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Show 14 - The Daily Utah Chronicle Friday, 5. June 1998 Perspective Chronicle Editorial Kudos for U Support of The NCAA's "BYU Rule" On THE I'll UP April 22, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors reversed a of three decades when they voted to repeal the "BYU This is the regulation allowing religious schools the right to refuse to play NCAA tournament games on Sunday. The most prominent school to take advantage of this rule is BYU. By repealing the "BYU Rule," the NCAA has placed the student-athlete- s at die Y in an unenviable position; they are forcing them to choose between athletic opportunities and their religious values. BYU has fought back. NCAA rules state that if 30 schools request an override vote, then one will be granted in January of 1999. And if 100 schools do the same, then the newly repealed rule will be reinstated until final action can take place, again in January of 1999. So BYU has instituted a petition requesting support from other institutions and has so far received help from more than 35 sympadietic schools, including the University of Utah. By supporting the Y, the U is effectively acknowledging the fundamental unfairness of asking people to forsake their deeply held religious beliefs in order to compete in athletic tournaments. It is certainly unfortunate diat the NCAA cannot seem to adopt a similarly tolerant attitude. schedule--maker- f0 si. KB? Letters to the Editor s. Beware the Wrath of Sasquatch But the true justification is actually very obvious and it involves the NCAA's own religious beliefs; you see, money is the one true god of intercollegiate sports. hi our increasingly secular society, television and gate receipts for championship games in sports like baseball, softball, golf, and gymnastics will inevitably rise if they are played on Sunday. And so, in a day and age that increasingly values money above all ebe, the NCAA has abandoned its own, long-helprinciples. The noble value of tolerance for the religious has traditionally trumped more base concerns like financial windfall. Utah's athletic director Chris Hill is pessimistic about BYU's chances of ultimately winning this batde. In fact, Hill said that when a vote was taken in the Championship Cabinet, the result was 32-- in favor of end-- ' " ing BYU's exception. Hill cast one bf these brave votes. Dear Editor, I want to thank you for helping me develop a hobby over the past year. I've tried to voice my opinion about the hot issues on d , AT ok Ay. Many reasons have been given for the NCAA's actions. These include the fact that the Sunday rule can sometimes inconvenience pi6K campus from lesbian teachers getting fired in central Utah to James Edward's racism against 2 Whatever the result of BYU's endeavors, the University of Utah wildcats. I've managed to keep my writ- and appreciing skills ate the opportunity to speak my mind. I mention my writing skills fine-tune- because writing is the basis of this, my last letter of the academic year. '97-'9- 8 First, however, I feel obligated to comment on Dave Hancock's recent article regarding the "Mark of Cain." I didn't read the whole article simply because I choose not to read anything that might give a biased opinion of see "Sasquatch" on page 16 "Letters to the Editor" is an open forum. However, letters of a scurrilous or libelous nature, or those which demean or threaten harm to any individual or group based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion will not be considered. Letters Phone numbers are required for verification may be edited for style or length, and are preferably typed or sent by purposes. Letters to the editor will not be edited according to style guidelines when changing the writer's words would change the meaning or voice of the column or letter. Letters of 500 words or less have the greatest chance of publication. To submit, send to editorchronide.utah.edu or drop it off at 240 Union. deserves to be applauded for its strong statement on behalf of religious tolerance. The Daily Utah Chronicle is an independent student newspaper. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority view of the Chronicle Editorial Board. Affirmative Action Still Needled in U.S. byjacquelyn Kidd Special to the Chronicle "Mi than just provide a "'quick fix' to existing racial disharmony" as the Chronicle article said. In the long-ruit serves to prevent the of power among a n ent is a term grossly misused and misunder stood in the debate over affirmative action. In a recent Chronicle editorial, the idea of strict, merit-baseadmissions policies to colleges and universities was endorsed with the reasoning that such a system "allpws properly qualified individuals to attend a school appropriate for them.'' What the article failed to address, however, is the invalid nature of a meritocracy when it comes to issues of race. A history d . self-selecte- Affirmative action has its roots in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 justification for privilege. Such cre- dentials are more an elaborate reward for conformity to social norms than true indicators of competence or qualification. It is for this reason that regulations and guidelines that allow employers to look past "merit'' as a lone indicator of ability are necessary. Without such affirmative action guidelines the problem of inflated credentials goes unchecked and minorities are unjustly punished for their inability to obtain the level of "merit" our social structure systematically denies them. The point must be made that affirmative action aims to do more the myth of strict quotas that never were nor have been mandat- ed. Today people cry for the end to affirmative action programs, saying they have outlived their purpose and are nothing more than which was designed to enhance reverse discrimination. Nothing could be further from the truth. equal opportunity in employment. Title VI reads, "No person in the Although affirmative action has United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin be denied the benefits of, or be sub"Today, people cry for jected to discrimination under any program." end affirmative However, it was soon realaction programs, sayincj ized that in practice it was have outlived their not enough just to say all the of disadvantaged status and would be fair now. denied access for minorities in ... As President Lyndon B. America has created a system Johnson said, "You do not wherein credentials are constructed by the ruling class and used as d few. pragmatic and flexible, contrary to to they purpose and are nothing more than reverse discrimination. Nothing could be further from the take a person who for years has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say, 'You're free to compete with all the others,' and still justly believe that you have been completely fair." Indeed, it was necessary to take measures that would ensure real access to the playing field of education and business for America's ' minorities. As such, over the next decade, the term "affirmative action" came into being, meaning making a conscious effort to ensure every race, color, and gender had the same opportunities. Affirmative action guidelines were designed to be truth." grossly in under-represente- d senior management where 95 percent of the positions are held by white men who, overall, make up only 43 percent of the workforce. The reality of daily life for America's minorities is still a far cry from the vision of equality encapsuled by not only the 1964 Civil Rights Act, but the U.S. Constitution as well. Something must be done to correct such serious inequalities in the work force. Affirmative action programs are a start. As for the question of preference, often called "reverse discrimination," I return to the concept of merit. Many feel that affirmative action programs involve "reverse discrimination," awarding positions to people based solely on the color of their skin. This is where the call for a return to a purely merit-basesystem origid nates. led to the success of large numbers of minorities in America, the problem of inequality is still large. A study done at the University of Texas reports that women now hold 48 percent of managerial and professional jobs, up an estimated 25 percent from 20 years ago. Still only 5 percent of those women arc black. The unemployment rate for remains twice as high as whites. The Hispanic unemployment rate is even higher. Minorities and women are still African-American- s However, what many neglect to realize (or probably choose to ignore) is that the system was never truly to begin with. As Richard Dclgado of the merit-base- d NYU Press explains, "Merit is what the victors impose. No conquering people ever took a close look at their conquered culture, ways, and appearance, and pronounced them superior to their own versions. Those in power always make that which they do best the standard of merit." As a result, merit systems are inherently skewed. White males established American systems of merit to complement their own abilities and then justified their elevated status by pointing to the merits and standards they created. It is a circular logic that stands on a weak foundation when it is analyzed because it exposes the fact that the action rallying cry for "each to succeed on their own merits alone" is impossible under the current system. It exposes the fact that as long as traditional as the standard, . merit is accepted the playing field will always tilt in favor of those who constructed it. Contrary to the Chronicle's report that dropping affirmative action programs results in "minimal decline in minority percentages" at the university level, according to studies released last week, some states are already seeing the devastating effects of ending affirmative action programs. The University of California, for example, ended affirmative action admission policies this year and have seen black student enrollment drop 43 per- cent, while Hispanics dropped 33 percent. Traditionally, these students graduated at a rate similar to that of Caucasian students which evidences 'the fact that admissions policies based on credentials indicators of merit or qualification. The fact is that when the charade of biased admission stan-searc-poo- r e "Minorities" on page S |