The SIU School of Law’s steadily declining minority enrollment shows its recruiting efforts need adjustment in spite of the school’s weak explanation of a nationwide trend causing the slip in enrollment numbers.

Numbers indicate the School of Law suffered a 50-percent decrease in minority enrollment from 1996 to 1997 alone from 24 students to 12.

This semester, 354 students are enrolled in the School of Law . Of those students, 24 are Asian-American, 23 are African-American, 10 are Hispanic-American and six are Native-Americans.

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Twelve minorities are included in this fall’s entering class of 121 students. Of the school’s 119 second-year students, 24 are minorities, and of 114 third-year students, 26 are minorities.

George Norwood, assistant dean for Admissions and Student Affairs, says law school enrollment is declining across the country because fewer students of all races are attending law school. But does this point to the beginning of a trend for SIU?

Not if a step-up in minority recruiting and admission can turn things around. Here are some suggestions:The School of Law recruits across the country, but are the school’s recruiters making a genuine effort to reach out to minorities in those various cities? If not, then this a good avenue for change.

Also, Norwood said he sent information about the School of Law’s Minority Law Day informational to more than 300 pre-law advisers across a six-state area. Law students hail from a number of disciplines were pre-law advisers the only ones contacted? Again, did School of Law officials or students make any attempts to personally visit those schools and invite them to our campus? The former plan was a step in the right direction, but a larger step should be made so more minority students can learn about Minority Law Day.

Besides increasing recruiting measures, have School of Law officials looked at admissions policies for minorities at other schools? Maybe other schools’ policies differ from Norwood’s stated strategy of recruiting the best possible students of all ages, races and sexes. All of these possibilities for increasing minority enrollment should and can be investigated. There are a number of reasons the School of Law should want to aggressively recruit minorities reasons administrators at many other public and private law schools seem to know.

More students will result in additional money for the school. An increase in minority enrollment would add the real-world diversity all students need for a true education. SIU would become well-known for producing top minority law graduates.

The Lesar Law Building was designed for a maximum of 450 students surely everyone in the school would benefit from an increase in minority enrollment.

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Instead of complaining about nationwide trends in minority enrollment, maybe the SIU School of Law should be the first to buck the system. Step up specific minority recruiting and get real results.