By Anna Hovey

The University of Maryland was recently named the state’s top producer of minority graduates by the magazine “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.”

The school was listed 36th in the nation for the number of bachelor’s degrees given to minority students. It ranked 19th in the nation for the number of Asian-American and 21st for African-American students receiving bachelor’s degrees, as well as 24th for professional doctoral degrees across all minority races. UMD has made Diverse’s top 100 list in past years as well.

However, Amina Lampkin, a sophomore journalism and information studies major, doesn’t think these numbers accurately reflect the culture and policies on campus.

“I don’t particularly feel like it’s the university doing stuff for us,” she said. “I feel like it’s a lot of our own initiative, and going up to administrators… kind of creating the opportunities we want to see for ourselves.”

Lampkin, who is also a member of the Black Student Union (BSU), said minority students and faculty have done more to make her feel comfortable and welcomed on campus than the university itself.

“Black UMD pretty much sticks together, whether it’s through the Black Student Union or African Student Association,” she said.

Lampkin hopes to see more African-American representation on campus. She thinks African-American professors are lacking in non-STEM programs and would like to see more in programs such as the Honors College.

But not all students share Lampkin’s perspective. Shanell Erhunmwunse, a sophomore public health major and fellow BSU member said UMD doesn’t only perform well on paper.

Erhunmwunse said the cultural climate of this university accurately reflects its position on “Diverse’s” list. She added that she hasn’t experienced discrimination on campus, be it from professors, students or otherwise.

“I think we all have the same treatment as far as education,” Erhunmwunse said. “I don’t believe I’ve ever encountered a situation where someone has gotten more of an opportunity or more praise… I think if you want the opportunity then you have to create your own, so I really don’t think, in this environment, it’s a thing of race.”

The University of Maryland was ranked 84th in the nation for the number of bachelor’s degrees given to Latinx students, trailing behind the numbers for African-American and Asian-American students.

Latinx student groups did not respond to interview requests in time for publication.

Asian-American students are the largest minority group enrolled at UMD and the highest recipient of bachelor’s degrees, according to Diverse’s 2018 top 100 list.

This can be traced back to legislation of the 1990s, when the U.S. started admitting highly successful, highly educated Asian immigrants to the country, said Dr. Janelle Wong, a core faculty member of the university’s Asian American studies program. According to a study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, children of well-educated parents often go on to have high levels of college enrollment and completion. Wong also reiterated these findings.

“Asian American students, like other non-white students, are racialized. But the form that racism takes varies between groups and has different effects on life chances,” Wong said in an email. “The degree of disadvantage for different groups depends on the social and institutional context.”

Wong said she thinks it’s important to increase the number of minority graduates at UMD, and equally important to ensure that they feel welcome and safe during their time at the university.

“We all must work harder to create an environment that leads to the recruitment and retention of students of color, particularly those who are from underrepresented minority groups,” Wong said.