• Home
  • Staff
  • Privacy Policy
  • News Tips/Press Releases
  • Advertising
Saturday, July 2, 2022
No Result
View All Result
The Times-Delphic
  • News
    • All
    • Administrative News
    • Campus Events
    • Campus Health
    • Caucus Roundup
    • In Des Moines
    • Politics
    • Student Politics
    • Student Senate
    • The Ones

    Drake University Adds Five New Electric Vans

    Indira Sheumaker, city councilmembers find common ground among conflicts

    Drake urges community to remain cautious as reporting of new COVID-19 cases slows

    Drake urges community to remain cautious as reporting of new COVID-19 cases slows

    Drake to build University Center

    Student Senate passes resolution in support of the transgender community

    • Administrative News
    • The Ones
    • Campus Events
    • Campus Health
    • Caucus Roundup
    • In Des Moines
    • Politics
    • Student Politics
    • Student Senate
    • Senate Elections
  • Sports
    • All
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Column
    • Cross-Country
    • E-Sports
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Rowing
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Tennis
    • Track and Field
    • Volleyball

    Promising 2022 NFL Draft for Packers fans

    The two national parks you should visit this summer

    Des Moines lands news USL team and stadium district

    Former Drake Basketball Player Wins National Championship

    The Top Moves of NFL Free Agency

    • Basketball
    • Column
    • Cross-Country
    • E-Sports
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Rowing
    • Soccer
    • Softball
  • Commentary
    • All
    • Horoscope
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Letter to the Editor

    Hip astrology: Relays horoscope

    Painted Street ain’t so sweet when costs are heaped

    Commentary: Top 5 Self Care Tips

    Commentary: Top 5 Self Care Tips

    Commentary: How to meet your next partner in 2022

    Commentary: ā€œOh… We’re Not Datingā€¦ā€

    • Horoscope
    • Letter from the Editor
  • Features
    • All
    • Greek Life
    Drake welcomes first Black woman Student Body President

    Student Body President Morgan Coleman shares experiences as a leader

    Painted Street recap

    Bam Bam wins Drake University’s 43rd annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest

    New Casey’s Location on Forest Avenue

    ADA student task force advocates for disability inclusion

    • Greek Life
  • Podcasts
    Drake Weekly Sports Podcast | December 3

    Drake Weekly Sports Podcast | December 3

    Drake Public Safety and the student body

    Drake Public Safety and the student body

    Humans of Drake Podcast

    Bulldog Blitz 1: December 7, 2010

    The Sports Report 2010 7: 11/09/2010

  • Relays Edition

    Bill that would make Iowa a hands-free driving state stalls in the legislature

    New Casey’s Location on Forest Avenue

    ADA student task force advocates for disability inclusion

    Des Moines lands news USL team and stadium district

    The Great Resignation: What Is It? And Why Is It Happening?

    The Great Resignation: What Is It? And Why Is It Happening?

    Hip astrology: Relays horoscope

    State of Sustainability at Drake

    Dean Kathleen Richardson: Leaving a Legacy for the Drake SJMC

    Painted Street ain’t so sweet when costs are heaped

    • Commentary
    • Coronavirus
    • Elections
    • Features
    • In Des Moines
    • News
    • This week in photos
    • Top News
    • Top Stories
    • Uncategorized
    • Video
    • Sports
    • Security Reports
    • Relays Edition
    • Poll
    • Podcasts
    • Online Exclusives
    • Opinion
  • News
    • All
    • Administrative News
    • Campus Events
    • Campus Health
    • Caucus Roundup
    • In Des Moines
    • Politics
    • Student Politics
    • Student Senate
    • The Ones

    Drake University Adds Five New Electric Vans

    Indira Sheumaker, city councilmembers find common ground among conflicts

    Drake urges community to remain cautious as reporting of new COVID-19 cases slows

    Drake urges community to remain cautious as reporting of new COVID-19 cases slows

    Drake to build University Center

    Student Senate passes resolution in support of the transgender community

    • Administrative News
    • The Ones
    • Campus Events
    • Campus Health
    • Caucus Roundup
    • In Des Moines
    • Politics
    • Student Politics
    • Student Senate
    • Senate Elections
  • Sports
    • All
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Column
    • Cross-Country
    • E-Sports
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Rowing
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Tennis
    • Track and Field
    • Volleyball

    Promising 2022 NFL Draft for Packers fans

    The two national parks you should visit this summer

    Des Moines lands news USL team and stadium district

    Former Drake Basketball Player Wins National Championship

    The Top Moves of NFL Free Agency

    • Basketball
    • Column
    • Cross-Country
    • E-Sports
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Rowing
    • Soccer
    • Softball
  • Commentary
    • All
    • Horoscope
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Letter to the Editor

    Hip astrology: Relays horoscope

    Painted Street ain’t so sweet when costs are heaped

    Commentary: Top 5 Self Care Tips

    Commentary: Top 5 Self Care Tips

    Commentary: How to meet your next partner in 2022

    Commentary: ā€œOh… We’re Not Datingā€¦ā€

    • Horoscope
    • Letter from the Editor
  • Features
    • All
    • Greek Life
    Drake welcomes first Black woman Student Body President

    Student Body President Morgan Coleman shares experiences as a leader

    Painted Street recap

    Bam Bam wins Drake University’s 43rd annual Beautiful Bulldog Contest

    New Casey’s Location on Forest Avenue

    ADA student task force advocates for disability inclusion

    • Greek Life
  • Podcasts
    Drake Weekly Sports Podcast | December 3

    Drake Weekly Sports Podcast | December 3

    Drake Public Safety and the student body

    Drake Public Safety and the student body

    Humans of Drake Podcast

    Bulldog Blitz 1: December 7, 2010

    The Sports Report 2010 7: 11/09/2010

  • Relays Edition

    Bill that would make Iowa a hands-free driving state stalls in the legislature

    New Casey’s Location on Forest Avenue

    ADA student task force advocates for disability inclusion

    Des Moines lands news USL team and stadium district

    The Great Resignation: What Is It? And Why Is It Happening?

    The Great Resignation: What Is It? And Why Is It Happening?

    Hip astrology: Relays horoscope

    State of Sustainability at Drake

    Dean Kathleen Richardson: Leaving a Legacy for the Drake SJMC

    Painted Street ain’t so sweet when costs are heaped

    • Commentary
    • Coronavirus
    • Elections
    • Features
    • In Des Moines
    • News
    • This week in photos
    • Top News
    • Top Stories
    • Uncategorized
    • Video
    • Sports
    • Security Reports
    • Relays Edition
    • Poll
    • Podcasts
    • Online Exclusives
    • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
The Times-Delphic
No Result
View All Result
Home Features

Millenials still searching for racial equality, diversity

byMEGAN BANNISTER
August 22, 2011
in Features
0 0
1

Faced with angry mobs and threatened with death, more than 400 college students known as the Freedom Riders started the wheels in motion for civil rights activism on college campuses in the 1960s.

But 50 years after the journey of the original Freedom Riders, many students still find themselves grappling with the meaning of equality in higher education.

ā€œOn a national scale I would say very little has changed,ā€ said Lawrence Crawford, a Drake alum who worked in the admissions office and served as the president of the Coalition of Black Students. ā€œI think that a lot of minority populations, blacks included, had to become a lot more aggressive in trying to defend the rights that they have. In some senses the younger populations are a lot less aggressive, a lot more complacent and a lot less reflective on battles and struggles that have foregone by our grandparents.ā€

According to Drake’s mission statement, the university strives to provide responsible global citizenship and meaningful personal lives for its students. But critics say that vision is undermined by the low enrollment and employment of minorities.

According to the university databook, Drake has 193 black undergraduate students out of roughly 3,500 and six black faculty members of 274.

ā€œIt’s become extremely difficult for me personally to sell this university because I feel like in some instances I’m selling a false promise of what I expect Drake to be,ā€ Crawford said.

Unrest is not solely seated among students but also with faculty members who express concern regarding the lack of change occurring on campus.

ā€œIn my view it’s a crisis,ā€ said Melissa Klimaszewski, assistant professor of English at Drake and the advisor of the Coalition of Black Students. ā€œI think that it’s something that everyone on the campus should feel as a crisis, regardless of how you identify personally.ā€

Despite university goals of diversity and multiculturalism, the meager black representation on campus is a statistic that top administrators acknowledge.

ā€œI don’t think that we are nearly as diverse as we need to be in any way whatsoever, either at the student or faculty and staff level,ā€ Drake President David Maxwell said.

Challenges regarding diversity and global identity also affect the ways students interact on a daily basis at Drake, both socially and academically.

ā€œI think if you want to argue that Drake is desegregated, you can go into Hubbell and look at the tables and you will see that Drake is not desegregated, socially at least,ā€ junior Ryan Price said. ā€œIf you just look at where people sit in the dining hall, it’s pretty clear that we don’t integrate too well.ā€

Although many students note racial segregation, not just among black students, in social settings at Drake, they are also quick to note the respect that multicultural organizations receive on campus.

Also readily identified is the fact that the Drake community as a whole struggles with student unity and creating a cohesive social climate.

ā€œOur student body is just not on one accord,ā€ Crawford said. ā€œThat’s one thing that I loathe from Drake and really envy in other schools. They have this group sync within their student body population.ā€

A lack of integration between Greek, multicultural and athletic programs inhibits students from seeking relationships with others and hinders racial understanding, Price said.

ā€œIt’s not so much the fact of having diversity but what you do with that diversity that matters,ā€ Price said. ā€œI think it’s about understanding as a verb instead of diversity as a noun.ā€

A key aspect in building such understanding comes not only from acceptance of Drake’s student population but also the surrounding Des Moines area.

ā€œPeople that say that paint a horrible picture not just of the neighborhood but of the people that live in these neighborhoods,ā€ Crawford said. ā€œAnd it’s like, ā€˜Ok, there goes another stereotype that just got perpetuated.ā€™ā€

On Drake’s campus, where barely 0.05 percent of the undergraduate student population is black, the admissions office struggles not only to recruit a wide variety of students but also to provide diverse admissions counselors that students can relate to, Crawford said.

Maxwell says that the applicant pool of black high school graduates who meet Drake’s standards is increasingly small.

However, the university does not offer any form of minority scholarships to entice top minority students to choose Drake over other institutions.

ā€œOur best shot at becoming more diverse has a big part in fulfilling our social compact with our community to improve the success and college readiness in Des Moines schools,ā€ Maxwell said.

While Crawford recognizes that the university is striving to incite change both within the Des Moines community and within its own administration, the lack of student representation for African Americans is nonnegotiable.

ā€œI love Drake,ā€ Crawford said. ā€œI think that we really try very hard on so many different platforms and so many different levels to reach this, but there are some things we are just dropping the ball on. And it’s not a good look for perspective students.ā€

Despite university involvement and community coalitions, the number of black students graduating high school with a high level of college readiness is on the decline, Maxwell said. Coupled with insufficient university funds to provide aid, the problem of creating equal representation at Drake will not easily be resolved.

ā€œThe most discouraging thing for me is that I was having this conversation 30 years ago when I was at Tufts University and we haven’t gotten any better,ā€ Maxwell said.

Tags: Diverse IdentitiesHistory

MEGAN BANNISTER

Next Post

The best movies of summer 2011

Comments 1

  1. student says:
    11 years ago

    I understand the concerns, but I’m not sure if responsible global citizenship and meaningful personal lives is what I’d associate with this issue. Global citizenship and meaningful personal life goes beyond some statistics on population of different races on campus.

Twitter Feeds

The Times-Delphic
The Times-Delphic @timesdelphic

The Times-Delphic is still hiring for the positions of Student Senate Beat Writer, Business and Finance Manager and Distributor for the 2022-23 school year! Apply online or reach out to grace.altenhofen @drake.edu for more information. https://t.co/U9VY5TtOZt
View on Twitter
timesdelphic photo
0
1
The Times-Delphic
The Times-Delphic @timesdelphic

BREAKING: Drake President Marty Martin announced in a campuswide email that Drake's number of active cases is projected to decline to 80 by the end of the day, down 241 since early Friday afternoon.
View on Twitter
2
10

Recommended

Welcome first years, to the town with the silent ā€˜s’

10 years ago

Academy overlooks the best film of the year

8 years ago

Popular News

  • Twitch Streamer Raises Money for LGBT Community

    Twitch Streamer Raises Money for LGBT Community

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Gladwell’s “Outliers” reveals the many factors of success

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Drake ranks among Ivy Leagues on Economist list

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The history of Indian boarding schools in Iowa

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Music as a political platform

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Drake Weekly Sports Podcast | December 3

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Humans of Drake Podcast

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Sports Report 2010 7: 11/09/2010

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Familiar face helps bring massive skatepark to Des Moines

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The rise and fall of Motown Records

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Connect with us

  • About
  • Home
  • Podcasts
  • Privacy Policy
  • Virtual Edition
  • Advertising

Copyright 2015 Fuel Themes. All RIGHTS RESERVED.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Administrative News
    • The Ones
    • Campus Events
    • Campus Health
    • Caucus Roundup
    • In Des Moines
    • Politics
    • Student Politics
    • Student Senate
    • Senate Elections
  • Sports
    • Basketball
    • Column
    • Cross-Country
    • E-Sports
    • Football
    • Golf
    • Rowing
    • Soccer
    • Softball
  • Commentary
    • Horoscope
    • Letter from the Editor
  • Features
    • Greek Life
  • Podcasts
  • Relays Edition
    • Commentary
    • Coronavirus
    • Elections
    • Features
    • In Des Moines
    • News
    • This week in photos
    • Top News
    • Top Stories
    • Uncategorized
    • Video
    • Sports
    • Security Reports
    • Relays Edition
    • Poll
    • Podcasts
    • Online Exclusives
    • Opinion

Copyright 2015 Fuel Themes. All RIGHTS RESERVED.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms bellow to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Bodybuilder is fighting for his life after taking dirty steroids femara uk trump's "operation warp speed" for mass vaxxing. "big bucks for big pharma" - global research