In the study, conducted by Professor Vernellia Randall, the 10 schools listed all had white populations of more than 90 percent. Some of the schools were in states with a low minority population, such as the University of Montana and the University of Maine, the first- and second-ranked schools on the list. But Southern schools in states with a much larger minority population made the list as well. Samford University in Alabama, the University of South Carolina and the University of Richmond in Virginia were listed. UK was No. 8.

Randall argues that admission shouldn't be so heavily weighted toward entrance exams. She said considering an applicant's entire profile would allow more opportunities for minorities to get into law school.

Allan Vestal, dean of the college of law, said UK uses a "full-file review" when weighing new applicants. He said Randall's study is inaccurate because it does not take into account law-school programs nor strides he said the university has made compared to its benchmarks.

Whatever Randall's controls and variables, and no matter the methods of the law school's admissions process, enrollment numbers are hard to argue with.
Though the law school is only one of dozens in UK's charge, a study like this leaves nothing less than additional bad press about levels of minority enrollment at a university, no matter the process used to accept new students.

While minority enrollment overall is steady this year compared to last, black enrollment for whatever reason has dropped. On top of the law-school revelations, this only adds to the problem of attracting black students to UK.
Bad publicity is sometimes more memorable and more influential than good publicity. UK needs to avoid this type of labeling by reviewing how it both attracts and accepts minorities.

Simply maintaining a steady level of minority enrollment shouldn't be the goal for UK; obviously, a drop in black enrollment shouldn't be either.
For the better of university diversity - and more importantly, for the better of giving minority students a better chance to attend college - UK needs to show that its admissions process is more open than one professor's study says.
Otherwise, it's one's word versus another's - initiative versus study - and the numbers aren't rising.