The Kept-Up Academic Librarian

In Wake Of Racial Harassment UC San Diego Changes Practices To Increase Awareness

The University of California, San Diego agreed to overhaul practices for handling complaints of racial harassment following a federal investigation of campus incidents that targeted black students two years ago. The federal government demanded changes after nooses and a Ku Klux Klan-style hood were found on campus in 2010, and students at an off-campus party dressed in costumes that mocked Black History Month. Starting last fall, the school required all undergraduates demonstrate knowledge of diversity, equity and inclusion. The school has also provided $330,000 a year for a program aimed at recruiting and retaining underrepresented groups. Read more at:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2012/04/13/uc_san_diego_revises_handling_of_racial_harassment/

Report Points To Low Graduation Rates For Latino College Students

In Texas, which has the country’s second-largest Latino population, experts say that closing the gap in college graduation rates between Latinos and Anglos will be critical to ensuring that the state has an educated workforce in the next 20 years. A report released today by Excelencia in Education, a national nonprofit that promotes policies aimed at improving Latino achievement in higher education, shows that approximately 17 percent of Latino adults in Texas have an associate's degree or higher, compared with 34 percent of all Texas adults. The report notes that the graduation rate for Latino college students in Texas is about 10 percentage points lower than that of white students.  Read more at:
http://www.texastribune.org/texas-education/higher-education/meet-national-goals-latino-graduation-rates-are-ke/

Unraveling The Admissions Mystery At The University Of Texas

Even after 20 years of legal wrangling, admission to the University of Texas — and what role race plays — still has its mysteries. The process, known as holistic review, allows the university to shape a diverse class with the interests and talents to make good use of university resources. But whom does holistic admissions help more — minority students, or affluent white applicants from private and suburban schools? Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/02/education/university-of-texas-mysterious-admissions-process.html

No Matter What The Courts Decide Colleges Will Seek To Increase Diversity

With its decision to take up racial preferences in admissions at public colleges, the Supreme Court has touched off a national guessing game about how far it might move against affirmative action and how profoundly colleges might change as a result. But no matter how the court acts, recent history shows that when courts or new laws restrict affirmative action, colleges try to find other ways to increase minority admissions. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/02/us/college-affirmative-action-policies-change-with-laws.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120402

Taking Steps To Improve The Retention Of African-American College Students

From free housing for the summer to tougher admission standards, Wayne State is pulling out all the stops to improve its dismal graduation rate for African-American students. Wayne State, with one of the largest African-American enrollments among four-year universities in the country, has a six-year black graduation rate of 10 percent. That rate is one of the lowest in the country. The percentage of African-American freshmen returning for their sophomore years has increased from 57 percent to 70 percent.  Read more at:
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2012/02/a_new_detroit_turnaround_plan.html

Supreme Court's Decision On Affirmative Action Could Radically Alter Higher Education

In a 2003 decision that the majority said it expected would last for 25 years, the Supreme Court allowed public colleges and universities to take account of race in admission decisions. On Tuesday, the court signaled that it might end such affirmative action much sooner than that. The consequences of such a decision would be striking. It would, all sides agree, reduce the number of African-American and Latino students at nearly every selective college and graduate school, with more Asian-American and white students gaining entrance instead. Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/22/us/justices-to-hear-case-on-affirmative-action-in-higher-education.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Asian College Presidents Still Rare In US Higher Education

Asians are 5 percent of the population, 6.5 percent of college students, 8.4 percent of faculty members - but 1 percent of college presidents. They hold roughly 40 presidencies, half at community colleges. It's a paradox: The most educated people in the country, who obtain college degrees at rates far higher than those of whites, blacks, and Hispanics, hold by far the lowest percentage of presidencies. Why? Read more at:
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20120203_Ursinus__Fong_a_rare_Asian_American_college_president.html

Study That Claims Black Students Switch To Easy Majors Leads To Protest

Duke University researchers that says black students are more likely to switch to less difficult majors has upset some students, who say the research is emblematic of more entrenched racial problems. About three dozen students held a silent protest Sunday. The statistics would likely reflect trends at other schools, Arcidiacono said. The study notes that national science organizations have spent millions to increase the ranks of black science students. Read more at:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/01/19/2940124/black-students-duke-study-shows.html

Will 2012 Bring An End To Race-Based Admissions

But eight years later, race-based admissions show no sign of moving toward “a logical end point.’’ If anything they are more entrenched than ever. Far from using skin color as a last resort, many universities make it an explicit condition - as Abigail Fisher, a white high school senior, discovered when she applied to the University of Texas in 2008. Roughly one-fifth of the freshman class is selected according to a formula that takes race into account; when Fisher was rejected she sued the university on the grounds that its racial preferences violate the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. Relying on Grutter, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the university’s policy. Now Fisher is appealing to the Supreme Court . Read more at:
http://articles.boston.com/2011-12-18/bostonglobe/30531645_1_racial-preferences-race-conscious-admissions-grutter

Obama Administration Makes Policy Change To Increase Diversity In Higher Ed

The Obama administration on Friday urged colleges and universities to get creative in improving racial diversity at their campuses, throwing out a Bush-era interpretation of recent Supreme Court rulings that limited affirmative action in admissions. “Post-secondary institutions can voluntarily consider race to further the compelling interest of achieving diversity,” reads the 10-page guide sent to thousands of college admissions officials on Friday afternoon. In some cases, it says, “race can be outcome determinative.” Read more at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/education/us-urges-campus-creativity-to-gain-diversity.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2