Spring Break
Point-Counter Point
Diversity unlikely on campus
Miranda Helbling
Issue date: 2/28/07 Section: Opinion
From just taking a walk around the campus, you can see that UW-La Crosse is not a racially diverse campus. Go into a classroom, and it is very likely that you will find yourself in a predominantly white group of students. You may soon conclude that the enrollment of minority students at UW-L is low, and you would be correct.
Though diversity is important because it enriches society by helping us understand about each other cultures, it is unlikely that it will achieved at UW-L anytime soon, considering how the system is now.
First, you must take into account the current student and faculty demographics of UW-L, and why it may appear that the campus would not be a comfortable environment to a minority. By going on the UW-L homepage and clicking on "About UW-L," then clicking on "Facts and Figures" under "Campus Profile," you can find that the fall 2006 undergraduate enrollment did not show a diverse culture of students, especially with 92 percent of those enrolled being Caucasian. From this data, you can determine that for every African American, there will be 103 Caucasians; for every Hispanic, 61 Caucasians; and for every Southeast Asian, 66 Caucasians; with the trend continuing in each race. The UW-L faculty, similarly, showed little racial diversity with only 12 percent of its staff being multicultural
Along with the lack of diversity currently in place, we must consider the other causes of low minority enrollment. According to the UW-L Office of Institutional Research, 80 percent of students of color that applied as new freshman in fall 2006 were accepted, which would make you think that there should be more diversity on campus. However, there is still a lack of minority students at UW-L simply because there are fewer of them applying, which stems from several factors, including lower high school graduation rates for minorities than for Caucasians in Wisconsin and the fact that the La Crosse community is just not as diverse as other communities, such as Milwaukee.
Overall, UW-L is at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting more minority students. Though diversity is something to strive for, you need to look at what is inhibiting it before you can achieve it.
Though diversity is important because it enriches society by helping us understand about each other cultures, it is unlikely that it will achieved at UW-L anytime soon, considering how the system is now.
First, you must take into account the current student and faculty demographics of UW-L, and why it may appear that the campus would not be a comfortable environment to a minority. By going on the UW-L homepage and clicking on "About UW-L," then clicking on "Facts and Figures" under "Campus Profile," you can find that the fall 2006 undergraduate enrollment did not show a diverse culture of students, especially with 92 percent of those enrolled being Caucasian. From this data, you can determine that for every African American, there will be 103 Caucasians; for every Hispanic, 61 Caucasians; and for every Southeast Asian, 66 Caucasians; with the trend continuing in each race. The UW-L faculty, similarly, showed little racial diversity with only 12 percent of its staff being multicultural
Along with the lack of diversity currently in place, we must consider the other causes of low minority enrollment. According to the UW-L Office of Institutional Research, 80 percent of students of color that applied as new freshman in fall 2006 were accepted, which would make you think that there should be more diversity on campus. However, there is still a lack of minority students at UW-L simply because there are fewer of them applying, which stems from several factors, including lower high school graduation rates for minorities than for Caucasians in Wisconsin and the fact that the La Crosse community is just not as diverse as other communities, such as Milwaukee.
Overall, UW-L is at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting more minority students. Though diversity is something to strive for, you need to look at what is inhibiting it before you can achieve it.
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