UW System admission policies are under scrutiny after the Board of Regents postponed a decision to enforce the UW-Madison comprehensive admission process presented by UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley in December 2006.
Current UW-Madison admission policies follow comprehensive guidelines that take many factors into consideration when reviewing applicants. The Board of Regents has currently postponed the decision to enforce comprehensive admission practices in other UW System schools.
According to Wiley, a decision was postponed since the approach initially generated a negative reaction from state officials.
""We make admissions decisions based on the best judgment and experience, looking for those students that we are sure can succeed,"" said Wiley in regards to current policy. ""It guarantees that no matter who you are in the state, you can say, ‘People like me go here and succeed.'""
Though the current decision to be made by the Board of Regents is an issue of admission policies, Wiley's support for affirmative action may already be reflected in the current UW admissions practices. According to Wiley, UW-Madison currently recruits minority students to try and achieve a balanced class that represents the state of Wisconsin.
A newsletter sent out to students applying to UW-Madison for the 2007-'08 school year stated that admission criteria are based on a variety of factors beyond high school grades and test scores. Specifically, it says no single attribute or characteristic guarantees the admission of any applicant and includes factors such as extracurricular activity, leadership and race.
The Associate Students of Madison Diversity Committee Chair Hannah Buck said the committee supports current UW-Madison policy.
""It's taking a holistic approach,"" Buck said.
According to Buck, the ASM Diversity Committee approves of including race in the admissions process as long as it is not a determining factor. The Diversity Committee had a press conference Dec. 19 to discuss the issue of affirmative action at UW-Madison.
The question lingers whether admissions should include other logistics for a complete approach to student lifestyles.
""Students should not only have diverse, ethnic racial backgrounds,"" said Buck. She suggested the university also include socioeconomic diversity when considering applicants.
Former Regent Fred Mohs said he disagreed with the use of race in government institutions by favoring one class over the other.
""My concern is that we're dispersing privileges on the basis of race,"" Mohs said.
Five UW campuses including UW-Eau Claire, UW-Green Bay, UW-Madison, UW-Milwaukee and UW-Stevens Point. will host a statewide educational forum about the policy on Monday, Jan. 29 from 4â_7 p.m. The Board of Regents has postponed a decision to pass current policy onto the UW System until its next meeting in February.
