New group questions UC admissions policy

The Concerned Asian Pacific Islander Students for Action held
their first town hall meeting Thursday to present background and
commentary on their new campaign to affect change within the
University of California admissions process.

Making reference to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education
decision ““ which ended segregation in public schools ““
third-year student and external communications coordinator for
CAPISA Tommy Tseng opened the meeting by saying the principle of
equality which the Brown decision championed “has yet to be
realized.”

“We really believe that our public institutions should
reflect the people of California and that everyone should have
access (to the UC). Education is a right, not a privilege,”
said Tseng, who is also a general representative in undergraduate
student government.

Specifically, Tseng noted the underrepresentation of African
American and low income students at UCLA, adding that this reality
is “not fair” and “needs to be
changed.”

The first panelist, fourth-year student Ursula-ann Siataga, said
this unfairness often stems from the “various barriers
affecting academics” in low-income, urban high schools, such
as delapidated facilities.

To address these issues, CAPISA’s campaign will focus on
increasing the threshold of the Eligibility in Local Context, the
UC admissions policy which mandates that the top four percent of
California high school students are eligible for admission.

Eric Barba, a third-year undergraduate representative to the
Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools, discussed the
impact of ELC since its implementation in 2000.

“Although we’re getting a different type of student
in terms of family income, there has been no increase in
underrepresented minorities (at UCLA),” said Barba.

Tseng said increasing the threshold for acceptance mandated by
ELC will be one step in CAPISA’s multi-tiered strategy of
changing university admissions policy.

Ultimately, Tseng said he hopes that the admissions process will
become totally inclusive so that every student who wants an
education will receive one.

The process leading up to this goal began with Thursday’s
initial meeting, and will gain momentum this week with “lobby
week,” a series of three training sessions preparing
organizers to lobby top university officials on this issue.

A second educational town hall meeting is planned for the
spring.

Tseng said he hopes that more UCLA students become impassioned
about this issue, as their ability to function as good citizens and
leaders in the future will depend heavily on their experience
working within diverse environments.

Tseng also said that what drives his interest in this issue and
CAPISA’s attention to it is the unfortunate lack of
inclusiveness and equality, which he said all UCLA students should
care about.

“The system is unfair and we need to change it and we need
to change it one step at a time. (Changing) ELC is one step,”
Tseng said.