Law school says lack of diversity affects classes

RACIAL DIVERSITY AT UCLA SCHOOL OF LAW The
number of African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans at the
UCLA School of Law remains low following Proposition 209. SOURCE:
UCLA School of Law Original graphic by JOAN ONG/Daily Bruin Senior
Staff Web adaptation by STEPHEN WONG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff

By Arj Arjunan
Daily Bruin Contributor

Though enrollment numbers of underrepresented students at the
UCLA School of Law has increased over the last three years, they
are still lower than numbers prior to the elimination of
affirmative action.

According to the law school, African Americans, Latinos and
Native Americans make up 3.3, 8.6 and less than 1 percent,
respectively, of the school this fall. An additional 15.5 percent
of the students declined to state their ethnicity.

Anthony Solana, a second-year Latino law student, decided to
attend UCLA because he felt the fight for equal opportunity would
be waged here. But he said the lack of diversity has disappointed
him.

“It’s a tragedy that a public university
doesn’t have the diversity of backgrounds to learn the
complexity of the law,” he said. “The lack of diversity
cheats minority students and the society at large.”

Jonathan D. Varat, dean of the UCLA School of Law, said he and
his colleagues recognize that the classroom experience has changed
after Proposition 209, the 1996 state measure that banned
affirmative action.

In fall 1993, when affirmative action was still in place, 9.3
percent of law students were African Americans, 10.3 percent were
Latinos and 1.4 percent were Native Americans.

Varat expressed regret that a public university cannot fulfill
its obligations by representing California’s diversity.

“It’s unfortunate that when racial profiling is
discussed, we don’t have African Americans in the
class,” he said.

Angela Mooney-D’Arcy, a second-year Native American law
student, said important issues facing underrepresented communities
that pertain to the law are not taken seriously in class because
few minority students are present to influence discussion.

“In my property law course, the first case in the book
involved indigenous property rights, but it was not covered on the
final,” she said. “The logical conclusion is that
indigenous property rights are not perceived as
legitimate.”

Rasheda Kilpatrick, a second-year African American law student,
said the administration realizes that the lack of diversity hurts
legal education, but it has not done enough to address the
situation.

“They have taken half measures to improve minority
recruitment, but people aren’t applying,” she said.

Varat said that besides looking at an individual’s GPA and
LSAT score, the admissions office puts a significant emphasis on
socioeconomic factors.

But some students, like Solana, feel the admissions office still
places too much emphasis on scores, thereby eliminating promising
minority applicants from the eligibility pool.

“There’s an overemphasis on numbers that excludes
people,” Solana said. “Whether the criteria they use
predicts law school success is questionable.”

He said the climate at the school after Proposition 209 has
caused a drop in the number African Americans, Latinos and Native
Americans who accept admission or even apply.

Minority students understand the challenges they will face as
one of few students representing their community, so some choose to
enroll elsewhere, according to some students.

Even after Proposition 209 was enacted, the perception that
underrepresented students admitted to the law school were granted
racial preferences remains, Solana said, and as a result, has
influenced the way students interact.

Solana said many at the school assume it is common practice for
minority students to enroll in an optional study skills course the
school offers to first-year students struggling with academic
difficulty.

“We’re not expected to excel,” he said.
“It’s detrimental to hear those comments.”

In that environment, attending law school without a large social
support from those who share a similar experience often drives
potential applicants to other schools with larger numbers of
minority students.

Kilpatrick, co-chair of the Black Law Student’s
Association, said the environment at the law school has changed her
sense of duty toward her community.

“I feel a heightened sense of responsibility to make sure
people aren’t in this situation,” she said.

Annette Almazon, a third-year Pilipino American law student,
said her experience at UCLA reinforced her commitment to focus on
public interest work when she graduates.

As last year’s co-chair for the Asian Pacific Islander Law
Students Association, Almazon said she would not have assumed a
leadership role if more Pilipinos were enrolled at the school.

“For people involved in ethnic student groups, it’s
harder to focus on academics,” she said. “I feel an
obligation, but I didn’t pay to be an activist.”