Is IU effectively addressing the issue of minority attainment?

Kela Adams
Division of Education,
IU Southeast

"I think it varies from campus to campus. There are pockets of activists even within the same campus. Some people are committed and believe in equal opportunity and strive to support leveling the opportunities. It seems to me the larger majority of people at IU are really quite out of touch with the fact that the problems remain and how to define them, much less how to address them."

Paul Barton-Kriese
assistant professor
of political science, IU East

"I am pleased that President Brand has come out openly in saying that IU won't backpedal on affirmative action. We need that top-level vocal statement of support. We need to recruit women, Hispanics and blacks or eventually we won't be able to keep the doors open. At IU East, 75 percent of our students are women. If all the faculty want in their classes are white males, they are saying they don't want their paychecks."

Margaret McCloud
administrative secretary for labor studies
and a student, IU Kokomo

"I believe there is a very real recognition of problems. There is also an effort to rectify them. IUK has student retention and recruitment programs in place. They are going out to the area high schools to make it easier for students to register and obtain financial aid information. They have also come up with initiatives with outreach to mature, returning students."

Paul Rainsberger
associate professor
of labor studies, IUB

"No, I don't believe IU or any other university is addressing this issue. They only respond to a narrow area of needs. They cannot only be concerned with those who enter through the gates of the university, but need to be concerned with all elements, with all ranges of society whether it be class, race or gender."

Ernest Smith
director, University Division,
IU Northwest

"The university has not made a commitment, especially financially. There are programs but they are funded on 'soft money.' It's difficult to sustain initiatives for people of color on money you can't count on. The university could make more of a financial commitment. At our campus, the Career Beginnings program had its funding cut. This program is still needed, but where do we go?"

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