Affirming Diversity
Are Race-Based Rdmissions Used Rt Your School?
By Michael Dougherty
Hffirmative action may be one of those
phrases that sparks a brief second of
recognition—could be something
you’ve heard on the news, or a phrase you
absorbed in an American history class.
So why is it that students at the
University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the
University of Florida, the University of
Texas, the University of Michigan, the
University of California, and other
schools across the country are holding
rallies, taking over buildings, and organiz
ing ‘60s style protests in the name of
affirmative action?
The Basics
There are many people who believe
affirmative action at the university level—
legislation that allows universities to admit
students and hire professors according to
race or gender—is the most important
issue in higher education.
Affirmative action affects admissions,
faculty (hirings, firings, promotions and
tenure), financial aid and curriculum. A
school’s policy holds lasting ramifications
for every student—educationally and
socially. Who gets in? Who teaches? What
will they teach?
So how does it affect you?
Practically every state university system
in the U.S. has some form of affirmative
action policy, a plan to ensure that the stu
dent body and faculty reflect the diversity
of America.
But recently those plans have come
under legal attack in many states, sparking
passionate debate both for retaining and
eliminating race- and gender-based admis
sions decisions.
Everyone knows a student who got into
school for athletic ability, or an uncanny
talent for the oboe, but applications are
also evaluated for cultural factors, such as
country of origin, number of people in the
family who have gone to college, socioeco
nomic background, and race.
The Controversy
Over a half-century ago, affirmative
action was introduced as the next step in
making America a more perfect union. Its
purpose was to take an unfortunate past
and make it a fortunate future. Affirmative
action was designed to aid minority groups
(including race, gender,
religion, age and ethnici
ty) in achieving equality
in business, education
and society.
It may sound pretty
good, but affirmative
action policies are some of the thorniest
subjects on campus these days, attracting
the interest of national civil rights leaders
and turning campuses into hotbeds of
activism and protest.
Affirmative action has been abandoned
by many universities because its legal
defensibility is no longer certain—court
after court has overturned the policy, pro
claiming it unconstitutional.
But for those students committed to
enhancing diversity on campus, the
repeal of affirmative action is seen as a
step back in time.
Jason Rigby, a student at Indiana
Purdue University/Fort Wayne, said he
believes affirmative action is the best way
to ensure that potential students get a
foot in the door.
“The university is the
largest melting pot of the
city, [where] mind power
is the most important
thing. We need to pay
attention to make sure
everybody is getting a fair
shot.”
The Next Steps
Despite the fact that
universities can no longer
rely on affirmative action
policies to admit minority
students, many schools
Bill Lovejoy, Santa Cruz Sentinel/AP
are still working overtime to make sure
their admissions policies reflect their com
mitment to diversity.
In addition to special recruitment
efforts designed to reach out to minority
students, many schools have embraced
complex admissions policies that seek out
students with non-traditional backgrounds.
If you applied to a state school this year,
it’s probable that your application was eval
uated on a point system that factors in
things like: the quality of your high school,
your racial background, how much money
Check out your own school’s affirmative
action policy-you miyht be surprised to find
that students are admitted according to race,
gender, and economic background.
your family has, and if you are the first
member of your family to attend college.
It’s even possible that you were admit
ted or rejected because of these circum
stances—a situation that has sparked
some students to initiate law suits against
their state universities, including the
University of Georgia.
Maybe you aren’t even aware of it,
maybe you are. But rest assured: affirmative
action policies and their offshoots are
shaping your college experience. •
Related Links
For more information about affirma
tive action in higher education:
Diversityinc.com
soyouwanna.com (search for affirmative
action)
cpnet.com (search for affirmative action)
washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/
politics/special/affirm/affirm.htm
infoplease.com (search for affirmative
action)
wdn.com/cir/cr-aa.htm
There are lots more links to affirmative
action sites at steamtunnels.net