Presidential leadership headline

“Support your College Republicans! Bake Sale: Cookies 25 cents for Hispanics, American Indians, and Blacks; $1 for Caucasian or Asian females; and $1.50 for Caucasian and Asian males.” Does something seem amiss here? Such was the method that the College Republicans at the University of New Mexico used to cleverly demonstrate the blatant hypocrisy of affirmative action. Sarah Hunt, chairwoman for the College Republicans, said that the event had a dual purpose: “We are selling quota cookies pro-rated based on race to reflect the government’s affirmative action policy. … What we’re trying to do is spark community debate on the issue and get UNM talking about it.” The other purpose of the UNM bake sale was to generate interest in their upcoming affirmative action forum with guest speaker David Gersten, Vice President for Development at the Center for Equal Opportunity (CEO).

Was it effective? Apparently so, judging from the feedback the sensitive undertaking earned in the independent school newspaper, the Daily Lobo. Many students responded positively to the bake sale, viewing it as humorous; and a good way to make people aware of the club’s issues. The Daily Lobo asked one student, Paul Delgado, about his reaction to the “quota cookies.” Having purchased a cookie for 25 cents, Delgado told the paper that, “Affirmative action is about trying to get minorities into places where there is a dominant white population. I feel that it is necessary at times, but in theory it really is another form of discrimination.” Not surprisingly, some students were offended. A few wrote in to the school paper advocating the beneficial aspects of affirmative action. However, as Hunt stated, the purpose of the bake sale was to spark debate, so even opposition proved that the demonstration was a success.

So what other things can college students and clubs do to promote their views on affirmative action? Hosting a bake sale, or any other refreshment stand for that matter, is extremely effective. Not only will it draw a crowd—since college students love cheap food—but it is also sure to provoke furious discussion by all who partake. As evidenced at UNM, inciting a controversy is a valuable attention-getter. Those who are not as interested in lighting sparks can always take a more traditional route and bring in a guest speaker to communicate local and national consequences of affirmative action. The basic goal is to make the public aware of the reality of affirmative action, which could include submitting op-eds to a school or community newspaper, posting a display in a student union or library, or handing out literature. Whether the outrage over the price of cookies sparks discussion on discriminating admissions quotas, the problems with affirmative action need to be brought to light.