There is strength in numbers.
More than 150 students came to last night's Michigan Student Assembly meeting in the Michigan Union Ballroom to show their support for affirmative action.
But as it turned out, the resolution they were opposing, which would have petitioned the University's Board of Regents to end its use of affirmative action policies, would not have passed even if no one had voiced their opposition.
The resolution failed by an overwhelming amount - with only the assembly member who drafted the measure, Engineering Rep. David Burden, voting in favor of it.
After the vote, Burden said he knew when he drafted the amendment it had no chance of passing.
"I knew it was not going to pass," Burden said. "I think the most important thing was we had more than 100 constituents at the meeting."
Burden said he brought the amendment before the assembly to "debate an issue MSA has been avoiding for more than a year-and-a-half."
And Burden certainly spurred discussion, as more than 40 students and community members spoke before the assembly - all in favor of affirmative action.
"The factors that created affirmative action still exist today," said LSA junior Afshrin Jadidnouri. "I think it would be a shame for the University ... to support overhauling affirmative action."
Ann Arbor resident Paul Lefrak, a leader of the Free Mumia Coalition, reiterated the crowd's belief in the importance of affirmative action both in University policies and in society as a whole.
"MSA needs to be beating back the racist and sexist movement that wants to roll back the gains that affirmative action has already made," Lefrak said amid applause and cheers that repeatedly filled the Union Ballroom last night.
MSA members also condemned the resolution and voiced their support for affirmative action.
"Tonight we take back the nation," said Engineering Rep. John Lopez. "Tonight we can set an example that will reverberate across the nation."
After the resolution was defeated, those who came to show their support for affirmative action gave the assembly a standing ovation.
"We are happy with the actions the assembly took tonight," said Engineering junior Keith Naylor. "But we were surprised that a member of the assembly would even bring up a resolution against affirmative action."
The assembly then passed a resolution drafted by LSA Rep. Amer Zahr and amended by MSA Vice President Probir Mehta stating that MSA endorses the goals of affirmative action and pledging that the assembly will use its external relations committee to lobby in favor of any University policy which supports affirmative action.
"I think it's good we took a step to take a definitive stand as a whole body to represent the true concerns of students," Zahr said. "This was an issue that needed to get out in the open - I commend David (Burden) for bringing this issue out and all of those people who filled this ballroom tonight."
Mehta agreed. "As a student voice, we spoke out and said we overwhelmingly support affirmative action."
MSA President Fiona Rose said the meeting was special in that the assembly got to hear individual students' opinions.
"We saw the power of the masses and we saw the power of what student groups can do when they come together," she said. "Affirmitive action is a secondary issue when compared to the importance of the assembly's hearing of students' voices."