As I reflect on the time when I entered this university, I
remember the variety of emotions I felt. I was very excited and a
little bit scared. At the time, I knew UCLA had difficult classes
and over-packed residence halls, but also a wide variety of
opportunities ““ academic, social and political. I did not
realize, however, the extent to which state political issues
affected students at this university.
The power that the UC Board of Regents, elected officials and
voters hold in determining the futures of so many students is
mind-boggling. One area where this influence is very significant,
for example, is the March 2004 ballot initiative known as the
Classification by Race, Ethnicity, Color, and National Origin. This
proposal, if passed, would eliminate the collection of racial data
in most areas. This proposal will usher in a new era of racial
disparity that will affect the education of UCLA students for years
to come.
CRECNO is being proposed by Ward Connerly, a UC Regent and
author of Proposition 209, which banned affirmative action.
Connerly believes that by eliminating the use of race in both
hiring and data collection, California and the United States as a
whole will be able to move closer to a color-blind society, where
race does not play an important role in most significant facets of
life.
Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that race does play a major
role in American life, and racial disparities stubbornly continue
to persist decades after the Civil Rights era. Blacks and Latinos
continue to attend schools that are grossly underprivileged, as
evidenced by the fact that most of the high schools in Los Angeles
with the highest teacher-turnover rates and least Advanced
Placement classes are largely black or Latino.
Minorities are the majority within the prison system because
they continue to be more highly prosecuted than whites. For
example, discriminatory drug laws have led to one in three black
males age 18-29 being incarcerated, many for non-violent drug
offenses.
These governmental policies prevent members of such minority
groups from competing for admissions in top-tier universities like
UCLA, which further aggravates inequalities and makes success later
in life much more difficult. However, CRECNO would forbid state or
local governments from collecting data on racial disparities, thus
obscuring the problem and making a viable solution much more
unlikely. CRECNO would also bar the UC system from asking for the
race of applicants who wish to volunteer such information.
Such data has proven helpful to examining gaps in admissions and
performance between different races. It is also used to improve
outreach and education for members of specific ethnic groups.
However, CRECNO would eliminate the use of this data, thereby
preventing the university from both increasing outreach to
disadvantaged groups, and from maintaining the diversity that is so
valuable.
The issue of CRECNO raises the larger questions of race on the
UCLA campus. In the past eight years, this campus has seen the end
of affirmative action and the reduction of outreach programs that
had helped ensure a diverse student body. We have also had
contentious battles over the reduction of funding for ethnically
based student advocacy groups such as the Asian Pacific Coalition
or African Student Union.
Despite these highly charged issues, I have found that it is
possible to develop friendships with people of many different
ethnic groups at UCLA, from Irish Americans to Korean Americans.
However, people of similar cultural identities coming together to
work for the betterment of their communities can often be extremely
positive. This can be facilitated through the annual culture shows
held by groups such as Samahang Pilipino or the Indian Student
Union, or through fighting unfair admissions policies, as
Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a de Aztlan and ASU have done. These
events educate all students and help raise understanding.
It is important to remember that students of color were
marginalized, and our experiences ignored, for a long time. This is
a trend that continues, although in different forms, in the present
day. Thus, it is vital to educate all members of this campus about
the experiences of various ethnic groups, and to do whatever
possible to make a difference. The fight against CRECNO, and the
unrealistic ideas that CRECNO embodies, symbolizes the continuation
of this common struggle that we have faced as people of color in
the United States.
The principle of looking past race and applying
“color-blind” policies whenever possible would be
feasible if race was not so relevant to the way people experience
life. Race still matters today, even on the UCLA campus. To work
toward a better, more fair society, we must fight discrimination
and disparities that are based on race, but at the same time learn
to be sensitive to and aware of our unique cultural differences.
CRECNO clearly prevents this from happening, and for that reason,
it must be opposed.
Bhaskar is a third-year political science student.