Posted 4:16:00 PM by petit bourgeois (link)

PUBLIC ENEMY N0. 4: MECHISTA CRUZ BUSTAMANTE

THE DUMBING -DOWN OF THE UC

*** CA Assembly Passes Measure Addressing Drop in Minority Rates at UC Graduate & Professional Schools ***

Sacramento - A measure that addresses the significant decline of minorities in the University of California graduate and professional
schools passed the State Assembly on May 20th, and will now head to the State Senate.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 178, introduced by Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante and Assemblymembers Manny Diaz (D-San Jose) and Marco Firebaugh (D-Cudahy), aims to increase access to the diverse number of students in California.

"With the increasing diversity of the general population in California, the low rates of underrepresented students of color in
the UC graduate and professional schools are completely unacceptable," stated Assemblymember Manny Diaz. "We aim to promote systemwide changes to create more equitable UC graduate admissions policies to ensure that students of color have greater access to the system."

Over the last seven years, the number of underrepresented students of color applying, being admitted and enrolling in UC graduate
programs and professional schools has dramatically dropped despite the increasing diversity of California's population.

The proposed changes request that the University of California prohibit standardized test scores from being used as the sole criterion for consideration OR as the primary criterion to end consideration of the applicant. Standardized tests are major obstacles for underrepresented people of color because of the over-reliance placed on these exams.

The measure also requests the UC Regents implement a comprehensive review or "holistic" approach in their admissions process of its graduate programs and professional schools. This would require the consideration of a broader variety of academic and personal
qualifications by the end of the 2002-03 academic year.

"Limiting educational opportunities in higher education at the graduate and professional school level perpetuates inequity among
Californians," stated Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante and Ex-Officio Member of the UC Board of Regents.

ACR 178 -- Diaz & Firebaugh (Sponsored by Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante) As Amended in April 2002

EQUITABLE ADMISSIONS POLICIES FOR UC GRADUATE PROGRAM & PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS ADMISSIONS

NEED FOR THE BILL

Over the last 7 years, the numbers of underrepresented people of color applying, being admitted & enrolling in University of California
graduate programs (masters & Ph.D. programs) and professional schools (i.e. law schools, business schools & medical schools) have dramatically declined despite the increasing diversity of California's general population.

¨ From Fall 1994 to Fall 2001, the number of African Americans admitted to law schools at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UCLA declined 55 percent from a total of 239 to 107, & their enrollment rate over the same period declined 68 percent from a total of 87 to only 28.

¨ From Fall 1994 to Fall 2001, the number of Latinos admitted to law schools at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UCLA declined 33 percent from a total of 273 to 184, & their enrollment rate over the same period declined 48 % from a total of 110 to only 57.

¨ From Fall 1994 to Fall 2001, the number of American Indians admitted to law schools at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UCLA declined 65 percent from a total of 34 to 12, and their enrollment rate over the same period declined 58 percent from a total of 12 to only 5.

¨ From Fall 1994 to Fall 2001, the number of underrepresented people of color admitted to UC medical schools declined 36 percent from a total of 261 to 166, and their enrollment rate over the same period declined 54 percent from a total of 107 to only 49.

¨ From Fall 1995 to Fall 1999, the number of underrepresented people of color admitted to UC business schools declined 34 percent from a total of 149 to 99, and their enrollment rate over the same period declined 35 percent from a total of 68 to only 44.

¨ From Fall 1995 to Fall 1999, the number of underrepresented people of color admitted to the UC graduate programs declined 7 percent from a total of 1385 to 1291, and their acceptance rate over the same period declined 5 percent from a total of 751 to only 714.

¨ Over the last seven years, there has also been a significant decrease in the number of Asians/Asian Americans and Filipino
Americans admitted and enrolled at certain graduate programs and professional schools of the University of California.

¨ From fall 1995 to the fall 2000, the number of Filipino Americans admitted to law schools at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UCLA declined 21 percent from a total of 33 to 26, and their enrollment rate over the same period declined 35 percent from a total of 17 to only 11.

¨ From fall 1995 to the fall 1999, the number of Asians/Asian Americans admitted to the UC graduate programs declined 10 percent
from a total of 2333 to 2111, and their acceptance rate over the same period declined 13 percent from a total of 1097 to only 950.

BILL SUMMARY

ACR 178 aims to address the significant decrease in the numbers of underrepresented people of color, who are applying, being
admitted and enrolling at the UC graduate programs and professional schools.

This Assembly Concurrent Resolution:

· Requests the Regents of the University of California to implement a "comprehensive review" or "holistic" approach in their admissions process of its graduate programs and professional schools, which would require the consideration of a broader variety of academic and personal qualifications, by the end of the 2002-03 academic year.

· Requests that the University of California prohibit standardized test scores from being used as the sole criterion for consideration
or as the primary criterion to end consideration of the applicant. Standardized tests (e.g. LSAT, GRE, GMAT, & MCAT) are major obstacles for underrepresented people of color because of the over-reliance placed on these exams.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

· Beginning in 2000, people of color comprise the majority (53 percent) of the general population of the State of California
making it the most ethnically and racially diverse state. Furthermore, 60 percent of all public high school students are
students of color. Yet, with this increasing diversity, the numbers of students of color at the UC graduate & professional schools
continues to decline.

· These dramatic declines have discouraged underrepresented people of color from applying to graduate programs and professional schools they perceive as hostile and unwelcoming.

· It is vital to the future economic growth of the State of California that equal educational opportunities are available
to all Californians. [EXCEPT WHITES]

· Limiting educational opportunities in higher education at the graduate and professional school level perpetuates inequity among Californians.

· The dramatic declines harms all students because their education is without the benefit of the perspectives those now absent students once brought to classroom discussions. [YOU MEAN MORE MINORITY GRIEVANCES, CRUZ?]

· The current admissions policies of the UC graduate programs and professional schools are too narrow & do not allow for a large number of qualified students of color to be admitted & enrolled.

· In Nov. 2001, the UC Regents approved a proposal under which UC campuses would use "comprehensive review" for its freshman admissions process. Due this new policy, more outreach, and the new guaranteed admissions programs, minority rates improved this year.

· The State of Texas adopted legislation (HB 1641) in the 2001 to broaden their admissions criteria to include more important factors & prevent standardized test scores from being used as the sole criterion for consideration of the applicant or as primary criterion to end consideration of the applicant for their graduate & professional programs. Texas currently faces similar problems with declining numbers of people of color in their graduate programs & professional schools

· The Senate Select Committee on College and University Admissions and Outreach held five hearings during the 2001 legislative session on diversity in higher education and their concluding report urges the University of California to explore the possibility of adopting comprehensive application-selection process to guide individual departments in choosing its graduate students.

· Standardized test scores continue to be a major obstacle for the admission of underrepresented people of color to the UC graduate &
professional schools.

· Over reliance on standardized test scores, to the exclusion of other valuable admissions information, exacerbates the problem of low
admission and enrollment rates of people of color in the UC graduate and professional schools.

· The Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers some of the standardized tests for graduate program and professional school admissions, warns against over reliance on such tests, and urges that many measures of merit be considered.

· The Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), the organization that administers the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), recognized that law schools throughout the country over rely on the LSAT and launched a five-year effort in January 2001 to urge law schools to de-emphasize numbers-based admissions policies and to broaden their admissions criteria.

· The dramatic decline in the number of underrepresented people of color enrolling in the UC graduate programs and professional schools contributes to a declining number of underrepresented people of color entering into those respective professions such as law, business, education and medicine.

· The UC Medical Student Diversity Task Force reported in their 2000 "Special Report on Medical Student Diversity" that research focusing on access to health services has repeatedly shown that physicians from groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine, are more likely to serve those from minority and economically disadvantaged backgrounds & to practice in physician shortage areas.

· The National Academies' Institute of Medicine has recognized that minority health care providers are more likely to serve in minority & medically underserved communities. The IOM recommends that health institutions must strive to strengthen the diversity of the medical work force.

· The American Bar Association's Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession reported that representation by people of color in the legal profession is significantly lower than in most other professions, that entry into the profession by people of color has slowed considerably since 1995, and that enrollment by people of color has dropped significantly at top public law schools in
California.

· By broadening the admissions criteria and prohibiting standardized test scores from being used as the sole criterion for consideration or as the primary criterion to end consideration of the applicant, the UC Regents would assert that the University of California is committed to admitting and enrolling all students, and would assure underrepresented students of color that they are welcome and wanted.

BILL STATUS : Introduced in the California State Assembly on 3/21/02. Pending before the Senate Education Committee.

IN SUPPORT :

· Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante (sponsor)
· American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
· Asian & Pacific Islander Law Students Association (UC Davis
School of Law)
· Berkeley Law Foundation
· Black Law Students Association (UC Davis)
· Coalition for Diversity (UC Berkeley)
· Filipinos for Affirmative Action (Oakland, CA)
· Graduate Academic Achievement & Advocacy Program (UC Davis)
· The Greenlining Institute
· King Hall National Lawyers Guild
(UC Davis School of Law)
· La Raza Lawyers Association of California
· La Raza Law Students Association
(UC Davis School of Law)
· Latino Issues Forum
· Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
(San Francisco Bay Area)
· League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
· Mexican American Legal Defense & Education Fund
· Multicultural Education, Training & Advocacy
· N.A.A.C.P. - California State Conference
· National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
· Society of American Law Teachers (SALT)
· Student Empowerment Project (Watsonville, CA)
· United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO
· Youth Organizing Communities
(Los Angeles & San Diego)

IN OPPOSITION: None registered as of yet.

KEY CONTACTS :

Luis Angel Alejo (916) 319-2519 or luis.alejo@asm.ca.gov Office of Assemblymember Manny Diaz (D-San Jose)

Kevin McCarty (916) 445-8994 Office of Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante
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