(February 28, 2001) -- Beginning with the class of 2003, student may not have take the SAT in order to get into a University of California school, according to a recent proposal by UC president Richard Atkinson.

Atkinson said that the reason he made this decision was because he felt the university should “require only standardized tests that assess mastery of specific subject areas rather than undefined notions of ‘aptitude’ or ‘intelligence.’”

According to counselor Rebecca Angulo, this issue has been debated for quote some time. However, to many, the decision was unexpected. “I was shocked that Atkinson had the courage to do something like this,” history teacher Ira West said.

West said that he supports the decision. According to West, research shows that the SAT is biased, and the scores do not adequately measure students’ intelligence or mental capacity.

Angulo said that she does not know where to stand on the issue. “The SAT puts a lot of pressure on high school students,” she said. “On the other hand, if the SAT were to be eliminated as criteria for getting into the UC’s, kids that do well may be excluded.”

Although the UC faculty’s academic council and the UC Board of Regents have yet to approve the proposal, students are already preparing to be affected by the decision. “It would be great if I didn’t have to take the SAT,” said sophomore Eunice Kang. “Then I can focus on other things instead.”