/ VOLUME 144, ISSUE 8 MONDAY,Campus APRIL 3, 2017 Times SERVING THE UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER COMMUNITY SINCE 1873 / campustimes.org Constitution Students Rewrite Volunteer in Cancelled Haiti By DAVID SCHILDKRAUT By AMANDA MARQUEZ NEWS EDITOR NEWS EDITOR SA’s constitution rewrite has Professor of Psychology been nixed. Andrew Elliot is trying to Students’ Association break down barriers by help- (SA) Government Elections ing build libraries. and Rules Committee Chair As a part of his class “Com- Jake Braniecki—head of petence and Motivation in the Constitution Task Force Developing Countries,” Elliot (CTF)—announced at last and four students traveled to Monday’s SA Senate meeting Borgne, Haiti in collabora- that this year’s SA would no tion with the Haiti Outreach longer pursue a constitution Pwoje Espwa (HOPE)—a rewrite to be voted on during non-governmental organiza- spring elections, as originally tion focused around develop- intended. ing communities in Borgne— The decision follows several over spring break to assist weeks of contentious discussion YIYUN HUANG / PHOTO EDITOR the local leadership generate at Senate meetings and a lack of Students debate affirmative action policy during an event organized by the Debate Union and Asian American Alliance Thurs- ideas for building libraries in transparency for both senators day the poverty-stricken country. and the student body. The CTF, While there, Elliot and his which had been working on a students participated in meet- rewrite, faced other challenges, Debating Affirmative Action ings with Haitian community including a poorly attended members, took excursions to town hall and a cancelled By SAM PASSANISI would close with a rebut- Not only is affirmative ac- building sites, and embarked SENIOR STAFF meeting due to a lack of quorum. tal—also known as a “whip” tion a reductive policy that on a seven-hour hike to scout Members on the CTF argument—from each team, reduces college applicants to the location for a new library supported the call to table the Is affirmative action a use- followed by floor speeches their race, Aziz argued, it con- to be built. planned timeline. ful and progressive policy— and auxiliary material from tributes to a trend of minor- As Elliot and his students “This is such an important another tool against racism? the audience. The evening’s ity students dropping out of hiked under the beating sun, document that if we were to try Or is it merely a well-in- debate focused on affirmative college because they’re less local children dressed in and get it out at the same time as tentioned idea that’s caused action in higher education, us- academically prepared than ragged clothes and barefoot, elections, the quality wouldn’t more harm than good? ing African-Americans as an their peers. Aziz attributed walked passed them. Wit- be there,” junior and task force That was the question de- example of a minority group. this to financial and academic nessing extreme poverty first- member Christian Keenan, an bated Thursday night in a Yi opened the debate by disparities between predomi- hand, Elliot said, allowed his associate All-Campus Judicial Dewey lecture hall, in an providing background on the nantly white and minority students to connect course Council justice, said. “It would event co-hosted by Debate idea of affirmative action. Its high schools. He also argued content about achievement be rushed, and I don’t think that Union and Asian American purpose, she noted, is to give that affirmative action is a motivation to the children an important document like this Alliance (AAA) titled “The minority groups the oppor- sort of “easy fix” for univer- they saw, as they had to be should be rushed.” Admissions Game.” tunity to compete in arenas sity administrators, who can highly motivated in order to The constitution rewrite has Two teams debated the eve- where they would ordinarily feel like they have “solved walk an hour or two to class been going on since the creation ning’s topic: whether affir- be at a disadvantage. She not- racism” by endorsing affirma- everyday. of the CTF at a November mative action is “an effective ed, as well, that opponents of tive action policies, and don’t “I wanted to teach my stu- SA meeting. At the meeting, policy in the advancement of affirmative action have tend- feel a need to address other dents both the conceptual, Braniecki promised that work certain minority groups in the ed to tout Asian-Americans as systemic issues. theoretical parts of achieve- on the rewrite would “be done U.S.” a so-called “model minority.” Heitsch was next to speak, ment motivation and show in a year.” Each side had researched The idea of a “model minor- arguing again for the pro- them how it works in a devel- He additionally promised the pros or cons of affirma- ity” is a myth, Yi argued, and affirmative action stance. oping context,” said Elliot. posted minutes and open tive action and would be pre- it is an obstacle to solidarity He pointed out that affirma- One of the most important meetings to ensure transparency. senting their assigned view- among Asian Americans. tive action has the ability to parts of the class, according point. Access to higher education, change society’s perception to Elliot, is to provide stu- Lack of Transparency The pro-affirmative action Yi argued, is one of the few of minorities, by giving them dents with both positive and Freshman Senator Leif viewpoint was presented by opportunities for social mo- better opportunities to break negative models for how and Johansen explained that despite sophomore and co-president bility in the United States. Af- into white collar fields. He how not to do developmental being on the task force, he’s of AAA Leta Yi, with senior firmative action acts to disrupt acknowledged the problem of work. been left in the dark for much and former policy-style de- the racial barriers preventing inequality in high schools— “There is a lot of talk in de- of the time. bate captain Nick Heitsch. African-Americans and other but argued that the wider base velopment literature and the “We could have communicated The con viewpoint was pre- minority groups from having of minorities who have access development world about the much better,” Johansen said. “I sented by senior and for- access to the most elite col- to higher education as a re- ill that’s done when people still don’t have most of the mer Debate Union president leges. sult of affirmative action will come in feeling like they have documentation. Campus Times Reefat Aziz alongside fresh- After Yi had concluded enable more high school stu- all the answers and force their got more documentation than I man and Debate Union mem- her opening argument, Aziz dents to pursue college educa- projects upon a needy group,” did on the constitution rewrite, ber Anthony Pericolo. responded by questioning tion. He stressed, as well, that said Elliot. and I’m on the committee. Debate Union President whether affirmative action affirmative action should be To prevent that outcome, There could have been more Miriam Kohn introduced has actually helped minority viewed as a step towards a so- Elliot said the first step is to organization and we could have both teams, and described groups, and whether the pol- lution, rather than a complete get to know local leadership. had more hard evidence of what the format of the debate. icy has had unintended nega- solution in and of itself. Once a relationship has been we’re working on.” Each team would present two tive consequences for minori- Pericolo responded by argu- formed, both parties can build The goal of the wasn’t to be arguments, and the debate ties. ing that the opportunity ideas together. SEE REWRITE PAGE 3 SEE DEBATE PAGE 2 SEE HAITI PAGE 2 INSIDE ACTIONS SPEAK, REPTILES ABOUND TRUMP’S YUGE WALLISCH TALKS SO CAN WORDS IN ROCHESTER SKIN FLICK LACROSSE THIS CT PAGE 5 OPINION PAGE 7 FEATURES PAGE 13 A&E PAGE 16 SPORTS PAGE 2 / campustimes.org NEWS / MONDAY, APRIL 3, 2017 Affirmative Action Jump DEBATE FROM PAGE 1 in building their resumes be- cause their extracurricular to attend college, absent the opportunities were more lim- requisite preparation in high ited than those of white stu- school, is of little use. Stu- dents. Others proposed that dents who are admitted to affirmative action could be college under affirmative ac- harmful to Asian-American tion, he said, are more likely college applicants, who are to attend prestigious colleges often held to higher standards where they are unlikely to than their white counterparts. succeed. Underrepresented Freshman Jamal Holtz said minorities should instead he had heard about the event strive to attend mid-range through his Intro to Debate colleges—which may offer class, as well as through more support and network- some of the event’s co- ing—where they will do bet- sponsors, the Minority Male ter. Leadership Association and Following Pericolo’s the Black Students’ Union. speech, Yi responded with “I think the debate was very her final argument. Affirma- informative for people who YIYUN HUANG / PHOTO EDITOR tive action combats “token- didn’t know much about af- ism,” she said, by building firmative action,” Holtz said. CHINESE DIPLOMATS VISIT CAMPUS a critical mass of minori- He said that he had done Diplomats from the Chinese consulate in New York City visited campus Thursday to discuss education affairs with students. ties at colleges and making previous research on affirma- them truly diverse. Far from tive action in high school. forcing minorities to attend Other attendees offered PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATE colleges, she added, affir- their perspectives as well.