Classification confusion

Despite representing only three percent of the total student population, an IU policy prevents Asian-Americans from utilizing resources available to other minority groups, such as minority scholarships and fellowship opportunities.\nIU's current policy defines minority status from state ethnic group statistics. Since Asian-Americans comprise only one percent of Indiana's population, the group is considered overrepresented on the Bloomington campus, said Daisy Rodriguez, PhD student assistant at the Asian Culture Center.\n"That argument doesn't seem rational, or solid," she said.\nRodriguez doesn't feel the administration's decision-making techniques are as as they could be. "Personally it's really frustrating. For me, one of my concerns is that Asian-Americans are underrepresented in grad school and that's why they should be eligible," she said.\nIU is not the only state university with such an argument. Purdue University also defines underrepresented status by state statistics and has an Asian-American population of four percent on campus. \n"We would consider Asian-American students as an underrepresented group at Purdue on the West Lafayette campus," said Douglas Christensen, assistant vice president for enrollment management at Purdue. "If a group is just barely over the state percentage, that doesn't decide (its) status."\nOne such IU program that excludes Asian-Americans is the Minority Achievers Program, which offers scholarships to high achieving minorities, Rodriguez said. According to the program's Web site, only African American, Native American and Hispanic American students that are either U.S. citizens or otherwise eligible for federal aid may apply.\nThe only clarity concerning the MAP's policy is the confusion.\n"Over nine months ago the policy was to change, but hasn't," Rodriguez said.\nA goal of the Office of Academic Support and Diversity is to increase the number of students admitted to IU that are supported by the Minority Achievers Program, and the state representation policy has changed, said Mike Wilkerson, communications coordinator office of the vice president for student development and diversity at IU.\n"The admission of Asian-Americans to the Minority Achievers Program has been done, though perhaps not in the numbers desired by some," he said.\nA major difference exists in what is being said and what is actually occurring, Rodriguez said.\n"Even though the vice president said Asian-Americans will be included, nothing has been done in the last nine months," Rodriguez said. "The Minority Achievers Program denies a policy change."\nThe MAP has done just that. The program's director, Craig Johnson, said no change in their policy has occurred.\nRodriguez said all sides must be open to communication to alleviate the confusion.\n"There are a lot of issues about Asian-Americans being eligible, and no common ground is being met between the Asian Culture Center, the MAP and the vice president's office"