FULLERTON : CSUF Head Stresses Need for Diversity

Cal State Fullerton President Milton A. Gordon has taken a strong stand in support of affirmative action, saying higher education institutions must be “instruments of justice” that emphasize equality and diversity.

In his annual convocation address Tuesday, his fifth as president of the university, Gordon weighed in on a controversial national issue that is heating up in the California State University system.

Taking the lead of the University of California, Cal State is considering restricting affirmative action programs that affect hiring, business contracts and programs for minority students. The UC Board of Regents in July voted to end affirmative action in admissions as of Jan. 1, 1997, but Cal State’s proposal, to be voted on in November, would not affect admissions because by law the schools must accept all qualified applicants.

Still, some students and faculty worry about the message Cal State’s altered policy would send out, and Gordon sought to explain why equity and diversity matter.

“Cal State Fullerton must continue to be an institution that emphasizes quality, access, educational equity and diversity,” Gordon told about 200 faculty members and administrators. “We in higher education, therefore, are called upon as never before to be an instrument of justice.”

He noted the country’s and the state’s history of immigration and said the university must play a role in promoting harmony and ensuring everyone has access to higher education.

“Underrepresented ethnic groups cannot achieve full participation in society without equal access to higher education, but access is not enough,” he said.

Several professors and Rosa Maria Gomez-Amaro, the university’s director of affirmative action, said they were pleased with the president’s message.

“He made it pretty clear that we are here as a public institution to provide equal access to everyone,” said Gomez-Amaro, who also is a member of the Fullerton School Board.