Editorial:

MoCRI lacks clarity and depth

Published April 11, 2008

You’ve probably all been asked if you’re registered to vote in Missouri a few of times throughout the past few weeks. You might have even stopped to read the petition that was waved in your general direction.

Some of you maybe even signed it, probably thinking it was something great: full of intent to restore the civil rights lost through many centuries of racial inequality.

Nope.

It’s irrelevant how you feel about the nature of affirmative action in general. The Missouri Civil Rights Initiative, which is the bill that the petitioners are hoping to get on the ballot, is an inappropriately named, misleading piece of legislation that aims to essentially rid the state of Missouri of all affirmative action programs at its universities.

But you wouldn’t be able to tell that just from reading it — the initiative is full of flowery language that intends to “level the playing field,” so to speak, by taking away privilege from those who are not granted it from birth and restoring it to those who commonly take it for granted. We hate the backhanded, sly nature of the initiative — it’s not quite lying, but almost. We’ve written ad nauseam in the past about the importance of transparency, and this case does not escape that necessity.

That said, affirmative action is an issue that is complicated but right in the end. It would be hard for us to see it slip through the university’s fingers. It’s easy to dismiss affirmative action as a handout, as unnecessary distribution of opportunity that is only supported by those who are benefited by it the most readily.

But that’s not true.

Our editorial board is predominantly white, and the vote for this editorial was nearly unanimous. Affirmative action is merely a decision by those who know to do what is right — which is to actually level the playing field by making up for any privilege taken without reason.

It’s also unreasonable to accuse affirmative action programs of being ineffective. The major facts and figures that most opponents refer to when trying to prove its ineffectiveness are the ones from California, which show an increased graduation rate among black students from state schools after a similar bill was passed. But the most important figure to look at is the minority enrollment rate, which dropped significantly after the California Civil Rights Initiative was passed and continues to decrease. All students should be given an equal opportunity to get an education. Anything past that is each individual’s own right to fulfill.

And to anyone who still refuses to recognize that affirmative action programs offer more benefit to a community than detriment, that’s fine. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion on any issue.

But instead of complaining and then ridding the state of every program that is controversial, we challenge them to find a better solution. Affirmative action has its problems — we’ll acknowledge that — but we can’t see any realistic solution in the future. And we’d rather have a plan, albeit flawed, than no plan at all.

So students, next time you are accosted outside of Middlebush Hall or Brady Commons by someone wielding a clipboard, at least take the time to read the petition carefully and be sure you know what you’re signing.

But we’d argue that’s not enough due to the deceptive language and unreliable nature of the initiative. It’s time for everyone to become well-versed in not only the proposition but also their own feelings about the subject. There is an anti-Missouri Civil Rights Initiative rally at 1 p.m. Tuesday outside of Plaza 900. It’s a good opportunity to go and experience one side of the issue to glean information.

That way, come election time, no one mis-votes due to trickery on the part of the initiative’s authors. Ballot language has proven to be confusing at best in the past, so all we can do to protect ourselves is become as educated as possible on the issues. Sample ballots are sent out in the mail before every election. Read them.

And to the administration: Take a solid stand against this. It’s an initiative that directly affects diversity at MU, which is an issue that is often touted but has rarely been actually protected. Now’s your chance.