Baylor admits 'goof,' will not offer SAT incentives again
Oct. 17, 2008
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Staff Writer
After being denounced by college admissions circles nationwide for financially enticing enrolled freshmen to retake the SAT, Baylor officials said Thursday they made a mistake.
"Did we goof? Yeah we goofed," said Lori Fogleman, director of media relations. "In hindsight we really regret having provided the cash incentive for retaking the SAT this summer."
Incoming freshmen who accepted the offer received $300 in bookstore credit, along with a $1,000 scholarship if they earned 50 or more points higher than their original score.
Fogleman added she was unaware if Baylor originally had plans to make the program a recurring practice, but said with certainty the university has decided not to do it again.
"We have heard and understand the criticism of the action we took, and we won't again provide cash incentives to retest," Fogleman said.
According to reports, the cost of the program amounted to $862,000 for this year and was funded by the financial aid office.
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Baylor officials have contended the aim was to distribute available merit scholarship aid. When asked why there was excess money available and if this was the first year Baylor had leftover funds, Fogleman repeated, "there was merit scholarship aid available."
Admitted students can still retake the SAT on national testing days beyond the February 15 admissions deadline next year for a chance to enhance their academic portfolio.
However, Fogleman said Baylor has not decided whether it will offer the residual SAT again.
Of the 861 students who accepted the offer, 469 retested at a national testing site, while 392 took the residual SAT at Baylor. The two tests are both scored by the College Board, which oversees SAT testing, but the residual score is only accepted at Baylor and is nontransferable to other schools.
Fogleman said that from Baylor's understanding it's permissible to include the residual scores when submitting university profile reports to college ranking organizations.
Robert Morse, director of data research for the U.S. News & World Report, said he was unsure at this point if the residual scores can be factored into its overall college rankings.
"Since this has never come up before and not part of the definition of what can and cannot be counted, it would need more research," Morse said.
Morse said it depends on whether or not the College Board deems the scores equal to the national testing day scores. If they say no, Morse said, then the scores might not be considered.
"If they say yes, then the question is: does Baylor have two scores on file for each student--one original score and one new score that can't be transferred?" Morse said, adding that this could complicate the decision.
Garland senior Bryan Fonville, student body president, said Student Government was "terribly disappointed" in learning of the university's decision. After first hearing about the issue in late September when a member of Student Government brought up a complaint, Fonville said they held informal meetings with Dr. Georgia Green, chair of Faculty Senate, and Dr. Dub Oliver, vice president for student life, to learn more about the practice.
"Since then, the issue has received national attention, and the degree to which Baylor's reputation has been damaged is still undetermined," Fonville said.
Fonville said he hopes the administration will include more input from students, faculty members and other constituencies at Baylor in future decision-making processes.
"In light of the controversy, we've invited Dr. Reagan Ramsower to address student questions at the next Student Senate meeting," Fonville said. "While he has yet to confirm, we certainly hope he will join us, as this issue is of serious concern to myself and to many students."
As a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling, Baylor's actions have provoked speculation over possible violation of the group's code of ethics. The Statement of Principles of Good Practice, NACAC's code, bans awarding merit-based aid solely based on test scores.
Scott Anderson, chair of the NACAC admissions practices committee, said it's too early to decide if Baylor acted out of compliance with the code. The answer, he said, could only be determined by an investigation by the Texas affiliation of NACAC.
"The goal of an investigation would be just to stop the practice. If it stops, we would then find the member agreeing to be in compliance," Anderson said. "We know that Baylor's not going to go down this road again. That is good to know."
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Baylor's financial incentives have sparked a wave of criticism, re-energizing a debate over the weight placed on SAT scores.
A New York Times editorial published online Thursday sided with Baylor's Faculty Senate, saying faculty members were "rightly appalled" in condemning "the practice as 'academically dishonest.'"
Others, such as Sugar Land freshman Jasmine Nkrumah, disagree.
"I don't think it put Baylor in a morally bad place because they're giving back to the students," Nkrumah said. "I disagree with the decision not to do it next year. Two of my cousins are applying to Baylor and tuition is already going up. I think they should keep doing it. It helped me and it helped a few of my friends."
Plano freshmen Charlie Gasmire didn't take the test but believes the issue has been blown out of proportion.
"Baylor wants to make itself look better all the time. Who doesn't? I guess they figured if they could give us an incentive and bring the stats up for Baylor at the same time, they should go for it. With higher grades, it might make the school better. It wasn't like blackmail or anything."
Staff Writer Sommer Ingram contributed to this story.
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