Council Urges UC to End Awards for Merit Scholars

Members of the UC Academic Council unanimously recommended that UC schools stop automatically giving scholarships to National Merit scholars last Wednesday, in a move to curb the importance of standardized tests.

Six UC campuses, with the exception of UC Berkeley, UC Merced and UC Riverside, currently honor the scholarship. Last year they awarded nearly $1.4 million to qualified incoming freshmen, according to the UC Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools.

Administrators, however, should not define merit "based on a criteria that is fundamentally flawed in terms of a test that is so undiverse in background," said George Blumenthal, chair of the council.

Eligibility for the scholarship is based almost entirely on PSAT scores, as well as grades and letters of recommendation. Approximately 8,200 recipients are selected by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation out of the nearly 1.3 million students who take the test each year.

Blumenthal pointed to earlier studies conducted in 2001 by Patrick Hayashi, a former UC Berkeley associate vice chancellor of admissions and enrollment and former College Board trustee. The findings argued that the PSAT had a bias towards white and Asian high school students, especially those in the upper-middle class.

UC Berkeley withdrew participation from the program in the fall of 2003, choosing instead to allocate the funds toward need-based scholarships the university already provided, said Richard Black, associate vice chancellor of admissions and enrollment.

"Berkeley discontinued funding National Merit scholarships based on a combination of administrative reasons, which cost a substantial amount to the university, in addition to the belief that the money could be better used in a need-based scholarship," he said.

Black said that standardized tests should be used to supplement a student's academic record rather than being the only factor for a merit-based scholarship.

"Qualifying for the scholarship is based on PSAT scores, which is basically a cutoff that is contrary to sound educational policy," said Black, pointing instead to the Regent's and Chancellor's scholarships, which are awarded based on a combination of academic achievement, extracurricular activities and a faculty interview.

Some students, however, said that merit should be recognized regardless of a test that officials claim is biased.

"(The university) cannot punish people who put priority on education. It's not only about the money, it's also about the honor," said Nelson Chan, a senior and National Merit scholar.

If approved by campus chancellors, this proposal will come into effect as early as next year.

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