Students support affirmative action

By Gwen Daniels

Published April 8, 2008

MU students are standing up for affirmative action.

Thursday, the Missing Minority Campaign, which opposes an initiative to ban affirmative action in Missouri, will host a forum educating the public about affirmative action. The forum will be at 6 p.m. in Monsanto Auditorium in the Life Sciences Center.

The Missouri Civil Rights Initiative is a proposed amendment to the Missouri constitution that would eliminate race- and gender-based affirmative action programs for minority students at state universities.

If the initiative passes, universities across the state, including MU, could not offer minority scholarships. According to the MoCRI website, socio-economic affirmative action programs would target students at poverty-stricken “inner-city” or “rural” schools instead.

The forum will give students a chance to hear from speakers with differing perspectives on affirmative action, said MU graduate student Winston Tracy, who is leading the Missing Minority Campaign at MU.

“We want to open up some dialogue and communication about affirmative action, so the individuals who have not done research outside of hearing little bits and pieces of news can get information,” Tracy said.

The line-up of speakers is still being confirmed, he said. Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center Director Nathan Stephens and Missouri Students Association President Jim Kelley are both slated to speak.

Tuesday, April 15, students will protest MoCRI at the Missing Minority Campaign rally, a march from Plaza 900 to Jesse Hall. The rally will raise awareness and remind the community about the benefits of affirmative action, Tracy said.

Tracy said affirmative action programs help to level the playing field for minority students.

“I think at its core, affirmative action is really necessary if minorities are even going to have a chance to succeed,” Tracy said. “If you take away affirmative action, I can only imagine the chance people would have.”

Student response to the Missing Minority Campaign has been positive, Tracy said.

Members of the Legion of Black Collegians and its umbrella organizations, Four Front, the National Pan-Hellenic Council and the MSA executives are working together to support the campaign. Tracy said other organizations, including the Graduate Professional Council, plan to get involved as well.