A lot of people on this campus and elsewhere are weary of activities in this general area. Actually, the three terms address three different needs, set different goals and take different actions. The past abuses have mostly been corrected. For our nation to get out of this racial quagmire that we are in, good people must take time to understand what these three terms really mean. If they agree with the intent and the prescription, then they must take a stand and help implement equal opportunity with the help of affirmative action, and lastly, diversity.
Equal opportunity is the easiest to understand.
The federal government has, in recent years, developed a very rational, eight- factor analysis of what should be taken into account regarding whether a minority group is being accorded equal opportunity by an employer. Qualification is given the predominant weight. For example, if 0.5 percent of the new Ph.D.'s in political science nationwide in recent years are Asian-Americans, then our political science department cannot be blamed for not having an Asian on its faculty. Affirmative action is more controversial. For example, given the paucity of Asians in politics, our political science department could be asked to actively recruit Asian students.