The University’s fall enrollment report shows an increase in some minority populations on campus, while others have shrunk since last fall.
The population of black, Hispanic and Pacific Islander undergraduates saw growth from fall 2010, but Asian and Native American undergraduates have slightly diminished for a total of 4,255 minority students currently enrolled.
David Kurpius, interim associate vice chancellor of enrollment management, said the increase in the population of black students may be attributed to more campus programs geared toward that minority, like the Black Student Union, which encompasses 23 predominantly black student organizations on campus.
“We like to see that number increase,” Kurpius said.
He said Texas-based recruiting is a likely factor for bringing in more Hispanic students.
Chaunda Allen, director of the Office of Muliticultural Affairs, said the combination of programs and recruiting efforts helps attain diversity.
Giving prospective minority students an idea of how the University is unique and how they will benefit from it is important when students are exploring their options, she said.
“If students can see themselves here, they are more likely to attend,” Allen said.
Kurpius suggested scholarship cuts may explain the decrease in the number of some minority groups. He said though scholarships are given by the University based on merit or need, not by ethnicity, students still see scholarship cuts as a disadvantage whether they belong to a minority group or not.
The University’s budgetary woes may also be a contributing factor to the decrease. Kurpius said if minority students are coming from out of state, ominous worries of budget cuts aren’t appealing to them.
Allen said the Native American population may have decreased due to technical matters. For example, to be considered as Native American, students must undergo a process to be classified by a tribe.
“We may not be seeing as many people who are able to get that designation as we have in the past,” she said.
Allen said she expects an increase in these areas in the future if the University continues its outreach.
Though there is a shortage of staff to create more programs to target these particular minorities, Allen said the University is brainstorming about how to make them a reality.
Kurpius said not all of the enrollment data is in yet, so it’s not clear how many of these minority students are from out of state.
More numbers will be released later in the year, revealing further information about minority populations at the University, he said.
 
____
Contact Juliann Allen at [email protected]