Equality vs Equity Building the Boxes in Admissions

Equality vs. Equity: Building the Boxes in Admissions & Recruiting Tony Wynne, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) Dir. Admissions & Recruitment Affairs Dir. Veterinary Medical College Application Service © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential June 26 -28 | Boston, MA

Equality vs. Equity 2 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

Defining Equality Let’s Define “Equality” Noun: • the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. • the right of different groups of people to receive the same treatment • a situation in which men and women, people of different races, religions, etc. are all treated fairly and have the same opportunities 3 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

Defining Equity Let’s Define “Equity” Noun: • the quality of being fair and impartial. • the situation in which everyone is treated fairly despite life obstacles • the belief that no one should have poorer life chances because of the way they were born, where they come from, what they believe 4 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

The Shoe Analogy… 5 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

The Obstacles For Our Applicants Letters of Recommendation Experience Hours Application Costs Application Completion Personal Essays Transcripts Other Hoops & Hurdles Test Scores Understanding Various Processes/Requirements 6 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

The Challenges for Our Member Institutions 7 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

Equitable Process Survey Questions 8 Who? Summary Results What does an equitable process look like? Academic Deans Vastly differing views What are applicant obstacles? Admissions Preference towards how it benefits admissions What are solutions to these obstacles? Admissions Committees © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

Equitable Process Survey – Sample Results 9 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

Survey Observations • Preservation of current admissions processes and policies • Attempts to hold applicants to processes rather than adjust processes to recognize opportunistic obstacles • Evidence of institutions willing to entertain ways to become more equitable • Higher Education Admissions Landscape, overall, is shifting 10 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

The Shifting Landscape of Admissions Competency-Based Admissions 11 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

Discussion Point #1 DISCUSSION QUESTION: How does/should the shifting landscape of admissions processing impact

Statements: Equitability, of any kind, should first ensure that opportunities are made available that allow for success. An equitable admissions process, therefore, recognizes (and weighs) an individual’s obstacle in meeting requirements 13 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

Challenges in to Equity in Admissions Processing Current Practices • GPA Cut-offs (benefits admissions not applicant) • Experience Hours (and relative outcomes) • Standardized Testing • Committee Bias • Lack of Holistic Application Opportunities / Questions • Missing Transparency in Application Requirements 14 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential

Equality vs. Equity Truly impactful processes will balance equality & equity 15 © 2019

Discussion Point #2 DISCUSSION QUESTION: What are your thoughts on ways to balance equality

Final Observations • Diversifying the future of health professionals starts with diversifying the pipeline • “Holistic” admissions processing can’t occur until “Holistic” is clearly defined • Achieving an equitable admissions process begins with an equitable application • The balance of equal & equitable processes will likely lead to institutions achieving more goals in admissions • This is just the beginning of a larger, intra-professional conversation… • To Be Continued… 17 © 2019 Proprietary and Confidential