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The Duke Chronicle, N.C
March 23 2004
Duke minority programs remain unchanged
By Emily Almas
March 23, 2004
Junior Tameeka Norton is the first in her family to attend college,
but Norton doesn't intend to stop her studies there. Instead, the
political science and African American studies major plans to earn a
doctorate in political science, crediting the Mellon Mays
Undergraduate Fellowship as a key factor in her decision to pursue a
post-graduate degree.
"Being a Mellon fellow has opened a world of research and academia to
me," Norton said. "I probably would have had the opportunity [to
pursue an additional degree without the fellowship], but I wouldn't
have known about it or had the advantages [of research and
mentorship] in general."
The MMUF, which aims to increase the presence of underrepresented
minorities in academia, is one of several other national programs,
however, that have recently decided to expand their eligibility
criteria to allow students of all ethnicities to apply.
In light of last June's U.S. Supreme Court rulings on affirmative
action at the University of Michigan and pressure from lobbying
groups, several top universities--including Harvard University,
Princeton University and Yale University--have decided to alter their
programs that aim to increase or support minority students by opening
them up to all qualified students.
Duke, however, stands by its programs, holding that its endeavors
promoting underrepresented groups in specific fields or academia are
in line with current legislation.
"We've done a very careful review of the [Michigan] decisions and our
programs. We made a couple of adjustments where we felt we were out
of compliance with the rulings, but beyond that we're pretty
comfortable," said Provost Peter Lange, noting the existence of a
"gray area" for higher education on these issues.
"[We] are satisfied that Duke's programs are appropriately structured
to provide opportunities for members of groups that have historically
been disadvantaged, without disadvantaging others who do not
participate," added President Nan Keohane in an e-mail.
Many of the nationally-based programs with chapters at Duke have
already changed their requirements, but other programs, such as the
Summer Research Opportunities Program and the American Economic
Association's Minority Scholarship Program, are still limited to
students of specific ethnicities.
"The whole purpose of SROP is to actually increase the number of
minority students into the [research] programs," said Dr. Soman
Abraham, director of the program and a pathologist at the School of
Medicine. "In our particular case, we are funded by the Mellon
Foundation and immediately after the Michigan case, they were a
little bit nervous and asked us to remove the wording from the
webpages indicating the program is targeted at minority students.
Even though we've changed the wording, we're still abiding by the
original goals to bring in underrepresented minorities and expose
them to research in an academic environment at Duke."
The AEA's minority scholarship, for its summer economics program held
at the University, also gives preference to underrepresented
minorities.
"The minority scholarship program is restricted to those
disadvantaged in the American context and groups for whom there would
be diversity," said Charles Becker, director of the program and
research professor of economics.
Economic research scientist and assistant program director Rhonda
Sharpe added, however, that any student who perceives himself or
herself as disadvantaged has the opportunity to apply. "If you're an
Armenian student who thinks [you] are eligible and you can
demonstrate financial need, you could apply," she said.
The University's chapters of the MMUF and the Summer Medical
Education Program have already changed their application limitations.
MMUF at Duke has changed its requirements to meet the national
guidelines, said Deborah Wall, associate director of undergraduate
research and the program's local head.
Lydia English, national director of the MMUF, noted that the decision
of the Mellon Foundation to change its eligibility requirements was
pre-emptive of the Michigan decisions.
"It means that our focus is still on diversifying the faculties at
American universities and colleges and that we still are looking to
recruit students of color, particularly African American, Latino and
Native American students," she said. "But we are also open to
accepting students who don't belong to those groups but who are
interested in diversifying the faculty and committed to finding ways
to increase the diversity in institutions."
Like the MMUF, the Summer Medical Education Program at the medical
school is a satellite of a larger initiative aimed at increasing
underrepresented students in medicine and has followed its national
organization's lead of allowing any student to apply to the program.
"We're trying to help end disparities in health care between
populations of color and the white population in this culture," said
Maureen Cullins, director of both the Multicultural Resource Center
at the medical school and of the program. "What we know from a number
of studies is that the people who tend to go into underserved
communities tend to come from there, so we're looking for people who
will be interested in that."
Although Duke has maintained its minority programs, some worry that
changes in admissions criteria could hurt students for which the
program aims to help.
"By opening up [the programs] to everyone it could adversely increase
the number of minority applicants to get into them, which could
defeat their purpose," said LaQuisha Bonner, president of the Duke
chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People. "At Duke, I think it would harm a lot of the minorities here
that are vastly underrepresented, especially since Duke is fostering
multiculturalism and a diverse student body."
Others worry that changes, such as those seen at Yale, may be on the
horizon with the new administration set to take over in July. The
Chronicle of Higher Education reported that as dean of Yale College,
Duke President-elect Richard Brodhead wrote to students at Yale that
recent legal decisions have made it "harder to justify programs that
separate student communities instead of building them into an
interactive whole."
Keohane, however, remained optimistic that Brodhead shares the same
vision of fostering diversity. "I have not discussed this issue with
the President-elect, but I know that he is generally supportive of
reaching out to historically disadvantaged groups," she said.
http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/03/23/40602c663a918
March 23 2004
Duke minority programs remain unchanged
By Emily Almas
March 23, 2004
Junior Tameeka Norton is the first in her family to attend college,
but Norton doesn't intend to stop her studies there. Instead, the
political science and African American studies major plans to earn a
doctorate in political science, crediting the Mellon Mays
Undergraduate Fellowship as a key factor in her decision to pursue a
post-graduate degree.
"Being a Mellon fellow has opened a world of research and academia to
me," Norton said. "I probably would have had the opportunity [to
pursue an additional degree without the fellowship], but I wouldn't
have known about it or had the advantages [of research and
mentorship] in general."
The MMUF, which aims to increase the presence of underrepresented
minorities in academia, is one of several other national programs,
however, that have recently decided to expand their eligibility
criteria to allow students of all ethnicities to apply.
In light of last June's U.S. Supreme Court rulings on affirmative
action at the University of Michigan and pressure from lobbying
groups, several top universities--including Harvard University,
Princeton University and Yale University--have decided to alter their
programs that aim to increase or support minority students by opening
them up to all qualified students.
Duke, however, stands by its programs, holding that its endeavors
promoting underrepresented groups in specific fields or academia are
in line with current legislation.
"We've done a very careful review of the [Michigan] decisions and our
programs. We made a couple of adjustments where we felt we were out
of compliance with the rulings, but beyond that we're pretty
comfortable," said Provost Peter Lange, noting the existence of a
"gray area" for higher education on these issues.
"[We] are satisfied that Duke's programs are appropriately structured
to provide opportunities for members of groups that have historically
been disadvantaged, without disadvantaging others who do not
participate," added President Nan Keohane in an e-mail.
Many of the nationally-based programs with chapters at Duke have
already changed their requirements, but other programs, such as the
Summer Research Opportunities Program and the American Economic
Association's Minority Scholarship Program, are still limited to
students of specific ethnicities.
"The whole purpose of SROP is to actually increase the number of
minority students into the [research] programs," said Dr. Soman
Abraham, director of the program and a pathologist at the School of
Medicine. "In our particular case, we are funded by the Mellon
Foundation and immediately after the Michigan case, they were a
little bit nervous and asked us to remove the wording from the
webpages indicating the program is targeted at minority students.
Even though we've changed the wording, we're still abiding by the
original goals to bring in underrepresented minorities and expose
them to research in an academic environment at Duke."
The AEA's minority scholarship, for its summer economics program held
at the University, also gives preference to underrepresented
minorities.
"The minority scholarship program is restricted to those
disadvantaged in the American context and groups for whom there would
be diversity," said Charles Becker, director of the program and
research professor of economics.
Economic research scientist and assistant program director Rhonda
Sharpe added, however, that any student who perceives himself or
herself as disadvantaged has the opportunity to apply. "If you're an
Armenian student who thinks [you] are eligible and you can
demonstrate financial need, you could apply," she said.
The University's chapters of the MMUF and the Summer Medical
Education Program have already changed their application limitations.
MMUF at Duke has changed its requirements to meet the national
guidelines, said Deborah Wall, associate director of undergraduate
research and the program's local head.
Lydia English, national director of the MMUF, noted that the decision
of the Mellon Foundation to change its eligibility requirements was
pre-emptive of the Michigan decisions.
"It means that our focus is still on diversifying the faculties at
American universities and colleges and that we still are looking to
recruit students of color, particularly African American, Latino and
Native American students," she said. "But we are also open to
accepting students who don't belong to those groups but who are
interested in diversifying the faculty and committed to finding ways
to increase the diversity in institutions."
Like the MMUF, the Summer Medical Education Program at the medical
school is a satellite of a larger initiative aimed at increasing
underrepresented students in medicine and has followed its national
organization's lead of allowing any student to apply to the program.
"We're trying to help end disparities in health care between
populations of color and the white population in this culture," said
Maureen Cullins, director of both the Multicultural Resource Center
at the medical school and of the program. "What we know from a number
of studies is that the people who tend to go into underserved
communities tend to come from there, so we're looking for people who
will be interested in that."
Although Duke has maintained its minority programs, some worry that
changes in admissions criteria could hurt students for which the
program aims to help.
"By opening up [the programs] to everyone it could adversely increase
the number of minority applicants to get into them, which could
defeat their purpose," said LaQuisha Bonner, president of the Duke
chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People. "At Duke, I think it would harm a lot of the minorities here
that are vastly underrepresented, especially since Duke is fostering
multiculturalism and a diverse student body."
Others worry that changes, such as those seen at Yale, may be on the
horizon with the new administration set to take over in July. The
Chronicle of Higher Education reported that as dean of Yale College,
Duke President-elect Richard Brodhead wrote to students at Yale that
recent legal decisions have made it "harder to justify programs that
separate student communities instead of building them into an
interactive whole."
Keohane, however, remained optimistic that Brodhead shares the same
vision of fostering diversity. "I have not discussed this issue with
the President-elect, but I know that he is generally supportive of
reaching out to historically disadvantaged groups," she said.
http://www.chronicle.duke.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/03/23/40602c663a918