Arizona Bans Affirmative Action

Inside Higher Ed:

Arizona voters on Tuesday approved Proposition 107 to ban the consideration of race, ethnicity or gender by units of state government, including public colleges and universities. With 2,075 of 2,239 precincts reporting as of early Wednesday morning, unofficial results from the state had the measure passing with just under 60 percent support.

California, Michigan, Nebraska and Washington State have already imposed such bans. Only one state --- Colorado -- has rejected in a statewide vote a proposed ban on the consideration of race and ethnicity.

Read the whole story: Inside Higher Ed

Comments

[versus80]

07:09 PM on 11/08/2010

Who suffers from AA? Asian students. They don't have the family connections, typically are not admitted as athletes, and are considered 'over-represented.'

Look at how the percentage of Asian students at UC Berkeley jumped when AA was abolished in California - it went from the mid 30s to the mid 40s. This increase was nearly equal to the decline for Hispanic and Black students. The percentage stayed essentially the same for White students.

I understand that black students were discriminated in the past, but does that make it okay to discriminate against Asian students now? And what about newly-immigrated Hispanic students? Should they benefit from AA if they were never discriminated against by government policy? AA leads to these kinds of unanswerable questions - please, let's abolish it nationwide.

[everythingwrong]

03:03 AM on 11/11/2010

Read this versus80 and read this carefully. I am an Asian that went to an Ivy League college, so I know what you are talking about. At college, I too thought AA was unfair and ridiculous and all that. During my junior year, my friends and I were on a road trip when we stopped at a grocery/gas stop on a highway in New Jersey. There were 4 of us and one of my friends was black. We were in there for about 4 minutes at the most. The way he was treated by the clerk and the way an old white female customer looked at him during those 4 minutes, I would not have traded places with him even if I knew he would make 5x the income during our lifetimes. This was 1993, not 1953, and it's not going to change by 2023. Be grateful for what you have and live a meaningful life that will give you some perspective.

[Vernie31]

08:34 PM on 11/04/2010

No surprise here.....The Hate in Arizonia matches the number of wrinkled OLD prunes waiting out their last days for their personal WORM PARTIES!
Bon Appetite!

[Foxy Pachyderm]

09:34 AM on 11/04/2010

It's about time! Arizona rocks.

[skraeling]

02:58 AM on 11/04/2010

Ya gotts love the White people in Arizona and the neverending paranoia they have. They refused to honor ML King for decades, they hate immigrants but hire them, anyway...and now they are angry at Obama for his racial background and the blacks who might get ahead and all the time the same idiots are laying in the sun getting a tan...

[tagtron]

05:47 AM on 11/04/2010

Arizona's day is coming. Before too long, the big cities won't have any water, and they will all be dying of thirst in their ethnically cleansed desert. You would have to be pretty stupid to spend any of your tourist dollars in AZ

[tagtron]

05:52 AM on 11/04/2010

Arizona's day is coming. Before too long, the big cities won't have any water, and they will all be dying of thirst in their ethnically cleansed desert. The Grand Canyon can disappear off the face of the earth before we spend any of our tourist dollars in AZ

[jmichaelmunger]

09:45 PM on 11/03/2010

As a White male that had good grades in high school, did all of the volunteering, and went above and beyond applying for scholarships, I got none.

Nonetheless, I still went to school—on loans—almost always went to class (skipped less that 20 times in a 4 year period) and graduated on the Dean's List.

However, I saw many Black students that never went to class, probably had a 0 or 1 point GPA, and stayed for just a year or two. The difference is they did it on "first-time" scholarships. From a cost/benefit perspective, the money might have been better spent on me.

However, I find it difficult to completely oppose AA in education. Certain structural disadvantages have held some back and should be addressed. I think the SCOTUS got it right when they ok-ed for grad school but overturned it as a "points" system for undergrad admittance.

I just wish we could get rid of AA in hiring practices...

[mickcastillo]

11:39 PM on 11/03/2010

That is weak and tending to extremes! I am a black male and can concoct a tale replacing black with white! That will not mean I am right and that you are wrong. All I will be doing is creating a discussion that would have no conclusion as it is tantamount to shouting at one another across the table. I would be saying "Woe is me." good for you that you did what to do to get ahead. You are now ahead, move on or have a better contribution to the dialogue!
You are right that we should get rid of AA in hiring practices. I wish also that the good old boys network would be abolished!

[jmichaelmunger]

12:36 AM on 11/04/2010

I didn't say it was universal, just my experience. And if you had read all of what I said, I am sympathetic to AA in education; if a white student and a minority student have identical CVs, the minority student should get the nod since they had to get there facing more adversity.

As far as AA in hiring goes, well that's why there are civil service tests. Diversity is great for the workforce and I cannot stand the "good ol' boys" either.

But as someone pursuing a career in public service, let me leave you with something.
I had a white male professor who was as liberal as a daily khaki-wearer can be. When he graduated from college he went Atlanta city hall to apply for city jobs, a half dozen. Each application he filled out the jovial middle-aged Black lady would take it, look it over, and write "WM" on the front of it before she filed it. Eventually he asked her what the "WM" was for and why he wasn't getting call-backs. She said the "WM" stands for "white male" and that's why.

I could sell-out and go work in the corporate world, but I'd rather craft public policy.

[By Any Means Necessary]

03:38 PM on 11/04/2010

He must have been referring to his own GPA which has been exposed by his narrow minded comment. He failed to acknowledge that the reason for the AA hiring practice was a response from the government and civil rights moment regarding the racist practices existing amongst white males on minorities and women that put those groups at a disadvantage. Now unless that group has by some revelation has seen that we are all equal and what to repent their ways....I don't believe that the time has come to remove this law.

[dwill123]

05:37 PM on 11/03/2010

Arizona passes a new law mandating the wearing of hooded white robes.

[Klous]

09:23 PM on 11/03/2010

Woohoo! sign me up! Wait what? Why would I want a white hoodie in AZ it's mighty hot there.

[corwin]

10:55 PM on 11/03/2010

Couldn't they just pass a law banning standardized tests?

[Barringtonmorr]

02:45 PM on 11/03/2010

People have a very poor understanding of Affirmative Action. It has been stigmatized to be a 'black' thing when actuality it is for everyone except white males without disabilities. So i can understand why white males would oppose. EVERY other group effectively doesn't get the same treatment or same standard as the white male.

Affirmative Action is set in place to give minorities, many who've had generations among generations of racial oppression, a chance to establish the assets and wealth that Whites have had over 200 years to acquire. It's about empathy and equality.

[plasma001]

03:26 PM on 11/03/2010

Soooo, it's discrimination... Thanks for the clarification as the 14th and Civil Rights Bill specifically forbid discrimination.

WAY TO GO AZ!!!!!

[Acert]

03:56 PM on 11/03/2010

Actually in many cases, it is males who benefit more than females, because male college applicants are on average less qualified than their female counterparts.

[1jadednewyorker]

04:58 PM on 11/03/2010

Thank you . And this is a quiet secret. The women in college are far smarter than the men

[neo-moderate]

01:54 PM on 11/03/2010

Hmm, I foresee a future where it is prejudicial to even ASK your racial background on any application. As it should be. If all men are created equal, then what possible insight could you gain from the "Race" section of an application? Abolish it...make it discriminatory to even inquire about it.

But I also think that citizens of this country should consifder themselves first and foremost Americans, not African Americans, or Asian Americans or Latino Americans. Unless you hold a dual citizenship with another country, you are an American. Don't get me wrong, celebrate your diversity and cultural background, but also celebrate what you have in common.

[mbroo]

02:20 PM on 11/03/2010

I think we do celebrate what we have in common we are Americans but I don't think I have to give up one identity to uplift the other...I can be both American and of African descent and that is how I define myself. We can celebrate being American as well as embracing the uniqueness of our cultural and ethnic identities...

[plasma001]

03:28 PM on 11/03/2010

We are AMERICANS, hyphenations simply further divide us and should NEVER be use on official documentation.

[HUkid07]

12:34 PM on 11/03/2010

Unfortunately not everyone truly understands what affirmative action is. Most equate it to quotas and the hiring and enrollment of unqualified minorities. The sad truth is that according to every statistical study and analysis, minorities (not simply AA's but women, hispanics, asians, and more) are at a huge disadvantage by many standards and education is the sole means for putting them at an even level.

[corwin]

01:13 PM on 11/03/2010

Oh? By every study?I know it's bad taste to use factual info hee,but
1) Asians are discriminated (or were 0 in Calif because their grades/test scores were pushing out less qualified folks
2)Comparing AA to whites where the formed have an income of over 75 K and the latter were under 25 K , showed the AA did worse in grades /graduation ,and test score
3) The pass rate -as in minimally qualified of AA students in med school was 49 % a few years ago.(That's half )
I have a lot more experience with med school admissions .Thgere is a sad truth. it's that -for whatever reason ,atmospheric pressure , IQ, cultural bias (Always a nebulous term ) the groups who have been favored are performing poorly.And it's not changed .
And,usually minority (by this I mean black and Hispanic ) scores are locked tighter than the Manhattan project.

[HUkid07]

11:19 AM on 11/05/2010

Sure things Mr. Snarky. Can you please provide data for your statements? As always I am more than happy to learn something new and be informed on the issues. So if you could just let me know the basis for your statements (I'm hoping that your basis isn't some limited personal perspective) then that would be splendid.

[Barringtonmorr]

02:25 PM on 11/03/2010

Yeah i agree many people don't know this. Afirmative Action is for everyone except white males. So i would assume there would be more white male opponents than anything else.

I don't know what Corwin was/is trying to say. If i understand what i think he's saying he might need to take a couple of sociology course because he's a little off with his presumptions.

[bgnthree]

12:27 PM on 11/03/2010

So A black millionairs child getting preferential treatment over a unemployed miners kid in W Virginia is ok with some of you people. AA if ever used should be about economics only and never race

[Bados]

12:41 PM on 11/03/2010

way to dream up a ridiculous scenario to get your point across. You probably were captain of the debate team in HS and college. That's until an unqualified black guy came in and stole your scholarship.

[plasma001]

12:46 PM on 11/03/2010

Just like a lib, address everything but the point....

[bgnthree]

03:02 PM on 11/03/2010

ridiculous??? you arent very bright are you?

[Barringtonmorr]

02:27 PM on 11/03/2010

Afirmative Action helps every minority group. The only group that it doesn't help is White males (unless you plan on going to a historically black college or university). People (usually white americans) have a very poor understanding of Afirmative Action.

[bgnthree]

03:02 PM on 11/03/2010

that tells me all i need to know

[Klous]

10:13 PM on 11/03/2010

Funny you should mention historically black universities. A few years ago Black folks pitched a fit because a white kid was valedictorian at a historically black university here in Atlanta.

[wyb]

12:25 PM on 11/03/2010

Arizona is in the lowest five to ten percentile in education, solvency, and debt. However, it is a sharp harbinger of the national trend line internationally. We rank in the lowest realms in terms of education, healthcare, and solvency of civilized nations. Low SATs, if required at all, easy internet plagerism,and high endebted costs have taken its toll. Grade inflation gives an "A" to the current undergraduate, that belonged to the "C" student of former generations. The Affirmative Action cannard is a ruse while we have made high school into a college and billed the parents 75 k for it.

[holierdandao]

12:24 PM on 11/03/2010

It's funny how people keep dropping the line: What, you disagree with all humans being treated equally? This is an underhanded excuse to accept oppression.

Understand this:Whites and blacks do start at an equal playing field. This is no theory, and has been proven time and time again. Even educated blacks still are at a disadvantage in the job market. This is due to inherent, though subtle, racism that is embedded in our cultural psyche.

Just imagine the reaction you get when you walk past a group of young black men, as opposed to a group of white boys. You react differently, right? If you're honest with yourself, you will agree. Well, this same inherent reaction happens in the job market, academia, and the business world everyday.

Affirmative action mitigates the damage of inherent racism in our culture. Again, this is not blatant, "Hi-ho, tell the Negro to go," racism. But something that is more sly, and if we are not careful, we will be reverted back to 1951.

[holierdandao]

12:35 PM on 11/03/2010

correction: "They do NOT start at on an equal playing field."

[Cornelia36]

02:15 PM on 11/03/2010

"Even educated blacks still are at a disadvantage in the job market. This is due to inherent, though subtle, racism that is embedded in our cultural psyche".

I agree...but people do not want to hear it. We all like to think that we are enlightened individuals who would never stoop so low. Ok. I am a Black woman, and even I have had to stop myself from being racial. In an ideal world....we would not need anything like affirmative action. But we do not live there. Afirmative Action is an imperfect solution to an age old problem in this country..which is racism. To those who are against it...what is your solution? I would love to know...and I am not being sarcastic. I am serious. I do not like it at all. Nothing would please me more, than for people NOT to think that I got where I am because of preferrential treatment. That type of thinking demeans me - the years I studied, and worked hard to get where I am.

[UofOLaw]

12:19 PM on 11/03/2010

The problem with the liberal mentality is now obvious.

Discrimination against non-minorities is not discrimination.

Reality, discrimination against anyone should be outlawed everywhere.

[Acert]

04:55 PM on 11/03/2010

Clearly you know nothing about the liberal mindset. Please refrain from commenting on it until you educate yourself.

[mickcastillo]

11:46 PM on 11/03/2010

"The problem with the liberal mentality is now obvious.

Discrimination against non-minorities is not discrimination. "
I know you dug deep for that! Are you reading what you wrote? Where did you ever get that idea?

[rebel9999]

12:12 PM on 11/03/2010

Who wants to be a "quota kid" and know that rewards were given to you based on your skin color and not your own merritt? That sounds pretty degrading.

[MrT3]

11:56 AM on 11/03/2010

MLK on affirmative action

"Whenever the issue of compensatory treatment for the Negro is raised, some of our friends recoil in horror. The Negro should be granted equality, they agree, but he should ask nothing more. On the surface, this appears reasonable, but it is not realistic." -- 1964, Why We Can't Wait.

"A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for the Negro..." quoted by Stephen B.Oates, Let The Trumpet Sound

[plasma001]

12:09 PM on 11/03/2010

Better quotes...

# "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'"

# "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

From MLK, "I Have a Dream"....

Equality... What a concept..

[MrT3]

02:21 PM on 11/03/2010

better quotes according to who? the indirect beneficiary of "equality"...or should i say direct why bs about it..