A junior mathematics major at UNC-Chapel Hill recently wrote an op-ed for the flagship’s paper, the Daily Tar Heel. In it, he writes, “Due to racist prerequisites, some students of color or low socioeconomic status are excluded from pursuing certain majors.” He then singles out College Algebra for being a prejudicial barrier to entry to STEM fields, and suggests that the university should enhance academic tutoring and mentorship for black students.
The student partially blames the public K-12 system for leaving students ill-prepared for the rigors of a strenuous college degree program, and of course he’s right to do so. But his idea for turning college into a remediation warehouse is misguided.
He continues: “Any student graduating from an accredited North Carolina high school should be able to complete any course of study that results in a degree.” Any student? Any course?
First, it should not be the task of universities to make up for the academic negligence that takes place at the K-12 level. Second, not even all top high school students should be “able to complete any course of study that results in a degree.” Bright literary-minded students may not perform as well in a statistics course as bright math-inclined students. Individuals have different skill sets and proclivities. And being able to “complete any course” does not mean being able to “excel in any course.”
The op-ed writer appears to have fallen for two unfounded and oft-repeated assumptions: that merely being cycled through college degree programs is in the best interest of low-achieving students, and that greater production of STEM graduates is in and of itself a worthwhile goal.