UCLA’s minority admits declines

While UCLA officials have pointed out the school’s
popularity in 2006 after it received the most applicants in the
country, the statistics for admitted underrepresented minority
students have given university officials some concern.

While the percentage of underrepresented minorities from
California admitted has risen system-wide ““ from 20.6 percent
in 2005 to 21.7 percent in 2006 ““ UCLA’s numbers of
underrepresented minorities have decreased from 1,732 admitted
students in 2005 to 1,669 in 2006.

While the number of Native Americans admitted rose by four
students in 2006, the number of Chicanos/Latinos admitted to UCLA
dropped from 1,408 in 2005 to 1,391 in 2006 and the number of
admitted African Americans dropped from 280 in 2005 to 230 in
2006.

“The most disturbing statistics were concerning African
Americans,” said Thomas Lifka, assistant vice chancellor of
Student Academic Services at UCLA. “We were very concerned
last year but even more so this year.”

Overall, according to data from all nine UC undergraduate
campuses, UCLA had the second-lowest percentage of underrepresented
minorities out of its California admits with 15.2 percent. Only UC
San Diego had a lower percentage at 15.1 percent of its admitted
class. Riverside was the highest with 27.4 percent.

And though there were 1,582 more underrepresented minority
freshman applicants this year compared to 2002, there were 52 fewer
admitted than four years ago.

The University of California uses a comprehensive freshman
admissions policy that outlines three factors: academics, personal
achievements and life challenges. Each UC must use the criteria to
review applicants but can choose how to do so.

Jeannie Biniek, external vice president of the Undergraduate
Students Association Council, cited this as a possible reason the
number of underrepresented minorities has decreased at UCLA, while
increasing slightly at other campuses. She said the admissions
review process was flawed and placed too much weight on academic
achievement in comparison to life challenges.

She also said the focus on academic achievement benefits
students who attend high school in more affluent communities over
students in lower-income areas, many of whom are underrepresented
minorities.

One point of concern for officials is that though UC Berkeley is
facing the same admissions restraints as UCLA ““ Proposition
209, which bans the use of race as a factor in admissions ““
the campus has increased the number of underrepresented minority
students admitted.

Black students make up 3.3 percent of the admitted class there,
compared to 3 percent last year.

At UCLA, black students made up 2 percent of those admitted in
2006; that group accounted for 2.4 percent last year.

“Berkeley has increased, so what does that say about
UCLA’s commitment to educating large segments of the
population? It’s dismal,” said Belinda Tucker, faculty
research associate of African American studies and professor of
psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences. “Our new chancellor
ought to be concerned about this.”

Biniek said Berkeley admitted more underrepresented minority
students because it makes more of a point of evaluating the
individual as a whole than UCLA does.

But Lifka said it will be difficult to change admission policies
in order to change these statistics.

Though the drop in underrepresented minorities accepted to UCLA
has raised concerns, it is unusual in relation to trends in the
past, said UC spokesman Ricardo Vazquez.

“Keep in mind that this was an issue this year but it
hasn’t been an issue other years. So I don’t know if
you could jump to the conclusion that UCLA accepts fewer
minorities,” Vazquez said.

But “a lot more work remains to be done for the university
demographic to represent that of the state,” he said.

With reports from Alexa Vaughn, Bruin contributor.

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