Think about it: any student who qualified for admittance to the university would be able to attend for much less than the cost of the average state college. The current high cost of education at this university is a barrier to many students, and functions as a sort of filter to keep the school safely middle-and upper-class, but if the doors were opened, think what diversity the university could achieve in a few short years.

The logistics of the decision are somewhat problematic, but what isn't? The university has one of the best business schools in the nation, and perhaps its administration could be called upon to determine an economical way to make the change. Certainly at first the endowment would have to be watched carefully to make sure that it did not drop below an acceptable level to maintain some profit for the school.

When the program was begun, the money would have to be husbanded closely to make sure that the investment did not disappear. The chance that the end result could be carried out is slim if the whole heart of the student body and the administration isn't in the effort. The change would be an excuse to raise fees elsewhere, from the Pit to the laundry rooms, in an effort to recoup part of the losses that would stem from a rash change. However, by carefully watching the funds, and by restricting the size of the student body to keep the program from getting too expensive, it could be done.

For the students, the program would not be a totally free ride, as it may appear to administrators or financial officers reading this column. Academic excellence would be expected from those students who receive the benefits. I think a minimum of a 3.0 GPA would be necessary to keep the grant, and dropping below that level for more than a semester would be grounds for reinstituting the regular tuition structure.

Further, the admission requirements would have to get much stricter to keep the student body from growing too quickly. The fact that the university would eliminate tuition and only charge fees would make it incredibly attractive to the over-achieving high school student who might not even consider the university because they perceive it as just another overpriced liberal arts institution in the South today. As the size of the pool of qualified graduates increased, so would the selectivity for admittance.

At the same time, however, I envision the retention rate, which is already incredibly high for an institution as difficult this university, to go lower. As students let their GPAs drop below 3.0 in their sophomore and junior years, the temptation would exist to transfer to a state institution where they could continue to write a relatively small check every month, rather than paying here.

I think this is a small price to pay, however, because not only would it make the university a more selective school, but also the national stature of the university would increase. Think about the headlines in the nation's newspapers: "Highly selective southern university eliminates tuition for undergraduates." Publicity like that can bring in literally hundreds of applicants who don't know about the university into the student body the next year.

Obviously, this is a pipe dream right now. The administration is not going to take my advice and lower tuition to nothing on the basis of my argument that it will benefit the university, but I think the program has a chance of success in the future. Keep this in the back of your mind, because I think this may be the trend in education, particularly higher education. The academies for the branches of the United States Military already follow this policy, and it's only a matter of time before a private institution tries it. It requires that there be a wealthy pool of donors who believe in the program, and quite a bit of time to see the program though, but I think it could happen.

Consider the ramifications of a program such as this, and see if you come to the same conclusion that I do. The first prominent school to do this will reap great benefit, both in terms of increased selectivity in the admittance process and more diversity in the student body.

I'd like to see the university be the pioneer in this area, but it's up to you when you as students, faculty, staff and alumni to determine if the idea has merit.