Grécourt
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Respond
The Grécourt Gate welcomes
feedback from our readers. Let us know how you feel about
our coverage of the Smith community, or if you have a response
to a particular story published on The
Gate. Please submit
letters to Eric Weld, The Gate editor, at eweld@email.smith.edu.
We will publish responses in this space. (All published letters
are subject to editing and must be no more than 200 words
in length.)
After posting a on The Gate this
week about Smith's adoption of an SAT-optional admission
policy, we heard from several readers (i.e. alumnae, high
school guidance counselors) with appreciative responses
about the college's decision. Here is a sample of those
responses.
From Courtney
Masland Skerrit,
director of college counseling, Lawrence Academy, Groton,
Mass.:
"What great news! Test optional
policies give students choice in a process where so much
seems out of their hands. This move certainly speaks to Smith's
dedication to equality and social justice. A great move."
From Jennifer
Jacobs ’88, AAC
for central Penn.:
"I am thrilled to hear this
news. I often stress to my potential recruits that Smith
has always 'looked at the whole person' during the yearly
selection process. I am confident that Smith will implement
this new policy in a way that will continue to invite the
best possible candidates to join its student body."
From Susan Hodge ’73,
senior director of development, University of South Carolina
Upstate, Spartanburg, S.C.:
"My immediate reaction
is to disagree that this will 'improve' the entering classes."
From Howard
Wornek, counselor,
Rancho Buena Vista High School, Vista,
Calif.:
"As an educator, I applaud your
decision and I hope to see that Smith was in the lead in
a national trend among American colleges and universities.
Standardized testing has become an uncontrollable monster
in the lives of American school students and teachers. Thank
you for your vision and courage to step away from the pack
and to judge your prospective students on the basis of factors
other than their performance on this impersonal and overused
method of selection."
From Tom
Mortenson, education
analyst, Post Secondary Opportunities, Oskaloosa, Iowa:
"Smith has always been
well ahead of the curve. You guys are among my (small) pantheon
of heroes! I meet your graduates in outstanding positions
in many, many places." |
