Hanay Geiogamah, Darnell Hunt, Don Nakanishi and Chon
Noriega Today, public education in California is facing
one of its biggest challenges as the state government considers
severe budget cuts in order to cover a $34.6 billion deficit. These
cuts come as student enrollment is increasing, thereby putting more
pressure on the educational system and creating a climate that is
even more hostile to an equitable sharing of resources. Indeed,
budget cuts come as California becomes increasingly diverse,
particularly among the student-age population. Racial minority
groups now make up 53 percent of the general population, but they
account for a much larger percentage of youth and young adults.
Latinos alone account for nearly 50 percent of children now
entering the California school system (and 61 percent in Los
Angeles). Minority groups combined constitute 64 percent of
college-age adults. But if one looks at the University of
California ““ the state’s flagship institution for
higher education and research ““ minority access drops nearly
ten percent for undergraduates (53.6 percent enrollment) and nearly
thirty percent for graduate students (37 percent enrollment). For
faculty, the disparities are even more dramatic, with minority
groups comprising just 19.1 percent of tenure-track faculty, less
than half their representation within the California workforce.
These numbers present clear and unequivocal signs that our public
universities have failed to serve, let alone reflect, the entire
state population. Now that the going has gotten tough, the programs
that addressed this failure look to be the first to be sacrificed:
outreach programs, ethnic studies research and teaching, and
diversity initiatives. Of course, with a few notable exceptions,
public officials support racial diversity and integration across
our social institutions. But, as President George W. Bush recently
declared with respect to affirmative action in higher education,
such diversity must be sought through non-racial means. Seeking
diversity through non-racial means is like seeking wealth through
non-financial means, health through non-medical means and knowledge
through non-educational means. We’re being asked to pursue a
fundamental social value without a real commitment of public
resources ““ that is, without a real chance of succeeding.
Higher education has been the focus of the debates over racial
diversity because college represents the gateway to the best our
society has to offer, be it quality of life, professional standing,
or the ability to influence and shape our society. Ideally, this
gateway should be open to everyone, provided they do their
homework. But we know that is not true. There is already a thumb on
the scale. Students from well-funded high schools with an array of
advance placement courses not found in low-income, minority schools
can actually have extra points added to their grade point averages.
At some colleges, children of alumni and donors are given special
consideration beyond their academic merits. These and other
policies regularly undermine racial diversity and social equity,
but few complain. By the end of the decade, UC enrollments will
increase by as much as 60,000 new students. This increase will
require up to 3,000 new faculty positions over the same time
period. Here is a silver lining in the state budget crisis. While
$370 million will be cut from the UC’s budget next year,
another $117 million will be added to hire new faculty. But will
the racial minority groups that make up the largest part of the
state population benefit from this growth, or will the disparities
result in an educational apartheid? With thoughtful allocation of
new faculty positions, the UC can actually increase its ability to
serve the entire state population. What we need is a critical mass
of faculty whose research and teaching advances the understanding
of the state’s diversity. Then the UC will be able to provide
an intellectual environment that attracts, nurtures, and prepares
all students for the new century. In 2001, UC President Richard C.
Atkinson aptly described this issue: “Continued academic
excellence will require increased attention to issues such as
multiculturalism, economic opportunity and educational equity to
ensure that they are reflected strongly in the University’s
teaching, curriculum and research.” In the end California
will be judged not by its ideals about education and diversity, but
by the way it allocates resources to make them a reality for all
groups.

Geiogamah is a professor and director of the American Indian
Studies Center, Hunt is a professor and director of the Ralph J.
Bunche Center for African American Studies, Nakanishi is a
professor and director of the Asian American Studies Center, and
Noriega is a professor and director of the Chicano Studies Research
Center.