Fewer minorities enrolled at two Nevada universities

Minority enrollments are on the decline at Nevada's two universities, but it appears unlikely that regents are going to delay a tougher admission requirement to fix the problem.

Instead, the board that oversees the university system is expected today to maintain a schedule to boost the GPA admission requirement to 3.0 in fall 2008 and find other ways to increase the number of new minority students.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas' minority enrollment was hit particularly hard when the required GPA rose from 2.5 to 2.75 last year.

Early data by the Nevada System of Higher Education shows that the number of black freshmen at UNLV plummeted nearly 30 percent between fall 2005 and fall 2006. The number of Hispanic students dropped roughly 17 percent, and the university experienced a drop in Asian students of nearly 7 percent.

The effect of the GPA increase was less pronounced at the University of Nevada, Reno, where the number of new Hispanic students dropped 13 percent and the number of new black students actually rose 28 percent.

With the GPA scheduled to jump to 3.0 at the two universities in fall 2008, university system officials are fearing another significant drop in minority enrollment.

The presidents of UNLV and UNR were originally going to ask regents today to push back the increase to fall 2009, but the president of UNR is expected to advocate alternative measures to recruit minorities, according to university system Vice Chancellor Jane Nichols.

Any changes to the GPA schedule are likely to confuse current high school students, who have been told during the past year to expect the tougher GPA standard, she said. And several regents said they were hesitant to make any changes.

UNLV President David Ashley said Wednesday that he will advocate pushing back the 3.0 GPA increase.

But Nichols said a solution might lie with increasing the number of alternate admissions students, or those who don't initially qualify to attend the university but who can appeal to get in.

Athletes, musicians and students under other circumstances, such as those who are the first in their families to attend college, often make up those alternate admissions.

UNLV and UNR are allowed to enroll 10 percent of the number of last fall's entering class as alternate admissions, but Ashley and Nichols said they would support boosting that to 15 percent if the GPA increase is not delayed.

Regents and university system leaders had been warned by community activists that raising the GPA would adversely affect their minority populations.

"I think that it's elitist," Hispanic activist Tom Rodriguez said of the increased GPA. Rodriguez has been fighting university attempts to increase admissions standards since 1988.

He said he fears that the GPA increase will have a negative impact on the Hispanic population over the long term.

Board of Regents Chairman Mike Wixom said the lower minority enrollment is troubling, but he favors an admissions system that takes into account other factors, such as extracurricular activities and life experiences.

As Nevada's higher education system adjusts to a three-tier structure, where students can attend a community college, state college or university, the enrollment at the universities has fallen.

Both the College of Southern Nevada and Nevada State College experienced jumps in their minority populations -- particularly among Hispanic students -- during the period UNR and UNLV saw decreases, data shows.

Total new student enrollment also took at hit at UNLV and UNR, dropping roughly 19 percent and 7 percent, respectively, between 2005 and 2006. Again, CSN and Nevada State saw increases.

Regent Steve Sisolak said declining enrollment isn't sufficient reason for him to support delaying the 3.0 GPA admission standard.

Nevada's funding formula relies heavily on the number of students at each university, so it is to each school's benefit to have more students.