Four speakers drew on their personal experiences to discuss the topic of affirmative action during a panel discussion last night.
Alpha Phi member Reginald Martin '03 introduced the panel and then initiated the evening with a brief presentation on the history of affirmative action, first emphasizing the role of the federal government during the Kennedy through Nixon administrations then examining the recent court history of affirmative action since the landmark 1978 Supreme Court case Regents of the University of California v. Bakke., which allowed institutions to use race as a factor in admissions.
Ozzie Harris, special assistant to the president for institutional diversity and equity and previously the director of Dartmouth affirmative actions policies, spoke first and immediately stressed the importance of distinguishing the difference between vocational and academic affirmative action.
Harris also strove to define the terminology of the subject, reminding his audience that affirmative action is "simple way of understanding the many diversity policies the united states is engaged in."
Several of the panelists referred to the upcoming University of Michigan case before the Supreme Court, which has inspired much cross-campus debate. Harris said that a ruling in favor of the Bush administration could have dire effects on many causes, "including education in some of the most elite institutions in the world."
Harris also pointed out that affirmative action was a response to historical transgressions including Jim Crow laws and slavery. His denouncement of affirmative action as a flawed solution stirred the audience. Harris beseeched the audience, asking "but what other options do we have?"
Professor of the physical sciences George Langford followed Harris and immediately explained that his opinions would be based not on expert knowledge of the subject, but rather from experiences within his field and personal encounters with affirmative action.
"What we really wanted to have was an end to racism but what we have is this social contract," Langford said on the historical role of affirmative action.
Referring to Science magazine, the publication of the American Association for the Advancement of the Sciences, Langford pointed to a passage wherein science policy makers "argue for affirmative action in the interests of keeping the US on the forefront of science."
Langford turned from his experience as a member of the National Science Board and examined the federal administration's approach to diversity.
"President [Bill] Clinton tried to create a diversity that was LLA...Looked Like America," stated Langford. "Bush has come out against that policy."
Langford added that the Bush administration has used this policy to "rally the troops, the conservative whites."
Marilyn Grundy, the former assistant director of career fellowships, emphasized her experience with admissions departments during her talk and lauded the recent Amicus brief Dartmouth College has filed on the Michigan case in conjunction with several other prestigious universities.
Grundy demonstrated the evolving state of diversity terminology. Her own position has been called "assistant recruiter of admissions, recruiter of black students... then minority recruiter, then multicultural recruiter." She stressed that diversity is not only who you are and where you come from, but also "how diversity has made an impact on your life."
Cecile Lawrence, a lawyer currently pursuing her doctorate who has years of experience aiding universities and non-profit organizations, was introduced to collective titters as "an immigrant from the land of Bob Marley."
"To go forward is to stretch" analogized Lawrence. "Often when you stretch there is some pain involved, but after the pain you are stronger than before."
She referred to a study in which identical applicants sent in resumes. Resumes with white sounding names received more callbacks than the resumes with African-American names. "There is only one conclusion which may be drawn from that," Lawrence said.
The panel, sponsored by the Programming Board, Civic Fellows, Office of Black Student Advising, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Kappa Kappa Kappa fraternity is part of Alpha Phi Alpha's "Alpha Week 2003."
