The racial diversity at the University of Wisconsin can only be characterized as shamefully lacking. It's no secret. According to university statistics, African-Americans and Hispanics make up a mere 6 percent of the student body. In the state as a whole, they make up more than 12 percent of the population.
Even more depressing is that retention rates for minority students are lower than they are for white students. The total student body has an 83-percent retention rate over three years, compared to only 76 percent of minority students.
As hard as it is to believe, the situation has actually improved since the inception of a major diversity initiative, Plan 2008, in 1999. The plan has focused on increasing accessibility for minority students through financial aid and outreach programs. The overall minority population has since increased by hundreds of students, while retention rates have showed a similarly impressive climb (in 1999, only 66 percent of minorities remained at UW for their senior year).
Still, much remains to be done, and UW's continued commitment to a holistic admissions policy should be applauded.
The political justifications for this are obvious enough. Racial disparity and prejudice, the legacy of slavery and state-sponsored discrimination and a general commitment to equality are all compelling reasons for affirmative action. What often gets lost in this debate, however, is the benefit racial diversity brings to all people on campus.
While the geographic, religious and even income differences among students at UW offer one at least a taste of diversity, the lack of racial heterogeneity fundamentally limits the perspectives that students have access to on campus. In truth, the racial makeup of UW differs little from the small towns and suburbs of the Midwest from which most students hail. This stark reality is troubling in the context of a rapidly diversifying society. If white students are ignorant of other cultures and remain unprepared to enter the workforce of a multiracial society, then the university has failed.
Lack of diversity obviously has an especially negative impact on minorities. It's not hard to understand how a minority student — drowning in a sea of indifferent white faces — might feel discouraged. Racial ignorance and prejudice on campus can create a situation of penetrating alienation, resulting in a prickly campus climate. The recent controversy in reaction to law professor Leonard Kaplan's alleged comments about the Hmong community illustrate just how racially charged UW can be. Sensitivity efforts and racial awareness initiatives don't hurt the situation but are a poor substitute for genuine racial diversity. It's hardly a coincidence, after all, that the increased presence of minorities on campus over the past decade has accompanied a higher minority graduation rate.
Most of Wisconsin's African-American and Hispanic population reside in Milwaukee, where the school system is largely compromised of minorities. Socioeconomic barriers preclude many of these students from attending prestigious universities like UW. Only a few high schools from the city, such as the highly acclaimed Rufus King (this writer's alma mater), consistently send a large percentage of its graduates to UW. This situation has caused some from the UW administration to sigh in defeat; "it's not our fault" expresses this sentiment. While societal factors undoubtedly bear most of the burden for UW's diversity woes, it's no justification for the university to absolve itself of all the blame. The aggressive recruitment of minorities signifies that UW is still committed to holding itself responsible for increasing minorities on campus — to its credit.
Such resolve offers hope for a racially diverse university. This hope, however, is threatened by state Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, and other anti-affirmative action Wisconsin legislators. Recently, Nass and 18 other state legislators sent a letter to Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen requesting a ruling on the legality of UW's use of race in its admissions policy. Other avenues to abolish affirmative action at UW — such as a statewide referendum — have also been suggested.
This recent push to abolish affirmative action is nothing more than racist opportunism. In order to increase the quality of the university, the holistic admissions policy considers a variety of non-academic factors, including race. This means that veterans, the economically disadvantaged and kids from single parent households will get extra consideration. In this context, one Republican legislator's recent comment that UW's admissions process has an "exclusive policy for rural white kids" is absurd.
The consequences of a "race-neutral" admissions policy are clear. The past decade's improvements, which include a steady increase in minorities at UW, will have gone to waste. The aspiration of a truly diverse university will be dead. It is incumbent on us to not let this happen.
Kyle Szarzynski ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in Spanish and history.
