The University of Colorado deserves praise for creating a commission to study diversity on its main campus. Although it’s shocking to learn that among the school’s nearly 30,000 students there are fewer than 450 African-Americans, it’s impressive that CU has approached this issue head-on.
It would be easy for the school to ignore the problem. If there were no commission, administrators might not know exactly how few African-American students were enrolled, they might not be aware of the social and economic factors that make minority recruitment difficult, and they might not hear about the challenges minority students face once they arrive on campus.
It takes great courage to create a commission to formally study this issue when you know that the results it produces will likely be unflattering. No one wants to be criticized by the media or censured by the public, so organizations often won’t perform internal audits unless they know the results will be good or unless they’re required to do so by law.
So kudos to CU president Hank Brown and other administrators for objectively studying this controversial issue.
Low African-American enrollment at CU is a symptom of a much larger problem that is rooted in the racist social and economic structure of our society. Before I say another word, I have to acknowledge that some African-Americans sometimes have chips on our shoulders, and we can be quick to cite racist causes for social problems. I also know that many white people have chips on their shoulders, and they’re quick to go on the defensive anytime someone suggests that race might be a factor in some societal ill.
In the case of minority college enrollment, it seems that institutional racism is likely one of the factors that keeps the number low. I recently read an analogy by author David C. Korten that illustrated the enduring nature of economic structures and the effect they can have on subsequent generations. Although he was writing about corporate control of markets, I think his analogy applies equally well to the discussion about race.
Korten said that in the game Monopoly, players roll dice, move their pieces around the board and try to buy whatever properties they land on. To succeed at Monopoly you need to be in the game when it first starts, have good luck with the dice, buy the best properties and adorn them with houses and hotels. Anyone who joins the game after all the property has been claimed is at a tremendous disadvantage, because the economic structure of the game is firmly established. It will be virtually impossible for newcomers to thrive.
This is the challenge that CU and other universities face. Centuries of slavery and second-class citizenship have caused African-Americans to join civil society very late in the game. Although federal and state nondiscrimination laws have removed most of the worst barriers to employment, homeownership, access to credit, etc., higher education remains elusive.
So CU is dealing with a problem that cannot be solved simply by allowing minorities to apply for admission. At some level, the school has to help them “buy in” to the game. CU has to reach out to more grade-school students at inner-city schools and encourage them to graduate, invite them to visit the campus, help them during the application process, and create more scholarships and more academic and social support for minorities on campus.
A lot of this may sound like affirmative action – and that’s exactly what it might become. When you join the game late, somebody has to help you catch up if you’re going to be competitive. CU’s desire to improve in this area is especially important, because higher education will open the door to politics, law, medicine, science and business, and give more minorities the tools they need to succeed in the “game.”
Former Bronco Reggie Rivers is the host of “Global Agenda” Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on KBDI-Channel 12. His column appears every Friday.
