Affirmative Disaction

Last November, voters in Nebraska took a step in the right direction in creating equality. They did this by passing Initiative 424, which will disallow colleges and universities from using Affirmative Action programs to grant scholarships to minorities only and using special recruiting methods to pull in minorities only. This is by far a major leap forward in establishing equality in the school system, especially during these economic times.

In Nebraska and five other states, measures have been taken to eliminate Affirmative Action programs, which allow for certain privileges to minorities in the academic and work fields. Back in the November election, Nebraska put the initiative on the ballot after the petition gained the 100,000 signatures needed to put it to vote. Nebraskans voted in favor of the initiative, banning minority scholarships and the use of minority practices in admissions at colleges. Colorado also voted on the issue, but voted against it. California, Michigan and Washington all have passed Affirmative Action elimination measures. Other states that brought the issue to petition but didn’t garner enough signatures to bring it to ballot were Oklahoma, Arizona and Missouri.

Affirmative Action was established to create equality in jobs and schools over 15 years ago. Since that time, the society as a whole has transformed into a country that is no longer needing of these programs. If a minority student is smart enough to make it into any college, then they obviously aren’t that underprivileged. But why should a minority student get scholarships worth full tuition and maintain a lower g.p.a, but students not eligible for those scholarships work harder to maintain a higher g.p.a for aid that is worth less?

Eliminating minority scholarships and other traditional race- and gender-based affirmative action programs is a step in the right direction for a country looking to turn a page in equality. In this country, it should always be about who is more qualified for the position, rather then granting it to a lesser qualified minority in order to fill a quota. When it comes to minority scholarships offered by universities, it is easy to see where the problems exist and why it has come under intense scrutiny under the past few years.

Any educated minority will tell you that in order for this country to fully overcome racism, that Affirmative Action programs need to be changed or erased. In this state, even though the initiative has been voted through and will be passed into law sometime soon, the debate continues in other states in the region, as well as Nebraska. Many believe that this won't be the only time in Nebraska that we see Affirmative Action on the ballot during an election.

Nebraska, on the other hand, is stepping outside the norm and is creating a lead for other states to follow. The reverse discrimination being caused by some Affirmative Action programs can be altered to make sure everyone gets an equal shot at earning that reward. If it is a scholarship, the winner should be chosen based on criteria, not by their gender or color of their skin. In today’s economic crisis, it is unacceptable to deny everyone an equal shot at a scholarship, just because the university wants to attract more minority students.

In a day and age where the United States just elected its first African-American President, the excitement for the end of racism and discrimination is very palpable in the air of change. It will be interesting to see what kind of leadership Nebraska will take in its role as an innovator in disallowing these programs.