DOZENS of students from the University spent Monday in Richmond lobbying for higher faculty salaries and more higher education funding. These Student Advocacy Day participants would no doubt be sad to learn of a measure proposed in this year's House of Delegates session. HB 1011, sponsored by Del. Timothy Hugo (R-Fairfax County), called for at least 75 percent of admitted and enrolled University students to be Virginia residents. While well-intentioned, this proposal was severely flawed, as it hurt the very institutions and individuals it sought to assist. Although it was killed in the Education Committee, the rationale behind this bill is alive and well.
George Faatz, Legislative Aide to Hugo, explained that HB 1011 was inspired by "a growing problem in Northern Virginia. That is, many highly qualified students are unable to be admitted Virginia's top state schools due to quotas around the state, and the high number of out-of-state students that are admitted." The measure sought to rectify this "problem" by requiring five state schools to increase Virginian enrollment to at least 75 percent. For the University, this meant the proportion of in-state students would have to go up by a whopping 11.2 percent. This radical proposal poses many negative consequences.
Most glaringly, the admissions process suffers, as Virginians are given preference over out-of-state and international applicants. Engineering three-fourths of each class hurts the University's selectivity and prestige over the long-term, as out-of-state and international applicants shy away from an institution that discriminates against them. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill demonstrates such negative consequences. North Carolina's legislature imposes an admissions quota. In fall 2006, 82 percent of UNC undergraduates were in-state. This system has created intense competition among out-of-state applicants and creates a two-tiered system on campus, in which many in-state students are grossly underqualified compared to their out-of-state peers.
Hugo's proposal was also flawed because it favored one region of Virginia over the rest. With his entire constituency consisting of four localities in Fairfax, he has a narrow vision and agenda. Northern Virginians have long complained of the intense admissions scrutiny they face. They are unreasonable to expect government intervention, however.
Applicants from Northern Virginia face intense competition with one another because they are, on average, highly qualified. These applicants live in an admissions hotbed created by a confluence of several demographic and geographic advantages. Overall the region is very affluent. Hugo's county, according to 2006 Census Bureau data, has twice the median household income of the United States overall. The region benefits from a concentration of technology, government, and military employers. Applicants largely come from well-educated, affluent and engaged families. They benefit from very good public high schools and from living within minutes of our nation's capital.
In the U.S. News & World Report ranking of America's top high schools, Northern Virginia was well represented by Langley and Oakton High Schools. Additionally, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a magnet school that annually sends a large portion of its graduates to the University, was declared the top public high school in America. With such a concentration of affluent households and talented students, it should come as no surprise that admissions competition in Northern Virginia is intense. Raising in-state enrollment numbers will squeeze out applicants from elsewhere in Virginia and will provide an unwise and unfair crutch to Northern Virginians.
However, the most egregious component of HB 1011 was the additional state funding it required. According to the Department of Planning and Budget, it would have cost Virginia taxpayers almost $37 million more per year. Whereas out-of-state students are completely supported by private funds, Virginians are subsidized by the state government. Increasing the University's overall percentage of in-state students to 75 percent would necessitate the commonwealth sending an additional $21 million to the University each year. This money could be much better spent on higher faculty salaries, as participants in Student Advocacy Day noted. Rather than increasing the percentage of Virginians at the University, the General Assembly should strive to increase the quality of education for all students.
Setting quotas and passing mandates will not serve Virginians in the long-run. Selective, competitive admissions demands from in-state students the same skills and standards that will be demanded of them in job interviews and graduate school applications. While HB 1011 was defeated, the flawed reasoning behind it persists. Hugo has submitted this proposal each legislative session since 2006, and we will see the bill again. In the interest of all Virginians, admissions quotas and subtle geographic favoritism must be considered dead upon arrival.
James Rogers is a Cavalier Dailyassociate editor. He can be reached atjrogers@cavalierdaily.com
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