October 10, 2017
Who Counts as a Black Student?
Cornell University, like other colleges, regularly reports to the federal government on the demographics of its students. The new edition of College Scorecard says that 6 percent of Cornell undergraduates are black.
But who counts as black? That is a question that has been debated periodically at colleges, especially those that are highly competitive in admissions but struggle to admit black students. Black students at Cornell have held a series of protests this fall -- at one point including a building takeover -- to protest racist incidents and what they consider an insufficiently inclusive campus environment. Cornell administrators have responded with new programs and pledges.
But who counts as black? That is a question that has been debated periodically at colleges, especially those that are highly competitive in admissions but struggle to admit black students. Black students at Cornell have held a series of protests this fall -- at one point including a building takeover -- to protest racist incidents and what they consider an insufficiently inclusive campus environment. Cornell administrators have responded with new programs and pledges.