The School of Law drew a diverse mix of students to campus this weekend for its Minority Admit Weekend. Events were designed not only to aid prospective students in deciding where they should attend law school, but also to showcase the resources and environment the campus has to offer for minority students.

Although the weekend is designated for minority admits, the event coordinators said they do not think that it differed to any large extent from other admit weekend proceedings hosted by the University.

“The fact that the Law School has a separate admit weekend was not really planned,” said Catherine Glaze, associate dean for student affairs at the Law School. “My guess is that it is really a timing issue.”

Every year the Law School and University are challenged with scheduling activities for prospective students so that they will not conflict with similar events at their peer institutions. According to Glaze, a separate weekend was organized for minorities in order to make sure all admitted students had the opportunity to explore Stanford as well as similar programs at other schools.

“We want to be able to let students admitted to more than one school participate in all the programs they can so they can make the best choice for their particular needs,” Glaze said. “Law school is different from other graduate and professional programs in so many ways that we think it is beneficial to allow students to focus on what the Stanford Law School experience will be like.”

Consequently, the weekend’s agenda placed emphasis on acquainting students with not only campus, but also the larger Bay Area. After registering and attending a welcome lunch in the Law School’s student lounge on Saturday, students took a trip to San Francisco where they visited the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Union Square and other tourist attractions in the city.

According to Glaze, the smaller and more specific turnout for the weekend allowed coordinators to focus on the specifics of various programs offered at the Law School. A committee of current student representatives from various ethnic organizations helped develop programming to appeal to these prospective students.

Key players in this effort were students from the Asian Pacific Islander Law Students Association, the Black Law Students Association, the Stanford Latino Law Students Association and others.

“We try to balance a sense of what the academic life of the Law School is like with what it means to be living here for three years,” Glaze said. “We want admits who attend the weekend to leave with a sense of what it would be like to be a student of color at Stanford Law School.”

Alumni, professors and current students held panels yesterday communicating what prospective students could expect from their years at Stanford if they choose to attend. The Women of Color Action Network gave a presentation for interested students, and group tours were led throughout the campus, from the Cantor Arts Museum to the Hoover Tower.

Glaze said, “We want the admits to get a sense of the intellectual vibrancy of Stanford Law School, a sense of the community here, not just classmates but also faculty and alumni, and for students from the East Coast, a sense of what it means to be on the West Coast and so far from home.”

The weekend’s events were part of the Law School’s greater efforts to attract and maintain a diverse student body.

“We engage in aggressive outreach to identify strong potential applicants from minority groups,” said Faye Deal, associate dean for admission and financial aid at the Law School. “As we decide whom to accept for admission, we certainly take the value of a diverse class of law students in mind.”

According to Deal, in order to ensure this level of diversity, the Law School contacts both pre-law groups at other universities and qualified individuals who have taken the LSAT or who have indicated interest in law school, even though they may not necessarily decide to apply to Stanford.

“Once admitted, efforts are made to get a high yield of minority students by having faculty, alums and current students advise the admits about their choice and address any special concerns,” Deal said.

Glaze affirmed, “We think that if we paint a realistic picture of what life is like for students of color at Stanford Law School, they will have the information they need to make the best decision about what law school they should attend.