University Business - April 2006 - (Page 15)

U B E H I N D the NEWS Elite Institutions Connect Fighting Against `Don't Ask, with Community Colleges Don't Tell' M A N Y PEOPLE HAVE LONG SEEN strategy had not been mentioned as a way of A MARCH SUPREME COURT DECISION UP- community colleges as bridges to opportu- bridging the gap. held the military's right to recruit on col- Wi t h many selective colleges yearn- nity. But four-year colleges and universities lege campuses, ending one legal battle, ing to draw more diverse student popula- haven't always gotten the drift. Rumsfeld v. FAIR. The decision opened A new grant from a nonprofit founda- tions to their quadrangles, the grant project another front in the combat against the tion is aiming to change the relationships serves the needs of students as well as col- government's stance on gays in the mili- between community colleges and elite four- leges. According to the American Associa- tary, which violates many IHEs' discrimina- year IHEs. With millions of dollars in fund- tion of Community Colleges, more than 47 tion policies. ing from the Jack Kent Cooke Foun- Several law school deans and admin- dation, eight selective institutions will istrators say that they must now protest launch partnerships with dozens of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy two-year schools. on a broader scale. The court upheld the The goals: To boost the number of Solomon Amendment, which requires col- transfer students, fatten financial aid leges and universities to allow military re- options, and ease students' abilities cruiting on campus if they want to receive to settle in on four-year campuses. federal monies. As long as `Don't Ask, This is about recognizing the range Don't Tell' is on the books, the underlying of community college students, and problem will continue to exist, says Kent creating a pathway for those who are Greenfield, a professor at Boston College's qualified and deserve it, says Joshua Law School and founder of FAIR, which Wyner, vice president of programs for Lower-income students will attend Amherst and seven other elite four-year institutions. stands for Forum for Academic and Institu- the foundation. tional Rights. FAIR member New York Law The grants totaling $6.78 million and percent of black college students, 56 percent School has only allowed the military on complemented by $20.5 million from the of Hispanics, 48 percent of Asian/Pacific Is- campus twice: once after the 9/11 attacks, grantees will affect students in several landers, and 57 percent of Native Americans since the school sits mere blocks from the ways. The four-year institutions Amherst, are enrolled at community colleges. World Trade Center, and once following We know that there are a lot of really Bucknell, Cornell, Mount Holyoke, UC threatened suspension of student financial Berkeley, the University of Michigan, The bright and talented students out there at aid. At this point it's a tactics discussion, University of North Carolina, and Univer- community colleges and high schools who notes Dean Richard Mataras. Campus pro- sity of Southern California will enroll a don't think about schools like Amherst, ei- tests and barring military recruiting will be combined 1,100 additional low- to middle- ther because they don't know about us or considered, he says. C.M.F. income community college transfers over because they think they can't afford it, says Stacy Schmeidel, director of Public Affairs the next four years. The institutions will also assist 2,100 for grant recipient Amherst College Mass. . community college students with issues of We're trying to say, don't rule us out. Gre e n f i e l d Community College in access and information. The hope is that ideas sprouting from these efforts will serve northwest Massachusetts will be among the as inspiration for other institutions, say two-year schools partnering with Amherst foundation executives at the foundation, to bolster transfers. The students that this which is hosting a national conference on will attract have a lot to teach all of us, says replication strategies this June. A lot has Robert Pura, president of GCC. I think The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling been written over the last few years about [the four-year institutions] will be richer as says that colleges and universities must the lack of low-income students at elite col- a result of what our students bring to their give military recruiters access to students. leges and universities, says Wyner. This classrooms. Caryn Meyers Fliegler universitybusiness.com April 2006 | 15 Update0406.indd 15 3/24/06 3:44:31 PM http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - April 2006

Table of Contents
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Editor's Note
Stats Watch
People Watch
Sense of Place
On the Hill
Viewpoint
Future Shock
Financial Aid
Admissions
COVER STORY: Averting Housing Havoc
The Art of Reputation Building
Web Conferencing: Rich Media on the Desktop
All Rights Preserved
Admissions Messages vs. Admissions Realities
Internet Technology
What's New
Calendar of Events
Direct Connect
End Note

University Business - April 2006