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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1995)
There'* a political »torni brewing aeroc* the nation about the rete ianc« of affirmative action No mat ter where you stand in the ilehate, affirmative action a program that teipnre* cmplovcr* anil colleges to lake action* to hire or ailimt minorities ami women ha* prohahlv affected you in votne tapacit* I he ntmcreu* that targets women tor 11* chetnisln program, or the scholarship lot Mat k applicant* only I m ill* tin* di< ■ ' i- ciU neianoii ha* a i au*c to light a » at to w age' iju'i' ut racial division,” Bulnk ">.i\s I hes luil resentment .Hill reinforce notions ot group iilcntity Hut the (Hinton administration isn'i tuning the argument that attirinativc avlioii should l«- done assas with entirch ( linton has called tor a lull review ol aftir illative action and mat attempt to base federal programs on economic need rather than race or gender. I he Department ot I duration is included m part ot the president's res lew process in determine which aftimiatis. No! Vi* fjNl. v,|\ S I haIic Wolfe, pivsilieii! of the < enter lot W ■ mini Potto studies m W adiingtun, I) ( “it Mould he 'tu pid tu do the umc ramrmtnt as in the HK What we need is a movement lor the ’tlK." W idle ut v I his generation is aide to huitcl on the ground [the '60s gen etationj imeteil. to bring us to the tint level a more egalitar ian neicn it's impossible tu use '60* tactics to solve OIK ptoldcnis too much has changed since then I sen reliably liberal Berkeley \ proles sor from Berkeley declined an inter s tew to discuss atiir mauve action, say-inn he doesn't speak with the press uWe need to find a new way of becoming equal in society. Affirmative action just makes the numbers equal, not individuals. ” Christine Yesoutis, sophomore, James Madison U. action programs arc anil arc not working “ Wc haven't changed any of our |xtlicics," sals ilcputi sccretan of ciluca tion Madeleine Kunin "Were adhering to what we have been doing jm the past], including support of ran based scholarships I he concept of equal access to education is fundamental to out mission." One of the Hi" proposed bills dial ienging affirmant e action would elimi nate all racial and ethnic preferences m programs run In the federal government l or higher edtu anon, it would mean an end to mam si holarships for minorm students “Attnmam i action is helpful lurucularh to tScrkfify, the i)irth|>Iacc ot activism VHinmttvr action was implemented in 1*^64, when “Whiles only signs were standard Because signs are down and numivers of women ami mtnoritv simlenis enrolled in college are up (see chart], the urgent need to rectify past wrongs through affirmative action is an inen-asingfy hard sell Now, the so-called “nowhere generation" is struggling to plat by the rules set by parents Pomtcfcin Just one v car ago. merely suggesting a change in affirmative action jwilicy would base liecn political suicide. Bui as the pen dultim swings lurk. polmcuns with ideas once thought reactionary even ratisi arc coming out of hiding They're stand ing on a simple ideological platform; f veryone s equal; let's go home Proposals to do away with affirmative action are currently I icing written at the state and federal level ( California, the state that develop'd affirmative action in l‘tr.4, has drafted a ptoposal for the 1 '*>(> elec non that spci tin ally targets state and local hiring and college admissions. ( hm Boliek, litigation direc tor of the Institute lot Justice in W ashington. I) ( is ruling this political turnabout He's drafting a hill that calls tor an end to fed eral affirmative action programs He sug gesis that without them, our country wouldn't he so divisive “Preference programs are a leading (hose who ve .ilu-.nK entered the applic am |*«>!. s.ixs Steven R«>\ (joodman, ix me director tor the College -VdinisMoitx Institute ot \inenc.i "It will alive t ee i.. • |Ho|ilc are going, not it they’re going lames Madison l |unur No on . Jones sax s that without affirmative action,, some I>I.h ks who have the potential to sucteed in schools like JMl may Ik oxer looked “It affirmative action is out, she sa\s, "(blacks] will flock to the lilac k msli muons " \ man 1 lohhs, assistant professor ot humanities at Morula \,\ M l , predict' similar migration within teaching rank' “I \Ml would probably go hack to ail hljck teachers," Hobbs sa\s "Mortd.i State l ntxcrsity would go hack to ali white teachers laceausc of the theory xxc teaeh our own better ”* Th« Incredible shrinking budget Supporters sax that pan of the move mem to remove affirmative action steins from a downsi/mg-cra/ed economy (aits in state funding for education luxe made universities scale hack on protes xurs, administrators and students with financial need. “t nivcrsnies arc reluctant to recruit students who need financial aid ( .ood man says, " I hcv target those who can pax because it doesn’t cost (the university) anything." \xsociate counsel for the \inencan \ssociation ot I nixcrsitv Professors
