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Irate 8 Rates UC's Racial Changes

Ann Thompson
/
WVXU
Family and friends of Sam DuBose gathered with others for a vigil on UC's campus a year after his death.

A student activist group says the University of Cincinnati is getting better about making the main campus more diverse. The Irate 8 made a list of ten demands in October 2015 after the shooting death of Sam DuBose by former UC police officer Ray Tensing.

In a Tweet last week, the Irate 8 said 80 percent of their demands have been met.

Among the demands was doubling black student enrollment by October 2018. Caroline Miller is vice provost for enrollment management and says tentatively, this fall, there should be more first year African American students on campus.

"The African American numbers appear to increase by 125," she says.

Last year, there were 253 first-year African American students, making up about five percent of the student population. This year, UC is expecting 375, accounting for 6.2 percent.

"It's been part of an overall strategic plan," Miller says. "We were able to increase some scholarship and financial aid assistance this year."

Miller says UC is also ramping up recruiting efforts at Cincinnati Public Schools.

The demands also included increasing the number of black faculty members.  A UC spokesperson says faculty numbers won't be available until November.

The list included creating a racial awareness curriculum, offering more resources for minority students, and improving minority student representation in the student senate.

The Irate 8 lists their demands and how they rate UC's changes online.

Bill Rinehart started his radio career as a disc jockey in 1990. In 1994, he made the jump into journalism and has been reporting and delivering news on the radio ever since.