Only recently have we begun to really internalize and address the new race and ethnicity requirements for the collection of federal education data of US Citizens and US Permanent Residents. In 1997, the Office of Management and Budget published the new standards but it was not until 2007 that Department of Education published final guidance in the Federal Register (72 Fed. Reg. 59267). The onus of reporting the data will ultimately lie with our home institutions. However, because admissions offices are the first “official” arm of the institution to collect this data, we are also the first to implement collection methods.

The original reporting structure of race and ethnicity allowed for five categories: American Indian or Alaskan Native, Black, Hispanic, White and Asian or Pacific Islander. The new requirements call for the question “Are you Hispanic/Latino?” and the categories are: American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, White, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Individuals will be allowed to report multiple ethnicities by selecting multiple options. The “Other” and “I do not wish to respond” options have been eliminated.

In Cycle 3 of SOPHAS, we instituted the collection of the first optional question: “Are you Hispanic/Latino?” We kept the other optional race and ethnicity categories the same and made them reportable only for US Citizens and US Permanent Residents. At the time of implementation, there was very little guidance being provided by home institutions and we tried to obtain advice from numerous sources. In trying to show due diligence, we attempted to implement at least some portion of the new requirements.

In Cycle 4 of SOPHAS, we will implement the next piece which involves the new race and ethnicity reporting options. The structure will allow US Citizens and US Permanent Residents to select multiple options from the following categories: American Indian or Alaskan Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White. All categories will also include a “please describe” open text box for more detailed reporting by the applicant. In addition, the Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander category will include individual check boxes to further specify the applicant's ethnicity. All ethnicity and race reporting is still optional.

Institutions must begin reporting this new race and ethnicity data beginning in 2011. While we may need to tweak the questions on the SOPHAS application again in Cycle 5, we are making a concerted effort to correctly report ethnicity data within the required timeframe.

The SOPHAS Ethnicity Committee members are Angel Hurston (Emory), Liz Reid (UC Berkeley), Kerri Noonan (Harvard), and Jacqui Comshaw (Yale). Should you wish to join the Committee, we are happy to add new members!

If you are interested in reading more on the guidance and requirements, please go to: www.ed.gov;

Submitted by Jacqui Comshaw, Yale School of Public Health