Affirmative Action     Affirmative Action     Affirmative Action

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     Gov. Bush's "One Florida" initiative eliminates racial preference and guarantees the top 20 percent of seniors in every Florida high school admission to state universities. This rule instructs college admissions offices to ignore race, ethnicity and gender in their decisions. A year later, One Florida remains a hot topic on campuses throughout the state, as Florida campus leaders and educators wrestle with ways to eliminate discrimination and provide equal opportunities to all students.

Regulating Equality
     Some collegians see racially based admissions policies as a necessary evil to maintain equality for higher learning. "Until the systems that are in place now are equalized, I believe affirmative action has a place in schools," says Teresa Merkle, Catholic Student Union president at the University of South Florida. Merkle says the discrimination question isn't always spelled out in black and white: students from an affluent community may have an academic advantage over those who attend inferior schools. "You can't really base everything on merit when your poor and minority students haven't had the same opportunities as the other students. Affirmative action gives a lot of students a chance that they wouldn't have otherwise because of their circumstances or environment."
     "It plays the role of regulator. Without the help of affirmative action who knows where we would be today," says Stewart Parker, SGA president at Rollins College. As Heather Newberry, Honor Council president at the University of West Florida, says, "I think that we still have a long way to go to make educational opportunities equal among all races. It can only be fair when everyone has access to a quality education at a school that isn't failing its students.”
     Some argue that affirmative action allows everyone to prove themselves. "It only gives students a 'foot in the door.' Then, it's up to the student to work hard and be successful in college," says Juleen Jennings, P.E.A.C.E. Volunteer Center co-head coordinator at the University of Tampa. The process serves as a watchful eye to protect the rights of minorities. "I was probably admitted into the University of West Florida under affirmative action, but it didn't keep me here," says Kirston Hardley, Alpha Kappa Alpha president. "I could've dropped out or failed out. I chose to stay with it."

Academics, Not Race
     Does the practice eliminate prejudice or encourage it? Affirmative action may provide opportunities for minorities, but some feel that it's stealing chances from others who may score better on tests or have better grades. "Affirmative action was supposed to bring about equality, right? But all it is is discrimination in reverse," says Anna Hart, a resident assistant at Palm Beach Atlantic College. "It's still judging people not on qualifications but on race. We all want to play on a level playing field, but all we've done is replace the ditch with a hill." Hart says that instead of uniting the races, they’re actually further separated. At Rollins College, Erika Shoemaker, house manager of Kappa Delta Sorority, says, "If we continue to treat people differently based on ethnic backgrounds, we’ll increase the problems that are in place now. There may be some use in treating people differently according to their specific needs, but I don't believe that affirmative action is the answer to increasing the success of minority students in college academic settings."
     Some say affirmative action is a crutch that academically inferior students use to get admitted to college—without it they wouldn't score high enough to get in. "By enrolling certain students who may be of a minority, based solely on that fact, doesn't help the student succeed through his college years," says Douglas Mimm, a group leader of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of South Florida. "If I knew that I was admitted to college simply because I was white, and not on academic status, that would make me feel less of my abilities as an intelligent person.” And there's also the question of whether it's fair to students who don't fit the description but are academically superior. "The person with the best credentials gets into the best college," says Sean Wieland, a resident assistant at Palm Beach Atlantic College. "There's no policy more fair than that." As Donald Durrance, vice president of Great Commission Missionary Fellowship at Trinity College says, "Affirmative action is a type of discrimination. Admission to college should be based on eligibility, not race."

Mixed Feelings
     At the University of North Florida, Lisa Beck, student director of the honors program, says, "I think anyone that has the desire to go to college should be allowed to go. I also think students should be rewarded for their hard work." Some students say it's time to replace the affirmative action system with a less rigid plan. "It's seen by many as a policy 'cut in stone,' " says Steven Keith Kever, director of the Broward Student Government Volunteer Center at Florida Atlantic University. "It seems that today people are seriously divided on the issue. The question becomes how do we clear the air without throwing out the baby with the water."
     Affirmative action may not have a place in the admissions office, but a rerouting to the financial aid office could solve the problem. "I think affirmative action should play a role in financial aid, but college admissions should be based on a student's determination, potential, and achievements," says Sylvia F. Rodriguez, a resident assistant at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
     At Florida State University, Mark Zabrowski, National Residence Hall Honorary president, agrees that efforts should focus on financial standing.  "I don't agree with the way it's done. It should not be based on race, but on socioeconomic status," he says. "That way people from poor areas are given an opportunity to get out."

• University of Texas at Austin. Admission of African-Americans decreased 26 percent, and Hispanics decreased 23 percent (Washington Post, 5/19/97).
• University of California at Los Angeles. Admission of African- Americans decreased 43 percent, and Hispanics decreased 33 percent (Online NewsHour).
• Florida State University. Admission of African-Americans increased 21 percent, and Hispanics increased 24 percent (Executive Office of the Governor).
• University of Florida. Admission of African-Americans increased 33 percent, and Hispanics increased 19 percent (Executive Office of the Governor).

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