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Affirmative Action at UNMC

There is a voter initiative in Nebraska that would ban the use of affirmative action programs in public employment, public education, and public contracting.  It would prohibit the consideration of gender, race, ethnicity or national origin in a variety of publicly-sponsored programs and initiatives.  If passed this initiative will end the following types of activities:

• Efforts to identify, encourage and recruit students to pursue fields where they have traditionally been underrepresented, such as minorities and women in math and science; men in nursing;
  
• Scholarships that consider gender and race
• Attempts to recruit and retain a diverse faculty in public higher education.

If passed, this initiative could impact diversity efforts at UNMC and throughout Nebraska.  The initiative would not allow UNMC to consider factors such as race and gender in its efforts to establish a diverse workforce and student body.

Affirmative action is any measure which permits the consideration of race, national origin, gender and disability along with other criteria to provide opportunities to a class of qualified individuals who have historically or actually been denied those opportunities. It levels the playing field by removing barriers that prevent equal opportunity. Affirmative action is not quotas, which are illegal according to a federal executive order.

If this voter initiative passes, it would impact:

• Pipeline (K-12) & other programs to recruit students to pursue fields where they have traditionally been underrepresented such as women and minorities in math and science and men in nursing.
• Scholarships that consider race, gender or ethnicity.
• Attempts to recruit and retain diverse faculty in public education
  

States that have passed constitutional amendments banning the use of race, gender, national origin and ethnicity in public education, public contracting and public employment include:

• Michigan I-2
• Washington Proposal I-200
• California Proposal I-209
  

States that have enacted similar legislation or laws banning the use of race, gender national origin and ethnicity in public education in some form include:

• Florida – One Florida (2000)
• Texas- Top 10% plan (adopted race neutral admissions policies)

Additional Educational Information:

• Affirmative Action Ban General Information Sheet (pdf)
  
• Affirmative Action Ban UNO-UNMC Diversity Program Impact (pdf)
• Affirmative Action Ban Impact on Diversity in other states (pdf)
  

Join us in our efforts to help Nebraskans Get Educated, Get Involved.