A draft proposal to evaluate the effectiveness of affirmative action within the Arizona colleges and universities is being reviewed by the UA this week.

The affirmative action self-study was approved by the Arizona Board of Regents last December, in lieu of the University of California decision to forgo affirmative action policies in admissions and hiring.

Arizona State University developed the proposal and submitted it to the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University for their evaluation.

The regents need consistency when evaluating the effectiveness of affirmative action. The format for the three universities has to be similar so the evaluation can be uniform, said Janie Nunez, associate vice president of the Affirmative Action Office.

The purpose of the study is to determine whether affirmative action activities are consistent with federal government guidelines.

"Essentially the plan looks good," said Saundra Taylor, vice president of student affairs, who will coordinate the self-study. "The format is workable and we will proceed to use that plan."

According to the decision approved by the regents, the self-study will review each program or activity that falls within the affirmative action characterization. This includes evaluating the diversity of admissions, student financial aid, student services and academic support, employment and procurement.

Among the many projects, the Department of Decision and Planning Support would like to review how successful affirmative action is in retaining students regarding the completion of their education, said John Wilson, director of Decision and Planning Support.

"There is a lot of data here. If we were given enough time to analyze it, it could prove to be very useful," he said.

Taylor said Eddie Basha, regent president, would like to frame the report around the differences between minorities and non-minorities.

This would include a catalog of programs across the campus that try to ensure the success of minority students as well as other student-related programs, Taylor said.

The self-study will attempt to answer Regent John Munger's question of why certain programs are exclusive, Taylor said.

Certain programs are designed to reach students who would not normally be helped.

Such is the case at Graham-Greenlee Residence Hall, where a special wing was set aside for 27 Native American students, Taylor said, adding that Native Americans have the largest dropout rate among minority groups. This program helps support the students and cushion the transition from home to college in their first year at the university, Taylor said.

The self-study report is scheduled to be completed by August and submitted to the regents for evaluations.