Spring Break
Minority enrollment numbers grow slowly over the years
by Sean Lasoff
News | 9/25/07
Posted online at 9:04 PM EST on 9/24/07
/ Last updated at 5:32 AM EST on 9/24/07
The Chronicle of Higher Education reported this month that Brandeis' minority enrollment falls behind the national average of 32 percent. The national percentage of minority students enrolled in college has risen by a total of 15 percent since 1976.
This year, 23.7 percent of Brandeis undergraduates identify as racial minorities, an increase of around nine percent from last year, according to Dean of Admissions Gil Villanueva.
About 15.6 percent of undergraduates identified themselves as racial minorities last year, a modest increase from 14.4 percent seven years ago, according to University enrollment data. Blacks and Hispanics matriculate in particularly small numbers-2005 was the first year since 1991 and only the second year on record that enrollment of either group exceeded 100 students.
"We've been working really hard at it," said Eddy last April of efforts to increase the matriculation of minority students.
"We've had some nice gains. Not as many as we'd like to have, but we're still working on it," she said.
Eddy didn't return requests for comment last week.
Villanueva wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that 12.8 percent of undergraduate students identify themselves as Asian, 3.8 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino, and two percent as Native American.
Villanueva wrote that black students make up 5.1 percent of the undergraduate student body, which totals around 3,300.
Gains in enrollment of racial-minority students have not kept pace with peer institutions, the University acknowledged in last year's self study. At Tufts University, minorities make up more than 25 percent of the undergraduate population, more than twice the percentage at Brandeis, according to The Education Trust, a Washington-based advocacy group.
The Brandeis Black Student Organization said they are eager to diversify the campus and fight the challenges of under-representation.
Danielle Spencer '11 spoke about some of the challenges black students face. "It seems sometimes Brandeis preaches diversity, but doesn't believe it," she said.
"We need to reach out to those less fortunate than we are, increase awareness and take strides to have events that spread outside of Brandeis," BBSO coordinator Curtis McLeod '09.
This year, 23.7 percent of Brandeis undergraduates identify as racial minorities, an increase of around nine percent from last year, according to Dean of Admissions Gil Villanueva.
About 15.6 percent of undergraduates identified themselves as racial minorities last year, a modest increase from 14.4 percent seven years ago, according to University enrollment data. Blacks and Hispanics matriculate in particularly small numbers-2005 was the first year since 1991 and only the second year on record that enrollment of either group exceeded 100 students.
"We've been working really hard at it," said Eddy last April of efforts to increase the matriculation of minority students.
"We've had some nice gains. Not as many as we'd like to have, but we're still working on it," she said.
Eddy didn't return requests for comment last week.
Villanueva wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that 12.8 percent of undergraduate students identify themselves as Asian, 3.8 percent identify as Hispanic or Latino, and two percent as Native American.
Villanueva wrote that black students make up 5.1 percent of the undergraduate student body, which totals around 3,300.
Gains in enrollment of racial-minority students have not kept pace with peer institutions, the University acknowledged in last year's self study. At Tufts University, minorities make up more than 25 percent of the undergraduate population, more than twice the percentage at Brandeis, according to The Education Trust, a Washington-based advocacy group.
The Brandeis Black Student Organization said they are eager to diversify the campus and fight the challenges of under-representation.
Danielle Spencer '11 spoke about some of the challenges black students face. "It seems sometimes Brandeis preaches diversity, but doesn't believe it," she said.
"We need to reach out to those less fortunate than we are, increase awareness and take strides to have events that spread outside of Brandeis," BBSO coordinator Curtis McLeod '09.
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