Officials at the University of Wisconsin at Madison have come under fire for doctoring an admissions booklet photo in an attempt to portray a diverse student body.
The photograph, which originally showed a group of white students cheering at a football game, was altered to include the face of student Diallo Shabazz, a prominent black student leader. With the inclusion of Shabazz's image, admissions officials intended to portray campus diversity.
Wisconsin student Anna Gould first noticed something was awry.
The lighting in the picture appeared inconsistent, with a spot of light shining off Shabazz's forehead. Also, while the rest of the photographed students appeared to be cheering wildly, Shabazz had a broad smile on his face.
Despite the national attention Wisconsin has received, Gould said Wisconsin has a diverse student body.
"While the incident will reflect badly on the school for admissions purposes, I don't think it will affect the student body as a whole, which embraces diversity," Gould said. After discovering the discrepancy, Gould brought it to the attention of Wisconsin's Multicultural Student Center. Gould said people at the Center seemed "disconcerted," though not surprised by the incident.
"A lot of African-American students are organizing" in protest, but plans were not finalized, she said.
Director of University Publications Al Friedman and Director of Undergraduate Admissions Rob Seltzer have taken responsibility for the incident.
The school's Web site says "UW-Madison has one of the most heterogeneous student populations in the nation." University spokesman Erik Christianson said minority enrollment currently hovers around 9.5 percent.
Shabazz could not be reached for comment.
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