MSA to vote on afrmative action petition

At their meeting last night, Michigan Student Assembly members were asked to vote next week to back a petition in support of affirmative action and also to support two consecutive days of action in defense of affirmative action next month.

"It's not MSA taking a position on staying away from classes ... but that MSA supports the concept of a day of action," said LSA senior Jessica Curtin, a member Students United for Affirmative Action. "In California ... professors there are organizing two days of action. In California, it's extremely organized. Every university is doing it."

MSA President Trent Thompson said the assembly could approve either proposition without taking action.

The days of action come after two lawsuits were filed last fall challenging the University's use of race as a factor in the admissions process.

The suits, which were filed by three white applicants to the College of Literature, Science and the Arts and the Law School, are awaiting hearing in the Detroit U.S. District Court.

Next Tuesday the assembly also will vote on the transfer of $2,000 in funding to the Students for the Student Regent Student Group.

Andrew Wright, co-chair of the MSA task force for student regent, said the group was created to avoid legal problems created by the assembly's tax status.

"Basically (the group) supports the MSA student regent task force," Wright said.

The $2,000 will be used to copy pamphlets and leaflets, Wright said.

The group uses MSA facilities to do their work.

"The money basically comes from MSA to this student group and then goes back to MSA," Wright said.

"It's a shell game."

The SSRSG also participates in the Coalition for Student Representation with members from 15 other state universities and colleges.

"We also work in conjunction with other student governments," Wright said.

The coalition is working for student representation on the governing boards of Michigan State University, Wayne State University, Oakland University and Michigan Technical University.

Thompson said the assembly is still active in the campaign to create a student regent and that "what we did was create a student group because of the legality of trying to create a ballot question."

The University Board of Regents chose not to vote on a student fee increase last summer.

The increase would have gone to the creation of a ballot question on the implementation of a student regent for state voters because of legal questions created by the Michigan constitution.

The SSRSG "may play a bigger role later in the year," Thompson said.

09-30-98