White House Asks Colleges to Sign Sweeping Agreement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Letters on Wednesday were sent to the University of Arizona, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas, Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia.
Ms. Mailman, who has orchestrated much of the administration’s higher education strategy, said the compact could ultimately be extended to all colleges and universities.”

Hoping they stand strong and don’t give in. Those who do, will regret it.
Thank goodness my kids aren’t looking at any of these for higher ed.

The game theory earlier this year behind some of the "who is going to sign a letter of support" is pretty instructive. Early signing was perceived as risky because you were bringing attention to oneself for uncertain reward (and even downside if others didn't join). Once some critical threshold was passed, there was a flood of universities that signed on once they assessed the downside risk as limited because the signing (n) was so high. What is very clever here on the administration is the attachment of some ostensibly (and quite superficially) positive things like "quell grade inflation" that give those that sign up some substrate for positioning their acquiescence as a positive. That will drive momentum, pass the critical threshold, and most on this list will have signed up in the end.

I pray MIT resists this.

Out of this list, MIT would be the only borderline hope. The rest will cave if they haven't agreed already. MIT has some very successful alums with deep pockets who could help them.

If I were MIT, I'd just open a 2nd school abroad and start gathering top tuition there. Start an alumni fundraising campaign to resist too. This is some George Orwell sh--.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Letters on Wednesday were going out to solicit agreement and feedback from Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia, according to an administration official."

Who's going to sign this first? My bet: Vanderbilt.

exactly Vanderbilt and Arizona first

I assume he's telegraphed this to them behind closed doors before name-checking them so most of them must be open to this nonsense.

Can't believe UVA is on this crazy list.

We are in an election year for govenor--probably includeed UVA to stir up conservative voters prior to the election.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are some very good ideas in this agreement.

Screw off traitor move to North Korea

[Anonymous]

Curious if McGill and University of Toronto will see record numbers of US applications this year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does the WH realize if they don’t take into account gender, these schools will be heavily female???

No they do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Main points:

The memo demands that schools ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions;
freeze tuition for five years;
cap international undergrad enrollment at 15%;
require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test;
quell grade inflation.

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/trump-universities-compact-federal-funds-agreement-df158493?mod=hp_lead_pos1

I hope colleges tell him to "F off".

The nine he name-checked he's probably already entered into soft negotiations with. Only schools like Harvard that have access to larger pools of money and have their integrity in check will resist. None of them want to do this, but they're being pressed.

Seems unlikely to me. The way Trump operates is to drop this stuff as a power move. Just like the Harvard stuff—he keeps announcing that Harvard has agreed to cave, hoping that they will be browbeaten into doing it.

Brown already gave him a settlement and (stupidly, as everyone said at the time) thought they were done. This is his way of showing that they are never done. They just made themselves a mark. So it’s even more critical that they say no this; they need to say some version of, “we reached an agreement with the government and intend to adhere to it; we expect the government to do the same. We will not reopen negotiations.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious if McGill and University of Toronto will see record numbers of US applications this year.

Was wondering the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Main points:

The memo demands that schools ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions;
freeze tuition for five years;
cap international undergrad enrollment at 15%;
require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test;
quell grade inflation.

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/trump-universities-compact-federal-funds-agreement-df158493?mod=hp_lead_pos1

I thought Republicans disliked big government

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are some very good ideas in this agreement.

Absolutely agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Letters on Wednesday were going out to solicit agreement and feedback from Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia, according to an administration official."

Who's going to sign this first? My bet: Vanderbilt.

These are all the schools that rejected Barron, right?

Are they literally trying to mandate safe spaces for right wingers? The irony.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the WH realize if they don’t take into account gender, these schools will be heavily female???

+1

No more DEI for boys.

Having boys at college makes it better. Just like having girls made it better when they were allowed to get into good colleges that used to be single sex. Having multiple races and diverse life experiences also makes for an interesting learning environment. I don't understand why this is so bad or why people want to learn in homogeneous enviros. If this letter was to be adopted, schools like UVA, Vandy and USC who would be echo chambers of conservative thought (since those views must be coddled now at college according to this letter) and the college experience would be dominated by white girls and asian girls/boys only. Sorry white boys - no admission for you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Main points:

The memo demands that schools ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions;
freeze tuition for five years;
cap international undergrad enrollment at 15%;
require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test;
quell grade inflation.

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/trump-universities-compact-federal-funds-agreement-df158493?mod=hp_lead_pos1

Starting this year?
How are applicants preparing for this change? Taking October SAT?

Deadline to register for Oct is likely over. Junior class has time, seniors prob not unless going RD.

Changes would probably apply to the next admissions cycle. I can't imagine schools going test-required and then requiring it like, that month.

But don't you think the proportion of admitted students with test scores would be higher even for class of '30? I think the upcoming cds data will show that it increased with class of '29 already. TO is a trap for the unwary

The kids who go TO mostly took the test, they just didn't score high enough. I don't think there's any "unwary."

Correct. They have test scores to submit, they’re just not in range. Most took it multiple times and still are well below range.

Of the schools listed, the only ones that are not already test required are UVA, Vanderbilt and Arizona.

There's a huge advantage in submitting test scores for Arizona. My daughter who had high stats was admitted literally in less than 24 hours just based on her numbers (with merit). She got the email and thought it was just a confirmation that her application had been received.
I think Arizona also still does auto admit and free tuition for in-state kids who are in the top percentage of their high schools -- my guess is that at least some of those kids don't bother with the SAT because why waste the money. There are a ton of really smart in-state kids in Arizona who know they are staying in-state (going "away" to school is going from Tucson to Tempe or Flagstaff or vice versa) and whose parents don't have a ton of money to throw around at dumb tests that they don't need. It's just an example of why it's stupid for the federal government to mandate these things -- some schools have really good reasons why they may not want to require everyone to take that test.

Some portions of this proposal are dangerous, others are just idiotic.

On the tuition freeze, what would make more sense is something like -- for kids that are admitted and enrolled, tuition increases cannot exceed CPI increases. Even that would be a wild over-reach, but would at least make a little bit of sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"Letters on Wednesday were going out to solicit agreement and feedback from Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia, according to an administration official."

Who's going to sign this first? My bet: Vanderbilt.

These are all the schools that rejected Barron, right?

Are they literally trying to mandate safe spaces for right wingers? The irony.

yes the letter is all about creating safe spaces for conservatives. I guess right wingers are fragile and depressed and need more scaffolding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Main points:

The memo demands that schools ban the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions;
freeze tuition for five years;
cap international undergrad enrollment at 15%;
require that applicants take the SAT or a similar test;
quell grade inflation.

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/education/trump-universities-compact-federal-funds-agreement-df158493?mod=hp_lead_pos1

I thought Republicans disliked big government

Are you posting from the 1980s?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ll never take a republican seriously again. What a joke of a party! Remember when they all claimed the GOP was the party of “freedom” - what an absurd idea.

MAGA has turned the GOP (haven’t heard that term in awhile) into an authoritarian party restricting the ideas and speech of people, universities and institutions. This is the opposite of the rollicking 80s and 90s where we all experienced so much freedom and joy.

Republicans ought to move to China or Russia or the Middle East if they admire those values.

+1