[Uosenateexec] letter from Senate Leadership re: test optional admissions

[Elizabeth Skowron]

Dear Senate Colleagues,

Last Friday 3/20/20, I received inquiries from the Office of the Provost requesting senate action on the matter of test-optional undergraduate admissions.  Specifically, the request was for an emergency meeting of the Senate to vote on the recommendations of the Task Force on Test Options Admissions by Tuesday 3/24, to allow for implementation effective for Fall, 2020 admissions.

Our colleagues in the administration shared several interrelated concerns.  One is that the ACT/SAT testing sessions are being cancelled or further delayed this spring which impacts a number of prospective students who may be considering admissions to the UO.  Two, they report learning that high school counselors may have begun advising their students to apply to institutions that do not require standardized tests for admissions.  As you well know, student enrollments will be critical to the long term financial health of the university.

Together, we explored possibilities for the full Senate to convene and act in the very short time frame, via an ad hoc remote meeting of the senate, or via an email vote on the matter.  I consulted with my senate leadership team and had productive discussions with the provost's office on the matter.  In the end, I took the decision not to convene the full senate for immediate action on the matter.  This decision was informed by the fact that it was the last day of Winter term, deadlines for grading were pending, and many preparations are underway for remote spring term instruction, shifting research operations, and so forth.  Further, the decision would have required modification to senate by-laws without consultation or a vote.  Instead, and only after careful consideration of the available options, I and my colleagues in senate leadership (Senate Vice President, Elliot Berkman & Immediate Past President, Bill Harbaugh) offered our support for implementation of a test-optional approach to undergraduate student admissions here at the University of Oregon, effective as soon as feasible.   We based our decision on the data available to us thus far on the matter: the joint administration-senate task force's consideration of the issues and recommendations (see draft motion here<file:///C:/Users/eskowron/Documents/U%20of%20O%20Administration/UO%20Senate/2019-2020%20Senate/Testing%20Optional%20Admissions/Test%20Optional%20Leg%203.20.2020.pdf>); two Senate meetings in which task force briefings and Q&A discussion were held; and the general nature and tone of those discussions.  A copy of our Friday communication to Provost Philips is attached below.

I'm available to discuss the matter further with you.  In addition to our regular senate office hours Wednesdays 10-11:30 am via zoom (https://zoom.us/j/480455396), you can reach me directly at the contacts below.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth A. Skowron, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Psychology
Center for Translational Neuroscience
UO Senate President
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
http://ctn.uoregon.edu/
Tel. 541-346-9329

[cid:image001.gif at 01CE1104.B9070730]



On Mar 20, 2020, at 4:34 PM, Elizabeth Skowron <eskowron at uoregon.edu<mailto:eskowron at uoregon.edu>> wrote:

Dear Provost Phillips:

We are writing as the University Senate Leadership, regarding action on test-optional undergraduate admissions. Such action was discussed in the Senate in March, received a generally favorable response, and has been on track for consideration of a motion and vote on the matter at our meeting on April 8th. A draft motion on the matter was completed this morning in cooperation with Senate Liaison Melanie Muenzer, and is attached here.

In response to inquiries we received from your office today requesting senate action on this matter in the next few days, we explored whether there might be some procedure through which the full Senate could review and pass this as legislation by Monday 3/23 or Tuesday 3/24, via an ad hoc remote meeting of the senate, or via an email vote on the matter.

However, today is the last day of the term, grades are due early next week, and that Senators are occupied with many other obligations to our students and the university, such as translating their Spring term courses from in-person to remote delivery formats, shifting their research operations, and so forth due to the current Academic Emergency.  Under the best of conditions we believe that efforts to convene the full senate on this issue in a matter of 1-2 days are not feasible.  In midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated disruptions, such collective action by the senate is more difficult still.

However at the same time we recognize the urgency of the situation regarding this legislation - and that these matters are extremely time-sensitive.  Our prospective students who are experiencing difficulty accessing tests this spring could be adversely impacted, and we are aware of pending state-wide action on this matter. Therefore, as Senate Leadership, we are writing to unanimously support the implementation of a test-optional approach to undergraduate student admissions here at the University of Oregon, effective as soon as is feasible.


Sincerely,

Elizabeth Skowron, Senate President
Elliot Berkman, Senate VP and President Elect
Bill Harbaugh, Immediate Past Senate President

Elizabeth A. Skowron, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Psychology
Center for Translational Neuroscience
UO Senate President
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403
http://ctn.uoregon.edu/
Tel. 541-346-9329

<image001.gif>

<Test Optional Leg 3.20.2020.docx>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.uoregon.edu/pipermail/uosenateexec/attachments/20200324/b6216db7/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 2641 bytes
Desc: image001.gif
URL: <http://lists.uoregon.edu/pipermail/uosenateexec/attachments/20200324/b6216db7/attachment.gif>