Michael Sandt
On Tuesday mathematical education experts urged the federal government to devote more resources in recruiting minority students to math, science, and engineering majors. The professors who advocated these changes stated that as a result of reverse immigration of Chinese and Indian scientists and mathematicians has heightened the need for new students. These statistics seem strange as from 1990 on the percentage of minority students earning bachelor's degrees has grown. However, the proportion of such students majoring in math and science has stagnated since 1990. According to the board attracting students to these fields, where they are traditionally underrepresented, is a difficult task. Despite this, some institutes have had success through programs targeting high-school students. Another problem is the allocation of funds from the federal government. According to Mr. Castillo-Chavez, money acquired from the federal government will bolster the ranks of science and math majors in the U.S. as the elite universities such as Harvard and MIT cannot meet the current demand. While this is indeed a pressing issue, I feel the recession is hampering its progress more so than the ability to recruit minority students. Progress in this issue may not be made until well after the economic woes are well past us. It is, however, interesting that an issue such as this has not received greater attention
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