University Daily Kansan, April 2, 1985
SPECIAL REPORT
The melting pot
Attracting minorities difficult, officials save
ensuring minority students to study on the plains of Kansas is no easy task for KU administrators, but they have no problem getting foreign students to come to the University of Kansas.
to come to the University of Kansas.
"We have to work extra hard to get minorities to come to Kansas," says David Ambler, vice chancellor for student affairs. "Kansas is stereotyped."
chancellor for student affairs
Since 1977, more foreign students have attended the University of Michigan minority groups combined. In 1984, about 1,520 minority students attended KU, and almost 1,630 students came from foreign countries.
Enrollment statistics classify foreign students as a minority group on campus. The statistics divide minorities into six categories: blacks, whites, American Indians, Asians, Hispanics and foreign students.
rapes and fights in their race when they fill out enrollment cards, but they are not required to do so.
From 1974 to 1984, the foreign student population grew nearly 95 percent, from about 840 in 1974 to about 1,630 in 1984
This year, the top five foreign countries with students at KU are Taiwan, Malaysia, Iran, Japan and South Korea.
Clark Coan, director of foreign student services, says the University doesn't have to recruit students from foreign countries.
"There isn't any reason to recruit, because we get more foreign students applying at the University than we can accept," he says. "There are enough applicants and applications out there that we can take the cream of the crop."
Although KU has no trouble bringing in foreign students, the University has not been able to attract many students from several minority groups.
from several minority groups. From 1794 to 1894, every ethnic and racial group has had increases in enrollment for American Indians and Hispanics have had significant increases, while Asian-Americans have had decreases, from about 160 to 300 students. The number of black students on campus has increased nearly one-third, from about 570 to about 830.
Vernell Spearman, director of minority affairs, says the percentage of minority students enrolled at KU is lower than the percentage of minorities living in Kansas.
than the percentage of students enrolled in 1980 U.S. Census, the percentage of minority students was 9.3 percent. In the same year, the percentage of minority students enrolled at the Lawrence campus was 5.8 percent.
was 5.8 percent.
Spearman says that through programs such as the Minority Affairs Outreach program, staff members from the office of minority affairs and faculty members visit Kansas junior colleges and high schools with large minority enrollments to recruit the students.
enrich students tell students about KU and campus support groups available to minorities.
available to minorities.
She says that although minority enrollment at KU is low compared with other large public universities, minority enrollment has increased during the last 20 years.
"What we need to do is have those same increases in the future that we have had from 1965 to 1865," she says.
Majorities and minorities
Percent of Lawrence A.
Source: Department of educational services
Foreign student summary Fall 1980 and 1984
1980 1984 Percent change
BEX
Men 1,171 1,114 -4.9
Women 495 513 5.8
Undergraduate 718 782 8.9
Graduate 744 777 4.4
Applied English 123 68 -44.7
Post-M.D. 71 0 -100.0
Source: Office of foreign student services
BAY 13
The narrowing gender gap
Source:
Department
of educational
services
Women change roles by degrees
Source:
Department
of educational
services
freshmen women entering the University in 1959 were introduced to college life by "Wise Words for Women," a handbook published by the Associated Women Students.
The handbook informed the young women of the "many opportunities for self improvement and just plain fun" at the University, as well as lessons in basic etiquette.
but since 1959, when women made up only a third of the University's population, the gap between what women and men want from a college education has narrowed.
Today, women make up 48 percent of the student body. About 11,100 women and 12,000 men enrolled this spring. Their career goals generally are closer than they were 25 years ago, but some traditional trends still exist.
Although women today earn degrees from every school at the University, some schools still attract more women than men.
more women last year earned degrees from the School of Education, the School of Social Welfare and the School of Fine Arts. In the past six years, although the difference has been small, the trend has shifted toward more women earning
In the department of occupational therapy, 75 women earned degrees last year, compared with only five men.
degrees from the School of Journalism.
She says the number of women who enroll in schools that traditionally attract women will decline as women become more aware of the opportunities in traditionally male professions.
But men still earn more degrees in engineering, architecture, law, business and liberal arts and sciences.
and there, Barbara Ballard, associate dean of student life and coordinator for the Emily Taylor Women's Resource Center, says the gap in enrollment between men and women in certain professional schools is partly a product of the stereotypical housewife image.
or some of them, they get their degrees, but no one will hire them," she says. "It's better in terms of opportunity than in terms of terms of advancement and pay equity."
Although women are seeking careers in such nontraditional professions as engineering and architecture, Ballard says, they still face barriers in the job market that men may not encounter.
"What we're trying now is to get women to look at all the options career-wise," she says.
More than 63 percent of KU students over the age of 35 are women. About 1,900 women born before 1948 attend the university compared with about 1,090 men.
Ageless wisdom
Enrollment conti
For decades, KU has drawn students from across the country and around the world. But Kansas students still are the University's bread and butter.
for money with other public schools," Thompson says.
Low in-state tuition, KU's loca
OUR STUD
Who are KU
...
Who are KU students? What are we studying? Where are we from, and where do we live? Using KU statistics, the Kansas examines the composition of the University of Kansas.
Low in the
tion and the Regents open admission policy for Kansas high school graduates in state-students to KU.
David Amber, vice chancellor for student affairs, says the University draws students primarily from eastern Kansas, where the population density is highest.
"It's the leading, pre-eminent university, but there are schools that at least meet or surpass KU in certain programs."
Since 1975, the combined enroll-
State Sen. Wint Winter Jr.,
R-Lawrence, says that although the title is collogial, it accurately describes the way many Kansans feel about KU.
KU gets most of its in-state students from Topena, Wichita and Johnson County. He pays Together, the population centers account for 75 percent of the states population.
"We (legislators) do not talk about KU as the flagship university, but I think it's widely accepted and applied," he says.
High school seniors across the state are strongly attracted to KU, even if their parents didn't study in Lawrence of the seven Regents schools. He has stood out "on the flagship university."
Ambler says another reason the University is popular with many college-bound Kansans is a "generational commitment" they feel because their parents studied in Lawrence.
Even for students whose families can afford to send them to an out-of-state school, family ties to KU often pull harder than the attraction of out-of-state colleges and universities. Ambler says,
Family ties
Entering the real world
Degrees granted in 1984 Breakdown by school and sex Includes all campuses
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