BY LISA ALLEN-AGOSTINI, Guardian TT

Professor Rex Nettleford, UWI Vice- Chancellor, said yesterday that talk of racism in UWI's enrolment was a dead end.

Nettleford, who is in Trinidad for meetings with St Augustine campus principal, Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie, was responding to questions from reporters at a news conference at Tewarie's office yesterday.

"The university has no right encouraging that kind of discourse (talk of race)," said Nettleford.

"The so-called East Indians are as West Indianised as the African West Indians...We're certainly not going to keep anybody out because they are African (or) Indian."

Nettleford said the region looks to Trinidad and Guyana for examples on racial integration.

He also stressed that the historic confluence of races in the region was a remarkable opportunity for human development.

"We need all the talent in this region to develop it," he said.

In a statement on the five-year strategic plan in which the university is now engaged, Nettleford said that enrolment at St Augustine this year's represented a record high for any UWI campus.

Total enrolment at all three campuses was 28,965 compared to the 600 graduates envisioned by the founders of UWI.

Noting that this jump in enrolment was accomplished without sacrificing academic standards, Nettleford said:

"I have always said that we are too small to be mediocre...There is no need to ‘dumb down' our offerings. We don't want to disgorge half-baked graduates."

Seven regional prime ministers are UWI graduates, he pointed out.

Nettleford said that like the Caribbean Court of Justice and Caricom, the University has a role to play in regional integration.

Tewarie said that while the University doesn't collect statistics on race and admissions, the percentage of Christian, Hindu and other denominations at UWI reflects the national composition.

"If you walk through the campus, you would probably see that what you have is a broad mix," Tewarie said.

Earlier this month, Africanist activist Professor Selwyn Cudjoe questioned whether entry criteria for UWI was biased in favour of East Indians, whom Cudjoe said outnumber Africans on the campus.

Roman Catholics comprise the largest religious group on campus, followed by Hindus, and overall there are more Christians on campus than other faiths, Tewarie said.