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page 6
daily nebraskan
thursday, September 22, 1977
, 'W j
Administration carefully eyes outcome in Bakke case
By Joe Starita
The U.S, Supreme Court's upcoming decision on the
constitutionality of university entrance quotas has left NU
administrators divided in assessing what impact that ruling
will have at NU. -. - ,
Oct. 12, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a
- case filed by Allan Bakke, a white applicant who was
denied admission to the University of California at Davis
Medical School. Bakke. contended that he was a victim of
"reverse (crimination" because the university had re
served 16 places in the enrolling class of 100 for minorit
ies and disadvantaged; ;
Disadvantaged, according to university policy, could
include lower-income white students but no white appli
cants had been accepted in the five-year-old program.
The California Supreme Court agreed with Bakke, de-.
claring strict minority quotas at the university uncon
stitutional, leaving the U.S. Supreme Court to drive a legal
wedge between the university-backed admission quotas
and federally-enforced affirmative action goals.
Although the Supreme Court will decide only the
legality of quotas, UNL Affirmative Action Officer
Bradley Munrt said he believes a decision favoring Bakke
would hurt the goals of affirmative action programs every
where. Hopes defeated 1 ;
"I hope the Supreme Court throws down the California
decision, because many federal contractors will take the
attitude 'if minority quotas are illegal, then affirmative
action goals are too,' " Munn said.
Those goals are to place racial minorities, women,
veterans and the handicapped in positions they qualify
for, he said.
Placement at UNL has been hampered by Nebraska's
relatively small racial population and "because the general
attitude of affirmative action here is not positive," Munn
said.
Action can be taken by the federal government if a .
university department chairman does not devote time'to
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hiring qualified minorities andor women, he said.
"HEW" (The Department of Health, Education and
Welfare) requires university compliance with equal oppor
tunity employment laws and can withdraw federal funds
if they aren't met," he said.
Federal funds at UNL totaled $17 million last year,
. said Max Larsen, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
Family level
Larsen said he believes HEW is at odds with the Ameri
can family structure and that a change at the family level
would open more department doors for women.
: "People must recognize that because of the U.S. family .
system, women have had other obligations. Women
faculty members who choose to be mothers must take
time to allow for tenure and promotion. .
"The family must share the responsibility because an
institution can't give equal rights if the family doesn't,"
he said.
Low salaries, few turnovers and lack of an ethnic peer
group have kept the percentage of racial minorities on the
Arts and Sciences faculty "very low," Larsen said.
Complicating minority hiring, placement and admis
sions, the dean said, are white middle-class tests written
by white middle-class professors for white middle-class
students. ,
"We can't change the socio-economic levels c of
minorities completely, but we can change the emphasis
given to test scores," Larsen said. . -
Recruiting minorities is one of the jobs UNL's Office
of Multi-Cultural Affairs performs, an office that could be
"washed out" if the Court returns a pro-Bakke decision,
according to Director Jimmi Smith.
Thinks Armstrong believes
"That could only happen if UNL denies equal edu
cational opportunity as a goal," Smith said. "It is doubt
ful UNL would wash us out because I think Richard Arm
strong (vice chancellor of student affairs) believes in what
we're doing." v
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to one of NU's professional schools because of dbcrimina
tion could expect little help from his office, Smith said.
"We would lobby for that student's interest," he said,
"but we're really powerless to do much beyond their
senior year.
NU's School of Law tries to take as many state resi
dents as possible but there is no percentage set aside for
any one group, according to Julia Lamber, assistant dean
and assistant professor of law.
Results of the Law School Admissions Test, grade
point average and number of years since graduation are
evaluated by an admissions committee of two men and
one woman in selecting applicants, said Lamber. -
Lamber said the Law School has an affirmative action
program and would like to have a mixed enrollment of
women, minorities and out-state residents with diverse
backgrounds.
Instate preference
"But if we had two equally qualified candidates one
from out-of-state and one instate T we would go with the
instate," she said. "" 1
. Racial minorities seldom apply at the Dental College,
while women's enrollment "has changed dramatically,"
said the dean of NU's Dental College. ,
Richard Bradley said there are no racial minorities in
the. Pental College .despite recruiting programs enpourag
,ing minorities to apply. 1 "
"We are anxious to have minorities," Bradley said,
"but they have to qualify. We have gone to Omaha and
worked with the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs to try
and place some , but very few have ever applied ."
Unlike the California medical and dental schools on
quota systems, NU fills its dental program with the most
highly qualified applicants, Bradley said, adding that most
are Nebraskans.
"Although quite a number from out-of-state have
applied over the last seven or eight years, only one or two
with exceptional records have been accepted," he said.
No quotas
The Bakke ruling will have no effect on the University
of Nebraska at Omaha Medical Center because "there are
no quotas here," the assistant dean of the medical center
said. . . ;. -,
Miwael J. Carver said the number of racial minorities
and women applying to NU's medical school has increased
during the last five years.
Three of the 1977 freshman class of 153 medical stu
dents are racial minorities'- one Oriental, one Native
American and one black, he said.
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