Dear Editor,
I took issue with your most recent cover story, “New Bill Requires Guaranteed Admission for Top Students,” since I see it as an oversimplification of a complex issue.
Although Gov. Evers is currently putting a positive spin on the plan, it was originally part of several demands made by Republican lawmakers aimed at sabotaging UW diversity efforts. UW-Oshkosh professor Vincent Filak said about the deal, “We just sold out a lot of the BIPOC community in the UW system for a couple building projects and some low-end raises. I’d give up my raise if it would have stopped this.” The story of how this deal came to be is complex, and I encourage those interested to do their own research.
Since the plan to automatically admit all top students was part of this larger deal, I believe it has the same aim. Many schools can only admit so many students, and if they must admit all students near the top of their class, other students are pushed out. Marginalized students struggle to be as successful in school due to a lack of opportunity, rather than a lack of intelligence. These students will now find it harder to be admitted, as opposed to students at the top of their class, who are typically privileged and not particularly diverse.
Students are also further encouraged to game the system by taking easy classes in high school. These students will then be automatically admitted, without having to put effort into their admission applications.
Not only does this not seem fair, but it also means such students are likely to feel entitled. Are privileged, entitled students who gamed the system to score an unfair advantage really the students we want to admit into higher education, especially at the expense of diversity?