Introduction
Prior to starting our research pertaining to the topic of Affirmative Action, we posed a hypothesis that would serve as the core of our research process: to what extent did Affirmative Action policy at the University of Scranton affect student enrollment from the early 1970s, to the late 2010s? We believed that this question was valid, and that figuring out the answer would allow us to garner a strong understanding of the university’s efforts as well as their troubles with Affirmative Action.
The answer to this question is complex and contains various parts that lead us to the narrative that the University had a rather difficult time recruiting minorities prior to the early 1990s, despite having created Affirmative Action plans as early as the 1970s. For a variety of reasons, the University of Scranton was unable to attract minority students even if members of staff believed in the idea of having a diverse campus. The problems that arose were not due to mistakes made by the university itself, but more so the outside factors of the time period that made focusing on diversity unrealistic. Of course, areas existed where the university could have done better, but in large part, it was not their fault. However, early in the 1990s, the University of Scranton decided to focus more heavily on this problem despite the barriers and made great waves in remedying the issue.
In 1994, the University of Scranton made changes to their Affirmative Action program that would finally show results in the amount of minority students on campus. There was a noticeable increase in diversity from this year onward, even up to the current year. The university showcased its belief in having a diverse student body during this time period and continues to represent this value. Despite the issues faced by the University of Scranton prior to the early 1990s, it showcased that diversity was possible and important to the school.