After spending the past month in the nation's political hot spots protesting the Confederate flag in Georgia and advising the Rev. Jesse Jackson, I returned to Oklahoma to fight whatever injustice I might find. And that's when I realized the university's conspiracy against minorities.

Okay, so a conspiracy may be a little strong. But even the most neutral observer can realize not everything's kosher.

"I'm on a mission that some say is impossible, but when I swing my swords they're all chop-able."

Starting from the top, since Regent Melvin Hall's term expired in the spring of 1999, our Board of Regents hasn't had any minorities, unless someone has a tribal card of which I'm not aware. And since our board is President Boren's boss and can affect every aspect of student life, it would be nice to have an occasional melanin sighting on the board, if only to represent a different viewpoint. And to give credit where credit is due, thanks to Governor Keating as the person who appoints our board members.

Extending the analysis, there are no minority vice presidents here at the university. Whereas two minorities once held the position of dean, there is now one. Following the resignations of George Henderson and Adedeji Badiru in Liberal Studies and University College, respectively, Rosa Cintron replaced Badiru and unwillingly assumed the title of sole minority dean on our campus.

Also, the lack of diversity in our faculty and tenured faculty continues to be a problem. While blacks, Hispanics, and American Indians comprise 6.6 percent, 3.5 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively, of the student population, faculty members of these same backgrounds only account for 6.7 percent of the faculty population combined.

Furthermore, there is the constant obstacle for minority faculty members to obtain tenure. The university response to this charge is sure to be about the percentage of minority faculty members that have tenure and the liability the university has in attracting minorities to the state of Oklahoma. To the first I will agree that, yes, having 41.7 percent of black faculty members with tenure is a decent number, though still below the overall university's 49.3 percent. However, when one discovers that there are only 24 black faculty members on OU's campus (2.24 percent of total faculty), or that black tenured faculty only makes up 1.9 percent of the total number of tenure faculty, our commitment to diversity becomes laughable. And as for our inability to lure minorities to the backwoods, I have heard on more than one occasion of minority faculty members who left the university before applying for tenure because they felt they had no chance.

Continuing to staff, one can start by looking at the Department of Student Affairs. Charged with improving student life, Student Affairs is probably the one department in which diversity is almost a mandate. However, Student Affairs is now practically homogenous, with only one minority director in all of its departments. And before the powers that be get the wrong idea, this does not mean creating bogus new departments and positions, as the university is apt to do, just so some minority may be given a fancy title. Instead, try putting worthy, qualified minorities in existing positions.

"I don't really mind if it's over your head, 'cause the job of resurrectors is to wake up the dead."

Also worth noting is the treatment of minority studies programs, specifically the African American Studies (AFAM) program. Meant to allow students to learn more about the often-overlooked history and contributions of Africans and African Americans, the program is given little chance to succeed. African American Studies has only one full-time and two part-time employees, and is a program, not a department, school or college, and cannot give master's or doctorate degrees. Furthermore, you probably won't be able to find most of the classes because they are listed in the course book in sections other than AFAM, and many others aren't listed at all.

The last area of focus is student enrollment, where the numbers aren't pretty, and may be getting worse. Granted, overall enrollment for minorities has continued to increase, mirroring the university's overall growth. Yet, taking a closer look at the numbers, as our freshman classes balloon in size each year, the number of minority first-time freshman is declining. For the last two years both the black and Hispanic freshman classes were smaller than the previous year, and the numbers for American Indians also decreased this year.

One reason for the low number of minority freshmen is that the mass exodus of Texas students to OU following Texas' infamous Hopwood decision may be over. While Texas and its institutions of higher learning searched for innovative ways to keep its top minority students at home, we became lax and content with the temporary windfall when we should have been searching for corporations to create outside scholarships and lobbying our legislature for ways to ensure a diverse student body.

A serious cause of concern is how the recent adjustment in ACT and SAT standards will affect minorities. Two years ago, I questioned the decision of the university to raise ACT standards, the impact on future students and the university's apparent quest for elitism, but was told that the 8 percent rule would provide a safety net for students. However, the 8 percent rule is now gone, and the only exceptions are for athletes, as the NCAA's sliding scale supercedes our own rule. So, as I see it, it is OK for low-scoring minorities to enter the university as athletes, but not as regular students.

The Board of Regents' decision to enact emergency standards for out-of-state students, combined with the fact that most of OU's diversity comes from out of state poses a problem for the university. While I understand the university's position of wanting to sustain a close-knit community atmosphere, what happens when that desire runs in direct conflict to its commitment to diversity?

The decline in diversity of our freshman classes also extends to our National Scholars, as National Achievement and National Hispanic numbers are relatively low this year (along with National Merit Scholars). And as the State Board of Regents continues to hammer out its policy regarding Regents Scholars, the numbers may be continuously depressed.

Why does this matter, you ask? If the faculty, staff and students that we have here are taking care of business, does it matter what color they are? Actually, it does. Diversity teaches us to be more tolerant of other cultures and viewpoints that we will assuredly encounter later in life. Though not a sociologist, I believe that the overriding reason for bigotry has to be ignorance and the lack of shared experience with other groups. Even in the face of our national championships, art collection, and fund-raising prowess, it cannot be denied that diversity is essential to our community.

"If knowledge is the key, then just show me the lock..."


Stephen Butler is a finance senior. His column appears every other Wednesday.
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