Statement of Understandings

refers to the fact that our community, both locally and nationally, is comprised of many individuals, each having unique attributes based on a variety of social, physical, and cultural characteristics. Included among these attributes are race, class, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, disability, political affiliation, and national origin.

The changing composition of our larger society demands that Virginia Tech prepare its students for life and leadership within an increasingly diverse society. The existence of diversity within our university community provides us with an opportunity to discover ways to integrate all individuals and groups into the larger community in a manner that respects and values their uniqueness while simultaneously advancing the university in its traditional activities of instruction, research, and public service.

means that each individual is judged on his or her individual merit. Each individual is given an equal chance for employment, enrollment, and advancement. Individual merit and achievement should be determined independently and without bias toward the traits that resemble those of the person making the judgment.

Equal opportunity requires that unrelated characteristics and criteria not be used to restrict opportunities. For example, within living memory, our state government seized, closed, and locked public schools rather than to desegregate them in accordance with the orders of the United States Supreme Court. The harmful effects of those policies and actions on significant numbers of Virginia students serve as a powerfully compelling reason for taking affirmative steps toward true equal opportunity both in our university community and in society at large.

means the unequal treatment of people based on some characteristic other than individual merit and achievement. The historic fact that women, racial minorities, and others have been excluded from full participation in society and the full benefits of our educational system has deprived these individuals of their rights and systematically suppressed their talents.

Affirmative action seeks to address these historic facts by expanding the range of talent available in our society and by increasing the diversity of the people and programs that our university serves. The long-term goal of affirmative action is to redress the inequities resulting from past and present discriminatory practices as a means of facilitating the attainment of equal opportunity for everyone.

The vision of a university community that recognizes, values, and effectively manages differences can be achieved by embracing and moving beyond affirmative action to affirming the diversity among us as a people. To truly serve and fulfill our mission, we can accept no less.