Students met in the Multicultural Center’s lounge Wednesday to recognize diversity and spread awareness about affirmative action. The University’s Oregon Students of Color Coalition chapter organized the workshop and phone-in to political candidates to honor National Take Affirmative Action Day.
Organized statewide by the OSCC, the day is a chance not only to celebrate diversity but also to help dismantle what the OSCC considers myths surrounding affirmative action.
For Oregon students, the issue is of particular concern, as anti-affirmative action legislation has already been passed in seven states, including California and Washington, and organizers worry that similar legislation could be introduced here.
“We want to increase awareness of the positive benefits of affirmative action, and the very real possibility that it will be taken away,” said OSCC Board Chair Brenda Sifuentez, who organized the event along with Asian/Pacific American Student Union Co-Director Mark Padoongpatt.
“Affirmative action is a really sketchy subject right now,” Padoongpatt said. “There are a lot of myths about what affirmative action is — a lot of stereotypes and misunderstanding.”
According to Padoongpatt, common perceptions on affirmative action are that it is a form of reverse racism and it allows the acceptance of under-qualified applicants, and even that it’s not a relevant issue on the University campus.
“Minority students and faculty are intelligent and capable — there just aren’t enough of them,” said Padoongpatt. “And it isn’t that the University isn’t looking, it is just hard because students of color aren’t put on the University track.”
Participants also called politicians state-wide like governor John Kitzhaber and candidates Kevin Mannix and Ted Kulongoski.
“We don’t expect them to return our call,” Sifuentez said. “We simply want to make clear we support equal access for students and faculty, and that there will be a student voice heard if affirmative action is threatened.”