Students around the country will rally for affirmative action today in observance of National Take Affirmative Action Day. At the University, the Oregon Students of Color Coalition is hosting a teach-in on affirmative action issues at 7 p.m. today in room 175 of the Knight Law Center.
OSCC member Khahn Le said the purpose of the teach-in is to educate the community.
“We want to dismantle the myths that people have about affirmative action,” Le said. He added that one of the myths is affirmative action deals solely with race. However, issues of gender and disability are also tied into the debate, he said.
OSCC Co-chair Jasmin Thana said addressing affirmative action issues is timely especially after recent Supreme Court decisions on the University of Michigan admissions cases.
“(It’s important) because of the history and current discrimination of who has access to getting a higher education,” she said.
Thana said part of the teach-in is to inform students on how the University uses affirmative action and the reasons behind it.
Teach-in speakers will include Tomas Hulick Baiza, assistant director in the University Office of Admissions; Consuela Perez, an academic advisor in the University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs; and Law Professor Keith Aoki.
United States Students Association Vice President Ajita Talwalker and Mark Harris, who teaches ethnic studies at Lane Community College, will also be part of the panel.
Areas of discussion include University admission policies, and the history, legal implications, myths and facts about affirmative action.
Post-doctoral fellow John Shuford, who works at the Center of Diversity and Community, said he will talk about affirmative action’s long history and some of the reasons why it is unpopular. He said today many people look at the program from the angle of the “diversity rationale.”
“What’s really significant is how this is a departure from affirmative action as a form historical racial redress,” he said.
Talwalker called the event a day of solidarity and said more than 80 universities are scheduled to have events on their campuses.
She added that it was important to stand up for the program because litigation against affirmative action, like the University of Michigan case, can sometimes influence university policies.
“I think that administrators have a tendency to weaken affirmative action not only in admissions, but also in recruitment and retention,” she said.
Some students disagree with affirmative action, however.
College Republicans Chairman Jarrett White said affirmative action separates races.
“If you really want a racially blind society then I think that programs like affirmative action really hinder our opportunity to do that,” he said.
White said that institutional racism doesn’t exist anymore, even though it was a problem in the past. He said that now everyone comes from an equal playing field, adding that the University should change its admissions policy.
“On the applications to get in (the University), they shouldn’t ask what our color is,” he said. “What does it matter? We need to get in on our merits.”
Le said those for and against affirmative action were all welcome to the teach-in.
“It’s better to understand the truth than walk around with assumptions in your head,” he said.