University of Colorado
Office of the President
Posted July 24th, 2008
in News
DENVER – The University of Colorado has determined that some of its admissions programs and donor-sponsored scholarships would have to be modified if Colorado voters pass the Colorado Civil Rights Initiative, prohibiting stat institutions from considering gender, race, color, ethnicity or national origin when evaluating students.
In response to inquiries from the public and media, the University of Colorado has completed a systemwide evaluation of its admissions, scholarship, student services band student outreach programs to prepare for the possible administrative effects of the initiative, which will appear as Amendment 46 on the November 2008 election ballot. The proposal would ban state-supported institutions, including public universities, from considering gender, race, ethnicity, color or national origin for employment, contracting or educational purposes.
As a result of the assessment, the university has determined that, should the initiative pass, it would have no effect on outreach programs aimed at recruiting high school students, or campus student services such as academic and career advising, orientation and tutoring, because these programs are open to all students.
No matter the election outcome, however, CU will continue to regard diversity in all its forms—gender, intellectual, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic and geographical, among others—as fundamental institutional values, said CU President Bruce D. Benson.
“Having a variety of perspectives involved in the learning process enhances the educational experience of all students,” Benson said. “We will continue to value diversity in all its forms within the guidelines of current and any new state and federal laws.”
Many laws and policies adopted by the CU Board of Regents reflect the institution’s commitment to diversity. According to Article 10 of the CU Board of Regents’ laws: “The university does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status in admission and access to, and treatment and employment in, its educational programs and activities.”
The university’s admissions programs involve two levels of review. Primary qualifying factors include high school or college grade point average, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities and reference letters. Secondary qualifying factors include previous work and/or research experience, socioeconomic background, race, ethnicity, gender, legacy status (whether a candidate’s parents are alumni) and first-generation college status.
However, should Colorado voters pass Amendment 46 in November, the university would eliminate race, ethnicity and gender as secondary factors in its admissions process at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
It is still unclear, however, how Amendment 46 might affect donor-sponsored scholarships. In most cases, donors who set up scholarship funds decide eligibility requirements, which might include a student’s gender, race or ethnicity. At CU, about 100 such scholarships exist, primarily on the Boulder campus, and administrators are assessing how Amendment 46 might affect them. Should the ballot measure pass, the university and the CU Foundation would work with donors to preserve the spirit of their financial contributions while complying with any current or new state and federal laws.
The University of Colorado has three campuses at four locations: the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and the University of Colorado Denver’s downtown Denver campus and Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. More than 55,000 undergraduate and graduate students are pursuing academic opportunities on the CU campuses. CU is a premier teaching and research university that is ranked sixth among public institutions in federal research expenditures by the National Science Foundation. Academic prestige is marked by the university’s four Nobel laureates, seven MacArthur “genius” Fellows, 18 alumni astronauts and 19 Rhodes Scholars. For more information, visit www.cu.edu.
Press Contacts: Deborah Méndez-Wilson,303-860-5627, Deborah.Mendez-Wilson@cu.edu
Ken McConnellogue, 303-860-5626, Ken.McConnellogue@cu.edu
https://www.cu.edu/content/cu-completes-assessment-potential-impact-colorado-civil-rights-initiative
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