WESTERN OREGON UNIVERSITY | FRIDAY, FEB. 12, 2016 VOLUME 16 ISSUE 15
“Turning the Tide” on college admissions What should change in the college application process?
Photo courtesy of WOUWOLVES.COM
By Katrina Penaflor | Managing Editor
Wolves go 3-2 in whirlwind start of season The expectation levels for college admissions varies across the field. Typically, schools take a balance of GPA, SAT or ACT scores, and an accumulation of extracurricular activities. In a recent New York Times article, OP-ED writer Frank Bruni addressed a study titled “Turning the Tide,” which discussed the flaws in the college admission process, primarily at the IvyLeague level. He went on to say how a university’s expectations and approval process may not benefit students at every income level. Western’s application process, in comparison to non-Ivy-League or private universities, is primarily standard, meaning that when a student applies, Western takes into account their transcript, SAT or ACT scores, and a completed application. SAT and ACT scores are not required for the WOU admissions process if the universities GPA requirement of 2.75 is met, but they are beneficial for scholarship purposes. Like Western, “a growing number of colleges have made the SAT or ACT optional,” said Bruni in his article. “Some of those alterations would simultaneously level the playing field for kids applying to college from less advantaged backgrounds,” said Bruni, who continued to point out the correlation between household income and standardized test scores. An additional point “Turning the Tide” made was the negative effects college admissions have on high school students. Not only can they cause a heavy workload with additional Advanced Placement (A.P.) courses—which are
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By Jamal Smith | Sports Editor Baseball season is officially here. With the new season come high expectations placed upon the WOU men’s baseball team. On Thursday, Jan. 28 the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball Coaches Preseason Poll projected the Wolves to finish in first place in the GNAC with the best chance of claiming the 2016 regular season title. The high expectations for the new season can be traced to last season’s success. In 2015, Western finished the season with a 29-24 overall record and a GNAC record of 22-11, but most importantly, the
Wolves came out victorious in the GNAC Baseball Conference Tournament and ended a 13 year conference title drought. “It’s nice to get some recognition early in the season, but our guys know its preseason and its meaning less,” said head coach Kellen Walker. “[The team] understand the expectations when they sign up for it and that’s why they come here.” “Our players want an opportunity to win the conference title and compete for a regional and hope to have an opportunity to get back to the College World Series,” added Walker. Western began the new season
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Merkley talks equality with Western Senator Jeff Merkley discusses LGBT rights with WOU students By Alvin Wilson | Staff Writer Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) visited Western’s Werner University Center on Feb. 5 to discuss his new bill, the Equality Act, with a small audience of students. According to Merkley’s website, “The Equality Act amends existing federal civil rights laws to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in
education, employment, housing, credit, and Federal jury service.” Merkley’s visit started with a story about the events that eventually led to him writing the Equality Act. In 2013, Merkley helped lead the effort to pass the Employment NonDiscrimination Act in Congress. “During that battle, it was really interesting because it was very hostile, very emotional,” said Merkley. “I remember driving into the underground parking at the Capitol and having people kind of tap on my
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windshield, hold up placards to my windshield, yell and scream at me, tell me what a horrible person I was.” “But I felt like a very good person,” he continued. “I felt this was the right thing not just in terms of our constitutional vision of fairness, opportunity and equality, but in terms of fundamental human rights.” But that bill didn’t pass because the House of Representatives refused to debate it on the floor. “The House of Representatives was led by the other party, the Republican