Letter to the editor

Racial diversity not academically relevant

Black Graduate Student Union president Therí Alyce
Pickens’ Letter to the Editor (“Lack of diversity lets
down students,” Viewpoint, July 3) claims that because of
declining black student enrollment at UCLA, black
“perspectives are not only lacking but in some cases missing
altogether.”

Just what exactly is this unique perspective of which Pickens
speaks?

Is it a characteristic that every single black person possesses
but no single white or Asian person possesses?

Is it coming from poverty?

Hardly.

Is it a K-12 experience plagued by poor educational access?

Try again.

Is it being a racial minority?

Definitely not that.

Is it even having black skin?

Sri Lankans and “black” women such as Halle Berry
defy this generalization.

What is it then?

Pickens declines to elaborate specifically because the argument
falls apart on closer inspection.

In truth, these perpetually aggrieved student, faculty and
administration figures cannot name any important, unique black-only
characteristic.

I suppose they are talking about a set of physiognomic
attributes that hardly qualifies as a vital contribution to the
campus’ academic environment.

Blacks do not exclusively possess any single characteristic of
academic value.

This reason is why it is clear that this particular
justification for admission preferences is a complete sham.

UCLA should continue picking the incoming freshman class on the
grounds it already does: merit and achievement.

Andrew Jones 2003 UCLA alumnus, former Viewpoint
columnist and president of the Bruin Alumni
Association