In a discussion advertised as the meeting of the Duke Review and the Black Student Alliance, two people deeply involved in the debate over affirmative action spoke before a predominantly non-white audience Tuesday night.
Myrna Adams, vice president for institutional equity at the University, said that affirmative action is a viable program aimed at reducing the numbers of jobs and positions given to people on the basis of factors other than qualification.
"Affirmative action was designed as an anecdote to nepotism, favoritism and cronyism," Adams said. "It means that if you are a recipient of federal tax dollars, you have a public obligation to avoid all discriminatory practices. It means that when a job becomes available, you must advertise it, and you must review candidates from a broad range of perspectives."
But businessman Errol Smith, vice chair of the California Civil Rights Initiative, countered that affirmative action as it is practiced today has become an archaic set of programs which are oppressive to minorities and women.
Smith, who is black, said that while many people feel that America is governed by issues of class, sex and race, it is instead driven solely by the economy. He criticized the attitudes that affirmative action has created within both the white and non-white communities.
"What is most wrong with affirmative action today is the climate it has created in this country," he said. "And what you will find when you graduate, and I am speaking predominantly to the African-Americans in this audience, is that there is a lingering presumption of inferiority due at least in part to the fact that leaders in this country have made the country think that people like me are disadvantaged and in need of programs."
Adams, however, emphasized that Americans are not capable of making bias-free decisions on their own. Because they are driven by self-interest in an increasing unstable work force, she said that continued regulation of hiring practices is crucial.
Affirmative action is meant to be a temporary solution, she said. "When the idea of women or minorities in a given profession is no longer a novelty, then the job of affirmative action is done."
Smith acknowledged that problems of racism and sexism are still prevalent, but he said he was opposed to implementing programs to counter them. "Racism is alive and well. But so many of us have been taught that it is an insurmountable barrier. We have engendered a generation of blacks who believe that we can't make it without these programs, and I say get over it. We all have crosses in life to bear."
Because discriminatory practices are secondary to market forces, minorities do not need special treatment, he said. "If companies would rather hire a third-rate white man then I say let them do it. They will be punished for it by the market."
Adams, however, said that because economic scarcity does not affect all jobs, market forces would do nothing to check discrimination in many situations.
Members of the 50-member audience were active in the question-and-answer session following the debate. Many asked questions challenging Smith's assertions about affirmative action and his supporting statistics.
Despite their skepticism about Smith's argument, some students said they were pleased with the debate because it incorporated both sides of the issue.
"The debate was very interesting," said Trinity senior and BSA President April Preyar. "It is good to see that all blacks don't share the same view points and that we are not monolithic."
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