As Senator Obama stands poised to secure the Democratic nomination, a proverbial elephant has planted itself in the arena of American politics. Even as the country takes steps toward the largest vote of confidence for a black man in recent history, one nagging issue remains on everyone’s mind: race. \nThere is the potential to see, in Obama’s presidential hopes, that equal opportunity is now the reality. If Obama, a black man from a single-parent household can become the president of the most powerful country on earth, what does that say about the current state of equal opportunity in America? \nIt therefore becomes necessary to examine to what extent this is true. In so doing, we find that we have miles to go. Education is the bedrock of opportunity, but it’s one that isn’t being properly utilized. According to the 2006 Census and University figures, 8.9 percent of the Indiana population is black, yet black students make up only 4.4 percent of the student body at IU. Hispanics make up 4.8 percent of the Indiana population, but account for only 2.3 percent of the students at IU. For a state university, intended to represent the general population, why are these figures so low?\nThese findings tend to shake one’s beliefs that we’ve done enough to provide opportunities. There’s no justification for complacency – it’s a real problem, and we need to solve it. But how to do so is another matter entirely.
The Push for Opportunity
In the last quarter century, racial diversity has assumed a role at the center of our academic consciousness. But often, the mission of such a mentality is ambiguous. \nWe need to clarify our goals. \n“Diversity is not just throwing money or positions at the problem,” said Ryan J. Cobb, a graduate student in sociology who has been at IU for nine years and has personal experience with some of IU’s diversity support services. \n“IU cannot solve the world’s ills,” he said, but it can start “getting serious” by identifying alternatives to affirmative action and traditional admission standards, such as test scores. \nRecent studies suggest that traditional approaches have only mixed effects. A recent study by Richard Sander, a law professor with experience researching affirmative action at UCLA found that when black students were admitted to better law schools on the basis of affirmative action, they found themselves in academic environments too rigorous, even if they would have done very well at less intensive universities. In this way, affirmative action could actually hurt the number of black law school graduates. \nHope exists in alternative approaches. The recent trend is to start curing the problem earlier by providing \nbetter education in public schools. In Chicago, for example, a new breed \nof public charter school has been established with the purpose of helping those from poor, minority backgrounds get into college. It seems to be working. Attendance rates are up, as is successful high -school graduation. \nYet the struggle for equal opportunity extends even after minorities get into college. IU’s main objective, then, where diversity is concerned, should be to identify and ease those struggles that occur specifically under its jurisdiction. To this end, the university has invested huge amounts of money and time in promoting traditionally underrepresented groups on campus.
What IU is doing
Campus programs and organizations such as the Groups Program, the Black Student Union, the Latino/a organization La Casa, the Office of Academic Support and Diversity, the Hudson & Holland Scholars Program, the McNair Scholars Program and the 21st Century Scholars Program represent IU’s continued dedication to extending educational opportunities and support to those who face obstacles to their success. \nEven those who have no trouble with the academic work at IU can often face racism and discrimination from their peers. Even though we tend to see ourselves as a progressive campus, virtually all experts on the subject of diversity in academics agree that racism is still a major obstacle towards equality in educational opportunities. To that end, IU encourages support programs such as Groups – a program aimed to help students who are the first generation in their family to attend college, from low-income backgrounds, or physically challenged – to raise awareness and promote tolerance. \nSenior Rebecca Hernandez, president of the Groups Program’s Chi Alpha Epsilon Honor Society, emphasizes the need for integration as well as diversity. \n“The administration has been very supportive of diversity efforts on campus,” Hernandez said. \n“However, sometimes these efforts only occur in small pockets of the University ... Integration of diversity efforts into the mainstream campus life is still an important barrier that has not been overcome,” she said.
A long way to go
Often, we become complacent in making strides toward equal opportunity without casting a keen enough eye on the effect that we’re having. At the end of the day, the important question isn’t what we’ve attempted, but whether we’ve made education equally accessible. \nHerman B Wells, IU’s former chancellor and president, made great strides towards equal opportunity. But we can’t let his legacy lead us into too much self-congratulation. Boundaries still exist at IU, said Don Hossler, president of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies and the director of Projects on Academic Success at the School of Education. \n“No one who’s a serious scholar on this subject thinks that within 25 years we’ll reach equal representation,” he said. \nHossler sees particular potential, however, with the Latino community, which he believes will “quite likely” become the largest minority on campus in 15 to 20 years. \nClearly, things are getting better. Indeed, no one can argue that society hasn’t made progress. But it’s equally true that seeing the steps we’ve taken as grounds to dismiss the matter as solved could ruin what we’ve built so far.
‘Make the Unacceptable Acceptable’
Clearly, IU can only do so much. It can’t put better elementary schools into poor neighborhoods, can’t encourage frustrated middle-schoolers to keep trying, and can only give so much in scholarship money. What IU can do, however, is nurture an environment conducive to progress for those who make it this far. \nShaunquia Ryle, an Indiana alumna and former member of the Groups Program, believes “the student body should step up and lead by example ... put diversity in the spotlight and make the unacceptable acceptable.” \nOur mentality is the difference. Our focus on the persisting problem of a lack of equal opportunity, a realization of what boundaries we face, and a culture that encourages diversity will help us do our part to level the playing field. Even as we’re proud of how far we’ve come, we can’t forget we’re not there yet.
