By Daniel Colton
With Black History Month half over, supporters of racial diversity have noticed the black student population at BYU growing, even if only very slowly.
In the fall of 1996, there were 115 black students out of a total of 28,307 BYU students, said Janet Rex, information manager for University Communications.
These African Americans represented 0.4 percent of the student body.
During fall semester 2001, 138 black students attended BYU out of a total of 32,771 students, Rex said.
Those 138 students represent 0.42 percent of the student body.
“There has been some growth, but very little,” said Alisha Pixton, a senior from Seattle, Wash., majoring in therapeutic recreation. “It is not great numbers every year.”
Pixton is the student coordinator for Black History Month.
The number of black students in 1996 represented 3.3 percent of the minority population at BYU. Last semester the percentage climbed to 3.9, Rex said.
Students say one of the main reasons the black student population is not growing faster is because of the environment of Utah.
“It would be hard to take someone from a predominantly black area and put them into predominantly white community,” Pixton said.
Pixton is the first person from her family to come to BYU. She said most black students are the first ones from their families to attend BYU.
Pixton said it is hard to be in a predominantly white culture, but there are many things to help black students such as the Church and the Black Student Union.
Abe Mills, the Multi-Cultural Coordinator, said he has seen a lot of growth in the black student population since he was a student here in 1990. Mills is the advisor for the Black Student Union and said the Union has grown a lot, especially in the last ten years.
