FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 10, 2006

HACU urges defeat of the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative

San Antonio, TX - The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) urged the mobilization of Michigan’s higher education community and the public at large to defeat the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative (MCRI) this November.  “If successful, the MCRI could reverse the diversity gains of the past 50 years across the state and could set back the progress made in business and government for a better Michigan,” said Antonio Flores, HACU President & CEO.

California passed a similar measure in 1996 and, compared to states without such detrimental legislation, has lost ground in education, work force development, business growth, and employment trends.  These declines are well documented and could happen in Michigan under the dark shadow of the MCRI.  HACU urges the Michigan community to act now in opposition to this potentially dangerous initiative.

In higher education, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), reaffirmed the added value of diversity in enriching campus life and learning outcomes.  In acknowledging the enhancement of higher education by diverse perspectives in classrooms and campuses, the Supreme Court upheld diversity and inclusion of underrepresented populations as a crucial public interest.  The MCRI contravenes the Court’s decision and extends potentially harmful effects to K-12 education, employment, contracting and other public services that need the benefit of more diversity, not the burden of practices found discriminatory decades ago.

Flores participated in the University of Michigan’s Diversity Summit on October 9, 2006.  It included a series of presentations on the university’s own efforts to defeat the MCRI.  A decision-making guide on the matter is available at http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~spage/diversity_files/MCRI.pdf.

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