Fla. Regents Endorse Plan to End Affirmative Action

After hours of debate and protests from students and black leaders Friday, Florida’s Board of Regents endorsed Gov. Jeb Bush’s plan to end affirmative action in admissions at the state’s 10 public universities.

“Right now, we have a lot of questions,” said Cornelius Minor II, a Florida A&M; student who asked the regents to delay action. “I urge you to search for solutions that are good for Florida and good for the students.”

The endorsement, by an 11-3 vote, allows system Chancellor Adam Herbert to draft proposals to implement Bush’s plan in advance of a final vote by regents in January.

The Florida Cabinet, whose members are elected independent of the governor, must approve the plan before it can be implemented.

“The Board of Regents took a bold step today by embracing the One Florida education initiatives, including the Talented 20 program, and the elimination of race and ethnicity as a factor in admissions decisions,” Bush said.

Herbert had asked for an immediate vote, saying the program should take effect before the admissions period for the fall 2000 semester. To delay, he said, would prevent some of the students eligible under Bush’s plan from attending a Florida university.

“This is a transforming program for the state of Florida,” said Herbert.

Bush’s plan prohibits using race as a factor in college admissions, but it guarantees admission to a state university to the top one-fifth of every high school class and contains other measures to preserve diversity.