YAF Treasurer Carlos Vazquez discusses affirmative action with a protestor.
On Monday afternoon, GW Young America’s Foundation held its Affirmative Action Bake Sale in Kogan Plaza. Cosponsored by GW College Republicans, the event exposed what YAF described as the “unfair” policy of considering one’s race and/or gender before offering him or her employment or entrance into a university.
According to the event’s Facebook page, “affirmative action gives an advantage to minorities and women since it gives them preferential treatment when being considered not only for education, but also employment.” YAF also created a list of prices it would be charging students who purchased baked goods:
Asians – $1.25 (Asians are the most negatively affected group by affirmative action policies)
Whites – $1.00
Latinos – $.75
African Americans – $. 50
Native Americans – $.25
The bake sale also featured a “Human Special” where everyone pays the same amount, regardless of race, at $1.00. All proceeds earned are set to go to U.S. troops.
“We are raising awareness about affirmative action because racism and discrimination are alive and well in the form of this policy on college campuses,” said YAF President Giovanni Tomasi. “We just want to create dialogue on this campus because we think this is very wrong.”
Members of the YAF Executive Board were greeted by a group of protestors from the Black Student Union and students who felt the motives behind the bake sale were racist. Several members of the BSU protest group peacefully approached YAF members to discuss their opposition to the event and their differing opinions.
“Apparently we have successfully created dialogue today, and I’m glad to see that people who have different opinions than us came out,” said Tomasi. “This is all part of the academic experience, that we share our ideas, we learn from each other, and we create a dialogue that other people can learn from.”
Black Student Union protestors
GWYAF, GWCRs Denounce Affirmative Action, with Baked Goods http://bit.ly/hOEb6n #gwu #tcot #dc
RT @erinmew: GWYAF, GWCRs Denounce Affirmative Action, with Baked Goods #gwu #dc #tcot http://t.co/Agt1ke4
http://bit.ly/fjxse2 When reached for comment, GW YAF members could be heard saying, "It’s cool, we have Black friends."
This website has become nothing more than the media wing of the CRs. I used to come here for a humorous and thought-provoking view of campus, but nowadays your content is dull, infrequent and poorly written.
I hope for next year you all either seriously re-evaluate what you’re doing with this site or just shut down.
How is this publication a media wing of the CRs? This is a news post with zero bias. The Patriot, in general, covers the most important functions on campus. This was one of them.
Without AA, we would have no chapter at GW, so keep it in place and just confirm every stereotype of us.
Yes, without Affirmative Action, there would be no Black people here because certainly Black People don’t achieve enough academically to be here. Thank you for that wonderful insight
I would believe that, if the theory could be tested, which would mean conducting admissions and hiring on a race-blind basis.
Gee, I didn’t even know anyone cared anymore about affirmative action. What year is it, 1992?
Student org charges for baked goods by ethnicity: http://t.co/5cBCnbf #stoptheidiots #gwu #dc
Affirmative Action should exist as long as legacy preference is given for admissions. People forget how recently black people were treated like second-class citizens in our country. Considering legacy is inherently a racist practice because of our country’s ugly history with slavery and uglier history with giving all of our citizens equal rights. Affirmative Action is a fair balance to that.
Beyond that, diversity is important. Colleges shouldn’t be about accepting the highest GPAs across the board, they should be finding a well rounded student body that will help everyone grow. GW’s still too white, too Northeastern, and too many people only interact people who are in their same social and economic class. The fact that people would complain about efforts to increase diversity puzzles me.
The reason people complain about focusing on diversity is because the standard isn’t uniform. One argument is that those who perform on a lower level still get admitted into schools (or jobs) simply based on their race. If racism wasn’t such a prevalent issue, AA wouldn’t be needed. At the same time, in areas where racism really isn’t that big of a deal, AA shouldn’t be implemented, as employers and recruiters should have no guilt in choosing based solely on quality, and not external factors. Sadly, I don’t believe this country is in such a state at this time. After all, minorities have been treated like trash for a very long time, and still are.
People also forget how recently WOMEN were treated like second class citizens. Without affirmative action, women wouldn’t have been able to break through and attend university in the numbers we do now.
“The only way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discrimination on the basis of race.” – Chief Justice Roberts.
Affirmative Action discriminates based on race and gender – you can’t argue that. It’s a failed policy that hurts everyone far more than any benefits.
“This problem of stigma does not depend on determinacy as to whether those stigmatized are actually the “beneficiaries” of racial discrimination. When blacks take positions in the highest places of government, industry, or academia, it is an open question today whether their skin color played a part in their advancement. The question itself is the stigma–because either racial discrimination did play a role, in which case the person may be deemed “otherwise unqualified,” or it did not, in which case asking the question itself unfairly marks those blacks who would succeed without discrimination.” Grutter v. Bollinger, Clarence Thomas’ opinion.