Email This StoryBaylor 2012 should not come at cost of integrity
Oct. 21, 2008A number of articles have come out in the past weeks discussing the decision to give freshmen scholarships if they retook the SAT. These have proven to be unsettling, especially as many of them were in national newspapers.
Ultimately, the decision about SAT scores is really just a symptom of a larger problem. As Baylor progresses towards its 2012 goal, it's seems more and more intent on fulfilling as many of the imperatives as possible. There is a serious problem with this mentality, though. We seem so anxious to reach these goals that we aren't considering whether we're actually improving as a university. In this case, we're trying to improve the appearance of our student's scores without actually attracting higher-scoring students.
Consider some of the other 2012 initiatives that we're trying to accomplish: Baylor is trying to get 50 percent of the student body to live on campus, but we don't have enough parking spots for students who are already here. We're at 103 percent capacity of our current residence halls, in an effort to keep enough students on campus to reach this goal.
Perhaps it would be wise to make sure we can accommodate all of the students already living on campus first.
One of the most important imperatives of 2012 was Baylor's stated target of a $2 billion endowment. It was going to be used to finance all of the other imperatives. Instead, we've raised tuition substantially every year to compensate for money that hasn't been donated, and it looks like it will keep going up.
The Board of Regents commissioned a report about how much money the Baylor endowment hasn't received due to infighting, and the numbers are staggering. The Waco Tribune Herald reported that $400 million in donations have been withheld due to infighting within the Baylor family. However, we continue to march forward toward 2012 while charging students more for it.
And of course, this SAT exposé has simply pointed out another case in which we're trying too hard for our own good. Paying students to retake the test simply to make them appear better isn't just a poor financial decision; it's questionable on an ethical level as well.
How can it be that we can afford to spend hundred of thousands of dollars on something this frivolous and at the same time raise tuition 7 percent? This decision sends out a dangerous message -- that Baylor's appearance is more important than Baylor's students.
Let me be clear: I am not against Vision 2012. It has pushed Baylor to be better than before, and that is always commendable.
However, as we approach this important year, we need to step back and consider what we, as a university, are really trying to accomplish. We all love Baylor and want it to be great, but if we grow too fast and beyond our means, we only end up hurting ourselves.
If we continue to raise tuition to support all of these endeavors, we will end up pricing a Baylor education out of the range of the current and potential students and children of alumni who have helped make Baylor the great place that it is today. Vision 2012 should not come at the cost of Baylor's identity and integrity.
Parker Short is a senior international business and entrepreneurship major from Dallas and is the student body internal vice president.
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