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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 24 March 2022
Cal State college system drops SAT/ACT admission requirement

By JOCELYN GECKER “It is not an accident that
Associated Press so many other public sys-
In a move that squarely tems, literally from Wash-
places California’s public ington state to Maine, now
universities at the forefront have similar policies. The
of the national trend to whole country is watching
drop standardized tests, California, and largely fol-
the Cal State university sys- lowing the state’s lead,” he
tem will eliminate SAT and said.
ACT exams from admission Students can still choose to
requirements, officials de- submit SAT or ACT scores
cided Wednesday. that will not be considered
The California State Uni- for admissions purposes but
versity’s Board of Trustees could help in their place-
unanimously approved the ment for English and math
change, aligning the coun- courses, said Cal State sys-
try’s largest four-year uni- tem spokeswoman Toni
versity system with the “test Molle.
free” admissions process al- The system had suspended
ready adopted by the Uni- the standardized test re-
versity of California college quirement during the pan-
system. demic, instead basing ad-
The California State Uni- Students walk past the Harriet and Charles Luckman Fine Arts Complex at the Cal State University, mission on what it called
versity system has 477,000 Los Angeles campus on April 25, 2019. a “multi factor admissions
students at its 23 colleges Associated Press score” that allowed cam-
around the state, while the puses to consider high
University of California’s 10 greater access to a high “In essence, we are elimi- universities, or nearly 80% school grade point averag-
colleges enroll over 280,000 quality college degree nating our reliance on a of U.S. four-year campuses, es, extra curricular activities
students. for students from all back- high-stress, high-stakes test adopted either test-option- and leadership roles as well
The University of California grounds.” that has shown negligible al or score-free policies for as whether applicants were
Board of Regents voted last Critics have long argued benefit,” Relya said in a fall 2022 applicants, said first-generation college stu-
year to eliminate the stan- that standardized tests put statement. Bob Schaeffer, execu- dent or came from schools
dardized test admissions minority and low-income California’s public universi- tive director of FairTest, a with a high percentages of
requirement at its under- college applicants at a ties, like many across the Boston-based anti-testing low-income students.
graduate schools, which in- disadvantage and pose country, suspended the ex- group. A systemwide advisory
clude the prestigious cam- a barrier to their admis- ams during the pandemic The decision by the Cal council made up of faculty,
puses of UC Berkeley and sion. They have noted that and did not require them State and the University of students and administrators
UCLA. wealthier students or their during the admissions pro- California college systems and student leaders was
Acting Cal State system parents have the money cess for college entry dur- to make that ban perma- put in charge of studying
Chancellor Steve Relyea to pay for expensive stan- ing the 2021-22 and 2022- nent will “set a standard whether to drop the tests
praised the decision, say- dardized test preparation 23 academic years. for public higher educa- and recommended the
ing it will help “level the courses that help boost Amid the pandemic, more tion around the nation,” change to the Cal State
playing field and provide their scores. than 1,800 colleges and Schaeffer said. college system’s board.q

Newtown families: Alex Jones fails to

show up for deposition

cal conditions, was sched- he can’t attend Thursday, make that call.”
uled to testify Wednesday Mattei said. In a court filing later
and Thursday in Austin, “This, in our view, was a Wednesday, Pattis wrote
Texas, where Infowars is cowardly display intended Jones’ doctor was “so
based, in connection with to cheat the plaintiffs of alarmed” by his observa-
the relatives’ defamation their right to put him un- tions of Jones on Monday
lawsuit against him for call- der oath,” Mattei said at a that he advised him to go
ing the 2012 school massa- news conference, “and ask to an emergency room or
cre a hoax. him questions about why call 911. Jones refused and
Bellis on Wednesday or- over the course of many his doctor advised him to
dered Jones to appear at years he lied about them, stay home, Pattis said.
In this April 17, 2017, file photo, “Infowars” host Alex Jones
arrives at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, Texas. the deposition Thursday he lied about the loved On Tuesday, however,
Associated Press and asked lawyers to sub- ones that they lost at San- Jones broadcasted his
mit briefs on whether she dy Hook and why he un- daily website show at the
By DAVE COLLINS Elementary School shoot- can issue an arrest order to leashed a barrage of ha- Infowars studio in Austin, his
Associated Press ing, leading the families’ have Jones brought to the rassment over many years lawyers said. He did not ap-
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — lawyer to call for Jones’ ar- proceeding if he fails to at- that continues to this day.” pear in person on the show
Infowars host Alex Jones rest if he doesn’t appear tend again. If Bellis doesn’t Asked whether Jones Wednesday, but talked
failed to show up and tes- again Thursday. issue such an order, Mattei would appear at the de- over the phone for portions
tify under oath at a de- Jones, whose attorney said said he would seek a sub- position Thursday, his law- of the program. He did not
position Wednesday in a he missed the deposition poena in Texas. Bellis also yer, Norman Pattis, said in discuss the deposition or his
lawsuit filed by relatives of because of an appoint- said Jones needs to submit an email to The Associated medical conditions at the
victims of the Sandy Hook ment for undisclosed medi- medical documentation if Press that “his doctors will beginning of the show.q