irmative action was included in private hiring practices and college admissions programs throughout the country. 2This ideal called affirmative action has now come to mean reverse discrimination when one race or gender is shown preferential treatment in admissions or hiring. In state colleges such as Florida State University and the University of Florida, some minority students are admitted solely on the basis of color, excluding qualified white applicants, to diversify the make-up of the student body. With the enactment of FLORIDA ONE diversification will be based on "race-neutral socioeconomic factors...[without regards] to race or ethnicity", as well as "factors such as income level, geography, special talents and whether an applicant is a first generation college student" (Equity in Education). Included in Governor Bush's plan is the Talented 20 program. This program will guarantee admissions to any Florida state school to the top 20% of all seniors graduating public high school in the state regardless of SAT or ACT scores. Bush believes that "as a result of the Talented 20 program, approximately 1,200 additional minority high school students will be given the opportunity to attend a state university" (ONE FLORIDA Myths). However, the Talented 20 does not guarantee admissions into the university of choice. It also does not replace the current admissions process. The Talented 20 is in addition to the regular admissions process. The Governor proposes "additional funding to accommodate this additional students" (ONE FLORIDA Myths). ONE FLORIDA is also designed to help all facets of education in Florida by asking the Legislature to increase funding for need-based aid by $20 million. We will seek $1.6 million to ensure all 10th grade children take the Preliminary Scholastic Achievement Test, $2.4 million to expand Florida's On-Line High School to target students in D and F schools, $10 million for the Governor's Mentoring ...
