8A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 21, 1999 . : . ' Y,_ } , : " . ,. ' . ., ' i- s et: .. :.<[ i3" ' =aa .°_ ",tr '!; : F i'y. 9 I The silent lI opposition i i ."" . Drowned by the chants of activists taking part in today's National Day of Action, one campus voice will not be heard. Prompted by Un the presence of lawsuits challenging th 'iversity's use of race in the admissions e process, proponents of affirmative action have emerged as a visible movement on 0 p campus, action pr while opponents of affirmative ograms remain relatively silent. doesn 't mean they don 't exist. But that BY ANNA CLARK DAILY STAFF REPORTER In The Michigan Daily Student Survey, conducted last spring, nearly 51 percent of respondents said they disapproved of the use of race as a factor in the admissions process. The survey - representing 87 percent of the student body - conducted by the Daily in conjunction with the Department of Communications Studies and the Institute for Social Research, polled students about their views on affir- mative action and University admissions policies. LSA first-year student Douglas Tietz said he opposes affirmative action and it is sometimes diffi- cult to voice his views in an environment where affir- mative action activists "paint an ugly picture of us. "I have to admit, it can be fairly intimidating,"Tietz said. "I'd defend my position if I were asked, but I wouldn't be the first to speak out." Tietz isn't the only student afraid to speak his mind; LSA first-year stu-I dent Melissa Stanley said she also shields her opinions from the scrutiny of the public eye.. "If you are against (the: University's admissions pol- icy) people automatically assume you're racist,' she said. "That's not true at all. I believe race should never be an issue in admissions; how can that be racist?" she asked. But Engineering sopho- more Brad Mitchell said he ignores possible backlash when discussing affirmative action. "I know some people will say I'm a bigot if 1 tell them what I believe, but I don't care what they think in the least," he said. The University's use of race in admissions. "I know professors who are adamantly against race as a factor," he said. "But they are afraid to speak up about their beliefs. They think that sometime down the road it'll come back to them." "For instance, if they vote against a professor for tenure, and that professor happens to be a racial minor- ity, they may be accused of being racist," he said. University Residential College Prof. Carl Cohen said the lack of open discussion on affirmative action on campus doesn't necessarily extend to the University faculty. "1'm not anti-affirmative action; i'm anti-racial preference," he said. "And my colleagues and I don't always agree. But we respect each other and we listen to each other. As a result, we understand each other." Jaye said he commends Cohen for being a "strong and reasonable voice against the use of race" in admissions. "He's been very courageous," Jaye said. "He's always been one of the original freedom fighters, working for civil rights since the mid-1950s." When the lawsuits against the University were first forming, Cohen and Residential College Director Tom Weisskopf engaged in a written debate, defend- ing their opposing views, in a series of let- ters posted on the FILE PHOTO Internet. The letters can rnia regent Ward Connerly be viewed at the action last year. The speech Residential College March 1998 drew hundreds Website, at d listeners.w sd xr .e. isa. uniiec~. Despite the gaping silence left by students in the wake of activists such as Connerly and Jaye, there are some students who refuse to shy away from the issue. College Republicans President Rory Diamond, an LSA junior, said he never backs down from a chance to voice his beliefs against affirmative action. He had a chance to speak out recently when he joined six other University students in an interview with the television news magazine 60 Minutes, which is plan- ning to highlight affirmative action views on campus in an upcoming segment. "I came to the University of Michigan to make a difference," he said. "And 1 think I really am having an impact. Membership in the campus chapter of the College Republicans is at its largest. "in a generation," Diamond said. According to The Michigan Daily Student Survey, nearly 78 percent of those respon- dents who identified their political views as conserv- ative said they disapprove of using race in the admis- sions process, while only 31 percent of self-identified liberals disapprove of its use. LSA sophomore Dustin Lee said many people assume he is ignorant about affirmative action when he voices objections to the University's admission process. "Everyone thinks that because I'm anti-affirmative action, I'm uninformed. But that's ridiculous," Lee said. "I understand what affirmative action is. I know more than just racial minorities are affected. I've thought about the issue, and I believe it's wrong to give race so much weight in admis- sions." FILE PHOTO Students chant during a protest to support affirmative action in March 1998 as part of a rally on the Diag, an act not often seen from the social policy's opponents on campus. In response to a letter authored by Lee and pub- lished in the Daily on Oct. 1 1, Lee said he was the victim of several angry e-mails. "People were telling me 'I'm so pissed ofat you' or 'You don't now what you're talking about,"' he said. "One person told me this whole story about how she was an example of the good things affirmative action can do, but she kept using the wrong form of 'their." From minor actions, such as angry e-mails, to extremist events, such as rallies and marches, many affirmative action supporters are "destroying the opportunity for debate," Diamond said. LSA junior Matt Schwartz said he believes the University community lacks an arena for open debate on affirmative action. "There is a course at this University that teaches why affirmative action is right. That class is totally one-sided. How can we have open debate in a setting like that?" he asked, referring to Center for Afroamerican and African Studies 203: Issues in Afro-American Development: Affirmative Action. The class states its objective in the course description as "to begin the process of cogent action and to devel- op the language to articulate affirmative action as a right and not a benefit." Schwartz added that the 60 Minutes interview, which will be featured in an upcoming show, was the first time students from both sides of the issue were given an opportunity to reasonably discuss their views. "We had to be forced to get together and really talk about this," Schwartz said. "I doubt this sort of dis- cussion happens often around campus." Connerly cited an incident at UC-Berkeley that he said demonstrated the damage extremist groups can do to open discussion. Berkeley's student paper, The Daily Californian, "wrote an editorial against using race in admissions. The day that particular issue of the paper was to be released, 22,000 copies were stolen. A vehicle seen driving away from the scene was identified as belong- ing to a member of one of the extremists," Connerly said. Both Jaye and Connerly had advice for students who feel intimidated to speak out for their belief against using race in admissions. "You need to suiimon you're inner strength, because it's not easy," Connerly said. "Don't get angry; instead be reasonable and use good will. And it really depends on the sort of person you are. Either you're an independent thinker willing to speak up or you're not." Jaye said that while no organized anti-affirmative action groups exist at the University, there are still ways students who oppose affirmative action can make their presence known. "Students can support the class action lawsuits, or even get their parents or grandparents to help out," he said. "Even a letter to the editor accomplishes some- thing." Diamond said that while there are many people on campus who support the University's affirmative action policy, the significant number who oppose it need to become more visible. "The fact is, more people here are opposed to the University's affirmative action use than otherwise," he said. "However, because there's no organized group, you don't hear from them in the same way you hear from people like BAMN." "Many people feel intimidated by pro-affirmative action people. So they don't say anything. But they still exist," he added. For information on becoming involved in the class action latwsuits contact the Center for /ndividual Rights office at 202-833-840) or Jave sWeb:siie, at 4w'wjaye. org. 0 '; Former University of Caiifor speaks against affirmative at the Michigan League in of protesters and intereste race as a factor in the admission process is being challenged by two lawsuits filed on behalf of three white applicants by the Center for Individual Rights, a Washington D.C.-based law firm. In August, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals allowed two groups of University students, including. members of the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary, to enter the two lawsuits as defendants to argue in favor of the University's use of race in its admissions policies, University of California systems former Regent Ward Connerly and Michigan Sen. David Jaye (R- Washington Twp.), both national voices against the use of race in college admissions, said the intimida- tion of affirmative action opponents discourages open discussion about related programs. "There is no subject that arouses more fear on col- lege campus than race," Connerly said. "People are nervous to speak out on this issue."' "It's as if college campuses want a diversity of color but not a diversity of ideas:' he added, Jaye said he believes he has been the target of such crimes like tire slashing because of his outspoken views on affirmative action. "With all the graffiti, threats and incredible number of shouting matches that have taken over college campuses, it's no wonder that students are intimidat- ed," Jaye said. Connerly said that intimidation often extends to college faculty members who are oppose the use of "1 understand what affirmative action is. I know mtore than just rw- w - ss airw w-r - aNiaa ..N.Na -- wf*. ew a .E Fu - Michigan Student Assembly President Bram Elias shakes hands with 60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley after he and other students talked wIth Bradley earlier this month about affirmative action.