[media-credit name=’SUNDEEP MALLADI/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Using race as a factor in college admissions continues to be a contentious debate in Wisconsin, as was further evidenced at a statewide forum Monday.

The University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents is promoting a proposal that would create a more comprehensive or "holistic" approach to freshman college admissions systemwide, as opposed to a strict adherence to traditional academic quantifiers.

In addition to race, other factors include: work experience, leadership, community service, military service and special talents — factors already included in admissions standards at UW-Madison.

However, it was the factor of race that sparked the most debate at a statewide UW System teleconference Monday, hosted at UW-Madison's Pyle Center.

"When we mention affirmative action, that upsets a lot of people … who normally might agree to diversity (more) than affirmative action," Regent Milton McPike said.

The regents, who govern all 26 UW System campuses, delayed a decision on the policy at their December meeting in order to hear from students, parents and faculty before their meeting next month. The majority of speakers Monday were strongly in favor of the board's proposal.

"We cannot continue to look narrowly at a student's prospect by basing our decision on ACT (scores) and GPA alone," said Melissa Jackson, legal counsel at UW-Green Bay.

In addition to Jackson, a number of students, faculty and high-school counselors spoke — all in favor of the proposed adjustments.

According to former Regent Fred Mohs, however, most people in Wisconsin and the rest of the United States do not support using race as a college admissions factor.

"It's basically a corruption of the fundamental concept of the civil rights movement," Mohs said. "The American people believe in large measure in treating races equally."

Mohs cited a poll conducted in 2000 when he was on the Board of Regents — a board he said had "more potential than this one does" — that found only 10 percent of state residents believe race should be considered.

"We live in an increasingly diverse world," Mohs said. "I'm not saying that racism is over. … Let's fight [discrimination] straight up with anti-discrimination laws and not take this side-trip."

Regent President David Walsh said one of the reasons to impose the new policy is in "reaction" to a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed race to be considered in admissions decisions at the University of Michigan.

But Lee Hansen, a retired UW-Madison economics professor, said the policy violates existing state law and added that while "diversity is good," the regents should commission a group to look at ways to improve it.

"Before rushing to embed race and ethnicity even more deeply in campus admissions policies through adoption of a holistic approach, the board should engage in a wide-ranging examination of other approaches to diversity," Hansen said.

Four state legislators participated in or sent a representative to the forum Monday. UW-Milwaukee alumna Michelle Bryant, who is chief of staff for Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, expressed support for the policy on Taylor's behalf.

However, Sen. Glen Grothman, R-West Bend, called the policy "un-American" and said applicants should not be judged based upon the origin of their great-grandparents.

"We are educating people … to view themselves as a member of a group," Grothman said. "That is very dangerous for our country overall."

UW-Madison Interim Dean of Students Lori Berquam spoke to the audience about the importance of diversity on a college campus and stressed the nonacademic factors used in the admissions policy include more than just race.

"We are responsible for the future leaders of this country and other countries," Berquam said. "I think we are going to create a stronger and richer environment for all students."

MultiCultural Students Coalition member and UW-Madison senior Jennifer Knox said every student who spoke was in support of the new policy and hopes the "Board of Regents will actually listen to that."

Knox added she hopes "race was a factor" in her own admittance to the university.

Much of the session, however, turned to a more general discussion of race relations in Wisconsin and the United States.

Bryant said after the November 2006 election cycle, Taylor, who is black, received hate mail calling her a derogatory racial slur. She added many students in Milwaukee are homeless and are faced with problems more important than schoolwork.

Robert Howard, a social worker within the Madison School District, said he is "disheartened" by Mohs' comments and called the issue at hand "personal."

"We may believe that we're treating race equally in this county," Howard said. "But we don't now and we never have."