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(05-19-2015 11:36 AM)demiveeman Wrote:  

(05-19-2015 07:57 AM)58-56 Wrote:  That 12 percent seems high - maybe all athletics rather than just football?

This article is reporting the information incorrectly.

The report says that there are 89 Black/African American undergrad football student-athletes, I would guess that included walk-ons and redshirts. It also says that there are only 759 Full-Time Black/African American undergrad students. That makes it 11.73% of the total Black/African American undergrad population.

Not just males.

The percentage of black males specifically would likely be even higher given the average male/female ratio at UAB (58.3% female, 41.7% male).

This page says UAB's student body is 21.5% African-American (which sounds right to me), which would come to roughly 2,365 students, 986.2 of them male. That would put the football players right at 9 percent of the black guys - which is still way too large a chunk to be casually tossing to the curb.

http://www.uab.edu/students/multicultura...emographic

Another part of the equation that Watts didn't think about or doesn't care about. That is inexcusable considering that he is president of an urban university that prides itself on the diversity of its student body.

(05-19-2015 11:57 AM)58-56 Wrote:  

(05-19-2015 11:36 AM)demiveeman Wrote:  

(05-19-2015 07:57 AM)58-56 Wrote:  That 12 percent seems high - maybe all athletics rather than just football?

This article is reporting the information incorrectly.

The report says that there are 89 Black/African American undergrad football student-athletes, I would guess that included walk-ons and redshirts. It also says that there are only 759 Full-Time Black/African American undergrad students. That makes it 11.73% of the total Black/African American undergrad population.

Not just males.

The percentage of black males specifically would likely be even higher given the average male/female ratio at UAB (58.3% female, 41.7% male).

This page says UAB's student body is 21.5% African-American (which sounds right to me), which would come to roughly 2,365 students, 986.2 of them male. That would put the football players right at 9 percent of the black guys - which is still way too large a chunk to be casually tossing to the curb.

http://www.uab.edu/students/multicultura...emographic

Nevermind. I rechecked the CSS report and saw that I was missing the heading about the section being focused on male enrollment. The 12% of black males figure is accurate.

However, the data you provided on UAB's website is from 2012 and provides no source. That graph does not specify if it is full-time students or even undergrad/post-grad.

CSS lists data from the last three years and is sourced from UAB Athletics (for the football player numbers) and the UAB Office of Institutional Effectiveness (the stats center for UAB). And they specified full-time undergrad as the criteria.

Last fall, Blacks/African American males represented only 13.5% of the full-time student body and 21% of the total student body.

Here is the latest demographic statistics from Fall 2014 semester:
http://www.uab.edu/institutionaleffectiv...-chart.pdf

(05-19-2015 10:33 AM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(05-19-2015 08:15 AM)LairDweller Wrote:  Oh good...it's a race issue now

I'll just clarify that I don't think racism was behind the shutdown, obviously we know the real reasons. It's not to the level that a civil rights case needs to be made, but if you're weighing the pros and cons, increased diversity is definitely a pro.

Your answer correctly identifies the quandry surrounding the shut down of UAB football. We remain unsure of the total extent of the real purposes of the action. Most agree that it was not just about football although that is the main battle line we have rallied around.

Those of us who are old enough to have a decades long perspective realize UAB has always had to fight the leadership in Tuscaloosa for almost every program UAB has wanted to offer, particularly nonmedical graduate programs. The racial question arises more from the state's historic resistance to progressive diversity throughout public education than the present football fight at UAB.

The question of the BOT's "real intent" remains unanswered.

(05-19-2015 09:50 AM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  So that poster a couple of months ago right, and we should call Jesse and Al?

No.

Talty: African-American male population at UAB plummets amid loss of football
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/...lly_a.html

This is a bit embarrassing considering UAB prides itself on diversity.

The article says that the 89 African Americans make up 12% of the AA male population. You can't say dropping football reduced that population when it further states that 30 of the players stayed at UAB. The number is more like 7.7% of African American males left the school. A drop, but hardly a plummet.

It's a trend, but, because it's such a sensitive subject, it's bound to make some people feel a certain kind of way. Race doesn't play nearly as big a role as the fact that underprivileged kids in the state just lost out on opportunity. That was one of the things that bothered me about this early on in the process.

Those are 2012 numbers. Fall 2014 undergrad African American number is is 25.8%. Compare that to Statewide population of 26.6% & nationwide population of 13.2%. UAT is 12%.

http://www.uab.edu/institutionaleffectiv...ugdemo.pdf

(05-19-2015 04:53 PM)Hopeful Wrote:  It's a trend, but, because it's such a sensitive subject, it's bound to make some people feel a certain kind of way. Race doesn't play nearly as big a role as the fact that underprivileged kids in the state just lost out on opportunity. That was one of the things that bothered me about this early on in the process.

Exactly...it's very sad...and I don't give a damn what color they are, it still sucks

(05-19-2015 09:43 AM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(05-19-2015 08:24 AM)LairDweller Wrote:  

(05-19-2015 08:23 AM)WesternBlazer Wrote:  

(05-19-2015 08:15 AM)LairDweller Wrote:  Oh good...it's a race issue now

Not really. Black males just aren't applying to UAB. Without football this number will decrease dramatically, though...

Oh...so that's not a race issue? Got it

So what if it is? If something happens that drastically reduces minority enrollment, we should probably do something about it. UAB's diversity is something I'm proud of, as opposed to the continuing situation at UA...

UA issue with segregated sororities, the fact that Liberty University has a 50% higher percentage of black population than UAT, so on and so forth :).

It's not a "race issue". It's a significant statistic, and in this state it matters. UAB's stance on race and diversity makes it a shining beacon in comparison to UAT's plantation mentality. That is a valuable thing in this nation today.

An article bearing this same exact title is on front page of the paper version of the Birmingham News this morning. I haven't had time to read it yet, but I'll bet they got the idea from the on line article if it isn't just a copy and paste.

Talty actually put a little bit more info in it but we do know where he got the idea.

(05-20-2015 09:23 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  It's not a "race issue". It's a significant statistic, and in this state it matters. UAB's stance on race and diversity makes it a shining beacon in comparison to UAT's plantation mentality. That is a valuable thing in this nation today.

^ This. Watts didn't make the decision because he's a racist or did it even cross his mind. However, this is an important data point in the calculus of whether or not UAB should have football in that the football program is a way to give economically marginalized students--who just so happen to often be black--a path out of the cycle they and their families might be stuck in.

(05-20-2015 12:45 PM)mixduptransistor Wrote:  

(05-20-2015 09:23 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  It's not a "race issue". It's a significant statistic, and in this state it matters. UAB's stance on race and diversity makes it a shining beacon in comparison to UAT's plantation mentality. That is a valuable thing in this nation today.

^ This. Watts didn't make the decision because he's a racist or did it even cross his mind. However, this is an important data point in the calculus of whether or not UAB should have football in that the football program is a way to give economically marginalized students--who just so happen to often be black--a path out of the cycle they and their families might be stuck in.

+1 very well said

(05-19-2015 04:18 PM)BlazeNBham Wrote:  This is a bit embarrassing considering UAB prides itself on diversity.

UAB has nothing to hang its head about as far as diversity. UAB is one of the few non-HBCUs in the South that as a black man you feel comfortable walking around. You never hear of any police discrimination, or any type of discrimination around UAB. The atmosphere around is more progressive than what you'll get at an Alabama or Auburn. Do you think an organization like the UAB Gospel Choir would ever exist at the majority of the traditional schools here in the South?