http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/OD_C/ (PC Press Internet CD, 03/1996)
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UWM Report
March 1996 Vol.17, No. 2
Assistant Chancellor for Diversity/Compliance Charmaine P. Clowney has been selected from among hundreds of participants to present at the 22nd Annual American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA) Conference, "Responding to the Challenge," in Philadelphia April 17 to 20. Victoria Boswell, Diversity/Compliance administrator, will co-present "Analyzing the Human Resources/Affirmative Action Relationship."
Clowney is a member of AAAA, which is comprised of individuals and organizations from the public and private sectors who are dedicated to the development and enhancement of equal opportunity/affirmative action programs, and to professional growth. The mission of AAAA is to promote understanding and advocacy of affirmative action and to enhance access and equity in employment, economic and educational opportunities.
March 8, 1996
Web posted at: 13:35 EST
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The White House is suspending some key affirmative action programs for at least three years. The Clintons administration's new guidelines affect all federal programs that reserve contracts exclusively for companies owned by women and minorities.
Under the new guidelines, a government study must show there has been previous discrimination to justify preference to minority contractors. A senior administration official said he expects discrimination will be found in many areas.
The so-called set-aside programs have been criticized for resembling quotas. Several agencies had already discarded their set-aside programs, after a Supreme Court decision last year.
Although previous measures were not passed, new initiatives are gaining support from members of Congress. Bob Dole claims that society has gone too far in pushing multiculturalism, since bilingual education only lead to "ethnic separation." Further, English will serve as the "glue" that holds us together.
Mindy Hess, spokeswoman for the U.S. English, adds that besides a "national unity," this legislation will save taxpayers money formerly spent on translation and reprinting. Also, Richard Lugar of Indiana alleges, "Every immigrant needs to master English to be a participating citizen and to have full economic opportunity."
Many minority leaders resist, citing that it will further, "splinter society"and intensify the "mood of intolerance" towards people who either do not speak English or those that are bilingual.
Overall, this movement sends a "painful and powerful anti-immigrant message."
Ed Pastor of Arizona declares, "Rather than encourage language minorities to participate fully in our multifaceted culture and society, English-only initiatives convey a message of intolerance to cultural diversity. This legislation would make the American dream unreachable for the one in seven Americans who does not speak English at home."
In 1995, affirmative action policy was high on the federal agenda. In May, the Supreme Court denied review of a Court of Appeals holding that the University of Maryland's Banneker scholarship program violated the 14th Amendment (Podberesky v. Kirwan). Then, on June 12, the Court issued a major decision in Adarand v. Pena, ruling for the first time that federal laws which created racial classifications, whether meant to burden or benefit minorities, must be tested by the 'strict scrutiny' standard.
The House and Senate held a total of 12 hearings on affirmative action and related issues. Senate majority leader Robert Dole (R-KS) and Representative Charles Canady (R-FL), introduced legislation (S-1085 and HR-2128, respectively) that would make unlawful almost all forms of federal affirmative action. Keep your eye on these! There were also several votes in the House and Senate in which for the most part supporters of affirmative action prevailed.
On July 19, President Clinton delivered a major speech expressing strong support for affirmative action, and instructed all federal agency head to ensure that their affirmative action programs did not create a quota, create preferences for unqualified individuals, create reverse discrimination, or continue after their equal opportunity purpose was achieved. While affirmative action remains a remedy for addressing discrimination and promoting equal opportunity for all, there are clear signs that opponents will continue the attack. We must continue to be vigilant!
See you in Philadelphia!
Paul Bayless, Region V Director
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