Wednesday MSU forum to focus on views of affirmative action

Contact: Maridith Geuder

A public forum Wednesday [Feb. 19] at Mississippi State will examine the concept of affirmative action and issues that surround it.

Coordinated by the university's Division of Student Affairs, the 7 p.m. program in Colvard Union ballroom is the second in a continuing series of forums designed to foster discussion of current social and political issues, said Linda M. Cox, the division's programming chairperson.

Cox, who also directs the campus Counseling Center, said the forum's theme will be "Affirmative Action: Past, Present and Future."

Panelists will include Donald V. Adderton, editor and columnist of the Delta Democrat Times of Greenville and MSU political science professor Mfanya D. Tryman, who teaches courses in civil rights and affirmative action. Carson C. Cook, MSU's new director of diversity and equity programs, will moderate.

"We're fortunate to have an excellent lineup of speakers who hold strongly differing viewpoints on the issue," Cox said. "Audience members are encouraged to bring questions to the floor or to offer comments."

The fall semester forum topic--whether the United States should go to war with Iraq--generated considerable campus debate, Cox added.

For more information on the program, telephone Cox at (662) 325-2091.