Saturday, June 29, 1996

Texans give mixed signals in affirmative action poll

By ANNA M. TINSLEY
Harte-Hanks Texas Poll News Syndicate
Copyright 1996 Harte-Hanks Communications

More than four of five Texans say race shouldn't be a factor in admitting students to college, but most Texans believe affirmative action has been good for the state, according to The Harte-Hanks Texas Poll.

Fifty-nine percent of Texans say affirmative action for women has had a positive effect on the state. And 47 percent of Texans say affirmative action for minorities has been positive for Texas; 33 percent say it hasn't, 6 percent were neutral, and 14 percent said they didn't know.

"It's certainly not surprising that Texans feel this way," said Lino A. Graglia, a law professor at the University of Texas. "We have been taught that no one should prefer some, and therefore disfavor others, on the basis of their race.

"But I believe (affirmative action) will have a negative effect - reinforcing stereotypes that minorities (and women) can't meet regular standards."

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans recently ruled that race can't be a factor in making college enrollment decisions. But the ruling is on hold, pending a judgment from the U.S. Supreme Court.

Even so, 83 percent of Texans say colleges and universities should not use race as a factor in admitting students. Thirteen percent say race should be used in admissions and 4 percent didn't know.

"There has been a general political debate in the country that affirmative action has been used to a degree that's unfair," said Bruce Buchanan, a government professor at the University of Texas. "People seem to be saying that affirmative action had its usefulness, but its time is past. And it's now time to be color-blind."

Supporters say affirmative action is needed to remedy years of discrimination that resulted in lower salaries for women and minorities. Critics charge that affirmative action is reverse discrimination and can hurt the self-esteem of some who feel degraded for receiving a job in part because of their race or gender.

"The thought process seemingly mirrors those in the nation who are uninformed on what these programs truly do," said Everett Winters, past president of the American Association for Affirmative Action.

"Affirmative action has certainly increased the number of minorities and women in higher learning institutions," said Winters, also director of affirmative action programs at Southern Methodist University. "To dismantle such programs would be a poor and a bad decision."

Hispanic leaders say affirmative action has helped many Texans get an education - and land jobs - who might have otherwise had a difficult time.

"If we look at the great strides and advances that women and minorities have made, it certainly has been very productive," said Larry Trejo, spokesman for the national office of the League of United Latin American Citizens based in El Paso. "We are not promoting quotas.

"But if we want to ensure that the future pool of college graduates displays the same diversity as the state's population, then we need to take into consideration, in part, their ethnic origin and race."

By 2007, the number of Anglo Texans is expected to decrease from 61 percent to 47 percent and the Hispanic population should jump from 26 percent to 38 percent, according to projections from the state comptroller's office. The number of black Texans will remain steady at about 12 percent.

Last year, state Sen. David Sibley, R-Waco, authored a resolution to abolish affirmative action mandates. But when he introduced the idea, state Rep. Ron Wilson, a black Democrat from Houston, showed up in mock Ku Klux Klan garb to protest the idea. The measure died in committee.

Anglo Texans are most likely to say that colleges shouldn't use race as an admission factor. Sixty-four percent of black Texans agreed, compared to 73 percent of Hispanics and 88 percent of Anglos.
"Without a doubt, affirmative action has been very, very positive for the state," LULAC's Trejo said. "It has allowed people due to cultural differences ... to be represented at higher institutions of learning throughout the state. I don't believe anyone was deprived."

The poll, conducted June 3-13, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points; slightly larger for subgroups. The Office of Survey Research of the University of Texas surveyed 1,000 adult Texans for Harte- Hanks Communications Inc.