Activists sponsor pro-affirmative action rally today
By Brooke Olson
Daily Bruin Staff
Beginning today at 11 a.m., a pro-affirmative action rally will
be held in Westwood Plaza.
The rally and subsequent march will protest the UC Regents’
decision to end affirmative action within the UC system, as well as
their proposals to eliminate outreach programs.
The events are sponsored by various student activist groups,
including the Affirmative Action Coalition, the African Student
Union, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA), and the
undergraduate student government.
Although undergraduate President York Chang said he expects the
crowd to be more vocal about the regents’ actions, he does not
expect the rally to be as large as the one held on Oct. 12,
1995.
"The tone of the students at this rally will definitely be
different than last quarter’s rally," Chang said. "The students are
a lot angrier at the regents for attempting to eliminate the
student regent position and for trying to disband the outreach
programs."
Last quarter, approximately 3,000 students marched through
campus and into Westwood, demanding that the regents rescind their
decision to abolish race and gender-based preferences in hiring and
admissions. Protesters blocked the intersection of Wilshire and
Westwood Boulevards, and police arrested 31 students for failure to
disperse.
Chang added that the rally will be held rain or shine.
"The rally will start … no matter what the weather is," Chang
said. "Unfortunately, the weather will have a direct effect on how
many students do show up to the rally."Comments to
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