Dallas Morning News
by Christy Hoppe
AUSTIN – The University of Texas at Austin could win some breathing room under the state's top 10 percent rule by capping automatic admissions at three-fourths of its freshman class, under a long-stalled provision approved by the House on Monday.
The rest of the state's universities would continue under the popular program that grants admission to all graduates in the top 10th of their high school class.
Revisions to the top 10 percent rule was the first major legislation taken up by the House in several days. Democrats had been using stalling tactics to push voter ID legislation – a fiercely partisan measure that is farther down a list of bills slated for debate – past a key deadline tonight to consider bills.
And so after eight hours of debate, much of it filled with empty amendments offered by Democrats to keep tapping the brakes, the House tentatively passed the compromise, 121-24, and can now negotiate differences with the Senate.
The Senate's version caps top 10 admissions at 60 percent for all state universities. But House members argued that the decade-old rule has added important racial and geographical diversity to state university enrollments and should be tweaked just for the popular UT flagship campus that is suffering under its weight.
UT-Austin is losing any discretion over its freshman class as automatic admissions snapped up 81 percent of its slots last year. University officials protested that it could no longer offer seats to students interested in some of its nationally recognized specialty programs – such as geology, music and education.
After working over the weekend with UT officials, Dallas Republican Rep. Dan Branch, the bill's sponsor, said the compromise represented a plan that opened the campus to the state's best students while allowing UT the ability to recruit out-of-state scholars or those with exceptional skills.
"We feel like we've moved the ball forward, granted some relief, but preserved the benefits of the top 10 percent," Branch said.
Texas A&M University now fills half of its freshman class from the top 10 rule, and UT-Dallas' entering class is almost 40 percent from it.
Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, said the problem is not the rule, which he said has provided minorities, rural denizens and others more opportunities than ever before.
"The fundamental problem is an undersupply of desirable, top-tier universities," Villarreal said.
He mentioned the University of Houston, UT-Arlington, UT-San Antonio and other campuses. "Until we make an increased investment to build those universities up, we will continue to tinker with how we mete out those limited seats at UT-Austin," Villarreal said.
Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, spoke for many minority members about their fear of changing a system that has been working to give more minorities education opportunity.
"That is a difficult position for many of us. When you look at the numbers, the numbers do not lie," he said, referring to the low enrollment of black students at UT.
"When you want to be No. 1 in football, you go and find them. When you want to be No. 1 in basketball, you go and find them," he said. "But when your academic enrollment is 6 percent, something is desperately wrong."
Before the vote, he said he would make a leap of faith: "Today I will give them the chance to do better. ... I hope they are prepared to run with it on the academic field."
Other colleges could opt into the 75 percent cap if their admissions program becomes inundated with the top 10 students. The law would be reviewed by the Legislature after six years to determine its success.
Senate sponsor Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said she would have to review House changes to the bill to see if they are acceptable. The House version requires one more procedural vote, and then if senators don't agree to the changes, lawmakers from each chamber will try to negotiate a compromise. Gov. Rick Perry has said he would like to see the top 10 rule change.
The policy was instituted a decade ago after a federal court prohibited using race as a criterion for admission into the University of Texas law school.
Under the program, minority enrollment has improved. In addition, statewide, the top 10 percent of students have excelled, graduating from universities at a rate higher than peers admitted under other provisions.