Departments at TCU are stuck between a rock and a hard place.Recently, the Schieffer School of Journalism wanted to raise requirements for its minors to have a 2.5 GPA because the 30 percent increase in journalism students has caused enrollment to exceed the number of classes and teachers available. Since the school was denied permission, it has resorted to suspending all minors.

And “resort” is the correct word usage here – the school would lose its accreditation if it increased class sizes of certain courses.

Although the university is not necessarily growing larger, shifts within, to different departments, cause an overcrowding with fewer resources. More students with fewer teachers and classes means a diminished quality of education. If students are upset about an increase in tuition, then they are bound to be livid if they are paying more for less.

Some departments execute selectivity. The School of Business requires at least a 2.5 minimum GPA and an interview upon admission. This is not unreasonable.

Actually, exclusivity is anything but unreasonable. U.S. News & World Report ranks TCU as one of the top 100 colleges in America. If the university would like to stay in such a prestigious position, instituting more selective admissions could improve TCU’s status.

Obviously, the university’s aim is not to deny departments smaller classes, but it hasn’t taken care of the existing problems with fewer classes and overcrowding. If the University Council does not think certain standards of admission are fair for particular departments, then perhaps it should provide alternative solutions for overcrowding.

If each student is paying $22,980 for an improved education, then the university should be more accommodating to the needs of the departments because students are the primary beneficiaries of admission standards.

– Associate editor Adrienne Lang for the editorial board.