[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 55 (Monday, March 27, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H1443-H1444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             CALLING ATTENTION TO HIGHER EDUCATION PROBLEMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Miller-Meeks). The Chair recognizes the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, we have many problems today in higher 
education, one of which is the excessive kind of anti-God, liberal 
approach, leftwing approach, I will say, of the faculty in general, 
which, of course, flops over to the students. Some of it should be 
addressed, and we should try to get back to some sort of balance in 
higher education.
  America is very divided today: about 50 percent more conservative and 
about 50 percent more leftwing, more progressive. Hypothetically, the 
faculty at America's colleges and universities ought to reflect that.
  Instead, a recent trend is going to push things in the exact opposite 
direction, and that is the movement of colleges and universities, 
including the colleges and universities with the highest reputations in 
the country, to get rid of standardized tests.
  What result will getting rid of standardized tests have on the type 
of people who are admitted to all of our colleges and universities, but 
particularly our elite colleges and universities? Right now, a 
standardized test is something you either do well on or don't. A lot of 
people are nervous about standardized tests, but in any event, some 
determination has to be made on how some people get into college and 
some people don't.

  As we get rid of standardized tests, we are going to put more weight 
on things like an essay students submit to try to get into college. We 
are going to put more weight on extracurriculars or nonprofits that 
students work for. What effect is that going to have on the type of 
students who are admitted?
  Given that these are subjective determinations, we know very well the 
professors or other people on the admissions committees will look at 
where you are doing your extracurriculars. Are you active in an 
evangelical church? Are you active in a conservative political party? 
Or are you active in more left-leaning nonprofit organizations?
  They will look at your essay, which is purely a subjective 
determination. The danger is that these leftwing faculty members will 
say: Oh, this person doesn't look like he will fit in here. This person 
is a conservative. This person is a Christian.
  As a result, this ought to be of great alarm to everyone. Not to 
mention, the scores you get on these tests do a good job of predicting 
how well you will do in school. As a result, it is going to lower the 
quality of students.
  Already you hear from employers that college graduates are not as 
qualified, that their work ethic isn't as good as new employees they 
had 20 years ago. What will be the effect of removing these standards?
  Furthermore, it is going to have a negative impact, I think, on 
people who come from backgrounds without as much money. You only have 
so much time before you go to college to put together your resume. If 
you need more money, if you have to work, say, 30 hours a week at the 
local McDonald's, you don't have time to put together the long resume 
that looks so good at college admissions.
  Today or in the past, with standardized tests, the kid who has to 
work 30 hours a week at McDonald's and doesn't have time for a lot of 
do-gooder causes can do a great job on his standardized test and still 
get in. This penalizes the person who has to do a lot of work on the 
outside and rewards the student who doesn't have to make any money on 
the side in high school.

[[Page H1444]]

  This is certainly not something that we want, but it will 
unquestionably be the result of getting rid of standardized tests.
  It will also increase the importance of, perhaps, high school grade 
points. One more time, a grade point is, to a certain extent, 
subjective, as well. We hear already in high school, but all the time 
in college--we will come back to that in a second. Already in high 
school, students have to lie a little bit on the essay because the 
teachers are very liberal.
  I had a teacher who taught at a high school in Wisconsin, a very 
sizable high school, and she said she was the only Republican in the 
whole faculty of that high school. What does that say about your grade 
point coming out of high school? I don't know if I believe her--it was 
a very large high school--but she felt she was the only one.
  In other words, what you are going to wind up with, once these 
subjective determinations are made, is you are going to have the same 
liberal bias that happens once you get into college.
  I talked to an English professor at the University of Wisconsin.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. GROTHMAN. In any event, I strongly encourage this institution--
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.

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