Affirmative action issue divides campus, state
CU students are sitting center stage in one of the hottest debates this fall.
Colorado voters will not only help decide the victor of the fierce presidential battleground, but will also decide the future of affirmative action in Colorado.
If passed, Amendment 46 will overturn affirmative action in higher education and public employment, making it illegal for CU to use race, gender or ethnicity in its admission process.
CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard said CU is staying out of the Amendment 46 debate.
“We don’t have a position on Amendment 46,” Hilliard said. “We don’t take positions on state ballot initiatives or elections.”
If passed, the amendment would change admissions policies.
Hilliard says admissions are based on two factors.
The first factors are academic, and are akin to test scores and class rank. Once an applicant meets the initial requirements, secondary factors such as race, economic status, talent, gender or any unique trait enhancing diversity on campus are reviewed.
Hilliard explained that CU has no point system. For example, an applicant does not receive bonus points for playing the violin. Admissions are a holistic process.
If Amendment 46 passes, CU will be unable to view an applicant’s race or ethnicity.
California, Washington, Michigan and Florida have already passed parallel legislation. Nebraska joins Colorado in November with a similar initiative on their ballot.
“As the state’s flagship institution we have a special responsibility to remain neutral on matters that come before the voters,” Hilliard said.
Amendment 46 opponents, those in favor of affirmative action, say affirmative action gives minorities better access to higher education and jobs in order to better represent Colorado demographics in institutions.
Melissa Hart, a CU law professor, said she is strongly opposed to Amendment 46.
“I think Amendment 46 is an extremely dangerous and misleading initiative that will do incredible harm to Colorado,” Hart said. “I have confidence that the citizens of the state will see it for what it is and will vote no on Amendment 46 in November.”
Hart said Amendment 46 will deny opportunity to Colorado communities, thus making the immortalized American Dream harder to achieve. She said support of Amendment 46 will denigrate the values of inclusion, community, equality and opportunity.
Supporters of the amendment maintain that affirmative action gives preferential treatment to minorities, thus shutting out deserving applicants.
Amendment 46 supporter Kevin Wieczorek, a 33-year-old junior mechanical engineering major at CU, disagrees with Hart.
“I think affirmative action is a political stunt which addresses the symptom and not the sickness, essentially trying to even the playing field, but they are doing it far too late in the process,” Wieczorek said.
Wieczorek said he believes the playing field should be leveled much earlier. He said elementary through high schools need equality giving everyone greater access to the best schools from the beginning.
Wieczorek also said too many children start out disadvantaged and continue throughout their educational careers behind. When these students reach college they are not as qualified as their peers.
Wieczorek said he has heard of friends claiming discrimination when applying for jobs or school, though he has never personally felt discriminated against. His friends claim to have been beaten out by less qualified applicants. This sentiment is echoed by many supporters of Amendment 46.
“[Minorities and women] do not take away from some hypothetical qualified student,” Hart said. “The idea that one person will lose when another person wins is a pernicious and deceptive notion that supporters of initiatives like this have put out there in order to pit the community against each other.”
Hart said unqualified women or minorities are not present at CU. She said affirmative action only ensures that qualified people get the same opportunity as others.
Chau Nhan, a 21-year-old junior advertising major, sharply opposes the initiative.
Nhan said he doesn’t think minorities have an edge over other applicants who apply to CU.
“Not an edge, because [minorities] came from a less fortunate background,” Nhan said. “They had to work a little harder than whites.”
The amendment is known by supporters as the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative. Nhan, however, said he thinks the name is misleading.
Hart said he agrees with Nhan, saying voters need to realize that Amendment 46 does not progress civil rights, but instead sets them back.
Eduardo Martinez, a 20-year-old sophomore marketing major, said minorities do not have an edge when applying to CU. Martinez speaks from personal experience; he was not accepted to CU on his first admission try.
Martinez opposes the initiative, saying he believes CU should be as diverse as possible and that affirmative action helps bring more people to CU.
“Diversity brings the campus more life,” he said. “Without improving diversity it would be plain and simple. When you bring in more people with more backgrounds campus is more enjoyable.”
Hilliard said CU is committed to diversity regardless of whether the amendment is approved by voters. Hilliard noted a practice University of Michigan admission officials adopted after similar legislation passed in Michigan.
UM instituted geo-demographics, the process of recruiting applicants from differing geographic regions. If Amendment 46 passes, CU might work to encourage applications from inner-city Denver students or rural areas of Colorado.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jimy Valenti at james.valenti@colorado.edu.
