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UGA steps up recruitment

ATHENS — The University of Georgia is launching a set of initiatives to heighten the recruitment and enrollment of African-American students.

Plans include waiving fees and guaranteeing admission to qualified black students from some Georgia high schools, creating an alumni program to help recruit and mentor African-American students, and placing advertisements in major newspapers on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, highlighting the achievements of black students and alumni.

This isn't the first time UGA has tried to concentrate its recruitment efforts for African-Americans. Notice that somebody's high school is the focus of a CNN article. *wink* *wink* Opponents of Affirmative Action are probably blowing a gasket over this, but the article presents an important fact.

Only 200 of the 4,500 freshmen enrolled at UGA in the fall were black. Black students make up 5.3 percent of the total student population. African-Americans make up more than a quarter of the state's population.

Now here's the part that I care most about:

In addition to freshmen, UGA also wants to increase the number of African-American students enrolled in graduate programs. Administrators are working with Spelman College in Atlanta, a historically black college for women, to encourage their graduates to consider UGA for post-baccalaureate studies.

For those of you who don't know, the University of Georgia is my first choice for graduate school. I will most likely be doing Teach for America first, but I'm determined to get a Master of Arts in History (concentration in Southern History). Now if I could get a straight answer in regards to the application deadline (is it in July or did I already miss it?)