AGENDA ITEM VII

Academic Affairs Committee Report - Kathryn Wilson, Chair New All-University Admissions Policy

VICE PRESIDENT BEPKO: The next agenda item is a report from the Academic Affairs Committee to be given by its Chair Kathryn Wilson.

PROF. WILSON: In August, 1984, President Ryan appointed a special task force to review systemwide admissions standards, policies, and procedures for Indiana University. This task force was chaired by the University Registrar and Director Sara McNabb, who is here today. This task force prepared a recommendation to the faculty for an undergraduate admissions policy. This policy was reproduced for you in your set of minutes of today's meeting.

The undergraduate admissions policy has not been reviewed since 1960. The existing policy, approved by the IU board of trustees on June 4, 1960, was also duplicated for you as a handout today.

The new admissions policy, proposed by the task force, incorporates the following major changes from the existing policy:

1. The minimum number of semesters of college preparatory courses for high school students is increased from 26 to 28.

2. The course requirements, other than English, such as mathematics, social sciences, etc., are specified. The distribution of courses in each area is stated clearly.

3. The general admissions policy for transfer students is included in the new policy.

The Task Force also discussed three other issues, as I understand them, but did not recommend changes in current policy. The issue of the use of standardized test scores for admission was opposed by most task force members, but use of scores was retained because scores may be useful for advanced placement and because they are used by the public as a rough estimate of the quality of our admitted students. Second, the need for better writing skills in students was recognized by Committee members, but a composition course in high school was left as an encouraged, but not required, course. Finally, the issue of a foreign language requirement was discussed, but it was felt that it should not be required at this

tim~.

The Academic Affairs Committee of this Faculty Council was asked to look at the Task Force recommendation and to present our opinion of the proposal to this body. A copy of the Committee's recommendation has been duplicated for you today. First, the Academic Affairs Committee has not made any changes in the stated admissionrequirements drafted by the TaskFor:ce: However, the-- Committee has made several substantial changes in the organization and wording

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of the draft which we believe improved the document. We have prepared detailed comments explaining our own recommendations and have forwarded these to the Chairman of the Educational Policies Committee of the University Faculty Council, which is now also examining the Task Force recommendations.

I would like to highlight the changes the Academic Affairs Committee has suggested for your comment, discussion, and/or approval.

1. The Committee felt that the document actually concerns three groups of admissions criteria; (a) admission to freshman status; (b) admission of transfer students; and (c) admission to programs stating additional requirements. Thus, it redrafted the document to create a separate section for each group. All provisions of the original draft that relate to these three groups have been placed under the appropriate headings. You will note there are

"flexibility prOVisions" in the task force draft in paragraph 4 that accommodate students who do not meet stated requirements for admissions but who may be admitted with special consideration. The Committee has assumed these provisions apply only to the group of applicants for Freshman status.

2. Paragraph 1 of the task force document states that a mlnlmum of 28 semesters of college preparatory work must be completed. However, parts 'a-g' list only 26 semesters of courses. Thus, the Committee changed the reference in part Ie' to ten semesters.

3. The Committee has al tered the task force document I anguage of paragraph lb, under "Freshman Students", to make it clear that four semesters of social science should be selected from the five subject areas listed in parentheses. This requirement is retained in Part A, section lb, of the Committee's recommendation. Other social sciences taken in high school can be used to satisfy the ten additional semester requirement in section Ie.

The same points apply to the Committee's rewording of section lc, which refers to geometry and algebra, and to ld, which refers to

laboratory sciences.

4. The Committee was somewhat concerned about the order of the subjects listed in section Ie. It changed the order only slightly. To some extent, readers of the document might feel that items mentioned earlier in this section are more important than items which appear later in the list. The Committee leaves open the question, for instance, of whether foreign language or writing skills should be first.

5. The task force draft requires graduation from high school without specifying whether the school need be accredited. The 1960 policy requires graduation from a "commissioned" high school. The Committee was uncertain whether there still exists a procedure for

"commissioning" high schools, but believes that the ordinary criteria for admission of freshmen should require that they have attended a school that has received accreditation from an appropriate accrediting body. In the event that a particular

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applicant has gone to an unaccredited school, has studied at home, or has completed his or her education in another manner, that applicant can be considered under the previously mentioned

"flexibility provisions" that follow the normal admission criteria.

6. Several paragraphs in the beginning of the task force document were placed at the end of the document by the Committee. The affirmative action language was placed at the end because, while the Committee understands and is committed to the importance of this language, and believes the University's commitment to affirmative action should be clearly stated, it believes that placing it at the beginning of the document might create the impression the mission of Indiana University is to comply with regulations rather than to provide education. The reference to the effective date of the policy, which is rather technical, also was moved to the end.

Now, that completes my report and I will be happy to answer any questions I can and would, at this time ask for your comments, discussion, and/or approval of our recommendations, all of which will be forwarded to the University Faculty Council for final approval.

PROF. HODES: I was able to follow most of what you were saying. Will we get a copy of your proposed rewrites?

PROF. WILSON: There was a copy which you were to pick up as you came in.

PROF. BLAKE: I have a question from one of the deans in the School of Nursing regarding associate degree programs. Number one, she said that she is not sure that every high school in the state of Indiana, she stands to be corrected, has advanced algebra classes. Would that handicap students?

PROF. WILSON: In that case, they wouldn't have taken the minimum requirements and would have to fall into the special consideration.

PROF. BLAKE: Everything that she raised to me really could be mitigated by the top of the second page where it says . . . "applicants who are deficient" .••

that really takes care of any concern we would have.

PROF. WILSON: That is a catch-all phrase in order to take care of students who come from such places.

PROF. BLAKE: What if the median S.A.T. scores were below what we require?

PROF. WILSON: The criteria set out here are minimal requirements. Any program or school can put into effect more stringent requirements on applicants into their programs.

PROF. KUCZKOWSKI: Kathryn, I am wondering what advanced algebra means? Is that the technical term for courses in the high schools?

SARA MCNABB: Typically, the confusion comes in the area of regular algebra, as opposed to the advanced algebra courses. Some math courses taught in high school include a component with algebra. Some students feel that because they were at least exposed to the concept, therefore they have completed a first

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year of algebra. The task force spent a great deal of time trying to figure out how to get this impression across to the students. We felt that the best way to do it was to specify advanced algebra because that is the least con- fusing of regular algebra, introductory algebra, first algebra or whatever you want to call it. We felt that by specifying two semesters of advanced algebra

then that would force the student into the correct first year of algebra.

PROF. WILSON: This only refers to people in high school.

school courses we are talking about.

These are high

PROF. KARLSON: Just to give an example, North Central High School has Algebra I and II, Algebra III and IV, and Algebra V and VI. Which one is the advanced algebra? They are all algebra courses. Each one is a semester.

Algebra I, one semester; Algebra II, second semester; Algebra III, third semester, Algebra IV •.. and usually you will take Algebra III and IV after you have completed geometry.

SARA MCNABB: I would have to say that I am not familiar with the high school courses at North Central, but based on what you have said, I would say that III and IV would be the advanced algebra.

PROF. KARLSON:: Let me confuse the issue. How would you deal with a student that is permitted to start out in the freshman year in geometry because they earned credit for algebra completed earlier? Two algebra courses then go into an advanced algebra course before in the second year opposed to their third which would be the normal sequence.

SARA MCNABB: I would think

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would be a safe assumption that

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that happened, the student might likely take algebra V and VI.

PROF. KARLSON: What happens if they don't?

SARA MCNABB: If they don't, then that student would fall under the exception, .

the catch-all phrase, as Kathryn referred to it. If the student is advanced, then obviously there would not be any problem. If there is a special circumstance like that, it will be explained either on the student's high school transcript or through communication between the University and the high school counselor.

PROF. HODES: I am troubled by the failure to include a course involving writing skills or composition as a mandatory requirement. Looking at them from the vantage point of the professional schools, we have a hard enough time with the products either of IU or any other college because people are able to take fairly difficult majors and get through without having to write a term paper or other writing. It seems to me that if we are going to take a stand early that we should prepare college students to do significant written work by making sure that they are already in the habit long before that. To overstate the case a bit, I would gladly trade all these for a three or four hour requirement in writing because all the rest will follow.

PROF. WILSON: When the committee looked at this they made a presumption that when the task force worked on this, they looked at what types of courses are normally taught in high schools. It was our guess, obviously correct, that

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writing courses are not taught in high schools. So, if they are not taught, we won't be able to admit anyone except under our catch-all phrase.

PROF. HODES: I would still make the same point and say, if we are the ones who are going to be the leaders, we have to make that kind of statement to the high schools and then have the high schools measure up so that their products will be worthy of

entering Ill.

PROF. WILSON: One of the things that is in this document is that writing skills are strongly recommended, number one. And, number two, any program in the university can require such a course for entrance into their program because you can make more stringent requirements if you wish.

PROF. BESCH: To what is a student admitted who meets the basic criteria but doesn't meet the criteria of any other program, such as was mentioned earlier about nursing?

PROF. WILSON: They are admitted to University Division.

PROF. BESCH: The second part of the question is, is this expected to affect the enrollment?

PROF. WILSON: I think these requirements are so minimal that probably most of the applicants today would meet them. Am I right?

SARA MCNABB: No. The increase in the two semesters is significant and the specification of the courses is very significant in terms of high schools.

DEAN PLATER: With having lobbied the task force for something like an hour, I won't take it up again, but on the writing skills course that is now listed under A Ie, I do think there would be some value in putting that notice about courses Section IA where it would have the most impact - reinforce the notion of what we are after. English courses do emphasize writing skills even if they are not specific composition courses, but I think there are some which are related exclusively to writing.

VICE PRESIDENT BEPKO: Is this a matter of sufficient complexity so that the approval should come at the next meeting?

PROF. WILSON: The problem is that it has to go to the University Faculty Council for approval, I believe, and there is not another meeting of this body between when they would consider it and this meeting.

VICE PRESIDENT BEPKO: The next University Faculty Council meeting is late April. There will be another IUPUI Faculty Council meeting before the next University Faculty Council meeting.

PROF. WILSON: I would like a sense of about the writing skills requirement.

it in a stronger place or require it.

what you would like our committee to do We can re-word our document to include

PROF. HODES: Is this procedurally correct? Since we do have the time,

may I suggest that the committee bring to this body next time with one or two