By Kirk Laughlin

The man who sparked interest and debate across campus in the weeks leading up to his arrival explained to a diverse crowd of more than 250 people at the University of Louisville why affirmative action should be done away with.

Ward Connerly, a nationally recognized black opponent of affirmative action, gave a public lecture and answered audience questions in Bigelow Hall in the Miller Technology Center on March 6 on his opposition to race-based government policies.

Immediately after Connerly’s visit, the controversy continued with a student led rally for affirmative action policies.

Connerly’s visit was co-sponsored by the Federalist Society, a conservative policy group with chapters in universities across the nation, and the McConnell Center, as a continuation of their lecture series “Variety, Left and Right.”

In addressing the contentiousness of the issue, Daniel Cameron, a junior political science major who gave the introduction for Connerly, said, “It is pertinent in a democracy that we have this discussion no matter what our ideological and political differences may be.”

During the course of his lecture, Connerly repeatedly stated his objection to race-based scholarships and admission procedures. “Benefits should be provided on a social-economic basis rather than on the basis of race,” Connerly said.

“The government should stay out of race,” said Connerly, who added that affirmative action should not only be abolished in higher education, but in government employment and contract sectors as well.

“Governmental preferential treatment has created a systemic problem in that there is now a belief that black people cannot achieve without a shortcut,” he said.

Connerly concluded by answering questions submitted by audience members before his speech.

Among the questions that attempted to challenge his stance, one asked if he felt that he had benefited from affirmative action.

Connerly replied that society should not presume that blacks need preferential treatment by the government in order to get ahead.

Connerly dismissed some questions for being inaccurate or intentionally made to contradict him.

As Connerly became more animated and defensive during question and answer session, murmurs, clapping and slight laughter surfaced from the audience.

Tensions mounted when Connerly called out a female audience member for laughing while he was speaking.

Following the lecture, Connerly proceeded to a closed-door session with McConnell Scholars. Afterwards, he left Kentucky to return to California.

“A university must have spirited debate on ideas that we may not necessarily agree with,” freshman Kaden Jacobs, a history major, said.

“Connerly’s visit won’t change much of anything, but it will bring about an expostulation of ideas and helpful debate on and understanding of those ideas,” Jacobs said.

“I believe in the First Amendment right to have the freedom of speech, but I do not believe that Mr. Connerly is justified in his belief that race-based scholarships should be eradicated,” said Jillian Watts, a freshman scholar of the Society of Porter Scholars, a merit-based scholarship program for black U of L students. “Without [race-based scholarships], I feel that I would not be able to afford college. It is very naive of people to think that racism does not exist in institutionalized settings.”

Watts’ sentiments were echoed in a rally held after Connerly’s speech in front of Grawemeyer Hall.

Roughly 75 people voiced their support of affirmative action policies at the rally organized by Porter President Marchello Cavitt, a senior chemistry major.

“As a Porter Scholar, I am definitely against [Connerly],” said Randy Johnson, a junior communication major. “What he has done in Michigan and California is frightening. Legislation tends to follow Ward Connerly.”

The most recent of Connerly’s efforts have been the Jennifer Gratz case at the University of Michigan, and the 2006 vote banning affirmative action policies in Michigan, California and Washington.

Johnson went on to say, “U of L is making progress with race-based scholarships and programs as a diversity recruiting and diversity sustaining tool. If we take away these scholarships and programs, we lose that diversity, just like what happened in California,” after Proposition 209 banned affirmative action policies.

Thus far, there have been no efforts to ban affirmative-action at U of L and state legislature concluded its session for 2007 last week.

The university stated that its policy on affirmative action is to “prevent discrimination or the present effects of past discrimination against minorities, women and military veterans.”

For more information regarding the university’s diversity vision statement, policies and plans, visit U of L’s diversity home page at http://louisville.edu/provost/diversity.