Opposition surrounding the petition seeking to ban gender and race based preferences and discrimination in college admissions in Nebraska was featured in a debate held last night in the Nebraska Union auditorium.
Gerard Harbison, a chemistry professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, spoke in favor of the petition while D'Andra Orey, a UNL associate political science professor, held the opposing position. The two faced off in the debate mediated by the Daily Nebraskan in front of about 60 students, staff and alumni.
"It's not often we get to have an open dialogue," said Bode Alabi, an engineering graduate student and member of the Students United for Nebraska, which hosted the debate. "We wanted to have an open dialogue about the issue."
One of the general issues surrounding affirmative action - which the initiative would prohibit - seemed to be the definition, understanding and interpretation of the program.
Harbison and Orey both pointed out that the conversation surrounding the topic has tended to focus on race minorities and neglected to recognize women's role as well.
"To frame this issue around race," Orey said, "it does it a disservice."
It seemed the debate was over two sides of the same coin as both debaters spoke for fairness, but their approaches and interpretations differed greatly.
On one side, Harbison endorsed equal opportunity among individuals and denounced preferences as a means to the end.
"We need to treat individuals as individuals, not as groups categorized by race, sex, ethnicity (or) religion," Harbison said. "The idea that preferences as we are currently using them is going to move us to equality faster - I simply don't buy that."
Orey told the effect of various legislation nationwide throughout history - from the number of women who graduated high school 50 years ago to the number of minority students attending California universities - and let the numbers speak for him.
"There needs to be these conversations that are held that address the fact instead of these emotion-driven conversations," Orey said. "It (equality) is not going to come if you just wait for this to change. You have to be proactive."
During the debate and the following question and answer session, the debaters addressed issues such as the effect of affirmative action on the university, diversity and equal opportunity.
But at the base of the issue was a discussion about the problems that exist and the most effective way to fix them.
"There is a problem and preferences are not the solution to the problem," said Harbison.
But according to Orey: "To think that we live in a color blind society ... it's the way the world should be, it's the way we wish the world was, but it's not the way the world is."
andreavasquez@dailynebraskan.com
