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Editorial: Proposition 209 should be repealed

By Editorial Board

Sept. 28, 2014 12:00 a.m.

The original version of the headline accompanying this article contained an error and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for more information.

Last fall, there were 1,082 black undergraduate students at UCLA out of a total of 28,674 students. That’s less than 4 percent, and it’s not likely that this year’s numbers will be much different.

The small proportion of underrepresented students stems from the passage of Proposition 209, a 1996 state law that bans race-conscious admissions at California public universities. Immediately after the affirmative action ban, UCLA’s enrollment rates for students from underserved communities dropped by more than half.

As evidenced by immediate and dramatic changes in the numbers of African American, American Indian and Latino students on campus following its implementation, Proposition 209 has proved to be a serious hindrance to the diversity of our student body.

As a public university system, the benefits of our resources should be broad-based and widespread to promote the well-being of all Californians. This includes historically underrepresented students of color whose experiences have too often been shaped by obstacles such as underfunded schools, hypersegregation, racial isolation and implicit bias or discrimination.

Institutions and individuals alike should no longer overlook the social injustice that affects race and access to education. This board supports the practice of affirmative action in higher education and the repeal of Proposition 209.

In March, Senate Constitutional Amendment 5, a state measure that would have overturned part of Proposition 209 and allowed race to be considered in the admissions process at state universities, was removed from the November ballot by state legislators. They did this partly in response to some Asian and Pacific Islander American opponents who raised concerns that affirmative action would negatively impact their community’s college admissions outcomes.

We view access to higher education differently. Opponents of affirmative action perpetuate the myth that equal opportunity exists in higher education and that the most qualified students are the ones that get ahead.

But that level playing field is only a myth. Inherent unfair preferences and privileges along racial lines do exist, and we cannot fix the state of racial inequality by ignoring the problem of racism.

A report from the UC Office of the President shows that black and Latino students tend to come from lower-income families with less education. Students from these groups fall behind in academic preparation and meet the UC’s eligibility requirements at lower rates because they have less access to education resources.

These are students who are systematically shut out from the benefits of education and could otherwise succeed.

While the University employs outreach strategies to better reach historically underserved students, allowing for the consideration of race is the most effective solution to mitigating the barriers caused by pervasive racial inequality.

Singling out race as a factor to be excluded in the admissions process prevents the UC from diversifying its campus to accurately reflect the demographic of the country’s most diverse state. Most importantly, it perpetuates the inequity of educational access for students who come from certain communities.

The University has stated on several occasions that the UC needs to practice affirmative action in admissions to enroll a more diverse student body.

We stand with the University on this issue. It’s time for our state representatives and voters to do the same.

Correction: The University cannot repeal Proposition 209.

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