Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE GAMECOCK NeWS February 4, 1985 - Page 3 TS.C. women, blacl By Associated Press South Carolina has made some positive gains in affirmative action in the nast vear. but white males still hold the top jobs in state agcncies while blacks and women are bunched at the bottom of the pay ladder, according to the state Human Affairs Commission. The analysis is included in "Hitting the Target; Missing the Mark," a report on the state agencies' affirmative actinn nlnn?; The rcnnrl wa< nlarpH r*n flip of members I of the General Assembly Friday. 4} Overall, white females continue to be the group benefiting most from affirmative action while blacks made slight gains in the majority of state government pay levels, the report said. THE COMMISSION said the racial and sexual makeup of the state government workforce changed little in the past fiscal year. But the percentage of white males in the workforce declined slightly, and minority representation rose. "I'm pretty upbeat about this report," state Human Af fairs Commissioner Jim Ciyburn said. "The state is not doing as well as it should be, but it's doing better than it has % I been." The most significant change occurred among white women in the 10 pay grades with salaries ranging from $26,146 to $52,745, where their number increased 79 percent over the 1982-83 fiscal year. Their proportional representation aiso rose irom /./ percent 10 ii.i pcrccni. "That's just astronomical," Clyburn said. WHILE THER^t were only two, Clyburn said he was stil pleased that black women were represented in the highestpaying categories, $38,701 to $75,072, for the first time. Those top job categories also represent the only area ? YOU Ml All news reports Wednesday in rooi C^^Pirst 0 5gC This is 555 Cinematic Arts 'A Ideas and Issu ;.g Ti < % s J~0* uMOHuanaaaHB VISUAL ARTS ;!y in the Russell House H Something w Lun Mon., Feb. 11 / l\ !;j! Breakfj Moi >fij SIGN UP ALL THIS W ..^ # y&Qww fVwWvw^VBWwVW* I I <s still earn less where white males increased their proportional representation, up 1.6 percent to 64.4 percent in fiscal year 1984. "The overriding problem is, and has been, the disparatcly low employment levels for blacks and women in meaningful positions compared to white males," the report said. "Once all legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons for the disparities have been exhausted, the remaining disparities must ne aiiriDuiea 10 rate anu sex uiscnmiumiuu. HUT AN AGENCY'S failure to meet an affirmative action goal "may not have any current racial intent," Clyburn said. "The system has built into it some practices" that can perpetuate past discrimination, he added. Some standardized testing falls into that category, Clyburn said. And white males have such a large share of top state jobs that they are in a good position to help friends get a foot in the door when a vacancy occurs, he said. ADHERING TO affirmative action, he said, "doesn't mean you're hiring unqualified black people. You're taking away the built-in advantage of white men." Die e*A r\n QffirmiMt/A ir?rir\n nlanc ci i hni i f f aH ku agency, the commission each year reports to the General Assembly on agencies' progress toward goals for hiring more women and blacks. Because of what the commission considers their fair hiring practices, five agencies ? Beaufort and Williamsburg technical colleges, the Children's Bureau, the Consumer Affairs Department and the State Board of Nursing ? are exempt from having to file a plan. Singling out the state Department of Corrections for praise, Clyburn said lie thinks that agency stands a good chance of being exempt next year. LJST BE HER rs for The Gamecock must attend a m 321 Russell House. It might ever 3S8SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS CV/CDVAMC IO IM\/IT l.y l.i u vnu iu iimvii Dlina Prograi pen House/Gei of the semester the chance to sign-up for the Hontfimnnrarv Sounds nulti es Publicity and Public Relc ravel and Tour Video Tape TOMORROW - 8 p.m. IN TH is sponsoring a Jewelry Sale JjDbbyO I to write he ich with Madame Jihr. /Ion. Feb. 18, 12:30 p.m., Ca ist with Dr. James B. n., Feb. 11, 7:30 a.m. Room 'EEK IN THE CPU OFFICE ( HURRY ? SPACE LIMIT USC to hold conference on freshman experience From Staff Reports i-orty percent 01 me ircsnmcn wno entered tne nation s colleges and universities last fall will never graduate. Caught in an ever-increasing financial bind, colleges arc designing programs to help freshmen adjust to college to retain more students and make their experiences more productive. More than 500 representatives of colleges and universities from all regions of the United States and from Canada and Britian will meet at USC Feb. 17-20 to discuss the freshman experience. Conferees will hear presentations from more than 50 institutions, including Boston College, St. John's University and the University of Southern California as well as the Universities of California, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Arkansas and New Mexico. Arizona State and Iowa State universities and the University of Maine also will be represented on the program, as will Bri tain s Newcastle Polytechnic and Canada s University of Prince Edward Island. "Retaining and Educating Freshmen in the Information Age" is the theme of the fourth annual conference, the only one in the country devoted to exploring innovative ways to enhance the freshman experiecne. Conference host John Gardner says colleges need to deliberately market a good freshman experience. "Once freshmen have been recruited and have entered college," he said, "colleges must make them feel significant. We can retain these students only by recognizing their need for social, emotional and spiritual, as well as academic, development." Gardner, associate vice president for continuing education at USC, directs the freshman experience course known as University 101, along with journalism professor Jerome li>wi>|pr E! meeting et 6 p.m. i be fun! "ED TO: M ITniAn^^ 11 V1111911 9 ieral Union Meeting^ jy*m ?se committees: SKI jral Series Free University VVJ itions Special Programs KHj Visual Arts Jdc E SPUR jg. today & tomorrow IjSl Ice^oi^alentine^^Dayl^j! jj jj ime about... | ?. Sadat fx pstone Campus Room JjC" Holderman !? 327 RH 3;I5 2nd Floor RHUU) ? FREE #8 ed UNA B^ROGRAM l|N,ON?-.