The incoming
freshman class holds the highest percentage of minority students
to enter Appalachian State University, carrying hopes of increasing
diversity.
Although no formal figures exist until the freshmen
settle, 9.4 percent of the accepted applicants who confirmed they
were coming are minorities, said Director of Admissions Paul Hiatt.
“We hope it holds,” said Hiatt. “We’ve
done a lot to follow up and make sure the students who confirmed
are planning to attend.”
According to Appalachian State’s Diversity
Plan, the university’s goal is to increase the admissions pool
of minority students to 10 percent by 2008.
The percentage of total undergraduate students
last year who belonged to a minority group was at 6.5 percent, according
to Institutional Research.
The university plans to increase diversity in
order to increase education, according to the Diversity Plan.
“We’re interested in increasing our diversity at Appalachian
because we know that when you have a diverse group of people, it
helps you learn more about yourself,” said University Representative
Erin Hill.
Three studies conducted by the American Council
on Education show campus diversity benefits the education of all
students. The studies also show these benefits cannot be duplicated
in a racially or ethnically homogeneous setting.
This year’s increase in diversity may be
due to good recruiting efforts, said Hiatt. University representatives
increased personal contact and follow-up phone calls in recruiting
this year’s minority students. During follow-up calls, representatives
sometimes take prospective students through the application process.
“Some students are the first person in their
family to go to college, so we don’t expect they know everything
they need to know to be admitted to a university,” said Hill.
During phone calls, representatives urge minority
students to visit the campus.
“Once students come to Appalachian and see
the different resources we have to offer, it makes a big difference
in whether or not a student decides to enroll here,” said University
Representative Dontrell Parson.
Campus visitations also dispel myths minority
students may have about attending college in the mountains, said
Hill.
University representatives began tracking minorities
other than African Americans for the first time this year, said
Hill. They now track Asian Americans and Hispanic Americans.
Another new recruiting tactic, which began last
year, is counselor luncheons. University representatives speak with
high school counselors about resources the university offers to
minorities, said Parson.
University representatives plan to begin their recruiting efforts
earlier this year. They will begin in September visiting schools
and making follow-up phone calls. The recent increase encourages
representatives.
“I think this is the beginning to a beautiful
journey,” said Parson. “I expect [the number of minorities]
will increase … it’s a university-wide effort to increase
our minority enrollment.”
|
April Klaassen
Staff Writer
Multicultural Beat |
