Adding another chapter to the nationwide affirmative action debate, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) announced Tuesday that the state's higher education system must eliminate race as a factor in admissions -- a move that some say could be politically motivated.
Although the State University System of Florida's Board of Regents still needs to vote on the proposal, Florida Chancellor Adam W. Herbert Jr. endorses the Governor's plan, said Mike Rollo, University of Florida associate dean of students.
Under the proposal, the top 20 percent of the state's high school graduates automatically would be admitted to the state university system. In an effort to mitigate the possible effects the program will have on minority enrollment, Bush also will ask for a $20 million increase in need-based financial aid.
Bush is trying to appease both anti- and pro-affirmative action voters, said Larry J. Sabato, government and foreign affairs professor.
"He is trying to find a way to keep African-Americans on board and at the same time stay faithful to Republican principles," Sabato said. "This is what he considers to be a mainstream innovation that will preserve the best of affirmative action with some modifications."
Some politicians have been hesitant to address the affirmative action issue because "it has the potential to become a nuclear bomb," he said.
Bush also is trying to bolster the presidential campaign of his brother, Texas Gov. George W. Bush (R), by portraying the Bush brothers as "compassionate conservatives," he added.
Julian Bond, chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and University history professor, agreed, saying Bush may be trying to avoid the introduction of an anti-affirmative action referendum.
"This is like other attempts to substitute class for race," Bond said. Some University faculty members and administrators said Bush's program would not be feasible at the University.
Assoc. Dean of Admissions Linda Miller said the University could not accept such a large number of students.
In addition, a rigid acceptance system based on percentages of high school graduates is inconsistent with the Office of Admissions' goals, Miller said.
"'The top 20 percent' is such an ambiguous term, it makes it extremely formulaic," she said.
The Office of Admissions now uses race as one of many factors when considering applicants, but does not attach tangible weights on any admissions factors.
After a heated University-wide debate, the Board of Visitors unanimously passed a resolution last month supporting the use of race as a factor in admissions.
But Equal Opportunity Programs Director Karen E. Holt and Office of African-American Affairs Dean M. Rick Turner, who both have been vocal advocates of affirmative action policies, said the issue is far from over.
"Everyone is trying to bring forth a lot of different kind of gimmicks to replace race," Turner said.
Introducing a percentage-based acceptance system is not a solution, and the nation needs to discuss alternatives, he said.
"I don't think the issue is over," he added.
Read More
New School of Data Science building opens with remarks and ceremony
By Cecilia Mould | 10 hours agoThe four-story, 61,000 square-foot building includes four classrooms and two seminar rooms, as well as a two-story central hub for hosting events.
Democratic Futures Project fellow Félix Maradiaga announces campaign to end arbitrary detention
By Caroline Hagood | 10 hours agoA public website for the campaign launched Friday, which Maradiaga says is the first step towards raising awareness.
HRL preassigns 25 percent of returning resident advisors for 2024-25 academic year
By Cecilia Mould | 14 hours agoSome SRs are upset with this change, with two SRs saying that it has somewhat reduced the relative autonomy they have had when choosing their staff in past years.
