Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 16 April 2004 — Page 7

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FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2004

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

PAGE A7

U.S. schools moving toward 'racial isolation'

Middle school students honored for essays

IUPUI offers Interior Design degree

Electronic Urban Report

According to recent research, America’s public schools are becoming racially separate. Come May 17, it will be 50 years since the historical Brown vs. Board of Education decision requiring schools to integrate the classroom, and a study shows that today’s classrooms are much more likely to lopsided than they were a decade ago. In recent years, federal judges and school policy makers have abandoned hundreds of desegregation plans written in the 1960s and 1970s, and school advocates say the public is largely unaware of the changes and the slow return to segregated schools. Accordingto survey conducted y the Scripps Survey Research Center at Ohio University, 60 percent of Americans say it important that students of different races attend classes together, but most incorrectly assume that their local schools are integrated. A study of U.S. Department of Education records conducted by Scripps Howard News Service found that racial isolation, the percentage of children of color enrolled in schools that are 90 percent minority or more, has risen in at least 36 states between 1991 and 2001. In all, 6.6 million of the nation’s 18.9 million Black, Hispanic, Asian and American Indian children in 2001 were enrolled in public schools that were 90 percent minority or more. That means 35 percent are “racially isolated." Some activists are crying foul,

saying it is the legislators who are in the process of re-segregation. “There is a cowardice about this issue," Gaiy Orfield, co-director of Harvard University’s Civil Rights Project told the Associated Press. “People are afraid to talk about it because it is so sensitive. So we are slipping back into separate-but-equal schools, a policy we tried once without success.” The Scripps Howard study found that students of color were most likely to be enrolled in onecolor schools in the states of Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, New York and North Dakota. They were least likely to be racially isolated in Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, New Hampshire and West Virginia, all states with small minority populations. The study looked at records from approximately 67,000 public schools, comparing their racial enrollment reports from 1991 and 2001. Of these, more than 400 schools had mostly minority student populations in 1991 and became mostly white a decade later while more than 5,000 schools shifted from majority white student populations to mostly minorities. Most desegregation cases have been dismissed under a “unitary status” declaration, meaning the original conditions of dual-school systems no longer exist. Judges make this declaration, noting districts are so overwhelmingly of one race that little can be done to stop racial isolation.

Special to Tho Recorder The top 20 winners of the Indianapolis Inner-City Y’s Men’s Club Essay Contest were honored at the 29 lh annual awards luncheon recently at Zion Evangelical United Church of Christ. The first-place winners were Maura Farrell, seventh grade student from Shortridge Middle School, and Surinam Galindo, eighth grade student from Shortridge. Each will receive a $500 Savings Bond. Here are the essays where they were required to write in 125 words or less on the theme, “I am preparing for a future career by...” By Maura Farrell I am preparing for a future career by being alert to the choices I have, decisions I make and things I do. If I notice inadequate performance in any area, academically or physically, I strive to make improvements. I evaluate my successes and examine the techniques I used to become successful. This helps me create new methods of reaching my goal of becoming an architect. Components of a prosperous future are responsibility and determination. By staying on a task and not

procrastinating, I hope to achieve more in a shorter amount of time and attain a greater level of accomplishment. Horseback riding has taught me many important values, such as patience, quick-wittedness, leadership and endurance. I am persistent and steadfast; if I don’t succeed, I wipe the dust off and try again. By Surinam Galindo I am preparing for a future career by setting goals for myself to do well in school and stay away from things that will be detrimental to my education. I have begun by getting involved in educational programs that will improve my knowledge. I have also joined groups that will help my selfesteem. I join competitions at school in order to challenge myself. Succeeding in these competitions may help me earn scholarships. My main goal is to learn as much as I can in order to be successful. My parents moved here from Mexico to help my sister and brother and myself obtain opportunities they didn’t receive. By achieving my dreams, I will • be placed in a position where my voice and the voice of my ancestors will finally be heard.

For The Recorder Graduates with an associate degree in interior design technology may pursue a bachelor’s degree in the field, as part of a new degree program at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. The degree program will begin next fall. The interior design technology curriculum will consist of courses in advanced lighting, commercial and residential design, business practices, as well as classes in art, construction technology, construction graphics, architectural technology and organizational leadership. The program will also cover health care design and sustainable design, which is constructed using environmentally-sound materials. Students will also be required to participate in an internship and develop a senior thesis. “Graduates of this program will be qualified to practice design at architectural and interior design firms at the junior and senior level,” said Gail ShieJ , programs coordina-

tor for the Department of Construction Technology at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology. “They will also have the skill to pursue entry-level positions in facility management, home building and other related industries.” The school currently offers an associate degree program in interior design ogyShiel said with lUPUI’s proximity to the design and business industry, new and current partnerships with employers will help enrich opportunities for students and professionals to advance their skills. “Our program is one of a few that will focus on a multidisciplinary approach to interior design, including a business and technological component,” Shiel said. “Through the support and recommendations of industry advisors, we have developed program that will support emerging trends within the industry.” For more information on the program, contact Terri Talbert-Hatch at (317) 2749703 or [email protected].