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Senate examines preferences in UC system

By Daily Bruin Staff

April 22, 1996 9:00 p.m.

Tuesday, April 23, 1996

UC officials argue problem is blown out of proportionBy Michael
Howerton

Daily Bruin Staff

During a senatorial investigation at the State Capitol
yesterday, University of California officials continued to deny
reports that admissions have been granted to applicants based on
their influential connections.

Sen. Tom Hayden, chair of the Senate Select Committee on Higher
Education, called the hearing, vowing to put an end to the
admissions favoritism for the well-connected.

"Records show that donors, elected officials, regents and other
influential people have made hundreds of requests for admissions on
behalf of their children or friends," Hayden said in a statement
calling the meeting. "We need to investigate how the back-channel
works and what reforms are necessary to ensure that every one has
equal access to an education at UC."

Monday’s hearing in Sacramento was mainly intended to
investigate the special requests made by legislators to the UC’s
Capitol lobbyist as well as the practice of admission favoritism at
UC Berkeley. However, the UC system-wide practice of favoritism
that has come to light in recent weeks was also a focus of the
committee’s hearing.

A student testified in front of the committee that he had been
rejected from UCLA although he had better scores than others who
were admitted with the influence of influential regents. The
student expressed his disappointment to the senators that his hard
work was lost in the system of favoritism at UC.

Hayden also heard testimony from UCLA officials on Friday in a
special forum at the Morgan Center to investigate favoritism as it
occurs specifically at the Los Angeles campus.

UCLA officials told the senators on Friday that the problem was
miniscule and defended their practice of giving special attention,
if not admissions, to influential individuals for purposes of
"institutional importance."

Monday in Sacramento, UC Berkeley officials echoed those
sentiments. However, there was a difference between the testimony
of the campuses, said Stephanie Rubin, consultant to the Committee
on Higher Education.

"UCLA refused to call it a process, they said it was just a few
inquires," Rubin said. "But Berkeley said that it was (a process),
that they gave special preferences."

UCLA Chancellor Charles Young testified before the senators
that, although the university admits that preferential treatment
had been given to a few prominent individuals in the past, the
university has never directly exchanged admissions for gifts or
favors.

Moreover, Young testified that the "miniscule" number of times
powerful donors, legislators and regents have been granted
preferences in the past has been blown out of proportion by the
media.

"This matter has received far greater attention than it
warrants," Young wrote to UC Provost Judson King last week, as King
was conducting an internal investigation on the matter of
favoritism for the University Office of the President (UOP).

"This activity is of such limited scope that it poses no threat
to the integrity of our admissions possess," Young continued. "We
are, however, sensitive to perceptions and are eager to participate
in the UC review."

University officials repeatedly told the senators that this
issue of favoritism was an issue concerning such small numbers that
it didn’t constitute a problem in the admissions process or pose a
threat to the integrity of the university.

Hayden questioned why an internal review was conducted if there
was no problem.

Another issue that arose from Hayden’s forum at UCLA last
Friday, was hostility from certain UC officials towards Hayden’s
efforts to investigate the university.

The issue was a matter to be handled internally, Alumni Regent
Judy Levin told Hayden and his committee.

"I resent your intrusion into this," Levin told the senators. "I
see it as intrusion on something that is an UOP and regent
area."

This resentment surfaced again at Monday’s hearing, with UC
officials asking the senators to allow the Board of Regents a
chance to correct the intrusion of favoritism on the admissions
process, rather than imposing legislation on the university.

A compromise was offered at the hearing to allow the legislators
to draft their policy regulating the influence from legislators,
while the regents draw up a policy to limit the influence of their
members.

The compromise was cautiously accepted as a good idea and
efforts might be made to develop such policies, Rubin said. However
no dates have been set.

JUSTIN WARREN/Daily Bruin

State Sen. Tom Hayden

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