Friday, Oct. 11, 2002 | 10:57 a.m.
The only black member of the state Board of Regents accused her colleagues of institutional racism Thursday after they killed funding for a proposed outreach center designed to encourage more minorities to attend college.
Even though regents signed off on the concept behind the Millennium Bound Outreach Center earlier this year, board opinion clearly turned against Linda Howard at Thursday's meeting in North Las Vegas.
"This is institutional racism, that's what it is," Howard said after the board voted her project down.
Regents voted 9-2 to remove the $500,000 outreach center from its list of priorities.
Howard's comments did not go over well with other board members.
"I'm offended that she would actually accuse any of us of institutional racism," Regent Steve Sisolak said. "To make that comment is offensive, belittling and demeaning to the board and totally out of line."
Howard argued the center would be only one of two in the North Las Vegas area to have a physical location. But her colleagues said it was too expensive, should not be under the university system budget and duplicated efforts already being undertaken by other institutions.
"From Day 1, I have not supported this project," Regent Mark Alden said. "I feel it is nothing but pork and it's for one regent."
Efforts to get funding for the center began with support from most of the board. A task force was convened and community leaders worked to get the project hammered out.
But Howard said a political effort was made to undermine the center.
"Black people don't need to be beat down anymore because we've been beat enough," Howard said at Thursday's meeting.
From 1995 to 2001 minority enrollment increased at a rate exceeding that of whites, according to a report presented by Sherwin Iverson, university system vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.
In 1995, minority enrollment made up 22 percent of Nevada's college population. Whites made up 78 percent. In 2001, minorities made up 31 percent while white enrollment was 69 percent.
Degrees awarded to minorities also increased over that six-year period. In 1995 16 percent of the degrees awarded in Nevada were to minorities. By 2001 that figure had risen to 24 percent.
Matthew Goins, a black administrator working in construction and planning at the Commuunity College of Southern Nevada, said he was living proof of efforts made by recruiters, as he now has a degree.
"I'm going to tell you that I couldn't have done this without people getting in my face and telling me I can do it," Goins said. "Now I'm working my dream job."
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