Admissions to colleges and universities in Florida may change drastically if Gov. Jeb Bush’s plan to ban affirmative action is approved. Iowa State has no such program, but the issue still sparks plenty of controversy.

In the state of Iowa, admissions requirements for the three regent universities are in the state code, said David Bousquet, assistant vice president for enrollment. The applicant needs to have taken a prescribed set of courses and rank in top half of his or her class.

“Iowa does not use race as an admissions requirement,” said Rafael Rodriguez, director of Minority Student Affairs. “All the students, irregardless of race and ethnicity, meet the general admissions criteria.”

In Florida, the requirements for admission are different, Bousquet said. The course of study, number of people who have applied for admission and race are all factors in admitting students.

“In terms of what it takes to be admitted to the state university, it is not as clear-cut,” he said.

He said these kinds of admissions requirements are common across the country.

“There are a lot of states like Florida, where particular groups receive preference in the admissions process,” he said.

Thomas Hill, vice president for Student Affairs, said he believes affirmative action is necessary for the admissions processes in some states.

“There’s no preferencing here,” he said. “In some institutions, it could make a difference in their attempts to diversify the student body where there’s been evidence of underrepresentation and discrimination.”

However, Hill said he does not believe this is a problem at Iowa State.

“There are several programs within the state that are geared to enhance the minority participation in higher education,” he said.

Rodriguez agreed that Iowa State does not need affirmative action. He said Iowa State was “co-ed all the way,” pointing out that George Washington Carver graduated from here in 1894.

“We affirm the need for diversity,” he said. “Thereby we are proactive in attracting students of color.”

Bousquet said the Iowa Board of Regents “has a goal for each of the state universities regarding minority enrollment. Here, that would be 8.5 percent.”

According to the ISU Fact Book, the percentage of minority enrollment at Iowa State in fall 1999 was 6.6 percent, not including international students.

“We do spend a considerable amount of time to attract, recruit and enroll minority students at Iowa State,” Bousquet said. “In addition to which the university is particularly concerned about retention rate, and [it] has its effort and attention focused on retention of all students, particularly minority students.”

In fall 1999, 328 minority freshman enrolled at Iowa State, while in fall 1998, 247 minority freshman were enrolled.

“We want to make sure that we provide the best opportunities for students of color to come to Iowa State and be successful,” Rodriguez said.

Bousquet said there are several programs to increase minority enrollment at Iowa State, such as Student Search, the Carver Academy and the Multicultural Visions Program, which is designed for in-state minority students.

“[Carver Academy] is a program that targets high-ability minority students, both in-and out-of-state students,” he said.

Rodriguez said Iowa only has about a 4 percent minority population in the state.

“That’s not going to equate to many numbers of minorities,” he said. “When you think of Iowa, we don’t have a tremendous numerical diversity.”

However, he said Iowa State needs to attract minority students from outside the state, while still keeping those who are already in the state.

Roxanne Smith, president of the Black Student Alliance, said she believes the main benefit of affirmative action is that everyone gets the opportunity to attend college.

“It acknowledges that in the past, the United States has denied African Americans the right to jobs, college and different things because of our color,” said Smith, senior in accounting.

She said affirmative action is needed “as far as trying to make a conscious effort to right the wrongs that were made.”

Smith said she believes the drawback to affirmative action is that people are misinformed.

“People think affirmative action makes you get a free ride,” she said. “Usually the person of color has a better GPA, is better qualified for the job or for admission to law school or medical school. Typically, we’re on the same level as far as qualifications. To even get the job, we’ve also had to be twice as [good].”

Rodriguez said one negative trait of affirmative action is the conflict it creates for students.

“In a state that uses affirmative action, students are seen as less then,” he said, “because the impression is seen that the admission criteria was changed to admit underrepresented students.”

Smith said people also associate affirmative action with minorities, but the greatest benefits are to white women.

“It would be great if we could end affirmative action, but in the United States, there is so much racism,” she said. “Discrimination takes place every day. You can look at California and Texas, where they have gotten rid of affirmative action, and the numbers have declined dramatically for enrollment at the college.”

Hill said he believes the only drawback to the affirmative action program is the fact that it’s necessary at all.

“People were discriminated against in the past, denied the opportunity, and for that reason, it’s necessary to have affirmative action,” he said.