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Groups look to more inclusive admissions application |
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Tuesday, 04 April 2006 |
by CLAIR BAXTER
News Editor
The Appalachian State University Student Government Association and
Admissions Office are working together to assure all prospective
students they will be welcomed into the Appalachian family the minute
they fill out an application.
SGA’s Director of Diversity Scott M. Rheinheimer was at a university
meeting when he heard Director of Multicultural Student Development
Tracey L. Wright discuss the limited options on the admissions
application.
Vice Chancellor for Student Development Cindy A. Wallace said they had
tried to make alterations to the application years ago but “couldn’t
get anywhere with it.”
“I decided that was something SGA could work on and so I brought [the idea] back to my committee,” Rheinheimer said.
Rheinheimer said they immediately began looking over the admissions
form and realized some categories could be more inclusive to incoming
students.
“The admissions application is the first piece of paperwork to come out
of the university,” Rheinheimer said. “If you feel excluded before you
even finish the application, then it is likely you will not be
attending the school.”
Appalachian’s existing admissions application provides six options to choose from under the category race/ethnicity.
The current options are: Alaskan/Native American Indian, Asian or
Pacific Islander, African American/Black (not of Hispanic origin),
Caucasian (white), Hispanic and other.
The SGA committee examined other university applications for ideas on how to be more inclusive.
The University of Oregon’s application was the committee’s favorite in terms of options available under ethnic identity.
Oregon offered 10 options, including four ASU does not currently offer:
North African, Middle Eastern, Multiracial and an option for declined
response.
Other attributes of Oregon’s applications that the committee liked were
a space to specify tribal affiliation under the Native American
category and an optional category under gender.
Sex was another category the committee discussed.
“There are only options for male or female under sex,” Rheinheimer
said. “Adding an optional box or including something for transgender
applications would be revolutionary for a college application.”
The committee also questioned the lack of diversity in the religious preference section.
The application offers Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Jewish, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and other.
These options exclude most Eastern religions and do not give an atheist option.
“I absolutely think we should do it,” Wallace said with regard to
altering the current application. “I believe we should tackle race
first.”
Rheinheimer presented the idea to the Admissions Office and brought the
idea before the Admissions Council for Diversity last week. His next
move is to make a formal recommendation to the office and work with
them to make some changes before the next application becomes available.
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