AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION

WHEREAS, the American public has recognized the existence of historic discrimination against women and minorities; and

WHEREAS, this recognition has resulted in the establishment of a substantial number of local, state, and federal laws forbidding discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, or national origin; and

WHEREAS, more recently, these jurisdictions have adopted legislation and regulations providing for affirmative action to end discrimination; and

WHEREAS, affirmative action mandated positive action taken to prevent further discrimination and includes such action as the analysis of the current work force to determine the representation of minorities and women, the establishment of long-term and short-term goals, the compilation of information on the number of minorities and women qualified to fill various job vacancies, the broad publication and dissemination of all job vacancies, the establishment of clear, comprehensive descriptions of such vacancies, and the recruitment of minorities and women for all vacancies; and

WHEREAS, one test of the effectiveness of affirmative action programs and policies lies in numerical analysis of the number of qualified women and minorities available for positions, and the comparison of the two through the history of the programs; and

WHEREAS, many have erroneously or intentionally confused this numerical testing with "quotas":

RESOLVED, that the AFT

• Reaffirm its support of affirmative action;

• Conduct a campaign of education aimed at clarifying confusion about the clear and important distinctions between "goals" and "quotas" and explaining its position in support of AA;

• Publish material making that distinction clear;

• Urge the AFL-CIO to act similarly;

• Submit this resolution to the AFL-CIO for adoption.