An official from Middlebury College announced earlier this month that the school plans to give gay applicants a leg up in the admissions process for the first time this year, assigning them a designation similar to that afforded to "members of ethnic minority groups, athletes, alumni children and others," according to an Oct. 9 Inside Higher Ed article.
The policy is believed to be the first of its kind, according to the article.
Shawn Rae Passalacqua, an assistant director of admissions, told Inside Higher Ed that Middlebury attempts to avoid selecting an incoming class that is "too homogenous," noting that gay students bring "a unique quality" to the student body. Five of the 6,200 applicants to the college last year "noted their gay identities in their application essays," while "50-plus applicants cited their membership in gay-straight alliances," according to the article.
Middlebury's announcement has triggered responses from those who hope other colleges and universities will institute similar policies as well as others who believe such a policy may be difficult to implement.
Greg McCandless, associate director of admission at Harvey Mudd College, located in Claremont, Calif., told Inside Higher Ed he believes "there's a case to be made" for giving gay students an advantage during the admissions process. An official from Claremont McKenna College, also located in Claremont, said he would like to see that school adopt a policy similar to Middlebury's.
However, a high school counselor interviewed by Inside Higher Ed noted that gay students can often apply to schools without referencing their sexual orientation, a fact that calls into question whether such policies are necessary.
The Harvard Crimson criticized Middlebury's policy in an Oct. 13 staff editorial.
"Sexual orientation isn't a straightforward proposition; moreover, unlike race, geography, or socioeconomic background, sexuality is inherently private," according to the Crimson. "These factors can create perverse incentive structures under a college admissions system in which gay students are rewarded for publicly announcing their sexual orientation."
According to Bruce Lindstrom, interim executive director and founder of the Point Foundation, which gives scholarships to gay students, "Students must ... qualify academically, but diversity of society is part of understanding society." But Lindstrom "stopped short" of advocating a policy like Middlebury's, according to Inside Higher Ed.
Homeless advocates to protest students who will live in car
Several homeless advocacy groups have criticized a promotional contest in which college students will camp out for five days in Chevrolet Aveo subcompact sedans.
The contest, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 30, will feature two-student teams at eight schools nationwide, including Boston and Northwestern universities. The students' activities in the cars will be shown on the Web, and an online vote will determine which team wins an Aveo.
Students will only be allowed to leave the cars for class and bathroom breaks.
But the "Aveo Livin' Large Challenge" has angered some homeless organizations, which say Chevy is making light of a serious problem.
"It gives the sense that they're turning their nose up on people who actually do live in their cars," Sam Scott, executive director of the Homeless Empowerment Project, told the Boston Globe last week.
Scott's group intends to send homeless people to talk to the students during the promotion.
Another homeless advocate called the contest "Homeless Idol" and told the Globe his group is planning a protest during the contest at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
"I hope they sleep warm and people take care of them, but in addition to Chevrolet selling their cars, they should also be volunteering to help the real homeless who are staying on the floor of Pine Street Inn," Michael Stoops, acting executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, told the Globe, referring to a Boston homeless shelter.
Chevy has defended the contest, which is part of a collaboration with Public Relations Student Society of America, a New York City-based group for budding spokespeople.
The contest is "a worthy endeavor for these students, who are public relations people and will be working in the industry," BU spokesman Colin Riley told the Globe.
Pace of college cost increase slows
The cost of college is not growing as fast as it was, though average annual tuition increases still outpace inflation, according to a study released recently by the College Board.
The study, "Trends in College Pricing," found that average tuition and fees at four-year public colleges rose by 6.3 percent, or $344, to $5,836. When adjusted for inflation, the annual increase is 2.4 percent, according to an Oct. 24 College Board press release. Average tuition at four-year private colleges and universities, meanwhile, rose to $22,218, a 5.9-percent (or $1,238) increase on the year before.
The average published cost of college tuition has gone up 35 percent over the last five years - the largest increase over any period of similar length in the last 30 years, according to the study.
But the study also found that students generally pay far less than advertised prices at colleges and universities. The cost of college is typically offset by grants and tax relief, which amounts to $9,000 in average aid per year at four-year private institutions and $3,100 in average aid per year at four-year public institutions, according to the study. Because of this aid, the average net cost of tuition and fees at a private four-year college or university is $13,200 - significantly lower than the published cost of $22,218.
The study also found that, at an average of $15,269, New England's public four-year institutions had a higher cost of tuition, room and board and other fees than any other geographic region. By contrast, the South had the cheapest at $10,832.
