Minority Group Calls Ed School Policies 'Biased'

A group of 50 minority students and members of the Administration of the Graduate School of Education met yesterday to discuss the status of admissions of minority students and alleged racist admissions practices.

English Bradshaw, president of the Black Student Union at the Ed School, recounted what he called "hearsay" reports which indicate that the Committee on Admissions is less concerned with lower-income minority students "now that the riots of the '60s are over."

No Minimum Scores

Charles N. Myers, chairman of the Committee on Admissions at the School of Education said that there are no minimum scores required on either of the examinations required of applicants to the School. Members of minority groups without test scores, or B.A.s are scheduled to be accepted, he said.

Criteria for admissions to specific programs are determined by Admissions subcommittees for each program, Francis H. Duehay '55, dean of Admissions and Studies, said. The General Admissions Committee has final say in acceptances. However, recommendations of the subcommittees are usually followed, he said.

Discussion at the meeting centered around admissions practices in the Human Development Program. Only one of the 30 students scheduled to be admitted to the program is a member of a minority group, Myers said, and no student of a minority group was admitted last year.

Students ironically pointed out that participants in the Human Development Program helped to plan "Sesame Street," a children's program which portrays happy, integrated situations.

Research Potential

Criteria for admissions to the program focuses on the research potential and research interest of each candidate. However, the Human Development Program has failed to attract minority students with high enough qualifications, Duehay said. A spokesman for the students at the meeting charged that the Program follows "blatantly racist practices" which are reflected in admissions policies, research conducted and programs produced.

Duehay reminded the group that the Ed School has by far the largest ratio (22 per cent) of minority students enrolled of any school in the University.