An article in Monday’s New York Times warned that shrinking endowments are causing even top-tier colleges and universities to make changes. Schools that admittedly consider ability to pay full tuition in admissions decisions are taking it into account more than ever this year, the article states.

As a result, cautions Owen Schapiro, the president of Williams College, “”There’s going to be a cascading of talented lower-income kids down the social hierarchy of American higher education.””

I was under the impression that such “”social hierarchy”” talk was pretty passé, but apparently those at the “”top”” still think it matters. It must be getting lonely up there, though, when only the very rich can afford tuitions inflated by years of prestige and ego.

Perhaps the most positive result of the economic crisis as a whole is that American students and their families will finally begin to wonder why there is such a huge disparity in cost between public and private institutions, when the academic gap is often small or non-existent.

That “”cascading”” will land bright but needier students in more affordable public institutions. And, as a student in and enthusiastic proponent of public higher education, I can see nothing but positives to such an influx. It’s not often that public education gets to truly prove its worth, but as old-money institutions begin to show their datedness in the face of a crumbling economy, places like the UA might finally attract the reputation and talent they truly deserve.

– Heather Price-Wright is a sophomore majoring in English and Latin American studies.