#i2amru (I, Too, Am Reinhardt) Volume 1 Number 1 | Page 50

By: Kadie Mullinax

(Photo courtesy of Ally Hurd)

Reinhardt face obstacles, there are students of our institution that truly WANT to change things for the better.

Cameron Wallace, #10 for the Reinhardt
Eagles Basketball team.

On March 30, we enjoyed a very successful night in

the glasshouse where an enthusiastic crowd of Reinhardt students and faculty gathered to witness and
take part in I, Too, Am Reinhardt. Students filed in,
approaching the sign-in table, then swinging by the
photo booth to have a picture taken expressing themselves and how THEY are Reinhardt.
Soon, it was time for a panel of diverse individuals to
speak about their culture and then take part in some
interactive table discussions.
I was flooded with the feeling that not only was Reinhardt doing something in an effort to improve knowledge of cultural diversity, but that this was completely
and utterly student organized and student led.
I was proud, I was inspired, and I realized that,
though African Americans and other ethnicities of

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The most recent tally of total African American students
that attend Reinhardt University is 17.9% (for the 201415 academic year). This number is a significant jump
from the 8.4% of 2009-10, according to Daniel Teodorescu, Reinhardt Director of Institutional Research and
Effectiveness.
“In 2013, 20.4% of our entering students self-reported
as Black or African American and in 2014, 19.4% of the
entering class reported as Black or African American,”
said Lacey Satterfield, Director of Admissions.
Reinhardt has opened its door to cultural diversity.
Though the numbers seem small compared to some institutions, Reinhardt has made major steps to expand the
diversity of students that attend the institution, located
in rural Waleska, Georgia.
“We have expanded our recruitment territory to include
travel beyond our primary market, so we have increased
the number of schools from which we recruit new students,” Satterfield said. Just last year, Reinhardt admitted
students from 227 diffeent high schools.

Diversity Among
Faculty and Staff
When I, a Caucasian southern girl from the small town
of Jasper, Georgia, began attending Reinhardt in the Fall
of 2012 as a dual-enrolled student, I recall having at least
two or three black students in each of my courses. My
high school barely met those numbers on a total enrollment scale. It should also be noted that the class sizes at
Reinhardt are often times smaller than some high school
classes, with freshman classes starting at 12 students and
some upper level lecture classes holding 40 (FAQ, Reinhardt University).

African Americans comprise 7% of the faculty members at Reinhardt and 6% of its staff members , according to Teodorescu. These numbers seem exceptionally small; however, Jamieson Palmer, recently
elected student body President and himself African
American, thinks that this is a representation of the
many different minorities we have on campus.
Corey Hicks, a Junior studying Business, came from
a high school with both white and black teachers
and students. Even though there is not a significant
number of black professors at Reinhardt, the African
American students with whom I spoke do not think
this has a negative effect on other African American
students.

(Photo courtesy of Ally Hurd)

“Why Fit In at Reinhardt,
When We Can Stand Out?”

Perie Finley, also a Junior, agreed with Hicks and
Danielle Goss, currently a sophomore, saying that
she recognizes white dominance but doesn’t find it
strange. “I have never had a black teacher,” she informed me. Ironically, it was a big change for Goss to
be surrounded by so many African Americans here
on campus. “Coming to Reinhardt was my first real
experience of diversity, and it was only fifteen minutes away from home.”

All three of my interviewees expressed that their
backgrounds are what have shaped them into the
determined students they are.

The Dreaded Question:
What do you want to do
when you grow up?

“Being black, I’ve always felt like I needed to work
harder to one-up someone. Always feeling the
pressure to stand out. My parents raised me to be
self-driven, so now that I’m older I know what is
expected of me,” Hicks said.

I say “dreaded” because all students, minority or
majority, are hopefully in college because they want
to be here. Often, however, it through our experiences that we actually figure out, specifically, “what we
will do when we grow up.” Palmer, Hicks, Finley and
Goss all wish to achieve the standard goals of college:
work hard, get a degree, and do something in life.
“I want to expand my knowledge and be the first person in my family to go to college and get a degree,”
Goss professed.
Hicks and Finley want to obtain their degrees and go
on to have successful careers as well.
Palmer has been living on his own ever since he
graduated high school. “My family has always been
there for me, but making it with my own two hands
has always been my goal. I’ve always worked multiple

Finley and Goss also believe that standing out is
necessary if they want to be recognized.
Goss stated, “You can’t just be mediocre at something. We try to stand out for other reasons than
just what race we are. That way, we take the label
out of the picture.”

“Coming to Reinhardt
was my first real experience of diversity, and it
was only fifteen minutes
away from home.”
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