By
Nick Zeckets
Recently, the Governor's Task Force on Higher Education introduced a proposal to increase admissions standards to the University of Arizona. Opponents are upset with the change, but the move is intended to redirect some students to the community college system in order to foster more degree graduates. Attending college is not a fickle desire. Those who apply should mean it and strive to gain a degree. To those complaining of first year difficulties, it's actually for your own good. The admissions standards' increase is good for the UA and its future students, but Arizona high schools must be given the necessary funding.
Given that Governor Jane Hull signs the recommendation, the Arizona Board of Regents will require more of university applicants. Exactly what changes will be made are unknown, but they will certainly boost the Arizona higher-education system. The theory for sending more first time applicants to the community college system before regular four-year institutions is that those unready will not face too many pressures their first year into school and drop out.
As of right now, the actual changes to the requirements are hazy. Assistant Executive Director for Public Affairs for the Arizona Board of Regents, Matthew Ortega, said that "Anything could be on the table." As per when the final recommendations will be published, Ortega said that "It'll be released in mid-December and at that point the Governor and her staff will be reviewing it and deciding what they want to make as an initiative for next year. Right now it's a series of recommendations. It's a long way from coming."
There is a great deal of time before the changes get here, but administrators at every educational level in Arizona need to know now what may happen in order to prepare. For high schools, Arizona ranks last nationally for public high school funding in the country. Without much funding, high school educators are strapped as it is to teach the basics. With an increase in requirements, high schools may come under undue stress and be unable to properly prepare students.
Suzanne Ashby, principal at Rincon High School, indicated that, "With the limited resources that the state legislature has allocated to us, we're probably maxed out to prepare kids for college before they put [the new requirements] in." She further said that, "When universities went to four years of math, three years of a lab science, and two years of modern language requirements without any additional resources, we had to increase offering without any additional resources."
High schools in Arizona are being expected to ready their students for college and new requirements, but the state is unwilling to afford high schools with enough funding to meet the new needs. "I believe the high schools are stressed to the max as it is now," said Ashby.
New standards for college entrance are debatable, but currently ideas about increased SAT scores and GPAs are being passed around. Unfortunately, as Ashby continued, GPAs aren't true indicators. "I don't think GPAs and SAT scores really test college aptitude. Maybe GPAs aren't the only things they should be ranked on. I see normal students who get to college and grow up and end up at the head of their class," remarked Ashby.
However, requiring more of students may not be a bad thing. The idea is not designed to keep high school graduates out of college, but rather to give them a greater chance of graduating from a four-year institution. Ortega worried that some opponents might argue "it is an issue of university choice." Despite the seemingly heightened limits on where a student may be able to attend, the future is being harvested.
Everyone looking to go on to college after high school would probably rather attend a school like the UA. There certainly exists a stigma to attending community colleges. Although, given that same rationale of complaint, there is an even greater stigma to being a college drop out.
Community colleges will help to ease lower performing students based on the new student standards into the college environment. With a smooth transfer network for those students moving on from community colleges to places like UA, more students may make the long haul through college. As long as the rest of Arizona's educational system is properly funded, higher education in Arizona could prosper with new requirements. As the nation's students grow smarter, so does the nation.
