AA HUMBUG!
TX State Senator Rodney Ellis has a piece in the Houston Chronicle extolling the virtues of affirmative action and pushing TX colleges to “throw open the doors” to minorities. I just can’t follow the senator’s “logic”, however.
In 1997, the Legislature developed what has become known as the Top 10 Percent rule. This allowed any student who graduated in the top 10 percent of his or her class automatic admission to the state university of his or her choice.
The results have been mixed. Minority enrollment is up. The University of Texas minority enrollment is back to its pre-Hopwood level. Unfortunately, there have been unintended consequences as well.
A growing number of those admitted to UT are admitted under the Top 10 Percent rule. This has led to a decrease in other kinds of diversity at the university. Reliable predictions show that in just a few years more than 80 percent of those admitted will be under the Top 10 percent rule. This is no replacement for affirmative action.
Minority enrollments are up and this is a bad thing? Why is it such a problem if the majority of TX students admitted to the flagship university of the state of TX are admitted under a program designed by the TX state legislators? This is a state school. Shouldn’t their highest priority be in-state students?