EARLIER this year, the University decided to amend the privileges given to Echols scholars, beginning with the Class of 2011. The University decided to deprive the next crop of Echols scholars of priority registration. Instead of being able to sign up for classes ahead of the entire (College) student body, the new policy allows Echols scholars to sign up only before the members of their respective classes. While undoubtedly more equitable to the student body at large (and no doubt greeted with rejoicing by upperclassmen sick of watching first-year Echols scholars register before them), Diminishing the advantage of priority registration will hurt the draw of the Echols scholars program and deter Echols scholar candidates from attending. The potential loss of these students could threaten the prestige of the University, adversely impacting all those who attend it.
According to Richard Handler, Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Echols Scholars Program, the University changed the benefits for Echols scholars because of problems the program caused for non-Echols scholars. He mentioned that in departments such as Politics and Economics, Echols scholars sometimes prevent upperclassmen who need to take seminars for their major from getting into them. In Handler's words, "It seems crazy to allow first-year Echols to have priority over a fourth-year student in that student's major, especially if the Echols priority creates graduation problems for other students." He also stated that changing the nature of priority registration "gives Echols student priority, but not at the expense of upper-level students."
While this argument is reasonable on a class-by-class basis, it also undermines the purpose of the program. The College already allows students within a class to register based on their credits; given one of the criteria for selecting Echols scholars is "pronounced intellectual maturity," most Echols scholars probably accrued enough credits to register ahead of their peers. So, in many cases, by offering an Echols scholar registration ahead of their peers only, the University offers them only that which the student already has.
Another argument against the changes to the Echols scholar program stems from its stated goals. According to the program's Web site, it seeks to "make the full resources of the University of Virginia open to [Echols scholars] as soon as they are ready to avail themselves of them." Given the changes enacted for the next class of Echols scholars, perhaps this sentence ought to read "to make some of the resources of the University of Virginia open to them as soon as they are ready to avail themselves of them and the rest as soon as the opportunity presents itself."
The most important argument against the changes to the program, however, comes from its impact on the University as a whole. No doubt most students favor greater parity, but the changes could potentially damage the overall caliber and reputation of the University. In a survey of Echols scholars released in 2004, 51.3 percent of those surveyed said that it had a "great deal" of impact on their interest in the University. 53.5 percent listed it as a very important factor in their decision to attend. Nearly 40 percent would have gone elsewhere without the offer of admission to the Echols program. Priority registration was the most important factor in many of the students' desire to attend; over 80 percent listed it as such.
Considering the apparent importance of priority registration in attracting top-notch students, the University ought to be hesitant to change a program that by and large seems to work well.
While the concerns of specific departments highlight one area where the Echols scholar program does not work as well as it could, these ought to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis rather than making a sweeping change to a program that has helped the University climb to the renown it now enjoys. In departments such as Politics or Economics, major seminars could cap the number of Echols scholars they allow, or, better yet, could hold more slots specifically for fourth year majors.
Or, professors could allow more students who need the class to course action into it. Classes can be limited to instructor permission or an online waitlist to allow those who need it most in, and Echols scholars cannot maneuver around these. While they ought not be used excessively, in areas where problems have arisen, they could be used judiciously, rather than forcing the College to cramp a successful program unnecessarily.
Robby Colby's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at rcolby@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
JEFFERSON COUNCIL: The hypocritical politicization of U.Va.’s presidential search
By Jefferson Council | YesterdayThe current presidential search committee includes 28 members — Board members, students, administrators, alumni and faculty — with at least as many faculty as the previous two. Given its composition, concerns about representation are unfounded.
RASHID: U.Va.’s new privacy policy should be welcomed — and expanded
By Muhammad Ali Rashid | YesterdayPrivacy is not merely a technical shield against data leaks or hacks — it is a baseline human right that shapes how students learn, organize and speak.
KING: The College Republicans’ letter to the Board dishonors the University
By Michael King | 2 days agoWith their calls for administrative consequences, the CRs thumb their noses at the Jeffersonian principles of free speech that this University was founded to defend.
