UW Seeking Methods to Keep Diversity if Initiative 200 Passes

September 14, 1998 - The Associated Press

The University of Washington, anticipating passage of an anti-affirmative action ballot initiative, is studying legal ways to maintain the school's diversity.

Initiative 200, on the Nov. 3 ballot, would ban preferences for women and minorities in state government hiring, contracting and college admissions.

UW President Richard McCormick said Thursday he thinks the initiative "is likely to pass." He has directed the university's admissions office to prepare contingency plans.

"My question is: How can we do it - legally?" McCormick said.

In a draft list of goals for the coming year, McCormick said he wants to maintain an admissions policy that will allow the UW to accept students from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds.

"The university will take steps to increase the diversity of the student body, faculty and staff - no matter what the people of Washington may decide on Initiative 200," it states.

The school is consulting with schools in California and Texas that face similar restrictions, to see how they have adjusted.

McCormick said he also is appointing a committee to look at all university programs that take race into account, such as outreach into high schools and programs that support minorities and women at the UW.

Under the current admissions policy, the UW reviews a number of factors in addition to grades and test scores, including race, economic hardship and breadth of experience.

If I-200 passes, the university "will undoubtedly have to revisit all the weights that we have assigned to each of these factors," said Tim Washburn, executive director for admissions.

Return to the I-200 page.
Return to the Affirmative Action and Diversity Page

Carl Gutiérrez-Jones
Department of English
University of California, Santa Barbara
e-mail: carlgj@humanitas.ucsb.edu