UCLA not prioritizing racial diversity

UCLA has been at the center of much criticism regarding African
American student applicants and admissions policies and
decisions.

Of the 4,852 freshmen expected to enroll at UCLA in fall 2006,
only 96 ““ or approximately 2 percent ““ will be African
American.

This data is alarming and reflective of an institution that
doesn’t foster and embrace diversity.

I find this problematic as an African American and alumnus who
challenged Proposition 209, which does not allow for considering
race and gender in admissions.

In my opinion Proposition 209 has been the largest factor in the
decline of African American student admissions, but the University
of California’s Academic Senate recently raised the minimum
GPA required for admittance from 2.8 to 3.0.

This change could contribute to the declining numbers of African
American students because it places a group already
underrepresented in the UC system at a further disadvantage,
discouraging African American students from applying and decreasing
the applicant pool.

Comprehensive review is supposed to consider criteria beyond GPA
and test scores, such as socioeconomic situation. UC Berkeley, UCLA
and UC San Diego have not been proactive in complying with the
UC’s Eligibility in the Local Context Program, which provides
the top 4 percent of California high school applicants from
participating high schools a spot at one of the UC campuses.

Under the ELC Program at the top three UCs it seems students are
not guaranteed admission. One can infer that African American
applicants in the top 4 percent of their classes are guaranteed
enrollment into other UCs, but not in UCLA’s entering
class.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, UCLA sociologist
Darnell Hunt suggested that the issue concerning the low number of
African American students admits stems largely from socioeconomic
disadvantages and not merit. UCLA claims to use a multidimensional
approach to assess applicants, but the fact that other schools
admitted more African American students makes it seem that UCLA
still focuses on numbers.

Hunt said, “Most of the black students who don’t get
in go to other top-notch schools ““ Harvard, Duke, Michigan.
We’re losing students who could be here.”

UCLA is enrolling more African American transfer students from
community colleges. This solution indicates that the Academic
Senate and admissions committee believe that high school African
American students do not have what it takes to be admitted into
UCLA as freshmen.

One has to question this dismal reality. African Americans are
indirectly being told they do not belong at a public institution
such as UCLA. A pattern of marginalization emerges in noting that
non-African-American students are both applying and being admitted
at much higher rates than their African American counterparts.

While it is admirable that Chancellor Carnesale has declared the
low number of African American student admits to be a
“crisis,” he must be held accountable for this
disturbing reality. We live in a diverse state, and it is a shame
that elite private institutions are admitting larger numbers of
students of color.

It is my belief that education is a right and not a privilege.
Carnesale and the Academic Senate must find a solution to this
“crisis” because their current interventions are merely
smokescreens riddled with rhetoric that degrades African American
applicants and embraces others from privileged backgrounds.

Carnesale and the Academic Senate are responsible for the
overall makeup of the campus. If UCLA is committed to diversity,
then the school must do something about it. It appears that the
institution is playing a political game in which rhetoric and
privilege hold greater merit than academic potential.

Johnson is an administrator in the Compton Unified School
District and an incoming student in the Graduate School of
Education & Information Studies Urban Schooling. He was the
1997-1998 Bruin sports editor.