4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, August 2, 1999 Edited and managed by EmILY ACHENBAUM NICK WOOMER students at the Editor in Chief Editorial Page Editor University of Michigan i c ii ii nii cc si ,cIII gned editorics r ia i , liioi i i/iCe 420 Maynard Street i i tw i iidctcric bccrd. Al cihr ca rnics 'ter ad Ann Arbor, MI 48109 or f 7c' Alichi cc ci7 ffirmative action has enhanced the qual- ity of the student body by creating an atmosphere of diversity. It has provided stu- dents from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds the opportunity for interaction and thus broadened the individual spectrum of experiences. Yet, due to the lack of con- crete studies on this issue, the use of race in admissions has often led to heated debates during campus discussions. One controver- sial issue is the argument that affirmative action produces graduates that are not quali- fied for the workplace. In a study recently published in the Law Quadrangle Notes, the University Law School showed that race was not a barrier to success for law graduates. The study - ini- tiated few years ago - surveyed about 700 African Americans, 300 Latinos, 60 Native Americans, 154 Asian Americans, and 927 white alumni who graduated from the University between1970 and 1996 on their income, field of work, and job satisfaction. Not only does the study show that race was Affirmative action produces quality graduates not a barrier to success for law graduates , it also finds that the numerical admission stan- dards of the Law School Admissions Test and undergraduate grade point averages bear no relationship with one s achievement after law school. This publication helps to dispel some of the misleading facts about affirma- tive action and is a huge step forward to jus- tify the use of race in admissions. Very often, opponents of affirmative action have doubts over the quality of grad- uates that these programs produce for the legal profession. One of the key findings was that minorities have "entered the main- stream of the American legal profession." Since the study surveyed alumni spanning over a period of three decades, it revealed that the workplace has significantly changed Minority graduaes from the Law School in the 1970s entered a world of prac- tice in which there were few other minority lawyers and law firms 'src highly segregat- ed by race. But minority giaduates over the next two decades found s-ork in firms of all sie ranging from govsenmeintal work to bcsioess corporations and teaching posi- tions. This reflects upon the direct results of affirmative action practices that the University has applied in its admissions process over the years. It has increased the diversity within the legal profession. While the study did reveal differences in. terms of initial job selections --the majori- ty of whites opted for private firms, while minorities opted for government work - the achievement in terms of earned income, ci r satisfaction and service contributions for. ininotity graduates xvere similar between the two groups over time. This further destroys doubts that affirmative action ar csthe quality of graduates. J This study has helped to dispel myth4 about the harms and discrimination of affir- mative action. But instead, the study shows that diversity enhances the quality of educa- tion and adds to an educational experience for the student body. The University is currently facing two lawsuits over its practice of affirmative action. With California's Proposition 209, which ended the use of racial preferences, the study strengthens the justification of affinnative action. Affirmative action is not a process of discrimination and does notE reduce the quality of graduates. Diversity in higher education enhances the educational experiences and should be protected. The University needs to continue the practice of affirmative action for the interests of stu- dents. No entry mommomm" Weedout 0 State needs to increase access for disabled I Fungus causes more problems than it solves The ability to make your way easily around town is something that most people generally take for granted. But as about 60 disabled Michigan citizens gath- ered on the streets of Detroit to commemo- rate the ninth anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act last Monday, Michigan residents were remind- ed that not all citizens have the simple plea- sure of being able to get up and go when they want to. The anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, coupled with the effective protest of these few Michigan residents shows that great progress is needed to ensure that the state and its facilities are accessible to not just some, but all of its citizens. As most people have noticed, access for disabled people around the state is better than in the past. Ramps have been con- structed where steps used to lead up to buildings and additional floors. Helpful innovations, like doors that open automati- cally, and lifts on buses have been added to everyday life. But what people may not see is that major areas of the state remain inac- cessible to disabled people. As the Detroit Free Press reported, dur- ing the gathering to draw attention to the rights of disabled citizens, those in wheel- chairs were forced to move onto Woodward Avenue in order to avoid cracked sidewalks and curbs that were not accessible to wheel- chairs. State buildings are also commonly unfriendly to the disabled. The Free Press stated, "Some of the worst examples (the protesters) encountered were in Detroit's showcase business and tourism areas, such as the theater and opera district." This shows that the problem is not only decrepit buildings and old areas, but the new ones as well. The state is not adhering to the will of the Americans with Disabilities Act by con- tinuing to build structures that are not accessible to disabled people, and refusing to repair the old ones in a timely manner. Part of the difficulty when it comes to improving access for disabled citizens is that Michigan residents fail to realize the scope of the problem. Buses that don't arrive, doors that won't open, and sidewalks that are too broken to use are first a prob- lem because they make a disabled person, especially one that lives alone, a virtual prisoner in his own home. Afraid to ask for assistance from family or friends, the psy- chological implications of being home- bound on a daily basis are frightening to imagine. But in addition to the underlying cruelty of the situation, access for disabled people is also important because our state is losing the valuable contributions that disabled people can make. Because they cannot trav- el as easily, it is more difficult for them to get a job or learn new skills. By making efforts to improve access for disabled citi- zens, not only will the lives of the disabled be improved, but the quality of the state as well. The Americans with Disabilities Act was the first step in ensuring increased access for disabled citizens. But with the loopholes that can always be found in the letter of the law, it is up to the states to con- tinue to improve access with the same will that the law was drafted. As we have seen on the ninth anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act, there are still many improvements that need to be made. New construction should be accessible to the disabled, and old structures should be repaired in a reasonable amount of time. Until all citizens have the same rights to commute as they please, the job will not be done. O fficials in Florida are planning to risk the future of the state's agricul- tural economy in the name of eradicat- ing marijuana. Jim McDonough, the recently appointed head of Florida's Office of Drug Control, is planning to spread a fungus genetically engineered to kill marijuana over areas where the plant is suspected of being grown. Is marijuana such a threat to the nation that it justifies recklessly interfering with nature? The only rational answer to this question, regardless of one's personal opinions about marijuana, must be a resounding "no." Of course, Florida anti-drug officials deny that their plans are reckless at all and insist that the fungus will be rigor- ously tested before it is unleashed - but history and common sense say other- wise. According to the New York Times, the fungus, known as Fusarium oxyspo- rum belongs to a species of fungus that is already predisposed towards mutation, leaving many environmentalists to fear that the genetically engineered fingus may mutate itself and turn on a variety of plants besides the intended marijuana plant. Some endangered plants, toma- toes, corn, peppers, and flowers could all be vulnerable, and Florida's hot cli- mate makes it an unusually ideal place for organisms to mutate. Even worse, in the event of such a mutation, "it would be difficult, if not impossible (to control the anti-pot fungus)" wrote the Secretary of the Florida's Department of Environmental Protection in a letter to McDonough. Historically, Florida has had a long list of problems with the introduction of foreign species. For instance, a fast- growing Chinese vine called Kudzu was planted earlier in the century to stop ero- sion, it has since claimed everything from houses to roadside throughout the South because it grows a foot a day. The Miami Herald recently reported that farmers in Peru strongly suspect the United States' use of an anti-coca fungus* species has led to the death of tangerine, yucca and banana crops. U.S. officials disavow involvement in the death of the food crops but admit that they have aggressively researched biological her- bicides to use against marijuana, coca and poppy plants. In light of these facts about the Fusarium species and the nation's past failures (both real and alleged) irr intro-0 ducing species into foreign environ- ments, it seems safe to say that only the most callous individual would even con- sider the plan McDonough is promoting. It appears that McDonough is willing to open what could be Pandora's box for Florida's farmers in exchange for politi- cal clout for himself and his supporters. Such a plan would still sound ridicu- lous even if it were aimed at a destruc- tive drug like crack cocaine. No matter how one looks at it, the potential bene-0 fits of a society free of illicit drugs sim- ply do not validate a course of action that could destroy a large part of a whole region's economy. Genetic engineering is a promising technology, but it remains new and at this stage it simply makes no sense to attempt to control the habits of a species that is more susceptible to mutation that most other organisms. So much risked* for a gain that would be, at best, debat- able is simply not a good idea. The fun- gus should not be used.