Understanding Ethical Standards in College Admissions

1
Understanding Ethical Standards in College
Admissions

• Tony Bankston
• Dean of Admissions
• Illinois Wesleyan University

2
Opening a Dialogue

• Why do we do things the way we do?
• What considerations do we make when establishing
  different policies and practices?
• Is it most important for a practice to benefit
  the institution or the student? Who do we think
  of first? Is there a middle ground?
• Have we truly established the ethics that help
  guide the decisions we make?

3
Competition and Survival

• Someone in your office bears the direct
  responsibility and pressure of bringing in the
  class.
• Nearly 4,000 institutions of higher learning are
  competing for a finite number of college bound
  students, and that number is shrinking.
• Many colleges are facing tremendous financial
  challenges and are heavily dependent on tuition
  revenue, which is directly tied to the job you do.

4
Nuts and Bolts of Ethics In College Admission

• NACAC Statement of Principles of Good Practice
  (SPGP)
• NACAC Students Rights and Responsibilities
• IACAC Statement of Practices and Courtesies
• NACAC Admissions Practices Committee
• IACACs Admissions Practices Committee

5
Statement of Principles of Good Practice (SPGP)

• SPGP serves as the college admission counseling
  professions ethical code of conduct to which all
  members are expected to subscribe.
• Mandatory Practices
• Interpretations of Mandatory Practices
• Best Practices
• Core Values Professionalism, Collaboration,
  Trust, Education, Fairness and Equity, and Social
  Responsibility

6
IACAC Admission Practices Committee

• Admissions Counselors, Deans of Admission, High
  School Counselors (8 members strong).
• Represent public/private schools, 2-year/4-year
• Committed to the well-being of the students we
  serve, the colleagues we support and the
  admissions profession as a whole.
• Rely on the diversity of perspectives and
  opinions to strengthen the work of our committee

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Admissions Practices Committee (Cont.)

• Resource for you and any admissions professional,
  parent, student in Illinois.
• The work that we do is educational and not
  judicial.
• Confidential
• Collaborative

8
Violations of the SPGP

• A majority are compliant
• When violations do occur, they are rarely
  deliberate or intentional.
• Most often unbeknownst to the member,
  institution, family, etc.
• Educational opportunities
• Formal process for reporting violations

9
Reporting Process

• Admissions Practices Inquiry Form
• Inquiry versus Allegation
• Contact the AP Chairs in your State and Regional
  Association.
• Inquiry is brought to and discussed by the AP
  Committee to determine compliance
• If an allegation is determined, AP committee
  follows formal procedures for notification
• Inquiry is kept strictly confidential. The
  person filing the inquiry is kept in the
  communication loop with the AP Committee, but at
  no point is that persons name revealed to whom
  the allegation is made.

10
The Application Game

• Maybe more is better, but at what cost?
• Your job is to generate interest and
  applications, but how are you getting them, and
  is it good for the students?
• Recruiting to Deny Are you really helping a
  student or your institution by encouraging an
  unqualified student to apply for admission?

11
The Application Game

• What exactly is an application?
• Completing applications over the phone
• Two-part applications
• Counting transcripts and/or official test scores
  as applications
• Counting on-line application accounts as
  applications, even if nothing is ever submitted
• All applications should be actionable. If a
  student would be surprised to get an admission
  decision from you, they are most likely not a
  legitimate applicant.

12
The Application Game

• How early is too early?
• To Prospective Student
• From Earlybird University
• Date March 18, 2007
• Subject Application for the Class of 2012
• Did you know that you can apply to Earlybird
  University using the Internet?
• The application for undergraduate admission for
  the class entering in the fall of 2008 is now
  available on our Web site at http//admissions.eu.
  edu
• From the Office of Undergraduate Admissions home
  page, click on the link for Applications and
  Guides, then select Applications from the
  menu.
• Earlybird University accepts the Common
  Application and requires a brief Pre-Application
  Data Sheet/Supplement. You may complete and
  submit the Pre-Application Data Sheet online and
  beginning later this spring you may download the
  Common Application forms. If you prefer, you may
  submit the Universal College Application in place
  of the Common Application.
• We are looking forward to receiving your
  application so we can learn more about you.

13
SPGP on Applying Timeline

• SPGP II B 13 Post Secondary members agree that
  they will not notify first-year candidates for
  fall admission prior to the receipt of a
  transcript that reflects completion of the final
  semester of the junior year of high school or the
  equivalent. Institutions that require only an
  application prior to extending an offer of
  admission, including many community colleges, may
  accept students at the time of application.

14
The Deposit Game

• What is the purpose of a pressured or refundable
  deposit?
• Are we expecting students to make a serious
  commitment? Do we want them to give serious
  thought to the decision, or simply hold a spot?
• Does encouraging soft contracts make enrollment
  management easier or more difficult?
• Are we truly committed to May 1st as a decision
  deadline, or is it just something we have to
  deal with?

15
The Deposit Game

• How else do we put pressure on students and their
  parents?
• Early Housing Deposits
• Early Registration Programs
• Early Orientation Programs
• How do we expect them to respond to this
  pressure?
• Does it make our jobs easier or more difficult?

16
SPGP on May 1

• SPGP II. B. 3 Post secondary members agree
  that they will permit first year candidates for
  fall admission to choose among offers of
  admissions, financial aid and scholarship until
  May 1 and will state this deadline explicitly in
  their offers of admission.
• SPGP II. B. 5 Post secondary members agree
  that they will work with their institutions
  senior administrative officers to ensure that
  financial aid and scholarship offers and housing
  options are not used to manipulate commitments
  prior to May 1

17
The Financial Aid Game

• Are we providing a clear picture when it comes to
  financial assistance?
• Should we be more concerned with making our
  institution appear less expensive or providing an
  apples to apples comparison when it comes to
  real costs?

18
The Financial Aid Game

• The University of Illusions Proposal
• Cost
• Tuition and Fees 16,228
• Room and Meals 7,370
• Books and Supplies 1,000
• Transportation 1,530
• Miscellaneous 2,250
• Total 28,378
• Your Financial Aid Semester 1 Semester 2 Total
• Federal Stafford Subsidized Loan 1,750 1,750 3
  ,500
• Federal PLUS Parent Loan EFT 11,439 11,439 2
  2,878
• Arizona Excellence T1 Grant 1,000 1,000 2,000
• Total 14,189 14,189 28,378

19
The Waiting Game

• Snooty College announced earlier this year that
  they plan to wait list some 1,400 students,
  hoping to maybe admit 25 from that group.
• IWU Wait List Formula
• Desired of deposits from the wait list 25
• At 70 yield, to admit from the wait list 35
• Desired of wait listed students to consider 80
• At a 20 response rate, to place on wait
  list 400

20
When Does Leadership Begin?

• You begin developing your leadership skills
  starting on the first day of your career.
• The example you set early in your career will
  affect your opportunities for future leadership
  as well as how you are perceived as a leader.
• Lead by example.

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Early Opportunities for Leadership

• Student Ambassadors
• Student Workers
• IACAC
• Dont just do the minimum. Ask the deeper
  questions. Dont just settle for being
  knowledgeable be an expert in your field.

22
Effective Senior Leadership

• Good communication, both up and down the ladder
• Get organized, stay organized
• Dont get emotional the ship is as steady as the
  captain
• Watch, listen and learn BEFORE you take action
• Be flexible be creative (Different Strokes,
  blessed be the peacemaker)

23
Ethics in Leadership

• The earlier you develop your ethical core, the
  easier you will find decision-making as your
  career progresses.
• As a leader, you set the tone. Is everyone
  rowing in the same direction ethically?
• You WILL feel pressure to go against your ethics.
  How will you respond?
• If you feel good about what you do, going to work
  each day becomes something you really enjoy doing.

24
Where Do We Go from Here?

• The decisions we make not only affect students
  and parents, but they also affect our colleagues.
• Once a group of institutions decides to engage in
  practices that may not be in the best interest of
  the process, it puts greater pressure on other
  colleges to respond.
• That pressure can then cause others to adopt,
  create, and utilize questionable tactics.
• If we can not provide a strong and uniform
  example of ethical practices, and show strong
  support of those who choose to do things the
  right way, then we can not expect others to act
  ethically in return.