Campus conference looks at admissions of Italian-Americans

When Italian-Americans go to the movies, they see their heritage portrayed in mafia movies like Goodfellas and The Godfather. When they turn on the television, the main Italian-American character is the sitcom Cheers' promiscuous and uncouth Carla Tortelli. And when Italian-American students come to the University and other Ivy League schools, they find virtually no representation. The National Italian American Foundation gathered at the University Museum Friday for a conference addressing these issues. The program entitled "NiAF Visits the Ivies" discussed the poor representation of Italian-Americans at the University, as well as in leadership positions around the country. Keynote Speaker Kenneth Ciongoli, a 1964 graduate of the University and a neurology professor at the University of Vermont, addressed a crowd of prominent Italian-American leaders from the Philadelphia area as well as a handful of University students. According to Ciongoli, Italian-Americans make up eight percent of the total population in the United States, but only three percent of the student population in the Ivy League. He said 35 percent of admissions slots are reserved for affirmative action, 10 to 15 percent for University legacies and 10 percent for athletes. "If an Italian-American student doesn't fit into these categories, they are competing for less than 50 percent of the seats," Ciongoli said. "But, we are different than other ethnic groups because we aren't against the establishment. We just want the chance to compete on a fair-playing field." The University, like many other schools, does not keep statistics on Italian-American admissions. Ciongoli also said although Italian-Americans are not directly discriminated against today, they were 40 years ago, and this is having a direct effect on the amount of Italian-Americans accepted to the University. Admissions Dean Willis Stetson spoke about the University's admission policy and how it relates to Italian-Americans. "We have no policy to discriminate against anyone," Stetson said. "Still, this issue is not falling on deaf ears." Stetson agreed that a large number of minorities, legacies and athletes are admitted to the University. He said minorities are recruited to maintain a diverse community at the University. In addition, he said the children of alumni are special because alumni contribute a large amount of money to the University. He also said athletes are necessary. Stetson said that the pool of Italian-Americans is not very large. He said this may be caused by the amount of Italian-Americans who apply to Catholic universities like Notre Dame. Ciongoli also said few Italian-Americans hold leadership positions in the U.S. According to Ciongoli, of the 1000 top CEOs in the country, only 13 are Italian-Americans. He also said no Italian-Americans own newspapers, television stations or movie studios. Other speakers included Richard Grasso, President of the New York Stock Exchange, who flew in for the program, and Nick Jordano, President of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. The Consulate General of Italy Franco Giordano was also present. "I think this conference is a good idea," Grasso said. "We need to raise the awareness level of the accomplishments and resources of the Italian-American community." Pat Ciarrocchi, a broadcaster for KYW-TV, hosted the conference and said it was a success. "The program was very enlightening, especially from the point of view of the Italian-American culture," Ciarrocchi said. In addition, NiAF awarded a scholarship to Italian-American and Wharton junior Louis Rizzo at the conference. "It was an honor to be chosen, and I learned a lot about the organization," Rizzo said. Many Alpha Phi Delta members, who are presently seeking recognition for their Italian-American fraternity, helped advertise for and attended the conference. The brothers agreed Italian-Americans are under-represented at the University. "I have not met very many Italian-Americans on campus outside of the fraternity," member Michael D'Amico said. University President Sheldon Hackney, who was scheduled to attend, did not appear at the conference.

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