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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Friday December 4,1987 Vol.98,No.72
Published since 1889 by the students of the University of Kansas
(USPS 650-640)
Black enrollment drop at KU is part of trend
By MARK TILFORD
Staff writer
While overall enrollment continues to increase at the University of Kansas, black student enrollment has decreased 9 percent from last fall and 15 percent from the fall of 1981. University of Kansas figures show.
Black student enrollment is at 716 students this semester.
Blacks now make up 2.7 percent of the University's overall enrollment.
The figures reflect students enrolled at the Lawrence campus, the Capitol Complex in Topeka and the Regents Center in Overland Park. They do not include students at medical centers in Kansas City or Wichita.
Since last fall, overall KU enrollment has increased by 2.4 percent.
"It's significant," said Marshall Jackson. assistant director of admissions at KU. "That's a big drop. I wasn't expecting that big of a drop."
Jackson said he didn't think most of the officials had taken real notice of him.
The problem, he said, reflects a national tremor of decreasing black literacy.
But the problem has not been ignored, according to other KU officials.
"Have we taken cognizance of it? You bet we've taken cognizance of it," said David Ambler, vice chancellor for student affairs.
Ambler said the current economy and federal budget were part of the problem.
loans and work. Ambler said.
For example, two-thirds of a student's financial aid package in the past often comprised grants and scholarships, which do not have to be paid back. Now two-thirds of a financial aid package often comes from
That greater financial burden puts more of a strain on minority students. Ambler said.
One change designed to help minority students, Ambler said, has been to change the immediate supervisor of the office of minority affairs. The director now reports directly to Ambler's office. That puts the office more in touch with student concerns, Ambler said.
The office previously reported to the council of the executive vice chancellor.
Administrators also are working to find a new director of minority affairs, Vernell Spearman, the director, is stepping down for personal reasons and will be announced by the beginning of the spring semester, Ambler said.
"It is a very tragic thing," Spearman said of the enrollment drill. "I
was not expecting a drop that large. It means that we must certainly increase our recruiting efforts."
Also, Ambler said, a new admissions staff member recently has been placed at the Regents Center to help with recruiting students from the Kansas City area.
Chancellor Gene A. Budig and Executive Vice Chancellor Judith Ramaley are looking closely at the decrease, Ambler said.
"It doesn't come as too much of a shock, but it lessens the worry about it."
Other people have other reasons for KU's decline.
Richard Lee, director of KU Supportive Educational Services, said that tighter out-of-state admissions requirements also were discouraging blacks from coming to KU.
"The parents of a black student approached me at a meeting the
other day and asked, 'is KU working toward the elimination of black students?' " Lee said.
Brian Dougherty, Black Student Union president, said the atmosphere of an predominantly white campus is one that students a reason not to come to KU.
Ambler said that expanding KU's orientation program to include programs emphasizing cultural diversity was one of the steps the University hoped to take in the future.
"It's a continuing concern to the University." Ambler said.
Concern about black enrollment also exists at KU's five peer institutions.
At the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, both overall enrollment and black enrollment are slightly up, but the number of black
See ENROLL, p. 6, col. 1
Peaceful ending in Atlanta
Cubans inmates release hostages
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Cuban inmates freed their 89 hostages early today, peacefully ending an 11-day prison uprising under an agreement that provides a moratorium on deportations of 3,800 Mariel detainees nationwide.
Hostages immediately rushed out of the U.S. Penitentiary through the room in which the eight-point agreement was signed shortly after 1 a.m.
The first to taste freedom was Basil T. "Buddy" Levens, a 44-year prison hospital administrator, who said it "feels great." He rushed into the arms of 11 waiting relatives.
The two-page agreement is similar in most provisions to one that ended a siege by Cuban inmates in Louisiana on Sunday.
Both granted permission for some to go to any third country willing to accept them, a guarantee of medical treatment for those inmates who need it and immunity from prosecu-
State may hire staff to help with health plan
image at the prison during
emony, one of the in-
tate the table had wrap-
ing. The Cuban and
Gregs the Grucifix on the
crusife on the table
a siege, one of the on uprisings in U.S. one prisoner dead and is gutted.
only the Atlanta agreees u.S. U.S. Attorney n Meee III's proposed on deportations of came to the United 1980 Mariel boatlift.
Please include 5% Kansas State Sales Tax and
Shipping ($3 min.) on Mail Orders.
agreement was read in hen English and signed; shook hands with Aux- Agustin Roman, the prelate who helped end at Oakdale, La, but did part in the Atlanta
hostages shook hands
innates and hugged
ials as they streamed
hallway lined by SWAT
ars Outside, vans waited
town to the prison
in the room began to
ge, Ellison McKnight,
News Network after the
t was "just long, hard-
wondering what, when,
how."
ges were to be given luations.
of the hostages, wearing
bibs and carrying
ad packed into a small
 prison to wait for their
tressful but not painful,
mistreat them. They were
to us. They wanted to
were stayed alive. They
f we stayed alive, they"
'McKnight said.
after the agreement was nursery day, cheerles waved and sang the anthem on the roof at prison. "Tomorrow ill go home," the inmates
loff here and one that end in Louisiana had threaten- nel an agreement between States and Cuba to deport imprisoned after arriv- iel boatfish of 1980.
635 Kansas Avenue + Phone 913-125-388
Topeka, Kansas 66011-1437
ncert
Lawrence citizens is a traditional part of
crowds last year, I'd immunity, Vespers is a dayslason, "he said resident of Sigma Nu nternity had a semi-foran Vespers day.
d.
here before Vespers
er to Hoch," Erickson
we have a real nice
band plays through the
k, Shawnee senior, said
sales have had to trek
t least once in recent
agh some kind of bad
biblk said. "The walk
sleet or snow."
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