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 Edward Chiao
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University of California Regent Ward Connerly is taking his
quest to eliminate the consideration of race in the university
““ and all aspects of society ““ to a new level. His
Racial Privacy Initiative, which would have to be passed by
California voters, seeks to prevent the public release of
state-collected racial and ethnic data except in special
circumstances. But a “don’t ask, don’t
tell” policy like the unsuccessful and repressive policy used
to suppress gays in the military will hardly serve the issue of
racial equity either. After all, it’s pretty hard to hide the
color of your skin.
Connerly and his supporters are making an effort to tighten the
legal grip on using race for admissions and other purposes,
especially in programs like university outreach. They argue that
targeting minority students through outreach programs is a breach
of Proposition 209, which prohibits the use of affirmative action.
They are trying to legally limit racial-data collection efforts
unless they “advance a compelling government interest.”
This means using racial statistics for purposes like research will
become increasingly difficult, leaving the work of student outreach
personnel without adequate material to assess their progress.
Not only will this hurt the diversity of the university, but it
also furthers an inappropriate pattern of using the UC to advance
individual causes. The university should not be a tool for the
endorsement of political agendas. Political ideas spring from the
university atmosphere, but the UC shouldn’t be anyone’s
political platform, especially for issues that have nothing to do
with education.