1996_05 Insight May 1996

              Editorial
Opinion-
Race and gender
have no place in
hiring practices
I Preferences place a
cloud over qualifications
of minority workers
CON
by Kristine Martin
Staff Writer
You've made it to the last round in the
decision process. You've been through a
handful ol interviews and .1 score ol tests
You know you're qualified, but the com
petition is tough
Bin you didn't gel ihe job
Your qualifications were line, bin   the
n quo:
ml ii
.-eded s,
C who
had the right •ethnic sta
Il a
orgai
1 cleverly disguised
s 10 lake
sideralion an applicant's race or gender.
Racism is an ugly thing II has always
existed, and more than likelv. probably always will. In a society such as the United
States, it is important lo sinve foi color
blindness.
Affirmative action doesn'l promote colorblindness: it promotes racism.
Race and gender should have absolutely
nothing to with hiring. People should be selected because of their education, skills, pro
fessional background and even personality. To
look at anything else only continues to per
petuate race and gender problems.
Creating meritocracy
Martin Luther King Jr.. ihe legendary
Civil Rights leader, said. " I have a dream
lhal my lour little children will one day live
in a nation where ihey will not be judged
by the color of their skin bin by the con
tent of their character."
I wonder what King would have thought
of affirmative action, the program thai believes that minorities can't, and shouldn't
have to compete, on an equal level with
Caucasians. I think his dignity would have
been insulted and his intelligence outraged.
I prefer to believe minorities wain lo be
hired on merit and do not want lo rely on
government coercion.
More red tape
It is clear that if a society continually focuses on race and gender, racism will not die
or even ebb away. Application processes thai
demand information based on this type of information can. and does, foster resentment.
Why is it significant lhal an individual
is African-American. Asian-American or
Hispanic? Bottom line: We are all Americans. Our racial heritage does not. by nature, cause us to be heller professors, engineers, computer programmers, writers or
anything else.
It is irrelevant information. Companies
exist to generate profit, or if they are gov eminent related or non-profit, ihey evils to serve
in the public interest. The race or gender of
Us employees docs noi hinder productiv ny nor
improve effectiveness.
When lining practices .ue lied up wiih Ihe
red tape lhal hinges on al titinativc action, cv-
s.uy nine and money showing ihai they have
complied wiih ihe regulation guidelines sei
forth In allirmalive a'ctiwn Ihe government
must investigate .ill ol llns paperwork loi ei-
A divisive program
Affirmative action creates factions.
based on race within society, rather than
attempting to unifv il \nd what's worse.
it doesn't work
According 10 the Detroit Journal magazine in a December 1995 article, thc larg-
grams are while women   So why  eieate
more problems than are necessary  for a
Tobacco company scientists working to create a strain that is genetically resistant to law suits
Opinion-
Level playing field needed
to secure equality for all
101 p
I Racism pervades U.S.
society; affirmative action
is the proper antidote
PRO
crcd the |ol>."
olix
,-ell
veAcl
sinellei
1 does noi help those ii claims to serve  Ii
erves to inspire resentment. Die majority
Hire the most qualified
Because ol ihe affirmative actum guidelines, the government often pay s more money
loconlraclorswiih mmoritv status rather than
going with the tradiiion.dfv lowest biddei
Does that make sense' lavpaycrs should
pay rm>rc for government expenses so that minority-owned corporations e.m cam more? I
sincerely doubt lhal these corporations are
paving any lugliei salaries to the minority
subcontractors.employees.etc. lhal work with
ihem Alfimiaiivc aclion was a good-w ill idea
born to help out those who are were unfortunately being discriminated against. Ihe problem is that n i.uls io serve us own purpose.
America has grown since ihe Civil Rights
Act ol 1964. Its lime to see just how much.
Il's true that Iheierfe still going lobe people
who tum away a|*pnl:.iuis based on their race
or gender, bul ihosc hate-filled ly pes would have
found a way lo bypass the system anyway and
enforcing a'fliinialive action onlv serves to in-
eense thcii resentment.
Let's flip Ihe switch and defuse Ihe haired and racism By throw ing oil ihe yoke
of affirmative action and lis oppression, we
by Stefanie Hard
Staff Writer
We've all heard ihem. lessness and lack ol conn
Phrases such as "prov iding equal opporlu- action is seeking lo icelily
lily." "leveling the play ing field "and "break- Without government i
ing the glass ceiling" are common when the would employers who hoi
shii
topic
Discrimination still exists
Minorities would continue
Thc report slates. "Thc ev idence is over- nesscs fn
lion seeks 10 address      w idespread discrimi- The report stales. "A suburban M.uy land
continue to exist." position! When a black tester applied" loi the
The federal government reports ihai it re- position, she was intcrv icwed bul heard nnlh
ceived more than 'K).(MM) complaints of em- mg further.
plovmeni discrimination, lair IJnplovnieill "When an idenlieallv qualified while lesici
Practices Commissions, at the state and local was interviewed, iheemployei offered hei a
levels, received 64.42.1 such complaints. The i hcttci position that paid more than thc recep-
total ol more than 154.000 shows the persis lionist job and lhal prm ided tuition assis-
icnce of discrimination in the workplace. lance."
And those are only the complaints regis- Another situation demonstrated disciiuiina-
tered Manv more go unreported because lhc lion againsi Hispanics
v ictim of discrimination feels nothing will be "A Hispanic tester was mid that a counter
done. help' job ai a lunch service company had been
llns apath) results Irom a feeling ol help- tilled." the report slates "Two hours later, an
Blatant violation of civil rights
Ihe Civil Rights Division in Wisconsin
conducted a fail housing test to determine it
racism evisied againsi l!asi-Asiaiis
• When Ihe Asian lestei approached the
apartment building. Ihe rental agent stood
between the tester and thc door to the rental
office and refused to allow the tester to enter
ihe building."
I he division wrote. "I he tester was told
lhal iheie were no apartments available, and
be blocked     there would nol be any available for 2
, companies     months. When the white tester approached
skin, i-.ithv.-i      2 hours later, the individual was inimedi-
e abundant.      could move 111 lhal same day."
Ins" oi bus.     Necessary step to equal opportunity
despite
11s help
Racism stems Irom ignorance. And by alow ing people ol different races and hack-
:rounds to intermingle, ihev will leam
ibout each other and he less inclined to
lereoiype Piogi.inis ihai seek to rectify
his nation's racial problems, like alfirma-
ivc action, will continue to be needed un-
ocus
Campus carillon evokes visions of Ivy League in dusty Fresno
■ Some love bells, some
hate them — and some
don't know they exist
by Jerry Lowe
Staff Writer
Since Medieval days, carillon bells have
rung out over European communities large
and small, pealing from cathedrals and
great universities.
The United States has its own carillon
bells that count out the hour from great bell
towers on the campuses of Ivy League
schools, the University of Michigan and the
University of California. Berkeley.
California Stale University. Fresno has its
three
>l carillon bells, which
across campus with
child'spidl-ilie siting
ape recording of some other
the scratch) quality
sound lov, bronze bells tit;
It's bcVler than nothing, some may say. tilers to prodlK
Three limes a day wc can let our minds inaudible lo ilu
wander and pretend lhal we are on the cam- . These bell '
pus of some l\) League school where car- tied more than
1II011 bells are an esteemed tradition. isiic amplifier
I'm others would rather do without and Shack in 1984
some have never even heard them. is about lo giv
"They're old
The ever elusive bells Theatre Arts Bo
"Bells.' What bells.' We have hells on this wearing out all
campus?" was the reaction of one student last        Dyct said tin
Despite whal ihey may sound like, the playing rolls, v
carillon bells on lop of thc Speech Arls cut out ol Ihem
building are actually bronze bells, not a piano.
consists of 50 miniature
are struck with metal ham-
' bell tones that are almost
ibrations are ihen ampli-
a million limes by a Real-
which cost $60 al Radio
Irom Ihe sound of things,
out.
." said Pam Dyer, of the
v Office. "It's kind of jusi
•r 20 years."
•aire arls staff climb up
ics a year to change the
hich have little notches
like ihe roll on a player
town l
of the lull
ler Ilia.
ad Ihe i
Mallo
rlhi
v businesses to move n«
vth of Fresno and wh>
lornia opened iis new
s Avenue in 1975, iher
illon.
The latest tunes
liver since then ii has been on lop of the
Speech Alls building, dunning out little illt-
lies like "Somewhere Ovet Ihe Rainbow "and
"Take Me Out lo the Ball Came." among oth-
slallalio
ectrii
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Insight
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO
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Managing Editor Brent Liescheidt
News Editor Troy Wagner
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Sports Editor Stefanie Hard
Production Manager Bridget Carter	
ting
vit-
' H
ms. ihe carillon isall we've
■villi something better.
iry Student Union would
new one as part of iheir
ould make a great addi-
wouldn't if?
Bui realistically, it may be a \
any thing like that happens. Mot
budgets are short and the lile-sp;
carillon is gelling shorter loo.
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