The Board of Regents seems poised to extend UW-Madison’s “holistic” approach to admission, which considers race, to all UW System schools. While I believe in the goals of affirmative action, the board should consider this advice before changing system policy: There are politically expedient solutions to UW’s diversity problem.
Affirmative action is a misunderstood but tangible step toward offering equal opportunity in education. After centuries of government-sanctioned oppression, it is unreasonable to expect any community to have recovered economically in such a short time. Rather than dole out reparations, affirmative action is a uniquely American way to tackle this problem. It breeds leaders who can return to and improve local communities.
Nonetheless, plenty of intelligent dissent exists on this issue. Many minority students see it as an insult and loathe the implication that they need handouts. Others say it places a cloud of suspicion over minority groups on campus that a more deserving student was pushed aside for the sake of their presence. Despite this, none of these perceptions are a valid reason to end admissions policies in which race is a factor.
The only reason affirmative action should end is that a backlash against this policy might ruin the goal of fostering equity in our educational system. An objective that is this vital must be shielded from politics. A true holistic admissions policy would create diversity by comparing the challenges every student has faced and his or her accomplishments given the resources available. To shield such a plan from politics, it should be reviewed in its first three years by a board of professionals to ensure the plan achieves its objectives.
So, anti-affirmative action activist Ward Connerly is correct in his assertion that the time has come to form a viable long-term solution to the race problem in higher education. However, his obsession with ending affirmative action actually hurts his long-term goals. By advocating so forcefully, without providing other avenues to achieve equality, he creates a rift between each side. Subsequently, activists see the debate as either a battle for educational access or the elimination of racism.
Of course, there is only one real solution to UW’s diversity problems: Fixing Milwaukee Public Schools. The most obvious problem with Wisconsin’s high school system is the way we structure our public school funding. While the state provides two-thirds of all revenue, schools in property tax-rich areas still have more resources. Many public officials probably see this fundamental problem, but ironically, suggesting that districts share revenue is a political non-starter. High-income schools have fought hard to keep their money, as detailed in a “Dateline” special several years ago about conflict between Nicolet High and inner-city Rufus King I.B. High School. Partially due to this disparity, non-race-based approaches to admission still usually favor poor white students.
The property tax dilemma could be solved politically by framing it in broader terms. Increased police funding and tough sentencing will not improve inner cities, but will only keep them stable. We are living with the consequences of our priorities. We feel more secure with increased storage for our society’s failures and neglect avenues in which the cycle of poverty and violence can be slowed.
The same philosophy prevails in our drug policy. We divert too many of our resources to a war on drugs that is fueled by stalemate — it too is a cycle we feed by allowing the unfair governmental practices of the past to spin out of control. Unless we address the property tax question, UW is going to need admissions and recruitment aimed at minority communities for the foreseeable future.
To preserve the viability of diversity initiatives, the regents must realize that what is fundamentally right is not always the correct course of action. Our government created these inequities and for the strength of our nation, should strive to fix them. The philosophy of promoting diversity cannot be left exposed to reasonable political attack.
Bassey Etim ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science and journalism.
