Julianne Malveaux: A bad sign: Colleges enroll fewer blacks

Fewer African-American students were admitted to state universities this year, prompting concern that their presence is endangered on many campuses. According to a recent report by Washington Post writer Michael Dobbs, the University of Michigan enrolled just 350 black freshmen this year, down from 410 last year and 500 in 2001. Other campuses, including the University of California and the University of Georgia, also have enrolled fewer African-American freshmen this year than a year ago. The news isn't uniformly grim. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education shows mixed results on black enrollment at Ivy League colleges. However, these schools represent only a small fraction of total college enrollment. Part of the reason for the decline is confusion about how welcome African-American students are and whether affirmative action policies work. Though the U.S. Supreme Court did not forbid affirmative action in its 2003 decisions on the University of Michigan's admission policy, perceptions of the policy vary. Further, groups such as the Center for Individual Rights have so vigorously threatened lawsuits that some campuses have slowed affirmative action efforts. In the name of diversity, fewer spaces appear to be available for African-American freshmen at historically black colleges and universities. In fact, many of these schools have begun to recruit white students. At least one, Bluefield State College in West Virginia, now has a majority white enrollment. [more]

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