Students question Princeton's ability to draw minority applicants

Deciding on a college often means lists of pros and cons, exhaustive campus visits and long conversations with guidance counselors. And for minority students, an assortment of additional factors are often considered, ranging from social options to curriculum choices.

But Ashley Adams '02 made her final decision in a few seconds, picking out of a hat filled with names of prestigious colleges.

And Princeton lucked out.

"If I had been more systematic about it, I would have given more weight to the fact that other Ivy League schools, like Harvard, actually sent a student — an African-American — to talk to our high school," Adams said, adding that she did not attend a predominantly African-American secondary school. "Princeton did none of this."

"Also, college counselors at many of the public schools in my town do not recommend even the most talented minority students apply to Princeton, because it hasn't made an effort to pull in minority students," Adams added.

And for the University — whose trustees have pledged to seek additional minority representation in the student body, soon to be expanded by 500 — that is a significant problem.

Adams, now an officer at the Third World Center, is not alone. Other minority group leaders said at a TWC governance board meeting in April that they are concerned about the University's ability to appeal to prospective minority students.

They also said they believe a lack of cooperation among minority groups may be limiting their ability to attract new members.

Governance board chair Andria Boateng '02 said she wants to see increased cooperation among ethnic student groups on campus. "How can we work together? What can we do?" she asked. "It's all about having a collaborative effort."

Karthick Ramakrishnan GS, head of Graduate Students for Local Activism, said he is concerned the University has not adequately informed prospective students about minority issues on campus. He suggested greater minority involvement in the "student ambassador" program, which sends University students to high schools to help recruit new applicants.

"The administration says they want more minority students, but to show they're committed, they need to get students to go talk — not just send a paper brochure," Ramakrishnan said.

Some students said current minority undergraduates would be the most effective agents in recruiting efforts, but only if they were pleased with their own experiences at Princeton.

Get the best of ‘the Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

"Minority students will want to help if they are already happy here," Adams said. "If minority students don't think Princeton is that great, they are not going to want to get more people to come."

Students also cited lack of communication among organized ethnic groups on campus as limiting their effectiveness.

"Even with as small a campus as we have, there is no communication," Lauren Flemister '02 noted. "Part of the problem is that there are ethnic groups within other groups, like eating clubs and residential colleges."