UO retention rates lower for students of color
■ RACE: A study found that
only 59 percent of students
finish, but rates for
minorities are lower
By Dana Williams
Multicultural Issues Reporter
More than half of African
American University students
who enrolled at the University
during 1990 left without a de
gree, and a lot of people on cam
pus want to know why.
A University study prepared
by the Oregon State System of
Higher Education monitored the
freshman class of 1990 through
the year 1995 and found that stu
dents of color graduated at sub
stantially lower percentages
than white students. Of the total
number of African-American
students in the study, 62 percent
dropped out and only 35 percent
graduated. For white students,
the numbers are almost reversed
— 36 percent left the University
and 61 percent graduated.
Graduation percentages for
other minority groups follow the
same trends. Of Native Ameri
can students, 38 percent gradu
ated and 61 percent left. Of His
panic/Latino students, 55
percent graduated and 41 per
cent left. Of Asian-American stu
dents, 58 percent graduated and
36 percent left the University
without a degree.
The Chancellor’s office ana
lyzes these figures and advises
the University on ways to im
prove the educational system.
An updated report is in the
process of being published.
Shirley Clark, vice chancellor
of academic affairs, said the fig
ures are “really a trigger that says
the campus needs to look very
closely at the campus environ
RETENTION RATES
The University tracked the 1990 freshman class through the year 1995. These figures
show percentages of the initial cohort categorized by ethnic group.
| GRADUATED
| DROPPED OUT
African
Americans
i SOURCE: OSSHE
Native
Americans
Asian
Americans
Hispanic
/Latino
White
/non Hispanic
ment.”
“Financial difficulties and
also how they [students of color]
experience the campus social
environment are major con
tributing factors,” Clark said.
Other factors, including academ
ic performance and personal and
family difficulties, contribute to
students leaving the University,
Clark said.
The director of the office of
student advocacy, James Britt,
said the dropout percentages re
flect the University as a whole.
“This University has a prob
lem with attrition period,” Britt
said. All told, 59 percent of the
total number of students who
entered the University in 1990
graduated by 1995.
“I don’t think it’s just a stu
dent of color problem, but I
think it’s more critical because
there are fewer students of col
or,” Britt said. For Britt, the solu
tion begins with recruiting more
students of color to the Universi
ty
But even with increased re
cruiting, many students of color
feel overwhelmed once they ar
rive at the University, said Gwen
Tistdat, who works in the Coun
seling Center.
“They are asked to advocate
for people of color; they are
asked to be teachers on issues of
race and that’s a huge burden,”
Tistdat said. Racial incidents on
campus are another burden that
students face, she said.
The Race Task Force asks stu
dents to report racial incidents,
and so far this year students
have reported a total of seven.
But Tistdat said the reports they
receive don’t represent all of the
racist occurrences on campus.
“When each incident hap
pens, I don’t get reports on it —
what I get is a breaking point,”
Tistdat said. “(Students say to
DENNIS BOLT/Emerald
themselves] I’ve taken it, and
I’ve taken it, and now I’m tired
so I’m going to fill out a report.”
Two reports were filed about
white supremacist flyers being
posted at the University. Anoth
er report described an incident
where an African-American
man was stopped, patted down
and searched by officers and
yelled at while shopping at the
University Bookstore. Another
student reported an insensitive
professor in a classroom. In ad
dition, a student filed a report on
an incident at the recent UCLA
basketball game. Another com
plaint was made by an Asian
woman who felt insulted by vis
iting high school students who
were walking on campus yelling
racial slurs at her. The final re
port filed was about intimida
tion at the Multi-Cultural Cen
ter’s budget hearing.
Some students of color told
members of the president’s of
fifi
I don’t think it’s just a student
of color problem, but I think it’s
more critical because there are
fewer students of color.
— James Britt
Director of the
Office of Student Advocacy
-55
tice how they telt about the cam
pus community.
Dave Hubin, executive assis
tant to the University president,
said some students of color ex
pressed “a sense of isolation,
and in some cases, students have
reported a sense of hostility
within the community.”
ASUO Vice President Glen
Banfield said he has heard racist
comments at basketball games
on campus.
“I’ve sat on the court level,
and I’ve heard everything from
‘go back to jail,’ or ‘When did
you get out on parole; who’s
your parole officer?’ or ‘Hey,
you’re a crack head’ and usually
they are always directed toward
the African-American players,”
Banfield said.
Banfield said he believes these
aren’t isolated incidents and that
the University as a whole is af
fected.
“It’s the tip of the iceberg, and
a lot of people are concerned
about it — the administration as
well as students,” Banfield said.
They said they are concerned be
cause when students of color
feel discrimination it affects at
trition, retention and graduation
rates at the University, Banfield
said.
Black Student Union will celebrate black history this evening
■ EVENT: People of all nationalities
are invited to listen to speakers and
performances in EMU Gumwood
By Autumn De Poe
Student Activities Reporter
The Black Student Union is sponsoring a
“Celebration of the History of the People of
African Descent” tonight in the EMU Gum
wood Room. The celebration from 6 to 8
p.m. will feature guest speakers Henry Lu
vert, president of the Eugene chapter of the
NAACP; Pastor Keith Jenkins and Univer
sity student Yvonne Stubbs. The event will
also include food, art, poetry readings and
music.
BSU co-director Taryn Thompson
stressed the importance of having everyone
BLACK
HISTORY
attend the event tonight.
“We have contacted a
large number of organiza
tions and unions. People
of all nationalities are
welcomed and encour
aged to attend the event,”
Thompson said. “We
need everyone’s support
and we would like to
. uriiig everyuiie lugtjmei.
Jenkins, a pastor of the Junction City
Fresh Wind Fellowship will give a speech
entitled “Destined to Succeed.” Luvert will
give a speech about the issues surrounding
the history of the people of African descent.
BSU office manager Yvonne Stubbs will
speak on the relationship between Native
fifi
It is our job to educate people about and
recognize the history of black people all
year round and not just during the month
of February.
— Lakeyshua Washington
BSU Co-Director
-55
Americans, African-Americans and slav
ery. She will also detail her research into
her own African-American/Native Ameri
can roots.
Stubbs said she was able to count at least
three generations of her family that lived on
Native American reservations. She will
speak about her research on five recognized
Native American tribes that used African
Americans as slaves and the positive envi
ronment in which everyone lived.
University student Jennifer Broadous
will give a vocal performance, and Chris
Stubbs will sing and play the keyboard.
Thompson will also give a poetry presenta
tion.
BSU co-director Lakeyshua Washington
said it was important for people to under
stand that the celebration of black history
will continue all year long. “It is our job to
educate people about and recognize the his
tory of black people all year round and not
just during the month of February,” she
added.
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