BFC passes standards increase

The Bloomington Faculty Council voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a policy that would increase admission standards at IU-Bloomington. \nThe policy, which would be implemented in the fall of 2011, \nfocuses on increasing academic preparation and requires incoming freshmen to have additional high school credits in mathematics, social science and natural science. A credit is equivalent to a one semester course, according to the policy. \nThe policy also states that preference will be given to students with a B average or better and students who rank in the top 40 percent of their class in Indiana or the top 30 percent of their class if from out of state.\nThough the board of trustees has not yet approved the policy, trustee Vice President Pat Shoulders said he believes they will address the issue in their next meetings on March 2 and 3. \n"I know the trustees will take a very interested look at these standards," he said. "We want to work with the faculty towards that goal." \nBFC President Ted Miller said he thought the change in admissions would have positive results for the Bloomington campus.\n"I'm pretty pleased with the result myself, and I think most people are," he said. "While there are some concerns about access and diversity, those are things we're just going to have to work hard to make certain that it doesn't become a problem." \nCharlie Nelms, vice president for institutional development and student affairs, said he thinks the discussions surrounding admissions standards "represent a step in the right direction" and his initial misgivings regarding diversity have been resolved. \n"They've been resolved because the chair of the committee and the faculty council took into consideration a number of factors," Nelms said. "You want a policy that balances a number of different perspectives and needs, and I think this policy does this." \nUniversity Chancellor Ken Gros Louis stressed the importance of keeping admissions flexible and increasing diversity at IU-Bloomington. \n"National studies have shown that SAT scores in particular are not the kind of measure that adequately indicate the measures of success for a student of color," he said. "So I guess the bottom line is, yes, it's good to increase admissions, but no one should feel the guidelines will be rigidly followed because we still have a need to increase diversity on the campus."\nMiller said the policy will have an effect on the average SAT scores of subsequent incoming freshman classes, but that other qualifications will be more important. \n"The language that's used suggests that the faculty does want to see a group of freshman students with higher SAT scores, but that really is not the centerpiece of the policy," he said. "The centerpiece is clearly focused on the high school preparation of students." \nThe policy states that "preference will be given to Indiana residents who score above the state average and to non-residents who score above the national average," but it does not apply rigid standards to the test scores.\nIU Student Association President Alex Shortle said he was supportive of increasing standards.\n"I don't think it'll hurt our profile in terms of diversity, but I think we have to remain aware of that issue," he said. "It's just the makeup of Indiana." \nMiller said the first step to increasing admission standards at IU-Bloomington came from President Adam Herbert, who was involved in a project that recommended setting different admissions policies for each of IU's campuses. \n"He played a very important role in this particular outcome. He should get some credit for that," he said. \nMiller said that though the discussion surrounding whether to increase standards was lengthy and intense -- the issue was debated for more than an hour and a half Tuesday, he said -- and the policy reflects an agreeable resolution. \n"I think at the end of the day, we have come to a place where people on both sides, on all sides of that question, are feeling okay about it," he said. "I think that's where we are"