Campus sees decrease in diversity rates

In spring 2001 the percentage of non-white minority students on Georgia College’s campus was 19.7 percent.

As of spring 2011, with an increase in enrollment by 1,508 students over a ten-year period, that percentage decreased to only 17.4 percent of minorities on campus.

As a liberal arts college priding itself on diversity, the campus is not as diverse as projected.

In order to proceed, diversity must be evaluated and expounded upon.

But firstly, what is meant by “diversity” on campus?

Diversity is normally applied to ethnic backgrounds, and the statistics they produce, but it goes deeper than that.

Provost Sandra Jordan describes diversity as including “under-represented groups associated with gender, race, age, ethnicity, disabled or non-disabled, geographic diversity within the US, or country of origin, and socio-economic diversity.”

With such vast categories to fall into, tracking diversity results and how to increase them can be a daunting task.

Yet, specifically set as goal this semester, GC aimed its sights on increasing diversity on campus.

Revamping their goals and strategies, GC has launched several new initiatives this semester, Jordan said.

In addition to creating specific campus visitation days for unique demographics, GC has also built a peer support program called DiversiTeam to aid in transition issues minorities might face in their adjustment to campus life.

“I think if we are able to input the right types of strategy and initiatives, not only with recruitment but also with retention efforts and programs, I think that’s going to go a long way to increasing that diversity,” Emmanuel Little, director of the cultural center, said.

Besides the new initiatives,

GC has long had other programs instituted to accommodate minorities. These include the SOAR program and MALE Connection, with Little serving as director of both.

SOAR (Student Oriented Activities and Resources) matches incoming minority students with both a student and a professional mentor.

It’s really good cause if you’re a student here and you’re in the SOAR program you at least have a very good built in network to draw from the moment you step foot on campus,” Little said.

The MALE (Mentoring African Americans for Leadership Education and) Connection program, specifically for African American males, adds more support to the already dwindling demographic.

However, a dearth of diverse applicants to GC does not mean the college is completely at fault, as there are innumerable other factors combating against increasing diversity on campus.

Nationwide and worldwide, students pursuing secondary education are not always given equal opportunities. Whether it is a financial burden, the need to work more than 20 hours a week, or lack of information pertaining to college applications, some students simply never receive the chance.

“This is why I hope that GC will have a chance in the future to address the need for more effective early counseling and more minority scholarships,” Jordan said.

Students already at GC play an indispensable role in maximizing diversity on campus. If the campus is not merely interested in tolerating diversity, but instead in embracing it, and all of its facets, it sends a positive message to applicants, and future generations of students.

“I think GC has a long way to go in terms of diversity, but I think we’re starting to head in the right direction,” Little said.

Posted by Nick Widener on Dec 1 2011. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.