Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 18:22:11 -0400
From: "g.snyder" <maxho-AT-mail.utexas.edu>
Subject: AUT: [Fwd: UT, Jackson and silly white guy.]


At UT and the rally:
> 
> Close to 5000 students and members of the public showed up to demonstrate
> against the cultural eugenics and racist outbursts of Professor Graglia of
> the University of Texas Law School here at Austin. The demonstration
> was addressed by Rev. Jessie Jackson among others and went on to occupy the
> foyer of the law school promising to remain until a UT regent was dispached
> with an assurance that the board of the university would hold a public
> meeting to defend or announce what it would do with the insane Graglia.
>          Last week Graglia stated publicly that Mexican Americans and
> African Americans were unable to compete academically with whites due to an
> acceptance of failure in these communities. He went on to state that
> diversity of backround was unnecessary in higher education. As a professor
> he holds tenure in the university and the outburst was an obvious ploy to
> gain national attention for himself.
>         This academic year is the first since the sixties which begins
> without the policy of affirmative action in place. The 5th circuit court
> abolished that policy in the notorious Hopwood case last year. That case
> was taken by 4 whites against the university when they argued that
> affirmative action amounted to discrimination against them as minority
> students with lower grades were alloted places before them.
>         Graglias statements are clearly the ideological wash after the
> fact, an overt statement of white supremacism after its legal relity has
> been reestablished. While Rev. Jacksons address was full of his usual
> religious flourish he did explicitly describe Graglia as a fascist and go
> on to portray the current situation in academia in its class as well as its
> racial biases.
>         "Most poor people are'nt on welfare, they work everyday, they raise
> other peoples children, they work everyday. They cut the grass here on
> campus, they work everyday. They work in the hospitals where there are no
> beds for them when they are sick and they work everyday."  So preached the
> reverened.
>         Meanwhile in California ex-governer Gerry Brown condemned 'the
> capitalist government' for the rollback of affirmative action there. In
> recent weeks 8000 marched in San Francisco in support of affirmative
> action. The Graglia case here is becoming a focus of intense national
> attention and is definitely developing into a crisis here in Austin. Much
> depends on those who appear to be assuming leadership among the student
> body. From todays activities it seems that there is a will for something
> significant to happen.  There is  discussion among members of the SAO regarding the formation of a broad based movement.  We can only hope that this nascent desire for a movement will overwhelm the Graglia focus and push for a broad attack on institutional racism in the US.  But we got to get radical and international.

Please send the SAO mission and 10 demands found below to every listserv
and student newspaper you can find.
The SAO (student organization who organized rally)  wants to get there
list of demands in all student papers in hopes of making this a
nationwide student movement.  Take these demands to your school, your
local university paper, and any other paper you can find.  Exploit all
networks to foment broader struggle.  While the rally happened a few
days ago, the press conference happened today.  We need to move quickly
along alternative media networks.

Greg


-------------------------------------------------------------------------

        Below is the Mission Statement and the 10 demands of SAO (the
first demand has already been agreed to):       
>       The purpose of our group, Students for Access and Opportunity, is to
build a broad-based movement to struggle against racism and guarantee
access
and opportunity to higher education for under-represented groups.  
        We believe racism is not reducible to personal prejudice, but is
constituted by the disproportionate distribution of wealth and resources
which has historically served to marginalized groups according to racial
classification.
        We stand for a radically democratic, culturally diverse and
inclusive society which guarantees the participation of all people, and
access to the resources their hard work makes available.  We also
believe
that diversity and access to education is a moral, political and
economic
necessity.

1.  We demand an immediate meeting with the University of Texas Board of
Regents that is open to the public.
>2.  We demand that the composition of the student body, faculty, and
administration of the University of Texas at Austin reflect the
tax-paying
citizenry of the state of Texas.
>3. We demand that the University of Texas System create a module for
admissions that better represents students' abilities to perform at the
university level.  We demand a restructuring of the criteria which
places
disproportionate weight on standardized tests and grade point averages.
>4. We demand that the University of Texas System develop a system-wide
tutoring and mentoring program that will provide sufficient funds for
University of Texas at Austin students to service "low-performing"
(i.e.,
under-funded) public schools.
>5.  We demand a challenge to Dan Morales' interpretation of the Hopwood
decision and the reinstatement of the policies and programs that recruit
and
retain qualified students from historically marginalized groups.  
>6. We demand agressive enforcement of the University of Texas at Austin's
racial harassment policy.
>7.  We recognize the categories of race, gender, class, and sexual
orientation as viable areas of academic inquiry.  We therefore, demand
their
integration into the University curriculum.  This will include a course
requirement for all students and departmental status for ethnic studies
programs.
>8.  We feel that Lino Graglia's comments were injurious and irresponsible,
and we demand that the University of Texas at Austin charge him with
racial
harassment.
>9.  We demand the elimination of alumni preferences in admissions.
>10. We demand a cap on tuition and fees to facilitate equal access and
opportunity to students of all socio-economic background.
>


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