Little Change in Freshman Diversity

At any given Welcome Week event or dorm icebreaker, a typical member of the class of 2010 is an Asian American female from the Bay Area.

This typical freshman has probably mastered Facebook and listens to the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Stadium Arcadium" while hanging out in her dorm room, according to a survey by the Office of Student Research.

This student is one of 4,200 new freshmen adjusting to campus life this week, and while the numbers have not yet been finalized, they appear to be similar to last year's figures.

Underrepresented minority enrollment increased slightly or remained stagnant for most ethnic categories, with the number of white, Japanese and Korean students decreasing very slightly.

But members of the campus admissions office and recruitment and retention centers said that their outreach efforts have not been in vain.

"We're OK with the numbers that we got, and as our previous admissions director (Richard Black) would have said, we're pleased, but not satisfied with the numbers," said Susanna Castillo-Robson, acting assistant vice chancellor of enrollment and admissions.

African Americans continue to make up 3 percent of the entering class, and only 19 American Indian students submitted intents to register-five students more than last year.

While the numbers remain low, the data may signal the beginning of an upswing of underrepresented minority enrollment, Castillo-Robson said.

The on-campus recruitment and retention centers have had to deal with severe budget cuts in the past, which are slowly being restored, she said.

"We've got a long way to go, but we're on our way there. We're pleased that we've been able to do what we need to do," she said.

Junior Anna Yang was approached by members of REACH! while still in her senior year of high school.

REACH!, the Asian/Pacific Islander recruitment and retention center, is one of five such centers that speaks to prospective students of all ages about applying to UC Berkeley and going to college.

The group has shifted its outreach efforts from solely targeting high school seniors to also speaking to middle school students.

Because the center is targeting younger students, REACH! isn't surprised that there aren't dramatic shifts in the enrollment numbers, said Yang, who worked as an outreach coordinator for the center last year.

"We never, ever see direct results from outreach efforts-it takes a few years for our efforts to be effective," she said.

The numbers of underrepresented minorities attending UC Berkeley dropped dramatically after the approval of Proposition 209 in November 1996, Yang said.

Although enrollment numbers have been slow in growing back to 1996 levels, the numbers for underrepresented minority student applicants has swelled considerably, Yang said.

There was a 12 percent increase in applications for Fall 2006, with a 19 percent increase in applications from Hispanic, African American and American Indian students, according to data from the Office of Student Research.

"Even though admissions can only let in so many people, the interest is there, and that's a good sign," Yang said. "We're on the right track."

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