DIY History | Transcribe | Campus Culture | University of Iowa Committee on Human Rights policies, 1958-1986 | 1968-11-15 University Human Rights Committee to President Howard Bowen Page 8

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University of Iowa Committee on Human Rights policies, 1958-1986

1968-11-15 University Human Rights Committee to President Howard Bowen Page 8

-8-

educate high school guidance counsellors to the opportunities available at the University, but also to work with them to be sure that they do not steer capable minority group students away from academic goals and courses of study in the high schools. This can be done, in part through institutes at the University. In addition, the Governor and the State Board of Education should be approached to insure that this form of discrimination is eliminated in the schools. In addition, the University should make every effort to contact and attract finalists and semi-finalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program for Negro Students. Finally, fuller cooperation with the recruiting program of the athletic department should be emphasized. 
   When fully effective, in about six years, a program such as that outlined above would increase Negro undergraduate enrollment by about 400 students (the remaining number to fulfill our goal of 750 would have to be recruited by the graduate departments) Such an objective is not unrealistic in light of the experiences of other Universities. for example, Berkeley, which is apparently recruiting a couple of hundred minority group students per year, increased the number of minority group students on campus by over 50% in the first year of its program, quadrupled applications from such groups in two years, and expects the number of such students admitted to double next year. 8 Such a program of intensive recruiting in ghetto schools would remedy the present under-enrollment of Negro students, which results from a great variety of virtually untraceable societal factors, by tapping new sources of potential college material. In addition, however, it could be expected that these new approaches to recruiting would simultaneously

8. College Board Review, No. 65, 1967; Los Angeles Times

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-8- educate high school guidance counsellors to the opportunities available at the University, but also to work with them to be sure that they do not steer capable minority group students away from academic goals and courses of study in the high schools. This can be done, in part through institutes at the University. In addition, the Governor and the State Board of Education should be approached to insure that this form of discrimination is eliminated in the schools. In addition, the University should make every effort to contact and attract finalists and semi-finalists in the National Achievement Scholarship Program for Negro Students. Finally, fuller cooperation with the recruiting program of the athletic department should be emphasized. When fully effective, in about six years, a program such as that outlined above would increase Negro undergraduate enrollment by about 400 students (the remaining number to fulfill our goal of 750 would have to be recruited by the graduate departments) Such an objective is not unrealistic in light of the experiences of other Universities. for example, Berkeley, which is apparently recruiting a couple of hundred minority group students per year, increased the number of minority group students on campus by over 50% in the first year of its program, quadrupled applications from such groups in two years, and expects the number of such students admitted to double next year. 8 Such a program of intensive recruiting in ghetto schools would remedy the present under-enrollment of Negro students, which results from a great variety of virtually untraceable societal factors, by tapping new sources of potential college material. In addition, however, it could be expected that these new approaches to recruiting would simultaneously 8. College Board Review, No. 65, 1967; Los Angeles Times