The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current, September 22, 1977, Page page 6, Image 6
: 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 ft (q Showcase '77 Jy Coffeehouse . Series 7 Presents ! V . . g r 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 A student who thought he or she was denied admission Have a PAP test. It can save your life. American CancerSociety. THIS SPACt CONTRIBUTED BY THf PUBllSHH ity JSimiis Sim grass Sanb TONIGHT Starting at 0:OO Presented By Dances S Concerts Committee TERRACES - East Union FREE RDmiSSION w t f J 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. oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo : o iloiTMloT mimil PHOTO o o o o o o 1 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 0 o 4. 'A Ylodo Iftfhilo you Wait 7 1 1- if. twW E0i:24 . SEPT. 03 -OCT 3 10:00 A.Y.7o0:C0 P.M. o o. Wo Will Copy Any Photo Or Wo Will Toko Vour Picturo At No Extra Chargo O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O o o o o o o o o oooooooooooooooooooooooooocd