0 4A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, January 13, 2003 OP/ED chbe lIkijiitn anilI 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 letters@michigandaily.com EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 JON SCHWARTZ Editor in Chief JOHANNA HANINK Editorial Page Editor Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. NOTABLE QUOTABLE I don't think so." -Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi when asked by Newsweek ifIraqi President Sadaam Hussein is rational. SAM BUTLER TiE SOAPBOX 7 ra - -\ ~ 01 '0 V7- d Diversity will survive; quality might not PETER CUNNIFFE ONE FOR THE ROAD 0l ith the resolu- tion of the law- suits against the University's affirma- tive action policies - expected to determine the fate of affirmative action in college admissions around the country - fast approaching, the Univer- sity may soon have an influential new oppo- nent. The Bush administration is considering joining the legal fight against the admissions programs of the College of Literature, Science and the Arts and the Law School. Many admin- istration officials want to be a part of the expected culmination of the last few years' pat- tern of repeal and invalidation of affirmative action in college admissions around the coun- try - its nation-wide elimination. But whatever the legal resolution of the question of affirmative action, colleges will con- tinue to strive for diversity. And as the experi- ence of those schools whose affirmative action programs have already been eliminated show, they will eventually be successful. Opponents of affirmative action programs like the University's, which include George W. Bush, have insisted racial diversity will not be destroyed by ending affirmative action and have been largely correct. After the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals banned affirmative action in admissions to Texas' state universities in the 1996 case, Hopwood v. Texas, then-Gov. Bush, supported a new system - the "affirmative access" he still promotes as an acceptable means of achieving diversity - designed to keep minority numbers stable in Texas colleges. It guarantees the top 10 percent of high school graduates admission to state universities. Because of the deep segregation of the Texas school system - which is common throughout the United States - the "10 percent" policy quickly returned black and Latino admissions at Texas universities to their pre-Hopwood levels. In Florida, Gov. Jeb Bush's One Florida pro- gram, which replaced affirmative action at state universities with expanded minority recruitment efforts, college preparation programs and guar- anteed admission to the top 20 percent of high school graduates, has also been effective in increasing minority enrollment after a brief dip following the elimination of affirmative action. These programs have not completely solved the problem of reduced minority enrollment. In Florida and California for example, while system-wide minority enrollment has returned to levels comparable to those achieved with affir- mative action, the numbers have never fully recovered at their most elite schools. But these admissions processes are being continually modified to increase the number of minority stu- dents in race-neutral ways, such as reducing the importance or even eliminating all consideration of standardized tests and placing more weight on factors such as "overcoming adversity." At least in the undergraduate admissions process (this will be a much trickier problem for graduate programs), they will eventually find the right balance of non-racial factors to admit the number of minorities they want. Ironically, while affirmative action oppo- nents claim deserving students are unfairly kept out under the current system, the race-neutral methods of achieving diversity that are promot- ed by those like Bush may be what actually ensure unqualified students are admitted. Con- sider the "10 percent" rule. High school grades, difficulty of curriculum, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, essays and letters of recommendation really are useful in determining who is most likely to succeed in college. Current university admissions procedures contain so many criteria because all of them together give a much better idea of the abilities of a student. Those who took hard classes or got high. SAT scores or distinguished themselves extracur- ricularly, but fell bellow the 10 percentage cutoff, may be much more qualified than those who concentrated only on doing well in easy classes and went to bad schools - practices encouraged by "10 percent"-type rules. College admissions have also never been solely about academic criteria. Univer- sities use a number of controversial factors - alumni relatives, socioeconomic status, geographic diversity, athletic ability and race - because they help assembles a class meet- ing a variety of the school's goals. Race is probably the most justifiable of these because racial diversity is educationally ben- eficial, improving the education of all the members of the class (diversity's educational benefits are disputed, but the University has conducted studies demonstrating them and the large number of companies supporting the University's policies certainly- believe it makes graduates more desirable). Even if the University's policies are struck down, those who lament that their minority classmates took the places of more qualified students and cheer on a presidential attack on affirmative action are in for an unpleasant surprise. Diversity programs won't go away, but alternatives like "affina- tive access" may be what actually lowers the quality of students at the University. S 0 0 Peter Cunniffe can be reached atpcunnij@umich.edu. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Job search article misleading; immigrants take good jobs from citizens for lower pay TO THE DAILY: The article, Political climate slows job search for international students (1/10/03), by Lydia K. Leung, has several errors, the worst being the quote, "In order for a company to be able to gain sponsorship approval from the (Immigra- tion and Naturalization Service), they have to prove that they cannot fill that position from the American general population." Bank of America recently replaced many of its engineers with lower priced immigrants, and any business can do the same; there is no ban on doing so. That is at the request of the high tech industry. You also fail to note that busi- nesses using H-1Bs are, in fact, selling citizen- ship to their immigrant workers, a green card is part of their "pay," but once they get a green card, they expect to get higher pay. It is more likely they will be replaced by new immigrants, as industry sells more seats at the United States' table. One benefit they will gain is the ability to bring their parents to the United States and put them on SSI, at taxpayer expense. Public costs, private profits is the new business plan. If Michigan needs more people on SSI and more engineers on unemployment, it is a good one. (See: www.programmers- guiUl.org/Guild/hl b/howtounderpay .htm.) I have been out of work for two years, while 100,000 engineers from India were sold access to our schools, hospitals, water, etc. All things my taxes have paid for for over 35 years. HARRISON PicoT Haymarket, Va. 'True Wolverines' do not complain about football team TO THE DAILY: I find it amazing that anyone thinks the Michigan football team has been mediocre since its National Championship in 1997, as Joseph Litman does in Conservative Carr 'officially on the clock' (01/08/03). That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! Instead of complaining about your football team, why don't you look at the hard facts. Since the 12-0 season and national champi- onship, Michigan's record is a combined 47-15 (including three ten-win seasons!). Over the They are second in consecutive bowl appear- ances (28). Carr has also had seven straight New Year's Day bowl games. Are you all Michigan Men/Women? Then show it! We aren't a flash-in-the-pan school that is good for a few years and then you don't hear about them for a decade (See Miami). We haven't had a losing season since 1967 when Bump Elliot was coach. Why don't you spend more time being happy that Michigan has and will always have a great football team, and stop whin- ing about its "mediocrity?" Anyone who complains about this team and its coach is not a true Michigan Wolverine. DAVE PRATT Alumnus Honkala, party-line thinkers, Leftist ideologues 'suck' TO THE DAILY: If "the Left's big guns are delusional if they believe personal grudge matches ... accomplish anything," then why does the Left's biggest gun, John Honkala, author of Hitch hits the road; pass the whisky (1/10/03), launch an ad hominem attack on Christopher Hitchens? Honkala believes Hitchens offers an important critique to the anti-war move- ment yet dismisses Hitchens for being an arrogant alcoholic. Needless to say these irrelevant and perhaps slanderous claims regarding his personal life have nothing to do with the debate over war on Iraq. Per- haps Honkala wants a Left with ideologues performing languorous fellatio on one another and dismissing anything that chal- lenges the "people's" party line. I think that sucks and the column sucked. ERIC SIROTA Engineering senior Franczak's viewpoint 'unconvincing;' big companies should pay for damage done TO THE DAILY: Matthew Franczak's viewpoint, Dow is not responsible for Bhopalis' suffering (1/10/03), offers an unconvincing and frankly insulting response to concerned stu- dents seeking recompense for foreign attempting to hurt his education. As one of many health students interested in the rights of Bhopalis, I can proudly say that I would be glad if my school declined funds from an entity that profited from the suffer- ing of others. AMER ARDATI Medical School Dow Chemical should not be held responsible for conditions in Bhopal TO THE DAILY: I am writing this letter after reading the extensive review of the Bhopal gas tragedy in India and the current conditions, (01/09/03). I fully agree with the fact that the poiso- nous waste clean-up has not been done quickly and that the authorities are not taking sufficient action to prevent further damages. However, I do not support the allegation against Dow Chemical Co. for not respond- ing responsibly. Since the company took over Union Carbide Corp. in 2001, we should give it more time to comply with the safety provisions and waste clean-up. I don't think that Dow should be held responsible for the disaster. Protesting against the company, although peacefully, may not improve the situation. The compa- ny, in that case, has the chance of filing a lawsuit against the protesters by claiming loss of work. I think the matter can be resolved by the students in the University through peaceful and meaningful talks rather than encouraging protests in India. We may not gain much by doing and/or supporting it. HEMANT KHANNA Medical School LETTERS POLICY The Michigan Daily welcomes letters from all of its readers. Letters from University students, faculty, staff and administrators will be given priority over others. Letters should include the writer's name, college and school year or other University affiliation. The Daily will not print any letter containing statements that cannot be verified. Letters should be kept to approximately 300 words. The Michiean Daily reserves the right to 9 THE BOONDOCKS k-RONMcGRIJDER i tA l I