Aaron Klemz wrote: 1) At the very least, the effect of eliminating GC admissions needs to be monitored for its impact on the makeup of the student body in several dimensions (age, income, ethnicity, geographic origin, etc.) Part of any proposal to eliminate the GC needs to include careful and transparent monitoring of the effects on the makeup of the student body. This will allow the public to hold the U accountable for the impact of the decision. 2) If other schools (such as community colleges) are to be the bridge for access to the U of M for underprepared learners, then there should be concrete agreements established with these schools to facilitate transfer. For example, major programs at the U can negotiate articulation agreements with two year schools to ensure smooth transfer of courses. The U could establish a transfer track for students who are initially declined admission and who agree to earn a specified number of credits at approved institutions and a specified GPA. If the U is sincere about seeing 2 year schools as the bridge into admission, then they should embrace making the process concrete, transparent and cooperative.
Mark Anderson replies: Now these are excellent suggestions, especially #2. It is much more constructive than the sit-ins and whine-ins that I've mostly seen and heard. I've been watching the GC discussion with dismay. The GC supporters seem to have the usual entitlement attitude of Minneapolitans that no program can ever be cut if anyone can be discovered who might be hurt as a result. They don't seem to realize that setting budgets means setting priorities, so they need to show which other spending by the U should be cut to keep GC open. Then they need to show why keeping GC open is more valuable to the community than the other area(s) to be cut. The University has made the eminently reasonable counter claim that Minnesota has an excellent state college system that is open to everyone, so why should the duplicative GC stay open? The only reasonable objection I've heard to this rebuttal is that the U makes it hard to transfer from the community colleges. That IS something that the U should fix. It's gotta cost a lot less to set up a standard transfer program with the state colleges than to keep a whole college open. Mark V Anderson Bancroft REMINDERS: 1. Be civil! Please read the NEW RULES at http://www.e-democracy.org/rules. If you think a member is in violation, contact the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
