Students, staff recognize CMU’s lack of diversity, want improvement

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Central Michigan University’s student population is not as diverse as its administration would like.

As of spring 2011, 82 percent of students attending the university are registered as being of a white/non-hispanic background. Of the remaining 18 percent, four percent are black, one percent American Indian, one percent Asian, two percent Hispanic, six percent unknown and three percent non-resident alien, according to the Office of Institutional Research website.

Only 1,750 of the university’s 19,658 students represent a minority group.

Warren senior Amanda Shepard said she was not surprised by the statistics.

“I knew (CMU) wasn’t very diverse,” Shepard said. “Coming from the Metro Detroit area, CMU seems very rural, and I really do wish we were more diverse.”

Shepard blamed the lack of diversity on Michigan’s overall government. More of the state’s money needs to go toward high schools with higher diversity to promote higher education, she said.

Denise Green, associate vice president of Institutional Diversity, said while these enrollment figures may not reflect the university’s goal, they do show positive gains.

Enrollment figures by ethnic background moved in the right direction from Spring 2010 to Spring 2011, Green said. This spring, 1,750 minority students are enrolled compared to 1,613 last spring.

“A plethora of diverse education opportunities are offered throughout the school year to student, faculty, and staff through our programs as well as programs sponsored by other departments and colleges,” Green said. “Promoting and advancing diversity is a campus-wide effort that requires the entire CMU community to participate.”

Green said Institutional Diversity has worked with faculty, staff and students to develop the Recognition for Cultural Competency, establish the Intergroup Dialogue Program, create more opportunities for faculty to incorporate diversity into the classroom and update the Strategic Plan for Achieving Diversity.

She said most students recognize the lack of diversity at CMU compared to other universities and would like to see a change.

Fenton junior Maye Conley questioned whether there is a quota for enough diversity and emphasized the importance of not just having it, but being informed of social injustice and other cultures.

“I think CMU does a lot to promote diversity,” Conley said. “They have the (Multicultural Advancement Cofer scholarships and program), plus the initiative to bring a lot of diversity (to campus), along with different cultural aspects.”

Conley is the Larzelere Multicultural Advisor. She said students go to university to grow and expand their horizons, and a greater campus diversity will allow students to do so.