Shed light on the future

To hear Indianapolis Monthly tell it, IU is lagging behind other Big Ten universities academically, and according to the magazine's March cover story, it's possible that things might get better. But IU President Adam Herbert's enthusiasm seemed to be mere hype to them.\nTo be sure, a university that does not self-evaluate and adapt to changing situations will be a university rendered irrelevant. IU has the potential to become a school with a reputation of Michigan or Texas, schools to which the article frequently compares to IU, and we have a history of being a place where Hoosier high school students can reasonably expect to go. That expectation of IU as a "gimme" acceptance letter for a lot of good Indiana students is what's being debated.\nThe magazine even compiled a timeline of "highlights" and "lowlights" of IU. In the lowlights are included a few examples of normal college hooligan activities, such as a guinea pig being tossed out a window late last year and pornography being filmed on campus in 2003.\nThese incidents, while certainly not desirable, do not differentiate IU from any other college. Ask anyone at Purdue or Michigan or even an Ivy League school for stories of campus antics, and they will have plenty. The expulsion of a fraternity is hardly a phenomenon particular to IU. \nErnie Pyle, for whom the journalism school is named, is quoted talking about choosing to study journalism because it was easy and offered and escape from rural life. This quote was the first "lowlight," which is ironic, because the same magazine six months ago named Pyle as Indiana's No. 1 "Favorite Son" in its September 2004 issue. They can't have Pyle batting for the "IU's lousy" team and the "IU's great" team. \nIndianapolis Monthly was truly scraping the bottom with these pitiful selections for shameful points in IU's history. The lowlights are not institutional flaws or symptoms. On the other hand, the highlights such as numerous awards for stellar faculty are indeed the results of solid institutional practices, but the heart and soul of IU seem fragile.\nThings aren't apocalyptic at IU, and there are bright spots, such as IU's ranking in the top 15 for highest public university endowments. But because the article appeared in the first place and was littered with imposing statistics, things probably aren't fine at IU and getting better, as President Herbert told Indianapolis Monthly.\nIs IU declining in standards? Should IU restrict admission to students with higher high school grade point averages and test scores to make IU a higher caliber school?\nShould IU allow Hoosier students with weaker records come to Bloomington to try again? What role do community colleges and regional campuses of IU play?\nThere are students at every school who perform at a lower level than they should, but are there too many at IU? If so, what should we do about it?\nHow we answer these questions and what students, alumni and professors have to say about IU's direction will influence both the value of your degree and whether your kids will be able to aspire to attend IU to continue a family tradition. Think carefully about the ideals to which IU should subscribe.\nJust don't subscribe to Indianapolis Monthly.