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Show ChRONicte Paqe TtEsdAy, January 10, Folr FOCUS U. - On q88 MiNORiTiES programs to attract minorities 'taken lightly He said programslo attract and maintain black, Chicano, Native American and Oriental students and faculty to the U. have been cut drastically over the years, weakening their effectiveness. Furthermore, he said the progams in place are inadequate compared to those of past years. Afesa Adams, associate vice president for academic affairs, said she does not want to argue with Knowlton, but disagrees with his opinion. "I do not think the programs are weaker now," she said. The quality of minority faculty is superior as is the quality of courses taught regarding minorities, she said. "The review of the faculty recruitment process has never been as systematic or geared toward women and minorities in the hiring pools as it is currently," Adams said. By Dennis Romboy Chronicle investigative editor In the late 1960s Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream: ". . that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." King's children are grown now, but many argue that they, along with other ethnic groups which make up the national community, likely are not any closer to their father's dream. The University of Utah community may not be marching toward racial equality either. Attempts have been made to . "We are doing things in an institutional way and encourage departments to consider seriously women and minorities in the pools," she said. As many as 98 percent of academic departments seriously search for minorites to fill faculty positions, Adams said. While this may be so, Knowlton does not believe departments are doing all they can to hire minority professors. He said the incentive to do so is no longer present, e are many departments that do not have minorities. Some never have had minorities. No one lifted an eyebrow. In the early '60s and late 70s they would have come under severe scrutiny," he said. Ron Scott, an assistant professor in the department of communication, has been at the U. since 1973. After earning ' a bachelor of arts degree at Penn State University he came to the campus as a graduate student. He said the U. reached out to him at that time and helped him attain hsi present status as Programs for minority students are not weaker now than they were in the 1970s, Afesa Adams, associate vice president for academic affairs, said. Even so,she a professor. Ji Chronicle photo by Marc Barkdul! Although Ron Scott, a communication professor, has lived in Utah for 15 years, he said it is sometimes lonely being a black man in a predominantly white society. make the U. a fountain of educational water from which students of all ethnic backgrounds may drink. But some U. professors feel the university's responsibility to attract minority students and faculty has been taken lightly. , "The gains of the last 20 years are in danger of being lost right now," Clark Knowlton, sociology professor, said. It would be fair to say the administration does not place as much importance on minority recruitment as it did in the late '60s and early 70s, he said. "The liaison between the university communtiy and the . minority community has broken down from the administration down to the faculty," he said. "It's changing for the worse. The university does not care about, does not want to worry about and does not want to make adjustments with what it has," Knowlton said of campus minority programs. Minorities at Enrollment U. "The university has a admissions standards, coupled with tuition costs, has reduced the minority population at the University of Utah. These things affect students across the ever-risin- g board, but they hurt ethnic minority students more, said Augustine Trujillo, director of the U. Center for Ethnic Student Affairs. "I'm hoping enrollment capping won't affect the number of ethnic minority students, but it might decrease the numbers somewhat, " Augustine Trujillo, director of the U. Center for Ethnic Student Affairs, said. As of fall quarter, the number of blacks (113) and Native Americans (115) on campus is lower than it has been in 15 years. high The number of Orientals hit an but has gone down since. Only in 1983-8- 4, the Chicano population has increased all-ti- me ignorance. Nevertheless, Scott said ignorance is no excuse. Knowlton thinks it could take a while for the current trend to reverse itself. "The situation is bleak." Things are getting worse nationally, Scott said. "We are going backwards." If people of varying ethnic backgrounds do not learn to live and work together, the situation could become volatile, he said. "If we drift farther apart, we'll end up in a major confrontation. It's the same in South Africa. Only it's legal there, custom here," Scott said of prejudice that exists in this country. Adams said in order to break down barriers that exist "we need to do things consistent with a democratic society" and community, and minorities are a part of that community. Students can learn a lot from having minority students on campus, just as they can learn a lot from having international students on campus. Thompson said U. students could benefit from one another regardless of race. "How long will it take to become an enlightened society?" Scott asked. He said the lack of minorities in higher education is a problem not due to maliciousness, but propagated by scarce ethnic groups' college aspirations The threat of increasingly difficult campus. responsibility to the entire slightly this year. Because unemployment rates are higher for minorities and the jobs they do have generally pay less, Trujillo said, ethnic minority students can't go to their parents for financial help. Although students in this situation may qualify for financial aid, Trujillo said it is insufficient. "What makes it a little more difficult the last few years is there has not been enough to cover their entire expenses," he said. Daniel Edwards, an associate professor in the Graduate School of Social Work and; 600 45 500 - a 400 " 1 u 300 - s t H uo Native American studies, agrees. "The opportunity for financial assistance was better back in the 70s. There were a lot more scholarships and tuition and fee stipends for American Indians," he said. For instance, Edwards said in the 70s he had 20 stipends; now he has only six. "There is less commitment by the federal government and state and private funding for American Indians," he said. And maybe less commitment on the part of the U. administration as well. Boyer Jarvis, senior associate vice president for academic affairs, said he was not awar the number of minority students at the U. was on the decline. However, he said the recruitment of minority students is "as important now as it always has been." "act on the Constitution." "We all endorse the Constitution regardless of race or background. As a nation we owe it to ourselves to maximize the potential of each member of society. We really can't afford to cast away anybody," she said. As for the campus itself, Knowlton said overall the decrease in minorities cannot be attributed to racial prejudice, but the result is the same. Minorities at the U. capping could hinder By Dennis Romboy Chronicle investigative editor said there are not enough minority students on Even so, Scott said it can be "difficult emotionally to survive in Utah" as a minority. "It's not a put down on the society, it's isolated here anyway. It can be really lonely here," he said. That kind of loneliness can be overcome only by getting to know each other's background and culture, he said. To Scott the social benefits of a diverse society are important to everyone. "If we don't interact, how are we going to learn?" he asked. "Aren't we always taught that diversity is the spice of life? We (in Utah) are a little bland at times," he said. This sentiment was voiced by the first black U. 'student body president, Grover Thompson, in 1971. 200 - 100 r 1 1978 i i i 1980 1982 1984 Black Hispanic -- o- 1 . 1986 ( 1988 American Indian Asian All minority groups on campus, in enrollment the past few years. except Hispanic students, have seen a drop It still may be a priority to attract somewhat," Trujillo said. minority students, but people like Trujillo fear rising admissions standards and enrollment capping could discourage minorities from coming to the U. "I'm hoping enrollment capping won't affect the number of ethnic minority but it students, might decrease the numbers Under an open-doconcept, he said, the U. operates as the state's flagship institution or attracting minority students. New admissions criteria would cause potential minority students to enroll at other colleges or rule college out as an option. see "decrease" on page five |
