UMass Senate Phases Out Minority Set-Asides - student government no longer to set aside seats for minority students - Brief Article

Black Issues in Higher Education, May 25, 2000

AMHERST, Mass. -- Student senators at the University of Massachusetts have voted to stop setting aside a share of campus government seats for minority students.

Currently, 13 percent of the university's undergraduate student senate seats are reserved for Asian, Hispanic, Black and American Indian students.

The practice was instituted in the wake of a 1986 campus brawl between Black and White students.

Calling the quota practice unfair, the senate voted 40-6 last month to start phasing out the set-asides over a two-year period. The share will remain at 13 percent next school year, and drop to 5 percent in 2001-02.

By 2002-03, the only minority senators will be those elected in campus-wide voting. The minority caucus members have been appointed rather than elected.

As part of a compromise with minority senators, the senate voted to create a new executive position, secretary of diversity issues. Senators also passed a motion to create a diversity issues committee.