Volume XXIX, NO. 5
Methodist College, Fayetteville, N.C. 28311
March 27,1992
Why Does MC Have So Many Under-Prepared,
Students and What IS It Doing to Help Them?
by Ann Morris
In recent years, the declining quality
of American schools has received much
media attention. Studies showing that
large numbers of American students can
not perform such basic tasks as locating
Mexico on a map of the world have tar
nished the image of a country that once
set a standard of educational excellence
for the rest of the world. In the wake of
President Bush's trip to Japan, for in
stance, a high ranking Japanese official
was quoted as saying that America is un
able to compete in international trade be
cause American workers are "lazy and il
literate." Furthermore, North Carolina
and other Southern states have become
the target of national derision in light of
several studies which place students from
this region at the bottom of the bottom of
the SAT score ranks.
Apparently, some Methodist College
professors are displeased with the quality
of the education that incoming students
have received in the public schools. In a
recent Small Talk article on "tough"
teachers, Methodist College English pro
fessor Dr. Michael Colonnese stated that
he believed that "many entering fresh
men are ill-prepared for the rigors of col
lege study." Dr. Robert Perkins, a histo
ry professor, stated that some of his
students don't have the requisite back
ground to do well in the history courses
he teaches. Dr. Bitterbaum, Dean of Ac
ademic Affairs, in a recent interview
with Small Talk, expressed agreement
with this assessment. "We do bring in a
number of under-prepared students," he
said, "and as a small liberal arts college,
we have an obligation to help them."
According to a proposal that Metho
dist College recently submitted to the U.
S. Department of Education asking to be
considered for a Title III grant, under-
prepared students are those "who are in
adequately prepared in fundamental
skills and who have not developed the
necessary learning tactics that would en
able them to progress satisfactorily
through the Methodist College program."
According to Admissions Director Alan
Coheley, these students may not have
taken advantage of the college-
preparatory classes offered by their high
schools or may have attended high
schools which offered inadequate college
preparation.
Primarily due to financial reasons,
Methodist College has found it necessary
to lower its admission standards to admit
students who, in the past, would not have
been considered admission-worthy; how
ever, it is not alone in doing so. Studies
show that the post-baby boom demo
graphic slump has forced even more pre
stigious Colleges and Universities to ac
cept students whose high school records
would not have met admission criteria in
the past.
It does seem diat more under
prepared students are being admitted to
Methodist College every year. The aver
age SAT score of the freshmen entering
Methodist College was at an all-time
high of 910 for the class entering in
1988. Scores have fallen each year
since. TTie average score was 905 in
1989,880 in 1990, and 847 in 1991. The
college considers a student who has an
SAT score of 750 or lower or a high
school GPA of less than 2.5 to be aca
demically under-prepared, and it admits
approximately 80 freshmen per year who
fit into one or both of these categories.
Methodist College accepts such un
der-prepared students for several reasons.
According to the Title III grant proposal,
its "open admission policy" is "occa
sioned by the financial necessity to sur
vive due to our tuition-driven environ
ment and also by our mission to serve
first-generation college students from
low and moderate income families."
The financial situation at Methodist
College is indeed much more precarious
than that of most other small private lib
eral arts colleges in the state. According
to the same proposal, our college's en
dowment is "undesirably small" both in
absolute terms and in comparison with
endowments of comparable colleges
across the nation. The market value of
the college's endowment fund is
$2,946,466, or $3,436 per full-time
equivalent student, compared with an av
erage of $26,294 per full-time equivalent
student for all four-year non-profit col
leges. This study suggests that the aver
age college endowment for colleges that
are comparable in size to Methodist is
750% larger than the Methodist College
endowment.
Because its endowment is so small,
Methodist College, unlike many other
colleges, must rely on tuition dollars to
meet most of its financial requirements.
In fact, 90% of the 1991 operating bud
get came from tuition and fees.
In addition, a lower-than-average re
tention rate costs the college money.
This low retention rate is thought to be
caused by the large number of under
prepared students who are accepted here
at Methodist; students who lack basic
skills are more likely to become over
whelmed by the work-load and drop out
or fail out of school. Only 18% of the
freshmen who entered Methodist College
in 1987 graduated within four years,
while the four-year graduation rate fi-om
all private colleges averages 53%. The
college lost the estimated $504,000 per
year in tuition and housing and other fees
that die students who dropped out or
transferred would have spent had they re
mained at Methodist. Furthermore, the
subsequent drop in enrollment makes it
necessary that the college spend funds to
recruit new students to fill those vacan
cies.
See STUDENTS Page 2
Where Does Our Money Go?
By Eric Kimbel
Any student who has ever attended a
Presidential forum knows that Methodist
College is essentially a tuition-driven in
stitution. Students have often voiced
complaints about how and where their
tuition dollar is spent at these fwums.
Small Talk recendy acquired a summary
copy of the 1991-92 budget and the pro
jected summary budget for the 1992-93
school year from President Hendricks in
order to inform the student body about
the college's expenditures.
The total anticipated revenue for the
1991-92 school year is $10,302,341
while the total anticipated expenditure is
$10,298,463. The anticipated surplus for
the 1991-92 school year is $3,878.
The projected 1991-92 revenues are
divided into three subsections: educa
tional and general revenue, auxiliary en
terprises, and capital. The educational
and general revenue includes student
fees, funding from the Methodist church,
rents, alumni contributions, and other
sources of income. The 1991-92 antici
pated educational and general revenue to
tals $8,169,841.
The auxiliary enterprises include the
cafeteria, the residence halls, the student
store, athletics, and others. These enter
prises are expected to add $2,130,500 to
the 1991-92 revenue. Projected capital
revenue is $2,000.
The projected expenditures for the
1991-92 school year are divided into cat
egories of educational and general, and
auxiliary enterprises.
The educational and general catego
ry is 82.7 percent or $8,515,556 of the to
tal revenue of the College for 1991-92
year. The education and general budget
line is further divided into more specific
entries. The cost of instructing students is
by far the largest expenditure of the col
lege. Instruction amounts to $2,453,340
or 23.8 percent of the entire anticipated
revenue for 1991-92 school year. Aca
demic support accounts for 3.4 percent of
the revenue of 1991-92, while student
services spends 8.5 percent of the total
revenue. Institutional support, which in
cludes armual salary increases, new posi
tions, and other expenses accounts for
18.6 percent of the revenue. The O & M
plant will spend 9.1 percent of this year's
budget. Scholarships account for the sec
ond largest expenditure of the College
during the 1991-92 school year. Scholar
ships will claim 19 percent, or
$1^>60,800, of the 1991-92 budget.
The second category of expenditures
is Auxiliary Enterprises. This accounts
for 17.3 percent of the $10,302341 antic
ipated revenue of the 1991-92 school
year. The cafeteria is the largest expendi
ture of the auxiliary enterprises. The Caf
eteria will spend 5.8 percent of the antici
pated revenue for 1^1-92. The Student
Union, Bookstore, Athletics and Resi
dence Halls will spend 9.5 percent of the
revenue, while Performing Arts will
spend 1.8 percent of the 1991-92 reve
nue.