<p>Just wanted to add - VA taxpayers probably are paying quite a bit in state taxes, as one of the moms of a rejected NOVA student complained in the article. (So is everyone else, of course.) But the last time I heard President Reveley speak, he pointed out that less than 17 percent of the College’s annual budget is provided by funds from the state, and that the percentage was steadily decreasing. It will be less than 13 percent by the 2012 fiscal year. So sure, Virginians are paying a lot in taxes - but not all that much of their tax money is winding up in Williamsburg and Charlottesville.</p>
<p>Also, the complaining mom’s kid posted a 1300 SAT. Few OOS students stand a chance with that score. The 25th/75th percentiles for Math/CR were 1260/1440 last year - 1300 is toward the bottom of that middle 50 percent. So is Hugo’s plan to get rid of the kids from New Jersey and Pennsylvania who pay twice as much for the same education, and usually have very strong SAT scores, as well? It sounds like he wants to make the school both less affordable for Virginians, because the financial slack from fewer OOS students will have to be taken up somewhere, and less selective. </p>
<p>It would be a shame for two nationally recognized, fine public universities to lose what makes them unique. It would certainly hurt the state more in the long run (not that politicos ever really think about the long run).</p>