White Students Minority Among UT Freshmen
For the first time ever, white students do not make up a majority among freshmen at the University of Texas at Austin.
“For the first time ever, white students do not make up a majority among freshmen at the University of Texas at Austin,” reports Inside Higher Ed: “white freshmen make up 47.6 percent of students, down from 51.1 percent a year ago. Hispanic enrollment now makes up 23.1 percent, up from 20.8 percent; black enrollment is up to 5.1 percent, from 4.9 percent; and Asian enrollment is 17.3 percent, down from 19.6 percent.”
The University’s press release answers the question that naturally came to my mind:
The figures reflect changes in the demographics of Texas. The Office of the State Demographer, Texas State Data Center, estimates the state’s ethnicity in 2010 to be 45.1 percent Anglo (white), 38.8 percent Hispanic, 11.5 percent black and 4.6 percent other. The state’s ethnic/race distribution by 2020 is projected to change to 37.6 percent Anglo (white), 45.2 percent Hispanic, 11.2 percent black and 6 percent other.
And, one presumes, the ratios are even more skewed for the younger cohort that makes up almost all of the entering class. And policies to ensure admission to the top graduates of each state high school — designed to provide a back door form of affirmative action that wasn’t directly race based — adds to the likelihood of admitting large numbers of non-white students.
Some interesting wonkery:
Reporting categories are consistent with those adopted by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) for the fall 2010 reporting cycle. Reporting changes include the introduction of two new race-reporting categories, “Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander” and “Two or More.” Students identifying themselves in more than one category with one being Hispanic are reported in the “Hispanic” category only, in accordance with federal guidelines. Students identifying themselves as black, or in more than one category with one being black (and not Hispanic), are reported in the “total black” category. All other students identifying themselves in more than one category (neither Hispanic nor black) are reported in the “Two or More” category.
Apropos of something
I read somewhere that Samoans represent the single biggest minority, on a per capita basis, place of origin, in the NFL. A trend?
I only care about their graduation-debt and employment prospects 😉