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University of Colorado officials said Thursday that passage of Amendment 46, the proposed ban on government affirmative action programs, would mean changes in admissions procedures and possibly for donor-sponsored scholarships.
The measure would forbid state agencies from considering gender, race, ethnicity, color or national origin for employment, contracting or educational admissions.
The major factors currently used for admission, according to a CU statement, are grade point average, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities and recommendation letters. Secondary factors include work and research experience, socioeconomic background, race, ethnicity, gender, whether a candidate’s parents are alumni and whether an applicant would be the first generation of a family to attend college.
State college admissions guidelines set various academic standards but also allow campuses to admit a certain percentage of applicants through what’s called “the window.” That’s often where such secondary standards come into play.
If Amendment 41 passes, according to the CU statement, “the university would eliminate race, ethnicity and gender as secondary factors in its admissions process at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.”
The university said passage of the amendment wouldn’t affect current high school recruiting programs or on-campus advising programs.
CU President Bruce Benson said, “Having a variety of perspectives involved in the learning process enhances the educational experience of all students. We will continue to value diversity in all its forms within the guidelines of current and any new state and federal laws.”
Part of the CU Board of Regents’ laws states: “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 statement noted that some donor-established scholarships include eligibility requirements that include gender, race or ethnicity. Administrators are reviewing about 100 such scholarships, primarily at the Boulder campus, to determine how Amendment 46 could affect them.
There are more than 55,000 students at CU’s Boulder, Colorado Springs, downtown Denver and Anschutz Medical campuses. According to Department of Higher Education statistics, in 2006 minority student enrollment was 14.3 percent at Boulder, 18.2 percent at Colorado Springs and a combined 21.9 percent at the Denver and Aurora campuses, which are administered as a single unit.
In recent years, the Boulder campus has been criticized for minority enrollment, recruitment and retention levels.
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