Protest chalks up discussion of Prop. 209

Thursday, October 8, 1998

Protest chalks up discussion of Prop. 209

USAC: Day of Silence encourages awareness of affirmative
action’s effects

By Barbara Ortutay

Daily Bruin Staff

Cardboard tombstones and chalkboards peppered campus Wednesday
with statements about affirmative action and how it affects
everyday student life.

The signs were posted by the Undergraduate Students Association
Council (USAC), as part of their Day of Silence and Miseducation
Tour.

Affirmative action programs, which consider race, ethnicity and
gender as a criteria for admissions, were dismantled by Proposition
209 and by the UC Board of Regents’ measures SP-1 and SP-2
measures.

As a result, the number of minority students admitted to UCLA in
fall 1999 has dropped.

"A lot of it is stuff I wasn’t aware of," said Salar Rizvi, a
third-year business economics student.

Participants in the tour walked around campus in silence with
surgical masks covering their mouths, stopping only to read the
information posted on cardboard tombstones and blackboards.

"Myths" about affirmative action were written on tombstones, and
the chalkboards represented various "facts" that s appeared to
dispel the myths.

While the number of students actively participating in the event
was less than 20, organizers said it was important to raise
awareness about the issues by having the signs posted.

"We want students to think critically and make their own
conclusions," said USAC general representative Mike de la
Rocha.

"We are not trying to make people believe us, but rather to make
their own conclusions," he said.

While some passers-by were receptive to the posted information,
others didn’t see it as anything new.

"I just assume they were someone’s perception; they have theirs
and I have mine," said Tara McKenzie, a third-year business
economics student.

The event drew connections between affirmative action and
prisons, jobs and education. According to one sign, 20 prisons, one
state college and no UC campuses have been built in the state of
California since 1984.

"We have various ways to educate people; one is to create
dialogue," said USAC academic affairs commissioner Zuhairah
Scott.

"Even people who are not here and just see the signs start
thinking about it," she said.

Some participants believed that the tour gave them access to
information that they wouldn’t ordinarily receive inside a
classroom.

"There are a lot of things you can’t just learn in textbooks,
especially social problems," said Cecilia Leung, a fifth-year Asian
American studies and history student.

"It’s not just about race, all these things affect everyone. I’m
here because it’s good education for everyone," said Leung.

Many of the participants of the event were members of the
Concerned Asian Pacific Islander Students for Action (CAPSA).

"We wanted to make sure that there is an Asian presence and to
show solidarity," said Ray Ribaya, a fourth-year American
literature student.

"We also want to show the diversity of the Asian American
population at UCLA," he said.

The event was part of USAC’s second annual Welcome Week. Earlier
in the week, many school and community organizations were invited
to set up tables in Westwood Plaza.

The Day of Silence ended at 8 p.m., with a spoken word
performance and poetry reading in the Viewpoint Lounge.

According to Scott, the Day of Silence was part of USAC’s
affirmative action campaign, which seeks to create discussion about
issues rather than just hold protests and rallies.

BAHMAN FARAHDEL/Daily Bruin

P.J. Gagajena, USAC internal vice president, leads the silent
march up toward Royce quad.

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