Race should be considered in admits

People elect to come to UCLA to get a good education, and a good
education combines academic excellence with a worldly environment
outside of class.

So what happens when UCLA students are denied one of those two
ingredients?

University administrators should ask themselves that very
question in light of admissions numbers released by the University
of California on Wednesday.

Based on the numbers, UCLA seems to have things down pat
academically. Those admitted to this campus had an average GPA of
4.27 (up from 4.25 a year ago) and SAT scores of 2009 out of
2400.

But if having a worldly environment outside of the classroom is
dependant on a diverse student body, then future generations of
Bruins will be in trouble. While Asians and whites vied for the
title of most-admitted ethnic group, two groups of underrepresented
minorities ““ Chicanos/Latinos and African Americans ““
saw their admit numbers drop from those of last year.

UCLA admitted 37 fewer African Americans and 57 fewer
Chicanos/Latinos this year than in 2005. Those numbers might seem
marginal, but consider this: Only 210 African Americans and 1,339
Chicanos/Latinos were admitted to UCLA for next year. That’s
about 2 and 13 percent of the admissions class, respectively.

UCLA admitted the second-lowest number of underrepresented
minorities, ahead only of UC San Diego. Considering UCLA’s
namesake city is one of the most diverse in the country and that
blacks and Chicanos/Latinos make up much more than a combined 15
percent of Los Angeles’ population, those admissions numbers
are pathetic ““ and worrisome.

The problem isn’t that underrepresented minorities
aren’t applying. On the contrary, 1,204 more applied to UCLA
this year than last year. The problem is that the admissions system
is not letting them in.

There are dozens of potential solutions to this quandary. The
best one is also the toughest to accomplish: Build up funding and
support to urban schools that serve mostly underrepresented
communities and make sure those students have all the resources
they need to successfully apply to college. But changes on that
level would take years, and likely get gridlocked in a confluence
of competing interests.

People looking for a quick fix to declining minority admissions
would probably point to racial preference as the way to go. But
that’s dangerous, because to admit people based solely on the
color of their skin would ignore the rigorous academic standards
the UC has in place to make sure its students can succeed in the
classroom. Racial preference might make the numbers look good, but
it won’t help the UC in the long run.

A good compromise would then be to allow admissions officers to
consider an applicant’s race, along with the other factors
they normally weigh in the process of comprehensive review.
It’s fair because to ignore race entirely ““ as UC
officials must currently do by state law ““ is blind to
reality. Given that race shapes so much of who we are, it of course
contributes to a student’s educational experience, and it
should be given due consideration.

College admissions should be a means to an end. At UCLA, that
end should be to provide students with a good education, and UC
officials should use admissions to make sure students get in who
are academically sound and will bring new perspectives and
backgrounds to the table. Currently, the university is hamstrung
when it comes to the latter, and until something changes,
don’t expect UCLA’s numbers to improve.