Minority Admissions Addressed Wendell Phillips Nominations Cl&Ed
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HE TUF DAILY IWhere You Read It First Wednesday, Februarys 3,1999 Volume XXXVIII, Number 7 I Minority admissions addressed Applications by race First of five meetings discussing admissions IDolicies 1800 by JEREMY WANGIVERSON showed that applications from that the major increase last year I600 African American, Hispanic Ameri- Daily Editorial Board was due to that ...the quality ofthe 1400 Minority admissions was in the can, and Asian American students on-campus experiences, the qual- I200 spotlight Monday night as the are on the rise. ity of any type of contact written first of five discussions planned “One of the key elements here from direct mail, or whether it’s 1000 African American by Vice President for Arts, Sci- is the percentage of students who through human contact ... we’ve 800 0 Hispanic ences, and Technology Me1 accept the offer of admissions,” got to be on point, because we 600 10 Asian Bernstein was held to address the Cuttino continued. “HOWdo we really have got to tell people ‘Why 400 concerns presented to him by stu- influence these things? ... It’s a Tufts?”’ ’ 200 dents at the end of last semester. community effort; it really hap- He later hit upon a recurring 0 “I’m very hopeful that at the pens in a lot of different ways.” theme of the evening, that the 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 end of these five sessions... we Cuttino said Tufts has tradi- community as a whole plays an would have arrived at that first tionally depended upon alumni influential part in enrolling an in- phase, where people have some networks to recruit prospective coming class. Students accepted by race confidence where Tufts is now, students, but the University is “1’11 bethe firsttosay enrolling where.we’ve been, where do we changing its tactics to attract a this class does not rest with the want to go, and then to begin to broader range of students. admissions office alone; every- deal with the issue of how do we “There’s better information and body in this room, everybody on get there,” Bernstein said in his betterrecognition ofthequality of this campus has a role to play in introduction. the experience that is here. And in enrolling in this class,” Granger I200 Dean of Admissions David orderto [recruit different students] explained. 1000 Cuttino and Associate Director of we’ve organized the staffto more “We’re not asking the students Admissions Earl Granger each effectively work with schools in to do the work, but we clearly are 800 0 Hispanic spoke for about 15 minutes, focus- different parts of the country,” he asking the students to assist us in 600 ing primarily on the tactics that the said. that endeavor. Because 1 hope 400 admissionsoffice usesto increase Granger stressed that the ad- you all, everyone has a vested 200 interest in Tufts amongminorities. missions office is working to im- interest in the types of students 0 Cuttino and Granger also dis- prove the visibility of Tufts we do enroll here at Tufts and we 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 cussed ways of increasing the through thequality ofcontactwith can’t do it ourselves,” he contin- percentage of minority students prospective students. ued. who enroll after being accepted. “One ofthe things we’re really After Cuttino and Granger Students enrolled by race “We’ve been fortunate that the trying to do here at Tufts is in- spoke, Cuttino and his staff re- interest in Tufts has been grow- crease the visibility for under-rep- sponded to nearly 20 questions ing,”Cuttino said, referringto sta- resented populations,” Granger from students. 1800- tistics he handed out which explained, “That’s why we believe Some students said they felt 1600-* that the question and answer ses- 1400-( sion made it too easy for the ad- l200.~ Wendell Phillips ministrators to avoid questions. 1000-, “When we asked specific ques- 800.1 0 Hispanic tions, we rarely got specific an- 600-*- swers and it was very frustrating,” nominations cl&ed said freshman Tufts Community 400.6 200 by ELIZABETH SOLOMONT application, assigns it anumerical Union Senator Jesse Levey. “When students voiced their con- 0 Contributing Writer score, and based on a tabulation 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 Forty-nine Tufts students were of those numbers, determines the cerns, no change was made, so I notified on Monday that they had five finalists. Those five students hope it will be addressed for the been nominated for one of Tufts’ then arenarrowedtoone in acom- upcoming discussions.” “I really liked the moderators,” foreign languages, how the Uni- most prestigious awards, the petition in which the finalists are ~ Other students felt the modera- freshman-Kriss Paddock said. “It versiiy decidesbhere to send rep- Wendell Phillips Award. judged on a short speech to the tors, History Professor Howard was more orderly, there were no resentatives, and how Tufts re- According to Professor Fulton committee members in the pres- Solomon and Director of the Of- shouting matches this time.” cruits Asian Americans, among Gonzalez, associate professor of ence of a public audience, upon fice of Diversity Jean Wu, were Students wanted the specifics many others. mathematics and this year’s Com- which they are examined again. effective in overseeing the pro- and inquired about whether ad- mittee on Student Life(CSL)chair- Finally, one winner is determined. ceedings. missions literature is printed in see ADMISSIONS, page 11 man, during the next few months Gonzalez says thatthe timetable each nominee should submit an forthis yearwill be as ithas been in in-depth application to CSL. This yearspast. Thenominees will sub- $5m planned for financial aid application will put them in the mit their application by the middle running for a monetary prize and of March and finalists will be nar- by DANIEL BARBARISI the coveted opportunity to be the rowed down before spring break. Daily Editorial Board only Tufts student to deliver a The finalists will face offabouttwo Tufts has been under increasing pressure re- speec:? at the commencement cer- weeks after spring break, and on cently to make changes to its financial aid program, emony this spring. that same night in early April, the both by Tufts students and by competing universi- Director of Student Activities winner will be chosen. ties, which have been increasing their merit-based JodieNeally said that any member Theapplication, which isorigi- and need-based aid. of the Tufts faculty, staff, or stu- nallyjudged by CSL, is comprised The budget presented at Monday’s Arts and dent body may. nominate a Tufts of three separate parts: an oral Sciences faculty meeting includes the earmarking of junior or senior who they feel has presentation submitted on a tape; $5 million in increased financial aid, a goal to be displzyed excellence in public a resume, documenting the completed within five years. The budget will be sent speaking and a commitment to candidate’s history of community to the Trustees for their approval this weekend. community services. service; and an essay addressing This “five-year plan,” presented by University Daily file photo The Wendel I Phi I I ips award has aquestion posed toall ofthenomi- President John DiBiaggio and Vice President for Facultv meeting.. a long history at Tufts and in the nees. Arts, Sciences, and Technology Me1 Bernstein, also Boston college community, where The competition is stiff. includesmorethan$2 millionto institutethe“1nternet 80th percentile of the industry. it has been awarded annually since Gonzalez said, “Practically every 2 Program,” which aims to improve the electronic In addition to increased financial aid, the plan will 1896 in memory of the famous one of the applicants possesses infrastructure at Tufts. The plan also contains funds also assess the environment for minority students Boston orator, clergyman, and qualifications to [receive] the for the specific purpose of attracting and retaining and faculty on campus, according to DiBiaggio. abolitionist, Wendell Phillips. This Wendell Phillips [award].” minority facultymembers. ’ “Recruiting, and I might add, retaining, under- award is given to two students Self-nominations for the The five-year plan will cost between $7 and $8 represented students and taculty ofcolor is aprimary each year - one from Tufts and Wendell Phillips awardare encour- million, drawing funds from the endowment, tuition goal here,” Di,Biaggiosaid.“We need to determine if one fi-om Harvard-each ofwhom aged; thus, several students were rate increases, enrollment increases, and reductions there’s a problem, and whether that problem is a epitomizes those qualities that aware that they were being offered in the operating budget. factor offinance, or a factor of environment. If it’s a Phillips himself was best known the chance to compete for this Bernstein said the plan is necessary to compete factor of environment,’we’regoing to have to change for: an excellence in public speech prize. For some students, how- with our benchmark schools. that,” he said. and a profound sense of social ever, their nomination came as a “ASwe react aggressively,” Bernstein continued, Last winter’s decision by Princeton University to responsibility,Gonzalezexplained. surprise. Neally says that a high “we will have time to do this over four or five years. revamp and dramatically increase its financial aid, At Tufts, the selection of the percentage of nominees self-ap- It will require changes in the way we’re organized, program has led to changes in kind by nearly all the recipient for this award is deter- ply, but not all. She estimates that changes in the way we do business.” Ivy League schools, as well as by many of Tufts’ mined by CSL, agroup made up of the numbers are about half self- Also included as part ofthe five-year plan will be competitors, including Georgetown, Washington five studentsand sixfacultymem- nominated and halfnominated by $1 million for faculty compensation.