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Council to weigh two competing resolutions on admissions policy

Student Council is facing an impending vote on two competing resolutions -- one of which voices support for continuing to use race as a factor in University admissions, and one which requests that the administration adopt an alternative admissions policy which would "not specifically involve race." The first resolution calls on the Board of Visitors to defend the University's current admissions policies and would create an ad hoc committee of Council representatives and community members to help maintain "a healthy dialogue" about the issue. It recognizes the importance of diversity in the student body and points out that race is only one factor in the current admissions standards.

The second resolution requests that the Board come up with an alternative to its current admissions policy -- replacing it with one that does not necessarily involve race, but takes other factors, such as socioeconomic status, into consideration. It also calls for greater student influence in decisions concerning the student body.

The resolutions will be debated and voted upon by Council at their meeting Tuesday.

"It's unusual to have competing resolutions on the table on the same day," Council President Taz Turner said.

According to College Rep. Brendan Dignan, a co-sponsor of the resolution that favors changing the current admissions policies, members will vote on the resolution in favor of race-based admissions before his resolution because it was submitted to Student Council first.

However, representatives will have the opportunity to vote on reversing the order of debate.

If the resolution in favor of keeping race as a factor in admissions -- which is scheduled to be debated first -- passes, it is possible that the opposing resolution will be "tabled," or disregarded, Turner said.

Dignan said he thinks a majority of the debate will be on the resolution in support of current admissions policies because it was submitted first. But he said he "hope[s] that all the members look at each resolution" before deciding which way to vote.

For any resolution to be passed, it must receive a majority of the 32 Council members' votes.

A resolution passed by Council simply is a statement of their opinion on the subject and will not affect admissions policies directly.

But College Rep. Matt Madden, a sponsor of the first resolution, said he felt it is time for the Council to be heard on the subject.

"We didn't want to let the issue die," Madden said.

According to Turner, this is the first time the issue of affirmative action has been discussed openly "on the floor" of a Student Council meeting. He declined to speculate on what the outcome will be.

"I just hope there is decorum [at the meeting] and it will be free of overly heated arguments," Dignan said.

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https://open.spotify.com/episode/02ZWcF1RlqBj7CXLfA49xt