An assault on fairness

Public colleges unquestionably serve as symbols of opportunity for many young people. As a student of the University, I have come to greatly appreciate the role that affordable, high-quality education can play in people's lives. I am proud that my school strives to break down barriers to entry and offer this brand of hope to ambitious individuals the world over. By the same token, I am also thankful that the University has made fairness a fundamental priority throughout its existence. That commitment begins with the admissions process.

A recent article in The Cavalier Daily highlights the Guaranteed Admission Agreement, a budding program across Virginia public colleges that aims to give Virginia Community College System students a clear path to graduation at a four-year state institution. Sounds nice, and to some extent it is. In its current form, however, it is also grossly unfair and could represent a dangerous movement away from an evenhanded admissions process. Why? It's not because VCCS students don't deserve every opportunity possible to further their education and pursue a bachelor's degree. It's because at colleges as competitive as this University, or William and Mary, or Virginia Tech (schools that turn away literally thousands of qualified applicants annually), no one should be guaranteed acceptance solely based on a prior institutional affiliation. No one.

The program is not akin to affirmative action or similar proposals. Affirmative action is better structured in the sense that it 1) does not guarantee admission for any individual, and 2) enhances the greater student population's experience through increased diversity. The GAA, on the other hand, does not assure more socioeconomic diversity; in fact, it doesn't even prioritize it. Interested VCCS students simply must meet the minimum criteria of a 3.4 grade point average as well as certain class and enrollment requirements (depending on which major a student is interested in pursuing).

I don't mean to belittle the achievements of community college students who earn a 3.4 in their coursework. That is certainly an accomplishment in and of itself, and I solemnly believe those students would receive admissions offers from many fine schools upon requesting to transfer. That decision should be rendered on the content of their application, just as it is for any other student seeking to transfer in the Commonwealth.

Case in point: is it even remotely justifiable to say that a VCCS student with a 3.4 and no extracurricular involvement should be guaranteed acceptance over an involved student at JMU (or VCU, or William and Mary, or Va. Tech) with a 3.8 or above? (I've seen this happen personally, so please don't write it off as an improbable hypothetical). The answer is no. One can argue that the JMU student has the opportunity to complete his/her education without transferring, while community college kids need a four-year institution to conclude their studies. That answer is unsatisfying though. It should be well within any student's right to seek a transfer, and certainly someone should not be penalized for prior acceptance to and matriculation at a four-year college or university.

Of course, all reasonable people want VCCS students to have the opportunity to further their studies; the only conflict is over how such a program is designed. Ultimately, admission to an institution such as the University is a highly competitive process, and many bright, dedicated students will unfortunately fall short. Therefore, it is irresponsible to draw up arbitrary distinctions among applicants based on institutional affiliations that make no attempt to account for a student's economic situation, intellectual capabilities, work ethic, co-curricular involvement, or even ethnic persuasion or extenuating circumstances. It hurts many students themselves, not to mention the University's commitment to equality on the whole.

This policy simply undermines the ideal that hard work and ambition are the only prerequisites to gain an evenhanded chance of admission to any public school in Virginia. And that, by all means, is a real shame.