Reviewing sponsorship

Getting into college is an increasingly difficult endeavor. This is especially true of IU, where administrators’ commitment to increasing the quality of the freshman class profile has meant even more emphasis on test scores and high school grade point averages. In just the last four years, the average SAT score for an incoming freshman has increased by more than 5 percent – from 1112 to 1174 out of 1600.

An unfortunate by-product of such a competitive process is that otherwise-gifted individuals – the talented music student with lower grades, for instance – may be negatively affected. In recognition of such students, IU, like many other universities, has been operating a sponsorship program for several years now.

As part of the policy, if an applicant is rejected, a faculty member can “sponsor” the student and vouch for his or her qualifications. Such students are required to sign a statement describing their relationship with the faculty member and take at least 12 credit hours each semester.

While the program was meant to function as a small supplement to the “regular” admissions process, lately it has grown to new levels. In 2005, the University admitted 45 students on faculty sponsorships, according to numbers provided by Roger Thompson, vice provost for enrollment management. In 2008, this number jumped to 129 students, representing a 150-percent increase over four years.

Moreover, while musicians and athletes used to make up a majority of applicants admitted under the sponsorship program, now they represent fewer than half of these students. Such a development is troubling because it threatens the academic quality of the freshman class, thus hurting the reputation IU is building for itself.

It is also plausible that some of the students admitted through the sponsor program will be unable to cope with the academic rigors of college, and it seems unfair to make exceptions for them.

In recognizing this potential for abuse, University officials plan to begin a review of the program and offer relevant changes to its administration. The Editorial Board agrees with this call for reform.

More specifically, we would like to see the institution of a mentor-like relationship between the faculty sponsor and student. This heavy involvement in a student’s academic affairs ensures that only professors who are genuinely committed to the student’s well-being become sponsors.

This change also limits the numbers of students a professor is willing to sponsor and ensures that students can rely on a genuine model of professional support during their time here.

There is no doubt that the sponsor program serves a vital function because it ensures that otherwise-talented students, usually in the arts and athletics, are afforded the opportunity to prove their credentials. It is also true that admitting such students will diversify the freshman class.

However, this must not come at the expense of protecting academic reputation.