2008 Woodie Awards
Study finds UC policy leads to less diversity
Kim-Mai Cutler--Daily Californian (U. California-Berkeley)
Issue date: 2/12/03 Section: Campus Life
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(U-WIRE) BERKELEY, Calif. - Admissions policies designed to guarantee entry to top-tier high school students do not promote diversity as effectively as affirmative action, according to a study released this week.
Published by Harvard University's Civil Rights Project, the study examined the admissions policies of public universities in California, Texas and Florida.
Universities in those states abandoned affirmative action in recent years and instituted policies that guaranteed admissions to a percentage of the top students in every one of their state's high schools.
The findings come just a few weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court takes up affirmative action after nearly 25 years of silence on the subject.
The Bush administration has promoted percent-based programs as an alternative to affirmative action for public universities across the nation.
Even with a variety of recruitment and retention programs, universities that have replaced affirmative action with percent-based admissions have not maintained diversity on campus, the study found.
"I don't quarrel with the result. Anyone who is trying to achieve the same level of black and Hispanic admissions as existed with affirmative action won't be able to do it with a race-neutral system," said UC Regent Ward Connerly, an outspoken advocate of race-neutral policies.
But the study found percent plans need support from outreach, retention and financial aid programs to even partially recover minority enrollment rates to levels attained by affirmative action.
"Affirmative action is the only thing that works in terms of racial diversity. What we've done here is really aggressive outreach, and that has brought the numbers up," said Mo Kashmiri, Graduate Assembly external affairs vice president. Kashmiri has been an active campus advocate for the return of affirmative action.
But Kashmiri did say he favored percent plans because they promote geographical diversity. Affirmative action opponents say race-blind percent plans can more easily target underprivileged students.
Published by Harvard University's Civil Rights Project, the study examined the admissions policies of public universities in California, Texas and Florida.
Universities in those states abandoned affirmative action in recent years and instituted policies that guaranteed admissions to a percentage of the top students in every one of their state's high schools.
The findings come just a few weeks before the U.S. Supreme Court takes up affirmative action after nearly 25 years of silence on the subject.
The Bush administration has promoted percent-based programs as an alternative to affirmative action for public universities across the nation.
Even with a variety of recruitment and retention programs, universities that have replaced affirmative action with percent-based admissions have not maintained diversity on campus, the study found.
"I don't quarrel with the result. Anyone who is trying to achieve the same level of black and Hispanic admissions as existed with affirmative action won't be able to do it with a race-neutral system," said UC Regent Ward Connerly, an outspoken advocate of race-neutral policies.
But the study found percent plans need support from outreach, retention and financial aid programs to even partially recover minority enrollment rates to levels attained by affirmative action.
"Affirmative action is the only thing that works in terms of racial diversity. What we've done here is really aggressive outreach, and that has brought the numbers up," said Mo Kashmiri, Graduate Assembly external affairs vice president. Kashmiri has been an active campus advocate for the return of affirmative action.
But Kashmiri did say he favored percent plans because they promote geographical diversity. Affirmative action opponents say race-blind percent plans can more easily target underprivileged students.