Powers Speaks Up for UT Admission Policies
University of Texas president William Powers Jr. defended UT’s admissions process, which looks at race as a factor, in The New York Times this weekend.
Powers applauded the university's "holistic review" policy, which allows it to look at more than just grades.
“If a company had 100 applications for five positions and just took the five with the highest grade point average without looking at anything else, I think people would be stunned,” he said. “Grades are important, but there are other important indicia, like leadership and diligence. Grades don’t tell us who is going to have a proclivity, or aptitude, for geosciences, fine arts or teaching.”
UT's race-conscious policy was thrust into the spotlight when the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a lawsuit challenging the policy. Abigail Fischer, a white UT applicant, claims she was denied admission in 2008 because of her race.
Baylor's Lady Bears Undefeated, Heading Into NCAA FInal
Baylor University's Lady Bears have advanced to the NCAA women’s basketball championship, as they beat Stanford 59 to 47 yesterday.
According to ESPN, the currently undefeated Baylor was led by All-American junior Brittney Griner who had 13 points and 9 rebounds for the night. The Lady Bears hope to continue their winning streak as they head into the title game, which will air on ESPN Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. Central Time.
Mayor's April 1 Announcement: Voice Mail, TV Remote Reforms
April Fools Day means mischief, and yesterday, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell joined in on the fun.
Mayor Leffingwell’s office issued an April 1 press release announcing “a series of far-reaching new policy proposals.” They include:
A limit on the total number of buttons on all TV remotes A requirement that bowl depths not exceed spoon lengths Strict penalties for using car-horn sounds in radio commercials An immediate citywide ban on name-dropping using first names only
In addition to the above initiatives, Leffingwell also called to move Fox News further up the cable channel dial, next to the home shopping channels, and create a universal system for voice mail commands.
“Folks say, my delete button on my cell phone is my forward button on my home voicemail and the pause button on my work voicemail, and I can’t take it anymore,” Leffingwell says. “I feel their pain. What I’m saying today, on April 1st, is that these basic quality-of-life issues are now my top priorities.”
This isn’t the first time the mayor’s trolled the city. In 2010, he participated in a video describing giant carp fish lurking in Lady Bird Lake.
