UCSD Charts Diversity Progress

UC San Diego hosted an intimate luncheon Thursday to discuss its continued commitment to diversity. The black student union and other student-run organizations have been urging the administration to try harder to attract minority students and create an atmosphere that is welcoming and inclusive following an incident last year where a student group mocked Black History Month.

Chancellor Marye Anne Fox shared the progress at the event held on campus, but outlined the need for continued efforts.

“We want to ensure that everyone that works or studies here will feel welcome and accepted every time. We know, of course, this is a lofty goal,” said Fox.

The university recently increased efforts to attract and retain minority students. Efforts include outreach to minority applicants and raising private support for minority student financial aid and study.

“We have been very aggressive in the last three or four years to find populations we wouldn't have reached before with our older outreach methods,” said Mae Brown, assistant vice chancellor for admissions at the university.

And the application numbers are up. Last month, UC San Diego announced that minority freshman applications rose by 27.4 percent. Applications from African-American high school students for the next academic year numbered 2,192, an increase of 12.8 percent over last year. There were 620 transfer applications from black students, up nearly 17 percent. The increase in freshman applications from Hispanic high school students was up 31.8 percent to 10,780, and transfer applications rose 48.5 percent to 1,964.

Even after presenting applications numbers, administrators reported on numerous initiatives that are in place, have recently been beefed up or are on the horizon to continue to increase the diversity on campus. Students will soon be required to take a diversity course as part of their requirement for graduation. In addition, a survey will be distributed this spring to poll students on the current atmosphere.

“We are doing diversity at UC San Diego not only because we are morally driven to do this but because it makes sense,” said Sandra Daley, associate chancellor and chief diversity officer.

Students demonstrated last year after a student group held a “Compton Cookout” to poke fun at Black History Month. A year later, some students said they still do not feel safe on campus.

“The university is making an effort to listen to our recommendations and demands but at the same time it is not making an institutional effort to make concrete changes to what diversity is actually defined to be," said Leslie Quintanilla. "So while they are doing these programs they are not looking at the existing structures that need to be changed in order for minoritized communities to feel comfortable at this community.”

Associated Students President Wafa Ben Hassine said many pupils recognize a “genuine sincere effort” on behalf of administrators to improve the campus climate yet she admits, “there still is a lot of work to be done.”

City News Service contributed to this report.