Group pushes for Latino chancellor at UC Riverside

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By Robert Salonga
Daily Bruin Staff

The push for a Latino chancellor continued Wednesday when the
National Alliance for Human Rights met in Riverside to discuss
strategies and contingency plans based on decisions that will be
made in the UC Office of the President in the coming days.

The committee charged with advising UC President Richard
Atkinson on his recommendation ““ which needs approval by the
Board of Regents ““ meets today to narrow down the field of
candidates from its current pool of eight.

According to UC Riverside ethnic studies chair Armando Navarro,
who led Wednesday’s meeting, three of the eight candidates
are Latino.

UC spokesman Michael Reese would not confirm either the
narrowing or ethnic makeup of the remaining candidates. He asserted
that the university’s hands are tied by Proposition 209, the
1996 voter-approved ballot initiative that banned the use of
affirmative action in agencies that receive state funds.

“We did not impose Proposition 209, the voters did,”
Reese said. “Those who are demanding the president take into
account solely race and ethnicity do not understand the legal
constraints that we work under.”

But attendants at the Riverside meeting said choosing a
chancellor candidate based only on race is not their goal.

“We can’t just endorse on ethnicity. It has to be
based on qualifications,” said Mary Ann Gonzales, a research
associate at the campus’ Center for Social and Behavioral
Science.

Assuming the field will be narrowed to three today, Navarro and
other community members worked on plans in the event that one, two
or none of the finalists are Latino.

All members present Wednesday agreed that once they find out the
names of the finalists, they should conduct extensive background
research on them. If NAHR publicly supports a Latino candidate and
he or she is not chosen, it could mean the “kiss of
death” for the group politically, Navarro cautioned.

Regardless of whether a Latino chancellor is appointed, Navarro
wants to change the selection process, which he claims includes
little input from the UCR community aside from a select few faculty
members and students who sit on the advisory committee.

“Most universities bring candidates in for access to
students and the campus, since this is a major investment in the
school,” Navarro said.

But it is not common practice to have chancellor candidates
visit the relevant campus, Reese said.

“There are outside-of-UC candidates that don’t want
their current employers to know they’re looking for another
job,” he said.

The only Latino chancellor in the UC was Tómas Rivera, who
served Riverside from 1979-83.

In addition to the push for the chancellor post, NAHR is
lobbying for the appointment of Dr. Manuela Sosa, a Riverside
dentist and active UCR alumnus, to the Board of Regents. Gov. Gray
Davis, the official president of the board, makes the appointments,
and the state Senate approves them.

Sosa is conducting a letter-writing campaign to the
governor’s office ““ a unique action because most regent
appointees do not actively lobby for the position. She has also
received the recommendation of Congressman Joe Baca, D-Rialto, a
member of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus.

There is one more spot open on the 26-member board ““
consisting of 18 appointees, seven statewide officials who serve in
ex officio capacity and one student regent. Recent Davis
appointments include entertainment mogul Haim Saban ““ best
known for producing the children’s television program
“Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers” ““ and UC
Berkeley alumnus Richard Blum, husband of Sen. Dianne
Feinstein.

Davis has come under fire for his recent appointments, as Blum
and Saban have made sizeable political contributions to him. On
March 21, Saban donated $7 million to the Democratic National
Party, one of the largest single contributions ever made to a
political party.

The governor’s office denies that regents’ political
contributions had anything to do with their appointments.

“It’s not true. The governor appoints regents based
on their qualifications for the job and their ties to
education,” said Hilary McLean, a spokeswoman for Davis.

Two of Davis’ appointments this year, Saban and radio
network leader Norman Pattiz, do not hold college degrees.

With reports from Christina Jenkins, Daily Bruin
Contributor.