14 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 20, 2000 FRIDAY Focus r P S vs5 A M. sy y Ld F 'f t\Yx 'S 'i .' t f i't n woo/ I -rr; < ; . _ -tJ A ffirmative action is not just an issue for rallies on the Diag or in the courtroom. And with professors including the heated issue in the content of several undergraduate and graduate courses, affirmative action is taking on greater meaning for students. "I 3 ; ~ «- f w. '-} , ., Supporters of affirmative action crowd the Diag yesterday on National Day of Action for Affirmative Action. Busloads of students from high schools and colleges across Michigan came to Ann Arbor for a rally and march. From political science to philosophy, from law to history - professors are exposing students to the background, the laws, the politics and the arguments sur- rounding affirmative action. But the University's unique position, as the defendant in two lawsuits attacking its use of race in admissions, challenges the classroom to deal with affirmative action with sensitivity and objectivity. The Center for Individual Rights filed lawsuits in 1997 on behalf of white applicants against the University's Col- lege of Literature Science and the Arts and Law School. Two applicants claim LSA denied their admission when less- qualified minorities were accepted. The other makes a similar com- plaint against the Law School. Lutrell Lev- ingston, a second year Law stu- dent, is enrolled in Law 240, "Race, Gender and Affirmative Action," taught by adjunct Law and philosophy Prof. Elizabeth Anderson. "It's difficult being an African-Ameri- can sitting in the Law School," he said. "We're the people they're talking about." By including the issue in their Philosophy Prof. Carl { courses, profes- opponent of the Unive sors are faced affirmative action in a with the complex question of how to approach teaching affirmative action when it is has such a strong presence on campus, in the administration and in students' lives. Admissions in the classroom Anderson also includes affirmative action in the curriculum of Philosophy 359, "Law and Philosophy." "I present the main arguments for and against it' Anderson said. She said she emphasizes "getting the facts straight" on major court cases and the reality of racial discrimination. Stu- dent opinions in the classes vary and have. the potential to change, Anderson said, adding that she works hard to maintain a "safe environment for those views." "It's really important when I teach to provide legitimacy for all sides to express their points of view," Anderson said. "It's all part of learning and it pro- vides challenges to work through." But Anderson said while she never states her opinion on the issue directly, most students "probably know" she sup- ports affirmative action. "Because so many arguments against affirmative action are based on flawed reasoning or factual inaccuracy and it's my job to point it out, students can prob- ably tell where I stand," Anderson said. Adjunct Law Prof. Liz Barry said she faces an even more daunting challenge with her course, "Higher Education and the Law," which she will teach next semester - when the suit against the Law School is scheduled to go to trial. As deputy general counsel in both of the University's lawsuits, she has a vested interest in the issue. "I feel it's my obliga- tion to present both sides," she said. But, she added, "to be an effective teacher, I have to be straight on where I stand." Barry said at least half of her students in the last two years enrolled in the class as an oppor- tunity to talk about affirmative action. "Many students came into the class with certain ideas on affirmative action and they changed their minds. That is, they examined their views in deeper ways," she said. "They can change their incli- NORMAN NG/Daily nation. I've seen hen is a vocal it happen both Ity's use of ways." missions Assistant histo- ry Prof. Matt Las- siter, who teaches History/American Culture 374, "Politics and Culture of the 1960s," said while he validates all view- points, he wouldn't describe his teaching style as "objective" because he supports affirmative action. "I wouldn't say that I present it in a neutral way," Lassiter said. Lassiter, who started teaching at the University this term, said he has yet to fully understand the classroom dynamics in Ann Arbor but has a lot of experience dealing with the issue in the classroom. "For example, I would say that it's per- fectly reasonable for a student to argue for a colorblind society but it's not rea- sonable for him to say (Martin Luther King Jr.) would oppose it." In his class, Lassiter pointed out that some argue King would be against affir- mative action - citing his "I Have a Dream Speech," particularly the line where King said he does not want his children to be "judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Lassiter said he disagrees with that CO rs dr argument. "I don't think that's over- stepping my bounds to say that's wrong. It would be wrong if I said you're wrong because I disagree with you," he said. Students who oppose affirmative action seem quieter in class though, Las- siter said. "Some students are unwilling to say something controversial that they think will get them in trouble." Lassiter said students not feeling com- fortable enough to express their opinions on the issue concerns him. "In the list of problems of the world, I put it low on the list, but anytime a stu- dent feels uncomfortable, it's a problem;' he said. While most instructors who tackle affirmative action support its use, philosophy Prof. Carl Cohen is a vocal opponent of the University's admissions policies. Students in his Residential College first-year semi- nar on philosophy are reading and discussing documents from affirma- tive action court cases, including the Supreme Court case The Regents of the University of Calfornia v. Bakke (1978), which set the standard on which the University bases its admis- sions policies. "I'm not teaching affirmative action; I'm using the Bakke case as an example of thoughtful, philosophical judicial opinions; Cohen said. "I'm introducing students to the reasoning of appellate courts." Cohen added that he doesn't make his views known to the class while they dis- cuss the issue. "The reason I don't take sides is that I'm talking about all sides of that case," he said. "I don't seek to cause students to adopt any opinion on that case. "I do have a position on these matters, of course, and I have to be thoughtful about how I suppress my views. Eventu- ally I let them know how I feel about the subject. I don't mean to be coy." Learning history As professors struggle to bury their opinions on the issue, students struggle to develop and voice their opinions, sometimes in an unobjective classroom setting. Gary Bartz, a third-year Law student enrolled in Anderson's law class, said Anderson is "more fair than most," but he feels his views against affirmative action are not taken as seriously as the views of students who support it. "You can visibly see her straining to make it an entirely open atmosphere, but it's not always happening," Bartz said. Lutrell Levingston, a supporter of affirmative action, said he also recog- nizes the professors opinions seeping into classroom discussions. "I feel that she's so wedded to her dis- cipline that we can't get an open discus- s Aficuln- in rnerican sittng n the Law )Chool We're the sion,"'he said. Levingston said the class spends a lot of time studying empirical evidence= and survey data and not enough time discussing why some people strongly. oppose affirmative action while others "cling to it." Although Anderson and Bartz said affirmative action supporters make up a- significant majority of the class, Lev- ingston said opponents "make their views known." Levingston said he thinks there are probably more students who oppose it but don't feel comfortable saying arthing. In Cohen's philosophy semihar, stu- dents said their opinions on affirmative action were influenced by the informa- tion provided and the discussion pro- voked but they weren't altogether, changed. "Our professor has made it very clear that we should be making up our own minds," RC freshmen Ruth Barker said. There's a variety of perspectives on the issue, RC freshman Erin O'Leary said, and the discussion is causing students to rethink their opinions. O'Leary said the class has solidified her opinion against affirmative action policies. "It's made me more sure," she said. Barker said she had a similar experi- ence. "The class has strengthened my opinion," Barker said. "I listened to those who argued for it, and it only strengthened my belief that only harm can come from affirmative action." )'Leary and Barker both said Cohen was presenting the information objec- tively. "I don't know what his opinion is," O'Leary said. "He'll probably tell us later, though." "If I hadn't grown up in Ann Arbor and hadn't known about it, I wouldn't know about (his opinion) because of the class," Barker said. Lee Haugly, a third-year Law student in Andersonls class, said the University needs faculty with diverse opinions. "The basic problem is that you have a faculty who is so ideologically bent in one way" for affirmative action, he said. "This school doesn't value diversity of viewpoints. What is the likelihood of you getting hired if you disagree with the University's policies?" He also said class discussions are skewed because students who take courses that involve affirmative action already hove strong beliefs, usually in favor of it. "It's the kind of topic where exchanges are pointless. Opinions are already made," Haugly said. Lassiter said he agrees there's a type of student who tends to take classes that study affirmative action. "I think there's a culture in the class- room, maybe some self selection, that createsthis kind of environment," he said. Anderson said she also noticed this trend. History Prof. Margaret Steneck said her RC senior seminar on women and higher education directly examines the University as a case study. Steneck said the class deals with why affirmative action exists, not whether it should exist. "How do you go from a white male Protestant institution to today? We talk about that every step of they way" she said. While the first court date for the Law School lawsuit barrels toward the Uni- versity, professors can't help but incorpo- rate the case in the classroom. "The lawsuits against the University make the issue much more intense than other institutions I've been at;' Lassiter said. But Steneck said the lawsuits aren't yet a part of her history class. "We don't yet talk about the lawsuits because they aren't a part of history,' she said. "But they will be." 9. ,.: ;::5- - ,....,.