Diversity at Appalachian State

appbio91 · Unread post by **appbio91** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 6:51 pm

http://m.journalnow.com/sports/asu/foot ... l?mode=jqm

Some of these numbers are surprising.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

DaphneUrquhart · Unread post by **DaphneUrquhart** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 7:15 pm

Malachi's comments show (IMO) an amazing amount of maturity.

Thanks, Malachi!

YesAppCan · Unread post by **YesAppCan** » Sun Oct 25, 2015 7:29 pm

I've read it then did a little research (http://www.collegedata.com/). If you flip=flop us and NC A&T you have the same "problem" at both places. I'm all for welcoming anybody, red, yellow, black or white IF they can qualify. Marketing to lure more minorities to Boone would be a start. I wasn't sure exactly what Middleton meant when he said “I think they just continue to let more minority students in, ..." I think kids tend to choose their college at a place they want to be.

...And what Daphne said "Malachi's comments show (IMO) an amazing amount of maturity."

Unread post by **biggie** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 10:21 am

There is something that I was surprised that weren't mentioned. Only slightly when it was mentioned that black people didn't go to the mountains.

Weather.

I asked many of my black friends in HS to apply to App. They all laughed at me. I said they'd freeze.

Gonzo · Unread post by **Gonzo** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 10:33 am

The reason App is so "white."

The racial stereotypes about "black people not liking cold" are overstated.

The unfortunate side effect of an effort to "diversify" is that better qualified applicants will be turned away based on their skin color.

bigdaddyg · Unread post by **bigdaddyg** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 10:35 am

biggie wrote:There is something that I was surprised that weren't mentioned. Only slightly when it was mentioned that black people didn't go to the mountains.

Weather.

I asked many of my black friends in HS to apply to App. They all laughed at me. I said they'd freeze.

I thought that exact thing but there was no way that would be mentioned as it would come across as very racist (in some eyes). I had an African American roommate one year back in the mid 80's who ran track. He seemed to enjoy his time at App and I never heard him complain about anything (at least openly). I doubt that anyone at App cares about skin color. They are just college kids. The kids who were interviewed seemed genuinely surprised by the numbers. As a side note I will never forget my ( I believe ) freshman year's student handbook- talking 1982 here. I must have been bored or something but I as I began thumbing through it I noticed that every picture which included students had at least one African American in every picture. That struck me as odd, even then as it was pretty apparent to most everyone that just about any black student was probably also an athlete but the photos portrayed the school to be more diverse. It was a common (perhaps incorrect) perception that black folks simply didn't like the cold weather. I agree with what you said, race makes zero difference as long as a student can qualify for entrance.

Unread post by **biggie** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 10:51 am

Yeah, had some friends that got a black freshman as a roomate in Winkler their Soph year. He loved App. Made the basketball team as a walkon, but decided not to play.

The cold does get to some people who aren't expecting it. Though it was mostly the girls from FL that had only been up in the summer before starting.

hapapp · Unread post by **hapapp** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 10:55 am

Gonzo wrote:The reason App is so "white."

The racial stereotypes about "black people not liking cold" are overstated.

The unfortunate side effect of an effort to "diversify" is that better qualified applicants will be turned away based on their skin color.

Whatever "better qualified means".

Gonzo · Unread post by **Gonzo** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 11:09 am

hapapp wrote:
Gonzo wrote:The reason App is so "white."

The racial stereotypes about "black people not liking cold" are overstated.

The unfortunate side effect of an effort to "diversify" is that better qualified applicants will be turned away based on their skin color.

Whatever "better qualified means".

Better GPS and SAT scores etc. This is of course assuming affirmative action is the strategy we implement for meeting the diversity goal. There are other ways.

hapapp · Unread post by **hapapp** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 11:13 am

My guess is there are plenty of people who get in with lesser GPAs and SAT scores than some who don't. I'm going to assume some applicants are turned down who actually have better credentials than some of our athletes. Folks get in for a variety reasons beyond their straight academic background. The process has never been cut and dried.

appbio91 · Unread post by **appbio91** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 11:18 am

hapapp wrote:
Gonzo wrote:The reason App is so "white."

[img]http://i.imgur.com/kFlHmje.gif[/img]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/Ys3C1l0.png[/img]

The racial stereotypes about "black people not liking cold" are overstated.

The unfortunate side effect of an effort to "diversify" is that better qualified applicants will be turned away based on their skin color.

Whatever "better qualified means".

I get what he means. This is a touchy subject but I do agree that if you are going to preferentially recruit and accept then someone more qualified could potentially miss out. Slippery slope in other words.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

clayton · Unread post by **clayton** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 11:26 am

The Journal article is not about affirmative action. It is about implementing these strategies.

Code: Select all

1. Engage a consultant to provide education to all supervisors on the topic of creating an inclusive campus. This campus-wide initiative would mirror the protocol used in educating over 800 supervisors about interpersonal violence last year.

2. Implement a bias incident response process. This recommendation was provided not only by this year’s Commission, but also the preceding Taskforce on Diversity.

3. Create an online search committee compliance module. Currently, this education is provided in face-to-face meetings between search committees and staff members in the Office of the Equity, Diversity and Compliance.

4. Related to the item above, another proposal recommended that search committees be provided face-to-face education about the ways implicit bias can affect search processes. This face-to-face time would replace the compliance-focused education that is currently offered.

5. Expansion of the exit interview process. Currently, all departing SPA employees and departing EPA employees from Academic Affairs are the only individuals provided with the opportunity to participate in exit interviews. The information obtained through the exit interview process has been invaluable in assessing climate issues, benefit needs and other reasons people leave Appalachian. In order to have this data from departing employees from all divisions, the Office of Equity, Diversity and Compliance and Human Resources are working together to expand the exit interview process.

6. The Office of Equity, Diversity and Compliance and the Office of Multicultural Student Development are working on creating a formal mentoring program for students from underrepresented groups.

The goal is to encourage more high school students to have an interest in attending Appalachian State and for current students to have a good experience while attending Appalachian State.

We don't need to polarize it.

appbio91 · Unread post by **appbio91** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:03 pm

clayton wrote:The Journal article is not about affirmative action. It is about implementing these strategies.

Code: Select all

1&#46; Engage a consultant to provide education to all supervisors on the topic of creating an inclusive campus&#46; This campus-wide initiative would mirror the protocol used in educating over 800 supervisors about interpersonal violence last year&#46;

2&#46; Implement a bias incident response process&#46; This recommendation was provided not only by this year’s Commission, but also the preceding Taskforce on Diversity&#46;

3&#46; Create an online search committee compliance module&#46; Currently, this education is provided in face-to-face meetings between search committees and staff members in the Office of the Equity, Diversity and Compliance&#46;

4&#46; Related to the item above, another proposal recommended that search committees be provided face-to-face education about the ways implicit bias can affect search processes&#46; This face-to-face time would replace the compliance-focused education that is currently offered&#46;

5&#46; Expansion of the exit interview process&#46; Currently, all departing SPA employees and departing EPA employees from Academic Affairs are the only individuals provided with the opportunity to participate in exit interviews&#46; The information obtained through the exit interview process has been invaluable in assessing climate issues, benefit needs and other reasons people leave Appalachian&#46; In order to have this data from departing employees from all divisions, the Office of Equity, Diversity and Compliance and Human Resources are working together to expand the exit interview process&#46;

6&#46; The Office of Equity, Diversity and Compliance and the Office of Multicultural Student Development are working on creating a formal mentoring program for students from underrepresented groups&#46;

The goal is to encourage more high school students to have an interest in attending Appalachian State and for current students to have a good experience while attending Appalachian State.

We don't need to polarize it.

You are right edited my response. Hope this does not deteriorate to a political discussion. I know what we are trying to do I was just responding to a concern in another post. Thanks for the measured check.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

S.Lewis15 · Unread post by **S.Lewis15** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 12:17 pm

It's all a matter of choice.
A lot of people are mentioning the weather, as to why many African Americans don't go to school at App. I'd also argue that it's the image of the "outdoors" that keeps a lot of that demographic away. App is one of the best colleges for people interested in outdoor activities in the Nation. The majority of African Americans simply are not interested in outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, rafting, snowboarding, skiing, etc. Just look at the demographics of people who are most likely to visit National Parks and you'll see the same thing.

Rekdiver · Unread post by **Rekdiver** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 3:16 pm

It's not hard to figure out. The first groupd i'd ask are the current black students what would encourage other black students to come to ASU.

Appftw · Unread post by **Appftw** » Mon Oct 26, 2015 7:17 pm

Those charts don't prove what you claim they do. The title is not "where do most Appalachian State students come from". This only means that the majority of hs graduates in those specific counties go to App. On top of that these counties have tiny populations compared to the Piedmont area. I bet Char-Meck sends more App students than some of these counties combined, and yet we're still one of the least diverse campuses in the nation. It's not a problem per se, but it's not a strength for sure.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Appftw · Unread post by **Appftw** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 1:02 pm

Bump, because Gonzy-boy, you really misread and misrepresented that graph Fox News style. I havent figured out how to quote on Tapatalk.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Gonzo · Unread post by **Gonzo** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 1:32 pm

I haven't misrepresented anything. That's census data and I didn't add an editorial or anything. I thought it provided a reasonable explanation for the racial disparity without relying on racial stereotypes like "blacks hate cold" or "blacks don't care about the outdoors." I don't watch Fox News, so I couldn't tell you if posting census data and debunking racial stereotyping against people of color is something they do, but I would assume it is not.

Here is the most recent county admissions breakdown I could find: http://irap.appstate.edu/sites/irap.app ... county.pdf

Watauga produced almost as many App students as Mecklenburg. You can cross reference the light-colored counties in figure 18 to their numbers in that link. It would be pretty time consuming. I just looked at a few and it seems pretty consistent with the first post: App primarily serves Western North Carolina, and Western North Carolina is disproportionately white compared to other areas of the state.

Appftw · Unread post by **Appftw** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 1:39 pm

Gonzo wrote:
hapapp wrote:
Gonzo wrote:

You need to reread the title of this graph. It does not say "Where Most App State students come from", like you're saying it does. It's confusingly worded I know, but read what I posted before the bump. You just said yourself that Mecklenburg sends more than Watauga and yet Mecklenburg isn't yellow. This is common sense.

Gonzo · Unread post by **Gonzo** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 2:31 pm

Appftw wrote:
Gonzo wrote:
hapapp wrote:
Gonzo wrote:

You need to reread the title of this graph. It does not say "Where Most App State students come from", like you're saying it does. It's confusingly worded I know, but read what I posted before the bump. You just said yourself that Mecklenburg sends more than Watauga and yet Mecklenburg isn't yellow. This is common sense.

I read the title. I posted another link for you to see for yourself the EXACT number of students each North Carolina County sends to App State.

Watauga having just a handful fewer App students than Mecklenburg illustrates my point. Mecklenburg has 19.82 times the residents as Watauga and contributes merely 1.43 times the App Students. That means when you say "I bet Char-Meck sends more App students than some of these counties combined," you're wrong. Also keep in mind that Meck is in the 75-89.99% white population category and is located within the Western District of the State. So when you emphasize Charlotte sending so many people to App, you're agreeing with me that the counties sending the most people to Appalachian happen to be in the western part of the State, and the Western part of the State is statistically "whiter."

The only outlier I'v spotted so far is Wake County, which is still 60-74.99% white (above the national average), but still sends the biggest single-county group to Boone despite the fact that it's in the middle/east of the State.