Minority Numbers Down at Washington Law School

Black Issues in Higher Education, July 22, 1999

SEATTLE -- The University of Washington Law School appears headed for its least diverse class in three years next fall.

Admission figures released last month show that only 41 minority students admitted to the law school paid their deposit by the June 1 deadline, compared to 55 last year. That figure includes two blacks, three Filipinos, seven American Indians, five Hispanics and 24 Asians. The total class will be 178.

The final enrollments may be lower. Last year, six of the 55 minority students who paid their deposits never enrolled.

"It is very disappointing," says Linda Strout, president of the King County Bar Association. "As a lawyer, I would like to see the legal community reflect the broader community."

Law school officials blamed the minority drops partly on Initiative 200, the voter initiative passed last year that banned the use of race in state hiring, contracting and college admissions.

"We made 22 fewer admissions [to minorities] because of I-200," says Associate Dean Richard Kummert.