Minority students at Iowa State played an important role in census figures showing diversity growth in Ames.

Census figures show minorities constitute at least 12.7 percent of Ames’ population. This is about a 1 percent increase since 1990.

Asians constituted 60 percent of the minority population, blacks are 20 percent and Hispanics and Latinos are 15 percent of the city’s population. Hawaiians, other races and people of two or more races combine 5 percent, according to census figures.

A large portion of this percentage is coming from minority students at Iowa State.

According to the 2000-2001 ISU Fact Book, there is a 6.7 percent minority enrollment at Iowa State.

Blacks constitute 2.5 percent, American Indian/Alaska Native are 0.3 percent, Asian/Pacific Islander are 2.3 percent, and Hispanics are 1.6 percent.

Rafael Rodriguez, director of Minority Student Affairs, said the state Board of Regents’ ideal number for minority students is 8.5 percent.

“There has been a slow but upward enrollment in minority students at Iowa State,” he said.

Mayor Ted Tedesco said the growth in diversity he has seen in the Ames community is coming from ISU minority students.

“If there were not as many Iowa State minority students, Ames wouldn’t have exposure to the diverse population,” he said.

Rodriguez said it is important to have diversity on campus because “diversity is what education is about.”

Tedesco said ISU minority students “definitely play an important role in molding a [heterogenous] population” in the Ames community.

Iowa State also attracts professionals to work for the campus, which helps add to Ames’ diversity, Rodriguez said.