April 1, 1998

Richard Roehm
(address)
Deaf@activist.com

The Honorable Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C.  20510  

Dear Sen. Boxer:

As an individual committed to fairness and equal opportunity, I urge you 
to oppose any effort to eliminate affirmative action in higher education 
when the Higher Education Act is reauthorized this year. 

For most of our nation's history, the doors of many of the nation's 
finest educational institutions were firmly closed to women and people 
of color. Racial and ethnic discrimination in federally-funded 
activities was outlawed with passage of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Right 
Act and gender discrimination prohibited with passage of Title IX of the 
Education Amendments of 1972. Nevertheless, educational opportunities 
for women and people of color are still limited by discrimination and 
stereotyping and affirmative action programs help level what remains a 
tilted playing field. 

Affirmative efforts to extend equal educational opportunities to 
qualified women and people of color have been underway for over twenty 
five years and span a broad range of activities intended to make 
educational opportunities accessible to all Americans. Such activities 
include: 

-providing targeted scholarships and other targeted financial aid; 

-providing additional review of applications by admissions committees 
 looking at other merit factors in addition to grades and test scores; 

-making targeted recruitment efforts for undergraduate and graduate 
 admissions, as well as for special educational programs; and, 

-providing mentoring, counseling, and other support programs. 

There is substantial evidence affirmative action programs have made a 
crucial difference for countless qualified individuals whose talents 
would not have surfaced without the opportunity provided by such 
programs. Discrimination and inequities continue to exist, and as a 
result, women and people of color continue to lag behind by many 
educational measures. For example: 

Approximately 18% of all college students are African American, Latino 
or American Indian compared with 28% of the college-aged population; 

Only 33% of African-American and 36% of Hispanic high school graduates 
ages 18-24 attended college in 1993, compared with nearly 42% of whites; 

While women receive 39% of doctorate degrees, they are awarded only 12% 
of engineering doctorates, 12% of physics doctorates, and 22% of 
mathematics doctorates; 

African Americans receive 4% of doctorate degrees, Hispanics receive 2% 
of doctorate degrees, and Asian Americans receive 6% of doctorate 
degrees. 

Education is so fundamental to virtually every aspect of social and 
economic opportunity in America. More than ever, educational achievement 
is linked to economic security and advancement for individuals as well 
as the nation as a whole. Schools bear the unique responsibility of 
preparing the future leaders of the country to effectively live and lead 
in a multi-cultural society. In an era when America's competitive 
advantage lies in its ability to leverage the diversity of its people, a 
diverse, educated nation is a stronger nation economically and 
otherwise. As we approach the 21st Century, our commitment to these 
programs is more important than ever. 

Sincerely, 

Richard Roehm