Creating a climate for diversity
Amanda Smith | Staff Writer
Issue date: 9/23/09 Section: News
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The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment recently released statistical data which outlined the rates of diversity at UNCW. The total percentage of non-Caucasian undergraduates is 10.73 percent, with incoming freshman at 9.96 percent and new transfers at 10.74 percent. The overall institutional rate, which includes students from all classes as well as the graduate school, is 11.06 percent. Last year's overall rate was 11.07 percent.
However, according to Dr. Terry Curran, the associate provost for enrollment management, the statistics this year cannot be compared to last year's data due to a change in the survey question about ethnicity.
"Based on the freshman number, we have actually gone down this year. It looks significantly lower and there is some truth to that, but now I am dealing with the multiethnic category that we have never used before," said Dr. Curran.
Students who applied to UNCW for the 2009-2010 academic year were given two additional ethnic categories-multiethnic and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander- to choose from. Having these additional options in the ethnicity portion of the application makes comparing the statistics forms impossible.
According to Dr. Curran, the multiethnic category percentage is not added into the overall percentage for diversity at UNCW due to an inability to define the students who choose this option as ethnic minorities, which may explain some of the decrease in diversity.
"The difficulty, particularly this year, is the designations that have been changed. It's hard to look at those designations and know if you are comparing apples and oranges," said Dr. Curran.
Despite the rising rates that occurred over previous years, UNCW still lacks diversity in some areas. While the university strives to attract all types of students, it is still falling short of its intended goals.
"We still have a long way to go in achieving a critical mass in all of our ethnicities so that students do, in fact, feel that they have an acknowledged presence at this campus," said Dr. Curran. "I think it is safe to say that a campus that still represents itself as 83 percent Caucasian doesn't have a critical mass of people of color on campus."
When trying to build a diverse campus, enrollment is not the only thing to consider. The Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion focuses on providing students with the avenues for success, while building an overall climate for diversity. Both are essential in creating and retaining a diverse campus.
"The students that are here need to feel comfortable and feel like they are being engaged. Working on student retention and success is another part of the equation. You are looking at enrollment, but you are also looking at retention," said Dr. Jose Hernandez, the associate provost for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion.
Providing students with centers, such as the Upperman African American Center, Centro Hispano,the Multicultural Center, and the Women's Studies and Resource Center, gives students the support and guidance they need in order to have that student success. The centers also allow ethnic students to feel a sense of kinship and connection with other students.
"When you look at the institution as a whole, there are lots of avenues for majority students to go where they feel supported, but for minority students the centers might be the only place. That is where I think the centers have a unique value to the students," said Dr. Hernandez.
Another job of the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion is to bring visibility and respect to all areas of the student body, be it gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation. To better reach this mission, currently the office is working on expanding Centro Hispano in the union and developing a resource center for LGBT students, according to Dr. Hernandez.
The diversity of the campus also depends on the diversity of the faculty and staff. In order to be successful in having a diverse student body, the faculty and staff must be diverse as well. Having diverse faculty and staff allows students to experience the differences that exist in larger societies and provides a more welcoming environment for ethnically and culturally diverse students.
"You can have the most successful admissions office in the world, but the admissions office will never reach the yield of minority students that it is hoping to, unless the campus reflects what it is that we are trying to recruit," said Dr. Curran. "It is essentially important for us to work as hard on recruiting faculty and staff on this campus with diverse backgrounds as it is for us to recruit diverse students."
Despite efforts made by UNCW administrations, the enrollment process remains the largest challenge with building diversity. Many systemic and societal factors attribute to a problem that is not unique to UNCW. However, by reaching out into the community and recognizing a larger role in society, UNCW can build diversity and provide guidance to students who may need it.
"This problem does not start at the university, it starts much earlier, and part of our efforts is to reach out to the high schools and earlier grades to prepare them for college," said Dr. Hernandez. "Our universities have a larger role to play in society. We have to in some small way help those students."
Having a diverse campus benefits all students and enriches the educational experience beyond things that can be learned in the classroom. It is an important part of the college environment and prepares students for life in the real world after graduation.
"All of our students deserve cultural preparation. Part of it is addressing minority student access, but another part of it is addressing that all students graduate better prepared for all the differences that exist in our society," said Dr. Hernandez.
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