Axing University College would be a major error

Editor,

The elimination of University College, the consideration of which was reported in the Daily Lobo on Thursday, would be a major error. While students who have selected a major may well have higher graduation rates than those who have not, the notion that they succeed because they have selected a major early is decidedly moot. So too is the premise that higher graduation rates have any intrinsic value. Funding guidelines can, and perhaps should, be changed.

The frequently ignored truth of viewing such statistics is the fact that correlation does not necessarily imply causation. I suspect that students who select a major early succeed more frequently because they are better prepared and more highly motivated than those who enter UNM undecided.

The simple truth is that UNM will always have a percentage of students who are here more to enjoy a parentally subsidized extension of their childhood than to aggressively pursue a specific degree. Such motives alone should not keep students from initially exploring a college education, even if they only stay for a year. They may well return later in life to complete a degree.

In any case, all of this assumes that graduating with a degree is our highest benchmark, an assumption I find absurd. While I remain skeptical of any truly meaningful need to increase graduation rates, I suggest that the first step would be to increase admission requirements. Let those who foolishly choose to pursue a major in victim studies squawk about racism - their protestations are so absurd as to be reasonably ignored. Dumbing down college-level academics serves only to dilute the value and meaning of any degree offered.

While I believe that University College has an important place at UNM, remedial courses do not. Students incapable of functioning at the 12th grade should be sent back to high school. This problem is made worse by parents, such as Bernalillo County Commissioner Teresa Cordova, who abuse and manipulate the system to help their children graduate in spite of failing grades.

This unacceptable nonsense must stop. Traditionally, students failing a grade level were required to repeat that grade. It is a tradition to which we need to return. In most cases, children held back a year will later excel. Those students who can't or won't meet academic standards should be welcome to leave without a high school diploma - training in the trades is available, and we need manual laborers as well as skilled ones. Attaining equality of educational opportunity should not be perverted to imply equality of outcome. Some students should be left behind.

University College fills a number of important roles and should be supported. And instead of focusing so much on our graduation statistics, perhaps we would be well advised to focus on the quality of our education. As the proverb says, "Get ye wisdom, for that is the thing. But in all your getting, get ye understanding."

John Bauer

UNM student