Prof. Dixon is ABSOLUTELY right! In my three years there, the faculty labored over each individual student's admission or retention decision. They strive to ensure that students have a chance at success, knowing what will await them curricularly at the next stage of training - if the student doesn't have the technique aquired at that point to ensure the potential for success at the next level, this must be considered (why set a student up to fail, simply because you might be able to cast them or because they are really nice kids?).
Also, as to the conflicting schedule with other theatre auditions, thespian conferences, etc., the UofA does accept taped auditions (or at least they did as recently as 2004). The video submission are given the same consideration as an in-house audition...so if there is a conflict, tape your audition and mail it in.
eve