加州不需要为了209号提案展开新的斗争
California doesn’t need a new fight over Proposition 209
原作者:Tom Campbell (教育家,政治家,前国会议员,法学和经济学教授)
原文发表时间:2020年3月30日
编者按:冠状病毒是目前大家关注的重点。但是加州后台的改宪风波同样值得继续关注:有议员推动ACA-5来完全取消209法案,重新在大学入学中引入种族因素。本文转录自讨论:https://www.ocregister.com/2020/03/30/california-doesnt-need-a-new-fight-over-proposition-209/ ,仅供参考,不代表我们认同节目中的观点,也不代表我们确认其中提到的事实。
In June of 1996, Californians voted to prevent the state from granting preferences or imposing burdens on anyone on account of the person’s race or gender.
1996年6月,加州人民投票决定,禁止州政府基于任何人的种族或性别给予优惠待遇或施加负担。
This was Proposition 209, and it passed 55 percent to 45 percent. It was a vote for a color-blind government, and, especially, color-blind admissions to the University of California.
这就是以55%对45%通过的209号提案。这是对一个没有肤色偏见的政府的投票,尤其是对在招生时不得考虑肤色因素的加州大学的投票。
Earlier this month, an effort to repeal Prop. 209 cleared the Rules Committee in the State Assembly.
本月初,一个努力废除第209号提案的行动已经通过了加州众议院的规则委员会。
There has been no showing of changed sentiment among Californians indicating our desire now to allow the government to offer preferences or impose burdens based on our race or gender.
没有任何迹象表明加州人对209提案的观点有所变化,加州人仍然不希望允许政府根据我们的种族或性别提供优待或施加负担。
But with two-thirds control of both houses of the state legislature, the Democratic Party majority does not have to gather a single signature to put the repeal of Proposition 209 on the ballot this November.
但是,由于民主党拥有州议会两院的三分之二的控制权,占多数席位的民主党不必收集任何签字就可以把废除209号提案的选项放入今年11月的投票中。
In 1996, we voted to put racial division behind us, as a matter of government policy. Of course, there is still racial bias in California; but we voted not to have the state take part in it. With the proposal to repeal 209, California risks igniting a racial debate.
1996年,作为政府政策,我们投票决定将种族分裂抛诸脑后。当然,加州仍然存在种族偏见;但是我们投票决定不让州政府参与其中。这个废除209提案的提议的提出,加州有点燃种族辩论的风险。
Asian Americans comprised 27.26 percent of the applicants to the University of California last year, and 39.72 percent of those enrolled. Latino Americans comprised 26.82 percent of the applicants, and 25.45 percent of those enrolled. African Americans were 5.58 percent of the applicants and 3.87 percent of those enrolled. The University of California administrators have long argued for the “benign” use of race to admit more African Americans and Latino Americans.
去年,亚裔美国人占加州大学申请者的27.26%,而在入学人数中占39.72%。拉美裔美国人占申请者的26.82%,占入学人数的25.45%。非裔美国人占申请者的5.58%,占入学人数的3.87%。加州大学的管理者们长期以来一直在争论种族因素的“良性”使用,以接纳更多的非裔美国人和拉丁裔美国人。
However, there is some maximum number of students who can be admitted. There is no “benign” use of race: If UC grants preference to some on the basis of race, it is also imposing a cap on others, on the basis of their race. That is irrefutable arithmetic.
然而,被录取的学生人数是有最大上限的。种族因素不存在“良性”使用:如果加州大学基于种族给某些人施以优待,它也会同样基于其他人的种族对他们施加限制。这是无可辩驳的逻辑。
Nor can UC claim it’s only using race as a “tie-breaker”: to the student kept out, the result is the same.
加州大学也同样无法声称这只是将种族因素作为“额外的决胜因素”:对于被拒之门外的学生而言,结果没有不同。
Under existing law, UC takes account of each individual applicant’s personal story and achievements. Is this student the first in her or his family to go to college? What is the family income level? How many students from an applicant’s high school have gone to college?
根据现有法律,加州大学考虑每一个申请者的个人经历和成就。该学生是否是他/她的家庭中第一个上大学的人?该家庭的收入水平如何?申请者所在的高中有多少学生进入大学?
All of these factors are considered.
所有这些因素都正在被考虑。
Further, UC does not allow favoring children of alumni or wealthy donors, and the UC’s almost entirely escaped the recent scandals that embroiled private colleges’ athletic admissions.
此外,加州大学禁止对校友或富有捐赠者的孩子施以优待,而且加州大学几乎完全摆脱了最近的一些丑闻,这些丑闻使私立大学的体育特长生录取备受争议。
The results of the current system have not been unfair. Here are the enrollment rates, by race, the year before UC was ordered to stop considering race, and today: African Americans (3.7 percent then, 3.87 percent now); Latino Americans (13.4 percent then, 25.45 percent now); Asian Americans (36.1 percent then, 39.72 percent now), Caucasian Americans (38.4 percent then, 19.29 percent now).
当前体系的成果并非不公平。以下是按种族划分的、在加州大学被命令停止考虑种族因素的前一年和现在的入学率的对比:非裔美国人(当时为3.7%,现在为3.87%);拉丁裔美国人(当时为13.4%,现在为25.45%);亚裔美国人(当时为36.1%,现在为39.72%),美国白人(当时为38.4%,现在为19.29%)。
In other words, the rising percentage of Latino Americans graduating from California’s high schools has been matched by the rising percentage in their admission to UC, and the drop in Caucasian Americans’ percentage of California’s high schools has registered in their drop in UC enrollments. The other races stayed about the same. These numbers do not call out for reparation.
换句话说,加州高中毕业的拉丁裔美国人百分比的增加与他们进入加州大学的比例的增加相吻合,而在加州大学入学率下降的美国白人也与他们在加州高中所占百分比的下降相吻合。其他种族保持大致相同。这些数字并不说明需要种族之间弥补。
However, advocates of allowing race to be considered note other numbers: Latino Americans comprise 39.3 percent of Californians yet only 25.45 percent of UC enrollees; African Americans comprise 6.5 percent of Californians yet only 3.87 percent of UC enrollees.
但是,允许种族成为考虑因素的提倡者注意到其他数字:拉丁美洲人占加州的39.3%,而只占加州大学学生的25.45%;非裔美国人占加州人口的6.5%,而只占加州大学学生的3.87%。
Nevertheless, if more spaces are to be made for the under-represented, they must come from the over-represented. Asian Americans are 15.3 percent of Californians, yet 39.72 percent of UC enrollees.
但是,如果要为占少数人创造更多的空间,则这些空间必须来自占多数的群体。亚裔美国人占加州的15.3%,但占加州大学入学人数的39.72%。
Those numbers are why bringing this issue forward now would inevitably divide Californians racially: Latino Americans and African Americans on one side, Asian Americans on the other. The politics are inescapably racial.
这些数字就是为什么现在将这个问题提出来会不可避免地在加州人之间造成种族分裂的原因:一方是拉丁裔美国人和非裔美国人,另一方是亚裔美国人。政治也不可避免地种族化。
An effort to repeal Prop. 209 passed the State Senate in 2014, but died in the Assembly because Asian American parents rose up on behalf of their children’s right to be judged “not on the color of their skin but the content of their character.”
废除第209号提案的行动在2014年获得州参议院通过,但是在众议院议会终止。因为亚裔美国人的父母代表其子女奋起反抗,提出他们的权利“不应该被肤色,而是其品质”决定。
Dr. Martin Luther King spoke those words about his children. Californians have the right to the same dream for our children.
马丁·路德·金博士(Martin Luther King)也曾为他的孩子说过这些话。加州人也有权为我们的孩子实现同样的梦想。
Tom Campbell has been a professor at Stanford, Berkeley, and Chapman Universities. He served five terms in the US Congress and two years in the California State Senate. He was active in the effort to adopt Proposition 209 in 1996. He left the Republican Party in 2016 and is now in the process of creating a new party, the Common Sense Party of California.
汤姆·坎贝尔(Tom Campbell)曾在斯坦福大学、伯克利大学和查普曼大学任教授。他五次在美国国会任议员职位,在加州参议院任职两年。他在1996年积极参与了采纳209号提案的工作。他于2016年离开共和党,目前正在组建新的党派——加利福尼亚常识党(Common Sense Party of California)。