Regents to consider new GPA proposal

Jennifer Knight

Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2001 | 10:01 a.m.

University officials have come up with a new plan that softens a proposal to raise admissions standards at the state's two universities.

The new plan, which will go before the Board of Regents Thursday, would raise the minimum grade point average for admissions from 2.5 to 2.75 by 2006. That plan differs slightly from the first proposal, which would have required high schools students entering the university in 2005 to have a 3.0 GPA.

"This new plan means that students that are in the eighth grade will now have their entire high school career to prepare for the 2.75 (admissions requirement)," said Juanita Fain, University of Nevada Las Vegas' vice president of administration, who is working on the plan with University of Nevada Reno officials.

Fain said the university also will expand its special admission policy from 6 to 10 percent of applicants who fall below the new GPA requirement.

Students who fall below the minimum GPA requirement may enter if they have high test scores or a special talent that may set them apart from other students.

If the new proposal passes, the effects of the measure will be monitored for several years to see what the overall impact is on minorities, Fain said.

Raising the standard to 3.0 is not part of the proposal, but the higher requirement might be introduced later and would not be implemented until 2010, Fain said.

A lack of public backing as well as sketchy support from the 11-member Board of Regents prompted university officials to re-think their original proposal to raise the standard to 3.0.

Minority advocates called the 3.0 proposal elitist and unfair to blacks and Hispanics.

Although the first proposal received support from the four regents from the northern part of the state, five of the seven regents from Southern Nevada failed to stand behind the 3.0 plan because of its potential to bar access to students in need of an education.

The same group of regents now are having doubts about the new proposal.

"I'm just not sure about this new proposal," said Chairwoman Thalia Dondero. "I'm not convinced right now because I don't know what other qualifications they need to get in (to the university)."

In addition to Dondero, Southern Nevada Regents Mark Alden, Steve Sisolak, Linda Howard and Tom Kirkpatrick have said they had reservations about the 3.0 plan.

Regent Tom Wiesner, who also is from Southern Nevada, is ill, so there will only be 10 regents in attendance, leaving the door open for a deadlocked vote.