Freshman class by the numbers

Freshman+class+by+the+numbers

The fall 2013 freshman class made WSU history twice this year by being the most ethnically diverse and second largest class to date.

Ethnic minorities comprise 34 percent of the 3,763 freshmen who enrolled at the Pullman and Spokane campuses this fall. Compared to 31 percent last year, this year’s jump in diversity is a testament to the efforts WSU has put forth to recruit students, said John Fraire, vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment.

Enrollment by ethnic minorities comprised 24.9 percent of total enrollment at all four of WSU’s campuses this fall, compared to 22.6 percent last year.

“It’s our job as admissions to find those who want to come to WSU,” Fraire said. “We are very popular among communities of color and diverse communities.”

Fraire said he is amazed that in just five years, WSU has become one of the most diverse universities in the nation.

Ethnic minority communities at WSU include African-Americans, Native Americans, Chianas/os Latinas/os, Asian-Americans, Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and people who identify with two or more races.

Since being hired in 2007, Fraire broadened efforts to reach more potential students.

Fraire worked to increase university outreach to rural and lower-income schools, and allocated financial resources to sponsor buses for campus visits. He also provided funding from the Office of Student Affairs and Enrollment for multicultural student conferences, which include Shaping High School Asian Pacific Islanders for the Next Generation (SHAPING), Children of Aztlán Sharing Higher Education (CASHE) and Visionaries Inspiring Black Empowered Students (VIBES).

Fraire said he spends a significant amount of time working in the field, helping to recruit students who have either never had the support to go to college or who want attend but are unsure of how to navigate the application process.

While administrators and staff work to recruit more diverse students, they are also searching for ways to accommodate growing numbers across the board, said Lucila Loera, assistant vice president of the Office for Access, Equity and Achievement.

“With the numbers increasing, it’s definitely pushing the envelope of how we can do more with less, (and) work with our partners more efficiently and collaboratively to do as much as possible to meet the needs of students of coming in,” Loera said.

On WSU’s Pullman and Spokane campuses, fall enrollment totaled 22,713, marking the fourth consecutive year in which enrollment on those campuses exceeded 20,000 students.

While numbers have increased, total enrollment at WSU has decreased from last year.

This year WSU Pullman’s freshman class totaled 3,736, a decrease of 316 students from 2012. This class is the second largest in university history.

Spread over four campuses, there are more than 27,000 students enrolled at WSU, 123 fewer than in the fall 2013 semester.

Robert Strenge, assistant director of external communications for WSU News, attributed the decrease to shrinking high school graduating classes in the state of Washington.

Strenge said the high schools in and around Pullman are projected to have relatively smaller class sizes for a long time to come.

Data from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) indicates high school enrollment rates in Washington peaked in 2009 and have since declined. WICHE predicts those rates will increase gradually after 2014.

Beyond recruitment, Fraire said multiple offices are working with incoming students to fulfill WSU’s mission to make each student successful.

“It’s not just recruitment,” Fraire said. “It’s retention and graduation.”

Joaquin Chapar, retention counselor for the Chicana/o Latina/o Student Center, said retention is the coupling of students with faculty and resources to form connections that positively influence students.

“Vitality of retention itself is a Cougar community endeavor,” Chapar said. “WSU’s always making really awesome strides toward being a welcoming Cougar community and supporting WSU students.”