Simeon McMillan | Increasing access at home

Last week, the Daily Pennsylvanian ran an editorial advocating the expansion of need-blind admissions to international students. In other words, it argued that Penn shouldn't factor a foreign student's ability to pay in the admissions process.

I'm in favor of diversity, but I beg to differ. Extending financial aid to international students would be a costly and unnecessary step to advance Penn's goal of becoming a global institution.

One need not venture far to see Penn's global aspirations at work. A hobo outside Wawa yesterday told me he's secured a cardboard box in Beijing ahead of this summer's Olympics. He then refused my quarter, demanding Euros instead. (Clearly, this was an unintended consequence of the University offering free copies of The New York Times.) Putting this isolated, albeit fictitious, event aside, it's undeniable that Penn's globalization is underway.

Through both academic and philanthropic partnerships around the world, administrators are committed to reaching beyond our borders. Several international students I spoke with are currently here thanks to sponsorship from companies back home.

"International students should have the same opportunity to get an Ivy League education as someone born here [in the U.S]," said Yang Sun, a Wharton senior from China.

While I agree with this statement in principle, the economics of Penn funding such aid is easier said than done.

First, there's the dubious task of calculating financial need. As quoted in the DP, director of Student Financial Aid Bill Schilling said that comparing income across different countries would be like "looking at apples and oranges."

With exchange rates of foreign currencies constantly changing, determining financial need is like chasing a moving target. In the past two years, a family paid in Euros would be wealthier, on paper, thanks to steep declines in the dollar - the only thing that's fallen faster than your freshman year GPA. All the while, that same student's standard of living has remained unchanged. Does he deserve more financial aid or less?

Secondly, who would pay for it? As part of the capital campaign, the University recently expanded its commitment to improve college affordability for the American middle class. Do we have the obligation to do the same for foreign residents at the expense of aid for Americans?

"It'd be nice to give them [international students] money to attend Penn, but there's more to be done making college affordable for people in our own country," said Aaron Graham, a College senior from the sovereign nation of New Jersey. Given the fact that much aid is made possible through U.S. government grants, you could say a bias for American students is fairly justified.

"We want to make our aid policy for domestic students as robust as we can, before dealing with a pretty significant cost of need-blind admissions on the international level," said Schilling.

In any great collegiate debate, the question arises, WWHD? - What Would Harvard Do? I mean, they got J.K. Rowling to speak at commencement, and she's British, so by association they must be cool with international students.

Harvard, along with Princeton, Yale, MIT, Williams and Middlebury, has extended its full financial benevolence to foreigners.

But after crunching enrollment data from these schools' respective fact books, I've found a pleasant surprise. Penn is more internationally diverse than those schools that offer more generous aid.

Turns out more University money doesn't necessarily equate to a more global student body. Penn bests the competition with approximately 13 percent of undergrads from foreign nations. Their need-blind competitors typically had enrollments between 8 and 9 percent. (Harvard had 8.76 percent to be exact, for those readers who wish to pause and cherish this rare victory.)

As for socioeconomic diversity among international students, the University is taking some steps to lend a hand. The Penn World Scholars Program, while in its infancy, is designed to give scholarships to approximately two dozen promising students, with leadership potential, from the developing world.

Some would argue that this isn't enough, and we should be doing more.

To those I'd say, Penn is doing just enough for now. Give international initiatives currently underway time to mature, and recognize that our first duty is to solve the financial aid dilemma domestically before setting our sights elsewhere.

It's just a matter of Common $ense.

Simeon McMillan is a Wharton senior from Long Island, NY. His e-mail is mcmillan@dailypennsylvanian.com. Common $ense appears Thursdays.

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