Author
argues for affirmative action increase
diversity
By
Brittani Bixler
Online Forty-Niner
Contributing writer
Cal State Long Beach hosted a discussion about affirmative action policies
in university admissions Friday led by Bob Laird, former director of undergraduate
admissions at UC Berkeley and author of “The Case for Affirmative Action
in University Admissions.”
In celebration of Black History Month, Alosi Maloi, chairman of the black studies
department and English department faculty member, arranged for Laird to speak
in hopes of presenting new information on this controversial topic.
“
I was tired of assigning papers on this subject and getting the same information
over and over from my students,” Maloi said.
Flyers announcing Laird’s presentation were circulated around campus
for weeks before the event, which produced an audience mostly of staff members
and students wanting to know more about affirmative action.
Laird explained affirmative action, also known as “positive discrimination,” is
valuable to the education of all students.
“
Most white students’ only interaction with students' of color is through
MTV and sitcoms,” Laird said. “The critical mass of African-American
and Latino students has been lost at Berkeley.”
The decline in minority enrollment in public universities can be attributed
to the passing of Proposition 209, which went into effect in the fall of 1997.
Proposition 209 prohibits any California public university or college from
giving preferential treatment to any individual on the basis of race or ethnicity.
A similar law, known as Initiative 200, was passed in Washington State, making
California, Washington and Florida the only three states not to practice affirmative
action in university admissions.
Advocates for affirmative action, such as Laird, feel the passing of proposition
209 “has done extraordinary damage to the UC admission process.” Those
against it see affirmative action as unfair because of the idea that someone
more qualified is denied an enrollment spot because of a school’s need
to enroll a minority applicant instead, according to Stanford
University’s official Web Site.
In an open discussion session held at the end of Laird’s presentation,
audience members had the chance to ask questions as well as share their opinions
on the topic of affirmative action.
“
I think university students are crying out for diversity,” said Dr. Judith
McBride, a lecturer in the college of education at CSULB.
McBride, former black studies program director at the University of Montana,
is an adoptive mother of two racially mixed children who recognizes the importance
of ethnically diverse campus life.
“
I have white students on the edge of their chairs waiting to learn about African-Americans
because [whites] have been so isolated at their schools in Orange County,” McBrode
said.
Dr. Maloi recognized the fact that CSULB finds its student body quite diverse.
However, he said he remains the only African-American in the English department.
“
I wrote my book to be a cautionary tale to the rest of the country,” Laird
said.
He was referring to his book written on the subject of affirmative action and
the dangers the US school system faces if affirmative action is abolished completely
by the Supreme Court.
“
If the Supreme Court has the audacity to end Affirmative Action, the consequences
will be enormous,” Laird said.
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