Minority enrollment at Ohio State is up for the second year in a row, according to the 15th-day enrollment progress report for autumn quarter 2002.

Overall minority enrollment has increased 4.3 percent among African Americans, 3.3 percent among Asian Americans, 3.6 percent among Native Americans and 6.7 percent among Hispanic Americans.

The results are being linked to the Diversity Action Plan, OSU’s blueprint to expand diversity.

“The Diversity Action Plan has only been in effect for two years, but it did codify many of the changes that we have been making for a number of years,” said Edward J. Ray, university provost.

The Diversity Plan, which started in 2000 under the direction of former President William “Brit” Kirwan, is centered on a few key principles-employing a diversified faculty, promoting a welcoming climate for students and assuring steady progress towards diversity.

“In a sense, the progress we are making is consistent with the goals of the plan and the efforts we have been making for a number of years,” Ray said.

Enrollment of Hispanic students showed the most progress, with an increase of 6.7 percent.

“The gradual increase in total enrollment of Hispanic students reflects the gradual increase in the number of Hispanic freshmen entering the university over the past few years,” said Mabel Freeman, assistant vice president for undergraduate admissions and first year experience.

In 2000, OSU started offering scholarships to National Hispanic Scholars as part of the National Merit program for the first time, Freeman said.

Mac Stewart, vice provost for Minority Affairs, said The Office of Minority Affairs was given a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, which could have also contributed to the increase in Hispanic students.

“The grant was for students whose parents were part of the migration stream, and while it’s not limited to Hispanic students, they make up the majority of students eligible for the grant,” Stewart said.

Freeman said outside factors, such as an increase in the Hispanic population in Ohio, could be an alternative reason, along with the economic disparity in the United States.

“When jobs are more scarce, we know that more students enroll in college,” she said.

OSU’s regional campuses are also seeing an increase in minority enrollment. At Marion, overall minority enrollment increased to 5.3 percent from 3.8 percent in 2001.

Consistent with the Columbus campus, Hispanic American enrollment rates at Marion were the highest among all minorities, with an increase of 13 percent.

Kim Ferguson, director of student affairs at Marion, said the Diversity Action Plan is partly responsible for the increase.

“More so than directly affecting students, it raises questions and forces me and other faculty to look at recruitment and retention,” she said.

While Marion is the second largest regional campus, with a student population of 1,534 students, Ferguson said fostering diversity is still key.

A diversity report released by the Marion campus showed that they have adopted a multicultural and global curriculum that allows students to explore multicultural issues, such as cross-cultural psychology, women’s issues in social work and blacks in the age of slavery.

Ferguson also said that although the campus is small, it does have programs such as a Women’s Day program, an International Festival and Islamic Dialogue roundtable that are centered around diversity.

The progress report also revealed that minority retention rates were at their highest. First-year retention rates reached an all-time high of 86.5 percent in 2001, a trend that began in 1995. Additionally, second-year retention rates increased from 75.8 percent to 79 percent and third year rates rose from 66 percent to 70.8 percent.

Freeman said the increase in first-year retention rates reflects the success of the First Year Experience, a collaborative effort of academic affairs and student affairs that eases the transition of new students into the university and improves first-year completion by both freshmen and transfer students.

“Many of the programs sponsored by or supported by FYE relate to the issues of campus climate, civility, and tolerance and appreciation of differences,” Freeman said. “It is absolutely true that it’s not just about getting a student to come to Ohio State, the real focus needs to be on the retention and graduation of that student,” Freeman said.

Ashley Farmer, a senior in sociology and a member of the diversity committee of Undergraduate Student Government, said on paper retention rates are up, but in application the climate at OSU is still remote.

“It’s not visible,” she said. “I don’t see it as being tangible, it’s just a lot of jargon to me.”

President Karen A. Holbrook told the Lantern that something she’s going to be exploring this year is promoting a feeling of inclusion among minority students.

She also said emphasis is placed on what is working, and sometimes things that aren’t working get overlooked.

Ray said he has also been told there is a real climate issue on campus that must be addressed by the university.

“We are headed in the right direction, but we have a long way to go,” Ray said.