long-standing populist tradition made many Kansans weary of denying students the opportunity of attending a state university.
"Qualified admissions is well-accepted across the country," Loomis said. "But the combination of tradition and Gov. Finney, who opposes qualified admissions, has prevented qualified admissions from passing in
the legislature in recent years."
One result of open admissions is that uni-
versities must devote a disproportionate amount of time and money to under-qualified students. Loomis said.
"We're spending too much time dealing with the bottom 10 percent of students," he said. "Sooner or later, the cost of admitting everyone will drive us to adopting qualified admissions."
Because gubernatorial candidates Bill Graves and Jim Slattery support qualified admissions, legislators may work harder to pass qualified admissions during the 1995 legislative session. Loomis said.
State Rep. Rochelle Chronister, R-Neodesha, said she would advocate adopting minimum admissions standards.
"It's a crime when we let students go to college who aren't prepared to attend a university," Chronister said. "Qualified admissions don't close the door to students who want
an education. Community college is always an option."
State Rep. Jim Garner, D-Coffeyville, opposes qualified admissions. He said proponents of qualified admissions failed to consider the ramifications of sending less-qualified students to community colleges.
"It's very easy to say that we can send all of these students to community colleges," Garner said. "But people never talk about the fact that we would need to increase funding to community colleges if that happened. Everyone conveniently forgets to mention that funding for community colleges would have to increase dramatically."
Garner said qualified admissions was merely a Band-Aid solution for problems in Kansas high schools.
"we know we have a problem, but we are attacking the wrong aspect of it," he said. "We should deal with the problem of high schools graduating students who aren't prepared for
Dedebor Castrop, director of admissions at the University of Kansas, said adopting qualified admissions would compel high school students to prepare themselves for college.
college."
"There is some amount of self-selection that goes on right now in that most students who apply to KU are quality students," Castrop said. "If we have admissions standards, students who want to attend state universities will know that they must meet these standards and will work to ensure that they prepare themselves."
In 1993, the Regents proposed that high school students should be required to meet one of the following requirements: a.2.0 grade point average, a composite score of 23 on the ACT or a grade point average that placed them in the top one-third of their class.
Regent John Montgomery said the Regents' recommended admissions standards were not overly demanding.
The proposed standards passed in the Senate in 1993 but failed in the House.
“It's too early to predict how the 1995 legislature will respond to the issue of qualified admissions,” Montgomery said. “Pushing qualified admissions through the legislature is not one of the Regents' top five priorities right now. It would be great if it were passed, but the battle over qualified admissions usually causes more unpleasantries than it's worth.”
Nevertheless, Montgomery said the Regents would continue to promote qualified admissions.
"Just because someone gives you an automobile doesn't mean you can drive it," Montgomery said. "You have to pass a test first. Likewise, just because you have a high school diploma doesn't mean you should have the right to go to a university. You should have meet some sort of qualifications."
GOVERNOR
WHERE THE CANDIDATES STAND
GRAVES — He supports the concept of qualified admissions for the state Regents universities. He said having a certain threshold that incoming students would have to meet would bring about
a more efficient allocation of the state's financial and academic resources. The specific requirements would be subject to debate and should be devised in such a way to provide fair and equitable treatment to all state universities, he said.
SLATTERY—He said he supported a qualified admissions program, one that helped students who are not prepared to attend Regents institutions rather than setting them up for
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Jim Slattery (D)
failure. He said any qualified admissions program should be linked to an expanded scholarship program for economically disadvantaged Kansas students. He also said there should be stronger ties between high schools, universities, community colleges and employers.
Carla Stovall (R)
SCHODOFR —He said universities should set standards for students they admit.
Richard Schodorf (D)
MEYERS—She declined to comment, saying that qualified admissions was not an issue addressed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. HOUSE - 3RD DISTRICT
Jan Meyers (R)
Judv Hancock (D)
HANCOCK—— She declined to comment, saying that qualified admissions was not an issue addressed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. HOUSE — 2ND DISTRICT
BROWNBACK — He declined to comment, saying that qualified admissions was not an issue addressed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Sam Brownback (R)
CARLIN — He declined to comment, saying that qualified admissions was not an issue addressed by the U.S. House of Representatives.
John Carlin (D)
KANSAS HOUSE — 44TH
Barbara Ballard (D)
BALLARD—She voted in favor of qualified admissions. She said qualifications were minimal and most students should have the ability to achieve them. She said if universities accepted students who could not meet minimal standards, they were being set up for failure. She said students who could not meet qualifications could attend junior colleges.
KANSAS HOUSE — 45TH
SLOAN—He said he supported qualified admissions. He said students should have the opportunity to succeed instead of the opportunity to fail.
Tom Sloan (R)
SWALL — He said standards should be set by the Board of Regents, and the Kansas Legislature shouldn't control the details.
Forrest Swall (D)
KANSAS HOUSE — 46TH
SCHMIDT — He said he supported qualified admissions because it would streamline the University of Kansas' budget.
Eric Schmidt (R)
FINDLEY — He said he supported qualified admissions and wanted to make sure high school students could meet them.
Troy Findley (D)
KANSAS HOUSE 47TH
Joann Flower (R)
Charlie Gelst (D)
GEIST — He said he did not support qualified admissions because everyone paid taxes, so they should be allowed to attend public universities. He said qualified admissions would prevent good people from attending college.
DOUGLAS COUNTY COMMISSION
BUHLER — He declined to comment, saying that qualified admissions was not an issue addressed by the Douglas County Commission.
Mark Buhler (R)
Lisa Blair (D)
GLAIR — She declined to comment, saying that qualified admissions was not an issue addressed by the Douglas County Commission.
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