While the University's undergraduate ethnic diversity has increased over the last few years, several representatives of cultural groups argue that the administration has still not done enough to bolster minority student enrollment. In particular, the Asian Student Association is pushing for more active recruitment of Asians and Asian-Americans.
When compared to most of its peer institutions, Duke lags somewhat behind in attracting Asian and Asian-American students to its campus. Students of Asian descent make up 13 percent of Duke's undergraduate population, similar to numbers at Harvard and Brown universities, but far behind the approximate 25 percent boasted by Stanford University, the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University.
Duke's own numbers have improved over time-in 1987, for example, only 876 students of Asian descent applied, as compared to 2,446 in 2000. Still, Duke's matriculation rate remains relatively low: Last year, only 185 accepted applicants decided to attend Duke.
When asked about the fact that several Ivy League schools have numbers similar to Duke, Ray Tan, vice president of political affairs for the ASA, said that "what we're really trying to do is alter the perception that Duke isn't a place where most Asians want to go."
Patty Chen, president of ASA, cited a report by A-Magazine, a publication geared toward the Asian-American community, that ranked Duke 43rd on a list of schools with good environments for Asian and Asian-American students. "[The report] shows that there's a wide gap between where Duke is and where it should be," Chen said.
Chen speculated that Duke has difficulties attracting Asian and Asian-American students for several reasons-particularly its location in the South.
"Most Asians don't pick Duke as their first choice, since the atmosphere in the South is predominantly white," she said. "The most qualified Asian students aren't even bothering to apply."
Christoph Guttentag, director of undergraduate admissions, agreed that Duke's location might be a detractor. "Many families do have a problem with the fact that we are in the South," he said, noting the lack of Asian-American communities in the region. He emphasized that schools in large urban areas tend to attract much higher numbers of Asian and Asian-American applicants.
Chen added that the dominance of fraternities on campus also tends to drive Asians away. "Most Asians aren't comfortable in that atmosphere. If you look at Trent, you'll see that it's 30 percent Asian, while there are much fewer Asians on West."
To attract more Asian and Asian-American students, ASA has proposed several initiatives: adding more Asian and Asian-American professors to the faculty, establishing an Asian Studies major and holding an ASA luncheon during Blue Devil Days. Currently, Asians and Asian-Americans represent 8 percent of Duke faculty, more than Harvard's estimated 6.8 percent.
In response, Mavis Mayer, administrative coordinator for the Asian/Pacific Studies Institute, noted that Duke now offers programs in East Asian Studies at the graduate level, and that Asian representation in the faculty has increased. "The number of professors who are Asian or who teach specifically about Asia has doubled since 1990 in response to student demand." She had no information or comment on the prospect of an Asian Studies concentration at the undergraduate level.
ASA is also pushing for a student recruitment weekend similar to those put on for black and Latino students. Guttentag, however, said that coordinating this type of event depends on the availability of manpower. "While I have no philosophical objection, creating and running recruitment weekends is incredibly labor intensive," he said. "The Latino weekend took lots of time."
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