REPENTANCE AND RECOVERY: LIFE OF AN EX GANG MEMBER
SEE PAGE 6
ENROLLMENT
DROPPING IN NUMBERS
Fresno State
2012
CSU
Total student pop. 22,565
African-American students are left behind
The African-American student population at Fresno State and in the California State University (CSU) system is facing a continual decline, even though general enrollment is at an all-time high. According to the Fresno State Office of Institutional Effectiveness, from 2012 through 2016, African-American students slowly dropped in numbers. Reasons for the low enrollment may vary, but if the trend continues, African-American students will make up less than 1 percent of the universityʼs population in the following years. On campus, African-American student population has dropped from 3.2 percent to 2 percent in the past four years. This issue does not only present itself at Fresno State but is seen in the CSU system as a whole. In 2012, there were 20,902 African-American students enrolled in the system. In 2016, there were approximately 20,009, according to CSU Analyst Studies. Last year, when CSU Chancellor Dr. Timothy P. White hosted a forum on campus, the Afrikan Black Coalition voiced their concerns. Outside of the forum, 68 red shirts were laid on the floor representing the 68 African-American students who had dropped out since the beginning of the semester. Fresno State President Dr. Joseph Castro addressed the concerns during the forum, and said: “We share their concerns about the decrease in the number of African-American students at Fresno State, and actually, in higher education across the country. I believe itʼs going to take time, but Iʼm confident that with the right strategies, our enrollment will grow.” Recently, the university began establishing resources for African-American student success. Ciara Armstead, a senior public health major and former president of Black Students United (BSU), is working toward the success of African-American students. Armstead explained that geography plays a role in the drop of African-American freshmen enrollment. “Thereʼs a low density of African-Ameri
See ENROLLMENT, Page 3
370,030
African-American pop. 718 (3.2%)
2013
Total student pop. 23,060
380,544
African-American pop. 20,499 639 (2.8%) (5.4%)
2014
Total student pop. 23,179
542 (2.3%)
20,017 (4.9%)
2015
Total student pop. 24,136
405,928
African-American pop.
2016
5%
392,750
African-American pop.
514 (2.1%)
6%
20,902 (5.6%)
20,156 (5%)
Total student pop.
4%
Fresno State CSU
3% 2% 1% 2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
24,403
410,758
African-American pop. 20,009 492 (2.0%) (4.9%)