If state representative Rick Jones has his way, getting into the University is about to become a lot simpler - if you're an in-state student at the top of your class. Jones, a Republican from Grand Ledge, has proposed a plan that would grant Michigan high school students graduating in the top 10 percent of their class automatic admission to any of the state's 15 public universities. The arguments supporting the initiative include increased geographic and socioeconomic diversity, and these are praiseworthy goals. However, it is not clear whether Jones's proposal would achieve them, and this plan creates problems that outweigh the purported pros.

The proposal is modeled after a plan in Texas, where state universities have admitted the top 10 percent of high school graduates for more than a decade. The state's flagship university - the University of Texas at Austin - now has its highest minority enrollment since the program was enacted. Jones hopes that a program in Michigan would have similar results, arguing for a "greater geographic, economic and racial diversity." With the state legislature set to adjourn for the summer, Jones will try to get the process underway soon. If passed in the House and Senate by the required two-thirds majority, the proposal would show up on the Michigan ballot in November.

Jones's plan raises several immediate concerns. The plan limits the ability of universities to view admissions candidates in a broader context. The University, for example, takes into account far more than just an applicant's grades - incoming students are evaluated on a host of variables, ranging from standardized test scores to involvement in their communities. A blanket program like the 10-percent plan would ignore nearly all these factors, concentrating solely on a student's GPA. This focus on an applicant's work inside the classroom would undermine the University's efforts to attract well-rounded students who excel outside of it as well. Such an approach could also have consequences for high school education. Given the guarantee of certain admission, students may opt to take lower-level classes simply for the promise of a higher grade.

Another problem in implementing a Texas-style plan is the fundamental difference in the structure of the two states' higher education systems. In Texas, public universities are part of the same system, whereas Michigan's state universities are autonomous and independent. In practice, qualified students in Texas can choose between several large and relatively equally prestigious schools. In Michigan, the state's two large research universities - Michigan and Michigan State - would be the obvious choice for many admitted students, creating a demand overload.

Perhaps the biggest problem of all, however, is the issue of autonomy. Michigan's universities enjoy a high level of independence under the current system. Mandating who public universities should admit through state doctrine would fly in the face of this tradition and set a dangerous precedent. Diversity is something that public universities must strive for, but it's a goal that they can achieve on their own terms without any imposed orders from above.

The constitutional autonomy enjoyed by Michigan's public universities is not something to be taken lightly. Together with the mountain of possible problems that Jones's proposal brings, it is safe to say that Michigan is not the state for such a plan.