Duke minority programs remain unchanged

Junior Tameeka Norton is the first in her family to attend college, but Norton doesn't intend to stop her studies there. Instead, the political science and African American studies major plans to earn a doctorate in political science, crediting the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship as a key factor in her decision to pursue a post-graduate degree. 

"Being a Mellon fellow has opened a world of research and academia to me," Norton said. "I probably would have had the opportunity [to pursue an additional degree without the fellowship], but I wouldn't have known about it or had the advantages [of research and mentorship] in general." 

The MMUF, which aims to increase the presence of underrepresented minorities in academia, is one of several other national programs, however, that have recently decided to expand their eligibility criteria to allow students of all ethnicities to apply. 

In light of last June's U.S. Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action at the University of Michigan and pressure from lobbying groups, several top universities--including Harvard University, Princeton University and Yale University--have decided to alter their programs that aim to increase or support minority students by opening them up to all qualified students. 

"[We] are satisfied that Duke's programs are appropriately structured to provide opportunities for members of groups that have historically been disadvantaged, without disadvantaging others who do not participate," added President Nan Keohane in an e-mail. 

Many of the nationally-based programs with chapters at Duke have already changed their requirements, but other programs, such as the Summer Research Opportunities Program and the American Economic Association's Minority Scholarship Program, are still limited to students of specific ethnicities. 

"The whole purpose of SROP is to actually increase the number of minority students into the [research] programs," said Dr. Soman Abraham, director of the program and a pathologist at the School of Medicine. "In our particular case, we are funded by the Mellon Foundation and immediately after the Michigan case, they were a little bit nervous and asked us to remove the wording from the webpages indicating the program is targeted at minority students. Even though we've changed the wording, we're still abiding by the original goals to bring in underrepresented minorities and expose them to research in an academic environment at Duke." 

The AEA's minority scholarship, for its summer economics program held at the University, also gives preference to underrepresented minorities. 

"The minority scholarship program is restricted to those disadvantaged in the American context and groups for whom there would be diversity," said Charles Becker, director of the program and research professor of economics. 

Economic research scientist and assistant program director Rhonda Sharpe added, however, that any student who perceives himself or herself as disadvantaged has the opportunity to apply. "If you're an Armenian student who thinks [you] are eligible and you can demonstrate financial need, you could apply," she said.  

The University's chapters of the MMUF and the Summer Medical Education Program have already changed their application limitations. MMUF at Duke has changed its requirements to meet the national guidelines, said Deborah Wall, associate director of undergraduate research and the program's local head. 

Lydia English, national director of the MMUF, noted that the decision of the Mellon Foundation to change its eligibility requirements was pre-emptive of the Michigan decisions.  

"It means that our focus is still on diversifying the faculties at American universities and colleges and that we still are looking to recruit students of color, particularly African American, Latino and Native American students," she said. "But we are also open to accepting students who don't belong to those groups but who are interested in diversifying the faculty and committed to finding ways to increase the diversity in institutions." 

Like the MMUF, the Summer Medical Education Program at the medical school is a satellite of a larger initiative aimed at increasing underrepresented students in medicine and has followed its national organization's lead of allowing any student to apply to the program.

"We're trying to help end disparities in health care between populations of color and the white population in this culture," said Maureen Cullins, director of both the Multicultural Resource Center at the medical school and of the program. "What we know from a number of studies is that the people who tend to go into underserved communities tend to come from there, so we're looking for people who will be interested in that." 

Although Duke has maintained its minority programs, some worry that changes in admissions criteria could hurt students for which the program aims to help.  

"By opening up [the programs] to everyone it could adversely increase the number of minority applicants to get into them, which could defeat their purpose," said LaQuisha Bonner, president of the Duke chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. "At Duke, I think it would harm a lot of the minorities here that are vastly underrepresented, especially since Duke is fostering multiculturalism and a diverse student body." 

Others worry that changes, such as those seen at Yale, may be on the horizon with the new administration set to take over in July. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that as dean of Yale College, Duke President-elect Richard Brodhead wrote to students at Yale that recent legal decisions have made it "harder to justify programs that separate student communities instead of building them into an interactive whole."  

Keohane, however, remained optimistic that Brodhead shares the same vision of fostering diversity. "I have not discussed this issue with the President-elect, but I know that he is generally supportive of reaching out to historically disadvantaged groups," she said.