CSULB to host

affirmative action conference

Cal State Long Beach is hosting an affirmative action conference beginning Thursday and continuing through Nov. 8.

Called "Learning from the Past, Planning for the Future," the conference consists of panel discussions and speeches by people from around the country.

Political science Professor Gerry Riposa, who is organizing the affirmative action conference, said that 90 percent of the speakers are coming in from off campus.

"This is the most comprehensive conference being held at any university in California," Riposa said. "It is significant for the university and the students."

The conference will not be just an opportunity to accept affirmative action, Riposa said.

"This is not a teach-in," he said. "It is a comprehensive analysis of the issue. It's the free trade of ideas, what are the strong parts and what are he weak parts."

The conference opens Thursday at 2 p.m. with a keynote address by Dr. Roger Wilkins, a professor at George Mason University. Wilkins won a Pulitzer Prize for his work with Woodward and Bernstein on the Watergate scandal. He was also co-counsel with Thurgood Marshall in the famous case of Brown vs. Board of Education.

Wilkins will speak on the dynamics and costs of discrimination. "He will approach the question of discrimination, prejudice and racism from many different angles," Riposa said. The conference continues at 10 a.m. on Oct. 11 with a national teleconference staged by Black Issues in Higher Education, a Washington advocacy group. The teleconference panelists from around the nation will include Willie Brown, Elaine Jones, the director of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and Patricia Ireland, president of the National Organization for Women.

Riposa said that all sides of the affirmative action issue will be represented. "There is a lot of room for interaction here," he said. "The deck is not stacked."

Also on Oct. 11 is a panel discussion about the history and rationale of affirmative action. The 2 p.m. discussion will be chaired by Professor Federico Sanchez of Chicano and Latino studies.

"The historical underpinnings that have led to affirmative action as we know it today will be examined," Riposa said.

The comedy troupe Culture Clash is staging a special performance for the conference at 6 p.m. on Oct. 11. The cost is $3 for students and $12 for non-students.

Culture Clash will tailor their satire and performance around issues of race, gender and discrimination, Riposa said.

On Oct. 17, a panel discussion of the myths and realities of affirmative action will be chaired by political science Professor Charles Noble and linguistics Associate Professor Terry Wiley. The discussion, which begins at 2 p.m., will examine problems and excesses of the affirmative action debate, Riposa said.

A panel discussion at 2 p.m. on Oct. 24 will look at re-envisioning affirmative action as a national policy. CSULB affirmative action Director Karen Alvarado is the panel chairwoman. On Nov. 2 there will be a discourse and debate on the ethics of affirmative action between speech communications Professor Craig Smith and black studies Chairman and Professor Maulana Karenga. The debate begins at 2 p.m.

Finally, on Nov. 8, there will be a panel discussion at 7 p.m. about the future of affirmative action in California. The panel features leaders in higher education, industry, government and small business.

All of the panel discussions will be held in Multipurpose Rooms A, B and C in the University Student Union. The national teleconference will take place in the University Telecommunications Center - 127, and Culture Clash will appear in the Carpenter Performing Arts Center.

Riposa said he wants to stress that the conference will examine all aspects and sides of the affirmative action issue.

"The multi-dimensional approach to the conference will be manifested in the panels," he said. "The conference is an in-depth analysis of this issue to give the faculty and students quality information. We live in a world of information, but quality information can be scarce."