2015-09-30
柏克萊加州大學今年五月舉行畢業典禮，學生歡慶拿到學位。 圖／路透
California's University System,an Upward-Mobility Machine
The University of California is struggling with budget woes that have deeply affected campus life. Yet the system's nine colleges still lead the nation in providing top-flight higher education to the masses.
At many other colleges, poor and truly middle-class students remain a distinct minority. Affluent students predominate at liberal arts colleges like Bates,private universities like Cornell and even many public universities, including Wisconsin and Penn State.
美國加州大學系統正努力因應已嚴重影響校園生活的預算吃緊局面，但在向大眾提供一流大學教育上，該系統的9所大學仍執全國之牛耳。
在許多其他大學，來自貧窮及真正中產階級家庭的學生仍舊占極少數。在貝茲之類文科大學、康乃爾等私立大學，甚至包括威斯康辛大學和賓州州立大學在內的許多公立大學，家境富裕的學生還是占大多數。
The University of California, by contrast, enrolls large number of high-performing students of all economic backgrounds.
That contrast is the most striking result of this year's College Access Index,a New York Times measure of economic diversity at top colleges. Six of the top seven spots in this year's index belong to University of California campuses; Irvine is at No. 1, and the flagship Berkeley is at No. 7.
相較之下，加州大學招收大量來自各個經濟背景的優秀學生。
今年紐約時報評比一流大學經濟多元「大學入學指數」中，上述對比是最引入注目結果。加州大學各校區在前7名中占了6名；爾灣排第1，最好的柏克萊第7。
The index is based on three factors: the share of students receiving Pell grants (which typically go to families making less than $70,000); the graduation rate of those students; and the net cost, after financial aid, that a college charges low- and middle-income students. The index covers 179 of the nation's top colleges, defined as having an overall five-year graduation rate of at least 75 percent.
Economic diversity has become a much-debated topic lately. Academic research has shown that many high-achieving low-income students do not attend a selective college, even when they're qualified. They instead enroll at a college closer to home, with fewer resources -- and many don't end up getting a four-year degree.
指數以3個因素為評比基礎，分別是獲裴爾贈款（通常發給收入不到7萬美元的家庭）學生比率、這些學生的畢業率，以及扣除助學金後學校向中低收入家庭學生收取的實際費用。指數涵蓋全國179所頂尖大學，其整體5年畢業率至少要達到75%。
經濟多元化近來已成為發燒議題。學術研究顯示，許多成績優異的低收入家庭學生即便具備入學資格也不去上一流大學。相反地，他們進入離家較近的大學，但許多人因資源較少而未能順利獲得大學學位。
“The big challenge for American higher education,” said Howard Gillman,the Irvine chancellor, “is that it has to be a gateway through which talented young people can thrive, regardless of their background.”
Officials at other top colleges, for their part, often say that they want to enroll more of these talented low- and middle-income students. But only some colleges have followed up these words with actions.
爾灣加州大學校長霍華．吉爾曼說：「美國高等教育面臨的重大挑戰是，它必須是讓優秀年輕人可透過它發展茁壯的入口，不論他們的背景為何。」
其他頂尖大學校方常宣稱要招收更多這些來自中低收入家庭優秀學生，但有具體行動者不多。
You can see the contrast between otherwise similar colleges. Amherst and Wesleyan are more diverse than Williams and Colby; Holy Cross more so than Notre Dame. The flagship state universities in Texas and North Carolina are more diverse than those in Michigan, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Among the most notable patterns from this year's College Access Index:
我們可看見在其他方面頗為類似的大學間的差異。阿默斯特與衛斯理多元化程度高過威廉斯跟科比，聖十字更高於聖母。德州跟北卡羅萊納州一流州立大學多元化程度也勝過密西根、維吉尼亞及威斯康辛等州的州立大學。
今年大學入學指數中最值得注意的模式如下：
Economic diversity has stagnated. The median share of first-year students receiving Pell grants at these colleges was 17 percent last year. That was up marginally from 16 percent the previous academic year but unchanged from 17 percent the previous two years.
This stagnation means that many elite colleges remain overwhelmingly well-off.For every student from the entire bottom half of the nation's income distribution at Dartmouth, Penn, Princeton, Yale and more than a few other colleges, there appear to be roughly two students from just the top 5 percent (which means they come from families making at least $200,000).
經濟多元化停滯。去年這些學校獲裴爾贈款的新生平均比率為17%，雖自前一學年的16%微幅上升，但持平於再前兩年的17%。
這種停滯代表許多名牌大學仍是富家子弟的天下。在達特茅斯、賓州、普林斯頓、耶魯及不少其他大學，來自全國收入分配下半部分家庭與來自前5%（收入至少達20萬美元家庭）的學生比例約為1比2。
College administrators wouldn't say it this way, yet they are essentially deciding that economic diversity matters less than other priorities -- like sports teams, new buildings and some low-enrollment academic programs.
But a small number of colleges have made big changes. At Pomona, the share of first-year students receiving Pell grants rose to 22 percent last year,from 16 percent three years earlier. The share has also risen notably at Davidson, in North Carolina; Franklin & Marshall, in Pennsylvania; and St.Olaf, in Minnesota.
校方不會如此對外表示，但他們基本上決定了經濟多元化的重要性不如其他事項，如：校隊、新大樓及一些低入學率的學程。
少數大學有很大改變。去年波莫那大學獲裴爾贈款的新生比率自3年前的16%升至22%。比率大幅上升的還有北卡州的戴維森、賓州的法蘭克林馬歇爾及明尼蘇達州的聖歐勒夫。
“It enhances the education of all students to meet people who are different than they are,” said Eileen O'Leary, an administrator.
Most low-income students who attend top colleges thrive. Merely going to college isn't enough. The benefits of college generally depend on graduating, and low-income students generally do graduate from these colleges.
大學行政人員艾琳．歐莉里說：「認識不同於自己的人，能增進所有學生的教育。」
多數就讀一流大學的低收入家庭學生能有良好的發展。只上大學是不夠的。大學的好處通常取決於畢業，低收入家庭的學生大體都能從這些大學畢業。
（David Leonhardt, 紐約時報, 陳韋廷譯）
說文解字看新聞
爾灣加大化學系應屆畢業生貝拉達（Rene Amel Peralta）6歲起全天在工地打雜，13歲被棄養後和姊姊從墨西哥偷渡到美國繼續打零工。17歲就讀社區大學是貝拉達首度接受正式教育。6年後畢業，過了2年被加州大學錄取，但他沒念過高中，不能申請補助，爾灣加大網開一面，總算讓他跨出脫貧的第一步。
貝拉達的例子或可說明爾灣等6所加州大學，何以能在紐時的「大學入學指數」（College Access Index）名列前茅。Access意指進入、使用、會面的權利或機會，介系詞常用to。例：We have access to the Internet at the library.
標題稱加州大學系統是「促進向上流動的機構」（upward-mobility machine），語出「社會流動」（social mobility），指的是從一種社會地位流向另一種社會地位的變化。高等教育是促成「社會階層」（social stratification）上下流動的關鍵，這是紐時藉由評比呼籲頂大不能專收人生勝利組（the whole package），忽視學生經濟背景多樣性（economic diversity）的主因。在紐時榜高居第三的聖塔芭芭拉加大，校長楊祖佑（Henry T. Yang）在重慶出生，台灣長大，是中研院院士。
說到社會流動，英國小說《Moll Flanders》值得一讀，作者是寫《魯賓遜漂流記》的狄福（Daniel Defoe）。主角在監獄出生，長大之後賣身、偷竊，為了脫貧不擇手段。讀者大可嫌她寡廉鮮恥，但作者暗批的是：若非社會流動宛如一溝死水，誰願意把自己弄得如此不堪？
（張佑生）
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