Elevated admissions standards are a hallmark of the University’s mission as the “flagship” institution of Louisiana, but a recruiting services official said those standards make the recruitment of minorities increasingly difficult.
“Our consistent goal in this office is to increase underrepresented groups on campus,” said Andy Benoit, director of recruiting services.
But according to the Office of Budget and Planning data, more than 80 percent of undergraduate students on campus identified themselves as white over the past four academic years.
Undergraduate demographic figures are not reflective of state or parish Census statistics.
In Louisiana, more than 62 percent of residents identified themselves as white, while about 53 percent of East Baton Rouge Parish is white.
The discrepancies are larger among those who identified themselves as black.
At the University, just more than 9 percent of undergraduate students said they were black, the second largest racial group on campus. To compare, nearly 32 percent of Louisiana’s residents are black; in the parish, nearly 42 percent are black.
Vice Provost of Equity and Diversity Katrice Albert said these statistics can be attributed to increased admissions standards, especially pertaining to ACT assessments.
Incoming freshmen attending the University this fall must have a 3.0 high school grade point average and a 22 on the ACT assessment. Previously, incoming freshmen only needed a 2.8 GPA and a 20 on the ACT.
“Across the state, ethnic minorities average lower ACT scores,” Albert said.
Over the past four years, as average ACT scores for incoming freshmen has increased, the percentage of minority undergraduate students has decreased.
The percentage of white students on campus increased from 79.3 percent in fall 2001 to more than 80 percent in spring 2005, and average ACT scores increased from 23.8 to 24.6 during the same period.
Nationally, 2005 high school graduates averaged 20.9 out of a possible 36 on the test. White students averaged 21.2, while black students averaged 16.8, American Indian students averaged 19.3, Hispanic students averaged 19.7 and Asian students averaged 20.8. In 2004, incoming University freshmen averaged 24.6 on the test.
Louisiana, especially East Baton Rouge Parish, also struggled on the assessment. Louisiana high school graduates averaged 19.8 and graduates from East Baton Rouge Parish averaged 19.4. Most University freshmen are graduates from Louisiana high schools.
“We’re going to have to do our part to help the East Baton Rouge Parish school system,” Albert said. “Our increased admissions standards mean that students are going to have to work harder in elementary and secondary education leading up to college.”
Benoit said his department has implemented multiple programs to increase minority enrollment.
These programs include an ACT preparation course, which Benoit said is designed to get more minority students to meet admissions requirements.
Specifically, Benoit said his office is working to increase enrollment of black students.
“Our goal is to increase minority enrollment by 150 students each year,” Benoit said. “It’s too early to know for sure, but right now, we are on pace to meet our goal.”
Overall, these demographic figures cannot be changed quickly, Benoit said.
“It’s a work in progress and we will continue to diversify the campus,” he said. “This will help ensure the long-term success of the University. But, [our goal becomes] more difficult as admissions standards rise.”
Contact Mathew Sanders at [email protected]