The University’s student population has gotten a little more diverse.
The Office of Equity, Diversity and Community Outreach released the 2010-11 Annual Diversity Report in December, which showed an increase in minority University students.
The following races saw a growing population on campus in 2010:
-Black students made up 9.35 percent of the LSU student body, up from 8.82 percent in 2009.
-Asian/Pacific Islander students made up 3.39 percent, up from 3.35 percent in 2009
-Hispanic students made up 3.79 percent, up from 3.41 percent in 2009
The diversity report also found increases in students of two or more races, who made up 0.65 percent of the student population in 2009 and jumped to 1.06 percent in 2010, and international students, who rose from 1.94 percent of the population to 1.99 percent.
Despite the strides the University made in diversity during the fall 2010 semester, other SEC institutions are still ahead of the University in ethnic diversity.
The University of Alabama has 12.17 percent black/African-American undergraduate students, and the University of Georgia has about 7.8 percent Asian and about 1.2 percent multiracial undergraduate students.
One of the University’s diversity projects is the Black Male Leadership Initiative, which promotes enrollment and graduation for male African-American students with leadership training and academic support. In fall 2010, this project raised $9,232 through fees and foundation grants.
Vilien Gomez, computer engineering sophomore and a member of the University Black Male Leadership Initiative, said he chose the University after attending SPRINGFEST Recruitment Weekend, a program held by the Office of Multicultural Affairs for ethnic minority high school students.
Gomez said he was attracted to the University’s ethnically and culturally diverse population.
He said the University encourages diversity, but there is always room for improvement, like more student involvement.
“It’s called multicultural, meaning all people,” Gomez said. “Diversity programs aren’t just for African-Americans.”
Bruce Parker, a graduate assistant in the Office of Multicultural Affairs who leads the LGBTQ Project, said diversity projects add to education because students interact and learn from others who are different.
 
 
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Contact Marylee Williams at [email protected]