The University is heading in the right direction. Between academics, athletics and facilities, the administration appears committed to taking the University to the next level.
However, there is one common denominator going into every aspect of improvement to the school: money. Unfortunately for the University, there isn’t a lot of cash just lying around to put back into programs@@upgrade programs?@@.
Many believe this problem has led to an easy solution for the administration. They have decided that by advertising more to out-of-state and international students, the school can bring in more tuition dollars to fund projects and improve student life.
But the growing acceptance of students from other states or countries is not solely based on funding prospective capital.
With the increased numbers of students from other states and countries, the funding for projects is not the only thing to have risen. The average GPA of incoming freshmen has skyrocketed to above 3.5, helping the University close the gap between itself and other prominent public schools with higher academic standings.
A new spread of diversity in the student body has also been a result of increased acceptance of international and out-of-state students. Last year 16 percent of the student population was non-white, a percentage that is likely even higher this year due to the new freshman class.
California, in particular, is sending more and more students across its northern border each year to escape its floundering higher education system.
For California residents, it is extremely difficult to gain acceptance to the elite University of California system, such as UC Berkeley and UCLA. Private schools in the Golden State cost nearly as much as out-of-state tuition in Oregon, and in many cases, even more. Outside the exclusive institutions, University offers Californians equal or greater educational opportunities out of high school than other UC or state school options.
Oregon has even been dubbed “University of California, Eugene” by many, and the trend of migration to the Pacific Northwest does not appear to be losing any momentum.
But with the increasing funds and diversity, what does the University lose? The answer lies in its own backyard.
The school has always been dominated in numbers by students from its home state, and as of last year, those students still hold the majority at 59 percent. But students flocking in from California, Washington and many other states have narrowed that gap considerably. Out-of-state and international students accounted for 41 percent of the student body, and this year, expectations are that the school will creep even closer to a student body comprised of half in-state and half out-of-state students.
As one of Oregon’s largest public universities, many feel that the school should be offering more opportunities to in-state students, even if that means surrendering some of those extra out-of-state dollars.
Due to the heightened academic standards resulting from the expansion into other states and countries, many Oregon natives, who have dreamed of being Ducks since birth, have been forced to go out-of-state or to other public in-state options.
Though the University wants to remain as connected to its local community and supporters as possible, it cannot turn away qualified out-of-state or international students just to save space for Oregonians.
The objective of the University is to prepare graduates for the workforce by providing students with the best possible educational opportunities@@quoted objective or speculated?@@. The world is transforming in the exact same way as this University; it’s getting smarter and more diverse.
If the most qualified prospective students live in California or China, the University must provide those applicants with that opportunity.
The prospect is simple. The most deserving applicants will gain acceptance to the University, regardless of their place of residence. If Oregonians want to halt the flood of out-of-state students flowing into Eugene, they must earn it.
Out-of-state and international students flood the University
Daily Emerald
October 4, 2011
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