Approval brings mixed reactions
Affirmative action is abolished in Michigan.
Voters approved The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative with 2,141,010 votes on Nov. 7. The opposition to Proposal 2 totaled 1,555,691, according to michigan.gov.
Topinabee sophomore Dennis Lennox II said he was not surprised with the results.
"I expected the good citizens of Michigan would realize affirmative action based on race and gender is not acceptable," Lennox II said. "It can be seen through the results."
The amendment to the Michigan constitution bans public institutions from using programs that offer preferential treatment in Michigan to groups or individuals based on race, gender, color, ethnicity or national origin for education, public employment or contracting purposes.
The proposal reached Michigan ballots after months of debates, forums and demonstrations regarding the positive and negative effects of affirmative action. Students at CMU often created protests of the proposal and protests of affirmative action, sometimes creating tension as opposing groups clashed.
Public institutions affected by the proposal include state and local governments and public education, including college and university admissions.
Exploring the impact
University President Michael Rao met with a committee of about seven administrators on Nov. 10 to discuss the ramifications of Michigan's decision to ban affirmative action.
Rao said on Nov. 9 at his open forum minorities on campus are not treated as well as they should be.
"I know what discrimination is - I've been discriminated against," Rao said. "No matter what happened with (Proposal) 2, the university has an obligation to ensure that there is no discrimination."
Rao said he believes affirmative action has been beneficial.
Michael Powell, affirmative action officer and interim associate vice president for institutional diversity, said there was an initiative to increase under-represented faculty at CMU, but it will have to expand eligibility to all individuals to meet new state requirements.
He said Proposal 209, which put a ban on affirmative action in 1996 throughout California, impacted student enrollment rates. Many students did not even consider going to school because Proposal 209 was approved, he said.
Powell said the recent ban on affirmative action will have a negative effect on the under-represented population in Michigan.
"An already challenging task just became more difficult," Powell said. "But we are not deterred. Our primary focus will not be impacted."
Powell said the university still is committed to the goal of diversity, citing it is critical for education.
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