Law professor's letter spurs series of forums

A letter opposing the admissions process at the IU Law School written by an IU professor sparked a series of discussions concerning the practice of affirmative action, one of which occurred Tuesday night.\nLaw school student groups organized the series to express opposing viewpoints and to discuss future action regarding affirmative action in the law school admissions process. \nThe event was part of a series which began in response to an article in The Indianapolis Star titled "Bar lowered way too far for minorities at law school" which ran Dec. 27. Law professor Robert Heidt was invited to write the article by the Star as part of an editorial discussion on affirmative action.\nSeveral students at the forum said the letter spurred strong feelings of anger, sadness and pure shock. \nIn his letter, Heidt wrote, "Seeing the photographs and reading the record and personal statements of non-minority applicants whom we rejected in order to admit the far less qualified left me feeling as though I should wash."\nWhile Heidt said he made efforts to be heard by the faculty, he said he was ignored. \nStudents at the forum voiced their discontent with the method in which Heidt made his views public.\nLaw school students received an e-mail over winter break informing them of the article and the subsequent responses also published in the Star. \nThe three responses provided to students by Dean Lauren Robel were written by the dean and law professors Jeffrey Stake and Kevin Brown.\n"This accusation unfairly demeans the hundreds of successful and respected black judges and lawyers in Indiana, and around the world, who have earned their law degrees from IU," Brown said.\nProfessor Stake's response addressed some of the "regrettable misinterpretations" voiced by Heidt.\n"IU Law does not use racial quotas in its admissions process," he said. The school, he said, strives to create a diverse student body, and it also follows the standards set forth by the U.S. Supreme Court's Bakke decision, which said universities should factor race when considering students.\nThe forum was organized by several student groups within the law school. Terrance Tharpe, the president of the Black Law Student Association, served as a co-moderator for the forum.\nTharpe said the focus of the first event, last Wednesday, was to give everyone a background on what had occurred over break.\n"Tonight was to let students get their feelings out and to have conversation," he said. \nWhile Indiana has a history of racial tension, third-year student Aija Bryson said she felt comfortable at IU as an African-American. \n"This is a place were I never felt that (race would be an issue)," Bryson said. But the article by Heidt was "like a slap in the face."\nBrandy Jones, a third-year student and vice president of the Black Law Student Association said using minority and socioeconomic factors in the admissions process can open doors.\n"It would be great if we didn't need a program like affirmative action," Jones said. "The problem is we do need them because there are people in positions of power who can exclude."\nThe administration has not taken action against Heidt, but some who attended the forum voiced concerns about having him as a professor. Currently first-year students are not given a choice as to who their tort law professor will be. But Tharpe said the faculty could pass a bill giving students the option of petitioning out of a particular professor's course.\nAnother discussion within the series will be held at noon Monday in the law school's Moot Court Room.