When my friends Martin Bowers and Erben Schuldt and I were having lunch together last week, we began talking about how we had managed to get our college degrees here in the State of Texas.

<<Martin Bowers                Erben Schuldt>>

When we graduated from Galveston's Ball High School in 1958, each of us was assured that we could enroll in any Texas state supported college or university in the fall, including the University of Texas at Austin.  That was because we had successfully completed the required College Preparatory Plan at the high school.  No SAT.

And the tuition was no more than $100 per semester, a fee almost any student could handle, and a part-time job plus working in the summers would take care of the living expenses.

The University of North Texas in Denton, where I enrolled as a graduate student six years later charged $75 per semester.  Part-time jobs were plentiful.  In addition to money sent me from home, I worked at a restaurant and as a radio announcer.  I lived well, and when I completed my degree, I left with no student loans to have to repay.

Many public school teachers were able to get their advanced degrees there within a few summers.  In those days beginning public school teachers made less than $6,000 a year.

So Texas taxpayer supported colleges and universities in Texas were affordable.  And that was because Texas lawmakers understood a basic principal:  taxpayers are supporting Texas higher education so that those who meet the academic admissions requirements can advance their learning without the financial cost to the students being a serious consideration or prohibitive all together.

After all, society works best when everyone is able to maximize his ability and chances of contributing to the whole. 

In recent years, things have changed in Texas, and perhaps in many other states as well.  The cost of admissions in state supported colleges and universities has been stretched from $100 to, in some case, many thousands of dollars.   Over and above the generous taxpayer support, these schools are demanding higher and higher contributions from the students.

A friend told me his daughter paid $7,000 per semester at Texas A&M during her senior year.  Required textbooks were outrageous.

Now we learn that the following rule is preventing most applicants from admission to the University of Texas.  That's because it gives first priority to students who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class.  In fact less than 20 percent of students who apply and are not in the top 10% are admitted.  Here's the rule:

Top 10 Percent Rule for Admissions

"Students who are in the top 10 percent of their graduating class are eligible for automatic admission to any public university in Texas.

"To be eligible for automatic admission, a student must:

• Graduate in the top 10 percent of his or her class at a public or private high school in Texas, or
• Graduate in the top 10 percent of his or her class from a high school operated by the U.S. Department of Defense and be a Texas resident or eligible to pay resident tuition;
• Enroll in college no more than two years after graduating from high school; and
• Submit an application to a Texas public university for admission before the institution's application deadline (check with the university regarding specific deadlines).
• Students admitted through this route may still be required to provide SAT or ACT scores, although these scores are not used for admissions purposes. Students must also take the THEA test, unless exempted from the test requirement. Check with the admissions office regarding THEA, SAT, and ACT requirements.

"After a student is admitted, the university may review the student's high school records to determine if the student is prepared for college-level work. A student who needs additional preparation may be required to take a developmental, enrichment, or orientation course during the semester prior to the first semester of college.

"Admission to a university does not guarantee acceptance into a particular college of study or department, however."

Private schools can have these admission requirements.  However, one has to wonder how it can possibly be constitutional for public-funded schools to be able to artificially restrict admission to the sons and daughters of most Texas taxpayers, and further, why Texans continue to vote for state representatives who support this kind of foolishness.

I'm personally not going to vote for any Texas state politician who supports the Top 10% Rule.  If you live and vote in Texas, I hope you won't either.

GOD Blesses!

Copyright 2008 - William S. Cherry

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