For more than twenty years, the way Texas has achieved diversity in college classrooms is through the innovative 'Ten Percent Rule,' but now that rule is in danger of being repealed by the Texas Legislature, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The ten percent rule guarantees that any student who graduates in the top ten percent of his or her graduating class will be automatically admitted to a state college. Since many neighborhoods self-segregate, with high schools which are 90% or more a certain ethnicity, that has insured that a diverse group of students will be admitted to college, in percentages which generally reflect the ethnic makeup of the state
.But a bill by State Sen. Kel Seliger (R-Amarillo) would abolish the Ten Percent Rule.
"The intent of the legislature was to diversify the student body of Texas higher education institutions," Seliger said. "But we have to ask ourselves, has it worked, and if it has not worked, then why?"
Several issues have come up over the years with the Top Ten Rule. It has now essentialy become the Top Seven rule when it comes to elite institutions like U.T. Austin, due to the demand of top ten students to attend them.
There were also concerns that the Top Ten Percent rule unfairly penalized graduates from the state's best schools, and rewards a student for going to a bad school.
Admissions officials were also concerned that the requirement that they admit specific students on the basis of one achievement prohibits them from admitting unique students. For example, an immigrant who has to spend extra time learning English and working to support parents and family may not be able to achieve Top Ten status, but would still be an exceptional student and add to the diversity of the University.
That was the opinion expressed by Greg Fenves, the President of U.T. Austin.
"This loan factor riches the richness, and educational, and life experiences which are not connected to one's class rank," he said.