Pearls and freshly fallen snow aren’t the only overwhelmingly white features of the Georgetown campus; the student body here on the hilltop remains true to its tradition of a prevailing Caucasian majority. Of the total 2006 undergraduate population, 7.2 percent is black, 8.4 percent Asian and 5.8 Hispanic, compared to 11, 14 and 7 percent respectively of 2005 Duke University undergraudates. The problem of racial homogeneity on campus is endemic because of the University’s less-than -outstanding efforts at recruiting minorities. There is no better time than the present to drastically vamp up efforts to recruit more talented minority students and to venture new approaches for attracting a diverse pool of potential Hoyas.
As of now, Georgetown’s main pre-college recruiting for minorities is done through Schiff Scholars, an enrichment program that targets 50 youths from the District of Columbia beginning in the 7th grade and attempts to steer them down the college path through mentoring, service projects and academic advising. University Spokesperson Julie Green Bataille says that the University is “exploring ways to possibly expand these [programs] with current city and school board officials so that more students in the District of Columbia get the skills and resources they need to make it to college—whether it be Georgetown or another institution.”
But according to some minority voices, the current programs aren’t doing enough to obtain the desired level of diversity on campus. The University’s efforts are not nearly enough, according to Zoe Marks, co-chair of Leaders in Education about Diversity. “With all of the work that Georgetown does in the local schools—the so called “community”—it translates into little matriculation.” Local recruitment is crucial, but the Center for Minority Educational Affairs is understaffed, under-funded and mostly focuses on serving the minority population that is already enrolled. It should expand its local outreach program.
Beyond reaching out to the District, there are other ways to attract more minorities to Georgetown. One is through summer programs. Georgetown is looking to expand its support for the Upward Bound program at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, which facilitates sending mostly Latino students to summer programs at Georgetown. The admissions department should play a big role as well—recruiting officers should be sent not only to top-tier high schools around the country, but also to underprivileged institutions to seek out talented students. Marks also suggests diversifying the pool of Georgetown students involved in the GAAP program, pointing out that more minority faces visible during these weekends for already-accepted students will help to convince prospective Hoyas that Georgetown is a welcoming place for all.
The University has its hand in all the right pots. What is needed now is an expansion of programs already in the works and a willingness to adopt new ones. It is an important step towards building the University’s reputation as well as reinforcing its commitment to creating a diverse student body.
