Letter to the Editor: SDS calls to defend affirmative action
(Today) at 5 p.m., Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) will be holding a rally at Cooper Hall to defend affirmative action programs, which are currently under attack nationally in the Supreme Court case of Fisher v. University of Texas- Austin.
In Florida, affirmative action in college admissions is currently banned by the One Florida (initiative), which has resulted in a decrease in black enrollment across the state.
At USF, 11 percent of our student body is Black while the actual demographic of Tampa is 26 percent Black. At Florida State University and the University of Florida, the rate of Black enrollment is even lower, at a mere seven percent.
Racist admissions, such as legacy policies and racist (tests) originating from eugenics programs continue to negatively impact the educational opportunities offered to the African-American community.
Affirmative action programs were valuable gains won through the struggles of African-American and other oppressed nationality students in the 1960s and 70s against segregation and institutionalized racism in education.
Because SDS upholds that education is a right for all, we believe students should join us in demanding affirmative action, an end to racist admissions policies, to ensure increased Black enrollment!
Craig Schott is a senior majoring in history.
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