Charlottesville officials said they soon will propose a resolution urging the University to maintain its affirmative action program - emphasizing how the University's current policy impacts the city.
The resolution, written by City Councilman Maurice Cox and Mayor Virginia Daugherty, will be voted on at the Oct. 4 City Council meeting.
City Councilman Blake Caravati said he and Cox began discussing a resolution in light of the recent controversy regarding the University's use of race in the admissions process.
On Sept. 25, the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP requested to remove Terence P. Ross from the Board of Visitors after his comments that the University has lowered standards to admit minority students.
Caravati said Ross' comments coupled with the NAACP's resolution flooded his office with phone calls.
Cox, who is also a University Architecture professor, wrote the original draft of the resolution.
Daugherty said Cox's contributions to the resolution "make it stronger," because of his connections to the University.
The resolution cites many aspects of the Charlottesville community that are directly impacted by the University's current admissions policies.
The resolution states the city is strengthened by the University's policies "in opportunities for local youth, recruitment of teachers and city employees, cultural richness and positive national recognition, as well as in our efforts toward better human relations."
Vice Mayor Meredith Richards said the policy's impact on city youth is very important.
Black University students "serve as role models for our own youth" who aspire to go to college, Richards said.
Caravati said black students help youth by serving as mentors in Charlottesville schools.
"We want to do everything we can to have our African-American schoolchildren achieve," Richards said.
Caravati said Council needed to take action because of the University's national prominence among public institutions.
For the University "to back out of [their affirmative action program] is not a good idea," he said.
Richards said although it is rare for Council to vote on resolutions regarding internal University policy, the city also wants to send a message to its own residents.
"We have a strong commitment to diversity in our own community," she said.
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