<p>Oh, and on the issue of diversity you don’t need to take my word for it. On the U.S. News scale (.0 being least racially diverse and 1.0 “perfectly” diverse) UW is at .25 and tied with University of Utah. In terms of economic diversity, US News has UW last in the Big Ten and among the lowest of any major research university.</p>
<p>One has to wonder whether one of the drivers of these statistics might be all the anecdotes that “diverse” applicants – be they racial or economic – are hearing about the different types of housing available for the haves and have nots.</p>
<p>There can be no discussion of the pros and cons because there is no actual data so everyone just posts what they think which is unlikley to be accurate. The fact is about 90% of UW grads would choose UW again so if any large group is not happy you would think it would show in that REAL stat. If there were any problem with groups feeling accepted or not it is relatively minor issue and easily overridden by many other positive factors. UW is known to have as much if not more school spirit as any large school in the US. If people did not feel positive about their school this would not be the case. All the rest of this claptrap about Coasties vs Sconnies is just background noise for the vast majority. </p>
<p>As to minority enrollment–here are the facts–Madison is getting half of the qualified minority students in the entire state with many of the rest spread among the many other UW schools, Marquette and probably some OOS schools. I think getting 50% is a very good hit rate. </p>
<p>“DW: Like many states, Wisconsin has pipeline issues. For example, for every 100 minority students who graduate from high school in our state, only 46 take the ACT. Only six of the 100 are what we would consider “well-prepared academically,” meaning that they scored at least 22 on the ACT and were ranked in the top quartile of their class. Five of 100 will apply for admission here, four will be admitted and three will enroll.”</p>
<p>Stooge, I’m trying to have a reasonable discussion here. I’m not talking about U-Va, Texas, or any other school. I’m just batting around ideas for improving WISCONSIN and for addressing diversity issues at WISCONSIN. My lunch counter analogy was to debunk the argument that change is bad or isn’t needed simply because things have always been a certain way. </p>
<p>Barrons makes a legitimate point about the particular challenges that UW faces when it comes to minority enrollment. My response would be that this is all the more reason for UW to consider trying something new – like requiring that all non-local residents live on campus – to see if it might help make a dent. What’s the downside to shaking things up a bit, other than the argument that change is inherently bad in itself? And barrons, no one doubts that the vast majority of UW students aren’t “happy.” That’s not the point. The point is: what about the ones who aren’t? And what about the ones who don’t even consider UW because it has so few under-represented minorities? And what about the possibility that maybe, just maybe, eliminating a two-tiered system of housing that encourages segregation might, just might, make the university appear more hospitable to this group of outsiders? </p>
<p>No one’s saying anyone is a facsist or a nazi. What I am saying is that there’s a lot of defensiveness going on. If it helps, try pretending that this post is from someone other than me.</p>
<p>I’m a student here at UW. I’ve been reading all this stuff about the whole Coastie-Sconnie debate and I don’t think it’s as much of an issue as most people who are genuinely bothered by it think it is. Yes, there are girls who are obvious “Coasties.” Yes, your private dorms are going to have a higher percentage of “Coasties” than your public dorms. But I have not experienced any serious animosity between the two groups. It’s definitely a joke you’ll hear around campus, but it’s nothing more than that.</p>
<p>And if you’re wondering, I definitely toe the line between the two groups. I was born and raised in Wisconsin for 12 years, but then moved to Florida. Currently I reside in a Southeast public dorm, yet I am part of a sorority that is probably best known for being the most “Coastie” of them all. I have so many friends that are in similar situations, even in my “Coastie” sorority. I don’t think I fit the stereotype in any way, and I don’t think the vast majority of students do either. </p>
<p>Having UW buy the private dorms will do nothing to ease the rivalry, for lack of a better word. All dorms have a reputation. People choose these dorms because they wish to be with people they are familiar with. (Or to be with people they are different from.) The point is that they choose them for a reason, just like those seeking public dorms choose between the more social, party-oriented Southeast area or the quieter Lakeshore. Just because UW owns the dorms doesn’t mean those reputations will go away. Perhaps the cost of the private housing will go down, causing some “Sconnies” to move into the more currently expensive private dorms. But they won’t want to live there if they know they won’t fit in with the other residents.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is that UW attracts many out-of-staters who have a different culture than those from Wisconsin. (And I should know, as I’ve lived in both cultures.) There are definitely some differences, and there is going to be some tension (which as far as I’ve seen has been generally pretty mild) between those out-of-staters, who are often wealthier considering OOS tuition, and those Wisconsin kids who may or may not be as wealthy. It’s basically just a slight culture clash, but it’s not going to go away as long as UW continues to attract people from all over the country.</p>