Minority Hiring

As a student involved in the UC San Diego’s teacher education program, I’d like to respond to Robert Anderson’s letter (Aug. 2) concerning an article on minority hiring (July 27). Anderson seems convinced that the hiring practices at Mira Mesa High School and its district are “an abomination of fairness” and discriminatory against whites. What he failed to notice about the original article was that Principal Vlassis’ school has a disproportionately low number of nonwhite faculty and staff, and that all of Vlassis’ identified potential candidates for the four open positions at his school were white.

If Vlassis had been fair when he hired previous staff he would not have had affirmative action regulations forced on him. He has always had the opportunity to hire ethnically diverse teachers, but generally he chose not to do so. Now those decisions are coming back to haunt him. These regulations are generally seen merely as guidelines and they would not have been enforced in Mira Mesa if it had not been for Vlassis’ disregard for hiring nonwhite staff. What might appear to be discrimination against whites to some is, in reality a preventive measure to stop discrimination against nonwhites.

In communities as diverse as San Diego it is the principal’s duty to insure that a school’s staff is a reflection of its student population. It is incredibly important for students to see nonwhites in positions of authority and respect. Such teachers and administrators can become desperately needed role models for nonwhite students, as well as for the whole student community. Everyone has an equal right to succeed in America. Affirmative action regulations serve as a reminder of this when employers go astray.

SUZANNE MORGAN, La Jolla