Volume CXXXI, Number 22 April 19, 2002 f

Invitational seeks to increase diversity
FE VIVAS
STAFF WRITER

The Bowdoin Experience, the College's most critical diversity enterprise, began yesterday and will run through Sunday. In recent years, 55-75% of attendees of the Bowdoin Experience have decided to matriculate.

(Henry Coppola, Bowdoin Orient)

The goal of this invitational is "to encourage admitted students of color to matriculate at Bowdoin College," as stated by Fumio Sugihara, director of recruitment for students of color.

Sugihara explained that this "end game to the academic year's diversity initiatives" is a total campus effort. Headed by Fumio and the Admissions Office, this large-scale invitational weekend calls upon the aid of a myriad of administrative, faculty, and student volunteers.

Most important among the volunteers, as noted by Fumio Sugihara, are the student hosts who agree to house prospective students. "The hosts are the most essential part of the weekend," Sugihara said. In past evaluations of the program, hosting was cited by visiting students as one of the key components of a good experience.

Also critical to the success of the event are the efforts of various College groups. Among them, a planning committee composed of students and staff established the layout for the admissions event. The athletic department provided prospective students with transportation from Portland to the campus. The Faculty further welcomed the students by attending a dinner with the attendees. Residential Life assigned hosts to valued student volunteers. To round out the participating groups, the events and summer planning department managed this event and makes room reservations for attendees.

As part of the campaign aimed at increasing diversity within the incoming class of 2006, the invitational is most important among Bowdoin's yearly diversity initiatives. This year, the College brought 78 students of the 164 invitees from the College's pool of admitted students of color.

The admitted applicants hail from 25 states and the District of Columbia and signify a very real possibility for an enhancement in campus cultural and ethnic diversity. The biggest delegations of potential students hailed from California, Massachusetts, and New York.