I am writing in response to “Panel mulls race issue,” (ODE, Mar. 6) the coverage of the panel discussion on the University of Michigan’s affirmative action cases. As a panelist, I am pleased that the Emerald saw fit to report on the event. I feel the need, however, to express my frustration with reporter Roman Gokhman’s inability to accurately summarize views expressed during the discussion. I refer specifically to the following excerpt from the article: “Tomas Nullick (sic) Baiza … said the University of Michigan’s defense of affirmative action is nothing more than a symbolic gesture because the university is close to a large black population. ‘It goes a long way to recruit 90-95 percent of African Americans,’ he said.”
This is not at all what I said. To set the record straight, I was commenting on the symbolic importance of affirmative action policies and what they meant in the Michigan context.
Gokhman’s misguided version of my comments seems to send the message that the University of Michigan — and, indeed, the rest of us who work to expand educational opportunities for low-access students — are acting in an insincere manner. The misquotation also implies that 90 to 95 percent of African Americans benefit from affirmative action. I did not say this, and nothing could be further from the truth. What Gokhman must remember is that he has a professional responsibility as a future reporter to accurately quote his sources.
Whether they warrant it or not, media correspondents are given an inordinate amount of influence when they attempt to transmit information, and if that information is incorrect or sloppily reported, both their readers and their sources suffer. I am confident that the people in attendance at the panel discussion understood what I said concerning affirmative action. It is unfortunate, however, that Gokhman’s readers must rely on his fast and loose handling of the discussion to learn more about an issue that is already so badly misunderstood.
Tomas Hulick Baiza is the assistant director of admissions and coordinator for multicultural recruitment in the office of admissions.