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Perspectives
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Sarah Kickler
EDITORIAL EDITOR
Mike Schmierbach
NIGHT EDITOR
Sarah Kickler
Solve unequal education at its source
CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Emerald
“The state shall
not discriminate
against, or grant
preferential
treatment to. any
individual or
group on the
basis of race,
color, ethnicity,
or national
origin in the
operation of
public
employment,
public education.
or public
contracting." —
Proposition 209
Proposition 209 in Novem
ber 1996, it wasn’t just big
ots who supported it. Many
len Californians passed
liberal intellectuals and academics felt it
was a good idea. They argued that any sys
tem based on racial preferences was the
opposite of what a democratic meritocra
cy should be. Advocates figured that.
Chris
Kenning
.vhen based purely on
icademic merit, minori
:ies would enjoy equal
jpportunity and a
:hance to enter universi
ies.
Despite the egalitarian
ntent of its authors,
^position 209 has had
he unfortunate effect of
•esegregating Cal i for
lia’s top universities
and law schools.
Between 1996 and 1997. the number of
African-Americans accepted at the UCLA
School of Law fell from 104 to only 21—
only eight of whom enrolled. At Berke
ley's prestigious Boalt Hall Law School,
the number fell from 74 to 15 — with only
one enrolling.
Those who advocated Proposition 209
failed to take into account the role the dis
turbing gap in test scores between whites
and minorities would play. For example,
of about 70.000 national law school appli
cants. only 103 blacks and 224 Hispanics,
as compared with 7,715 w'hites, score
above the 82nd percentile of the LSAT.
While certainly few er minorities take the
LSAT than whites, the number is still
highly disproportionate. These figures are
especially significant in light of Boalt
Hall's average: the 97th percentile.
"Because the gap in scores is so wide,
it's simply not possible to admit many
African-Americans without taking race
into account,” Jeffrey Rosell wrote in The
New Yorker.
Many academic institutions are now
faced with the prospect of either the reseg
regation they've worked so hard against,
or the large scale lowering of standards in
an effort to redefine merit to include fac
tors other than academic performance.
Yet most policy-makers and academics
have missed the point completely by sim
ply calling fora return to affirmative ac
tion or lowering admission standards and
dropping the LSAT requirement for appli
cants.
In the rush to redefine merit, propo
nents and critics alike have glossed over
the essential question: the disparity in test
scores. Solving this root problem would
eliminate the need for measures that treat
issues symptomatic in nature.
In 1997. three University of Texas law
professors filed a brief with the Supreme
Court that said affirmative action needed
to continue, "barring a miraculous im
provement in elementary and secondary
education for minority students.”
This kind of thinking reinforces the idea
that universal, high-quality education is a
next-to-impossible dream. Yet it is lower
echelon education that can most concrete
ly address gaps in minority test scores.
Clearly, attacking problematic education
policies, such as school funding based on
property taxes, are more beneficial than
treating the symptoms of inequality in
higher education.
Additionally, the causes of the gap in
scores go much deeper than education
policy. A recent report by the Milton
Eisenhower Foundation noted that as the
division between the rich and poor
widens, the poor are becoming dispropor
tionally black and Hispanic. (The median
family income for Hispanics and blacks is
only 55 percent of their while counter
parts.) The report concludes that the reme
dy lies with educating disadvantaged
kids, but is anyone listening?
Many once opposed to affirmative ac
tion now support it on practical grounds.
But without serious efforts to close the
socioeconomic gaps in minority educa
tion, the alternatives involve only super
ficial solutions. And lowering standards
is the last thing our education system
needs.
Striving for a color-blind system in
which individual merit is weighed objec
tively is certainly admirable. But without
taking into account assumptions of privi
lege that underlie our society, abandon
ment of affirmative action programs with
out first solving racial inequalities of
wealth and class will only lead to resegre
gation — not equality.
Chris Kenning is a student activities reporter
for the Emerald. His views do not necessarily
represent those of the newspaper.
"We're going to
be right there in
the middle of all
this hot higher ed
action.”
ASUO Vice Presi
dent Ben Unger
describing an up
coming trip to a
Washington, D.C.,
conference, in the >
March 6 Emerald.
“You always want
to pick up a few
more chicken
legs.”
Unger, compar
ing student gov
ernment to a buf
fet line, in the Oct.
1,1997Emerald.
‘There isn’t an av
erage student
anymore. To try to
say the hours
meet the average
student's needs is
silly. No student
that I know leads
an average life.”
Unger arguing
for extended li
brary hours, in the
Jan. 8 Emerald.
"Wejustsuper
heroed student
government."
Unger after the
Programs Finance
Committee ap
proved the ASUO
Executive budget
for next year, in
the March 3
Emerald.
“The ship’s not
going down. We
haven't hit an ice
berg; we’re cruis
ing on. This is
more like a speed
bump.”
Unger, after a for
mal grievance
was filed against
him and ASUO
President Bill
Miner in the Feb.
11 Emerald.
LETTERS T8 THE EOITQR
Eugene rejects bigotry
Elitist, bigoted, prejudiced, igno
rant, selfish, hateful and misin
formed is Barry Williams. Exactly
which two-thirds of the population
agrees with his message? Two
thirds of the Oregon Citizens Al
liance, perhaps.
How soon the members of the
j OCA forget that Eugene does not
. condone this kind of blind bigotrv.
How many times must we remind
i you that there are many ways to be
j a person? Here in the United States
‘ m general, and Eugene, Ore., in par
ticular, \Ae accept all kinds of peo
I pie. We accept short people, tali
! people, black people, white people.
skinny people, fat people, straight
j people and. yes. we even accept ho
; mosexua! people. Remember Mea
i sure 9?
Get with the program Bam
H,iliams and please bring she OCA
with you. It is 1998, and the majori
ty of the population does believe in
this concept of freedom. Maybe
you’ve heard of it? If it really both
ers you that much what one does
with their sexual life. I suggest that
you take a long, hard look in the
mirror and re-examine your priori
ties. Perhaps dealing with vour own
insecurities instead of attacking oth
ers would be a more productive way
for you to be spending vour time
Jessica Klausmeier
Biology
Who created homosexuality?
Finally. Barry Williams of Junc
tion City has shown his true colors
(ODE. Feb. 25). He belongs (proud
ly) to the Oregon Citizens Alliance.
According to him. two-thirds of the
nation is homophobic and abhor
this "deviant behavior" of homo
sexuals Even the Bible turned
rrri trrt
against it. But did not God create
homosexuality, too?
Hilde Cherry
Eugene
OSPIRG works for change
I am writing this letter to express
mv support for OSPIRG. With so
many problems in the world, it is
nice to see an organization that
works to make a real change on
campus and in the community.
OSPIRG acts as a voice for students
at the University. Without this
highly effective statewide organiza
tion, students would not be repre
sented on a wide scale of issues,
such as the environment, con
sumer protection and hunger and
homelessness.
1 have worked in coalition with
OSPIRG on many projects, includ
ing their most recent pesticide ac
tion campaign. Right now there are
9,000 pesticides registered for use
in Oregon, and we are exposed to
pesticides every day on campus
and in the food we eat. The health
effects related to pesticide exposure
range from reproductive disorders
to cancer. This is why we need a
right to know about the pesticides
that are used in our community.
I his is why OSPIRCl’s pesticide
action campaign is so important. It
educates students about the issue
a*ul teaches people the skills to
light lor the right to know about
pesticides. So far OSl’lRG has col
lected over 7,000 postcards
statewide to let the governor know !
that students in Oregon are con- !
cerned about this issue. For all '
these reasons and more. OSP1KG is 1
an asset to our Uuiversitv and com- j
munitv.
Grace Frances j
Workshop coordinator, Women's Center j
C0BRECTI08
In the article,
“PFC grants
money to three
groups in spe
cial session,”
(ODE, March
13) the story
should have
said that the de
cision to deny
; MUN an appeals
| hearing was
; handed down by
Dave Koch.
MUN's total PFC
i arant for 1998
| 99 was $575, ;
i with another
S4.000 coming
| from a special j
request.
The Emerald *
regrets the error, j