In Support of the Affirmative Action Plan

Diversity and social justice are priorities for SF State; and

The goal of affirmative action is to improve opportunities and equal access to underrepresented groups and help the federally funded institutions to reflect the diversity of the community they serve; and

Federal regulations (Presidential Order 11246) require SF State University, as a government contractor, to develop an affirmative action plan; and

Because of Proposition 209, which states that “the State shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the operation public employment, public education, and public contracting,” the affirmative action plan has been de-emphasized at SF State; and

Proposition 209 has been incorporated into the California constitution and Article 1 – Declaration of Rights, Section 31, Sub-Section (e) of the constitution states explicitly that “nothing in this section shall be interpreted as prohibiting action which must be taken to establish or maintain eligibility for any federal program, where ineligibility would result in a loss of federal funds to the state;” and

The CSU Executive Order 1088 reaffirms the federal affirmative action laws and charges the campus Presidents with implementing this (and other) executive order(s); and

The same Executive Order maintains that the federally mandated affirmative action plan is to be public and updated annually; and