They entered the lecture hall dressed in black with white bands
tied around their arms.
As the students came in and sat on the floors of the UCLA School
of Law, one professor asked the students why the mass of marchers
had come into her classroom.
“We want to show what a diverse classroom really looks
like,” one student replied, referring to the group of mostly
Latino and black students who had entered the hall.
SLIDESHOW
Click here to see more photos from the rally held by students
Wednesday.
The Admission Coalition of UCLA and Students Helping Assure
Racial Equity, Justice and Diversity held a walk-in Wednesday, as
well as a mock funeral procession for the “death of
diversity” and evening panel discussion to protest the
decreasing numbers of underrepresented minorities enrolled at UCLA
since Proposition 209 passed.
Ten years ago this Sunday, California voters passed Proposition
209, which banned the use of race, ethnicity, color, gender or
national origin as a factor in hiring and admissions in public
institutions.
Since then UCLA has seen a substantial drop in the number of
black, Latino, Chicano/a and Native American students who are
admitted.
Out of the 4,422 students in UCLA’s freshman class of
2006, 100 are black. The low enrollment numbers have incited
criticism from the UCLA community as well as national media
outlets.
Alina Ball, a second-year law student, said she came to UCLA to
be a part of a school in California since she had heard that the
state, as well as Los Angeles, is one of the most diverse regions
in the country.
Instead, she said she found herself to be the only black female
student, and one of nine black students total, in her class of more
than 300.
“Proposition 209 may have ended affirmative action, but it
didn’t end our right for a diverse education,” Ball
said, passing out white armbands to other students moments before
the walk-in.
Most students at the event said they believe a diverse education
gives students a broader understanding of different people and
cultures.
After the walk-in, students began the funeral procession,
marching from the law school to Dickson Plaza.
Some students lifted a coffin that represented the
“death.” Others held crosses with phrases such as
“R.I.P. student dreams” and “R.I.P. future
lawyers” on them. Others painted their faces black and white
to mimic images of a skull.
As the procession came to a close, a gospel choir initiated the
mock funeral ceremony. Afterward, representatives from student
groups such as the African Student Union and students from the law
school spoke about their belief that the university needs to admit
more underrepresented minorities.
Claudia Pena, a second-year law student and speaker at the mock
funeral, said she believes the UCLA campus needs to reflect the
ethnic diversity seen in a state where minorities comprise 51
percent of its population.
“This place belongs to the people and so far, the people
have been excluded,” Pena said. “Los Angeles does not
look like what your classes look like. California does not look
like what your classes look like.”
Though more than half of UCLA’s student population is
minority students, the school’s demographics do not mirror
the state’s demographics.
Asian American students represent a larger percentage of the
UCLA student population than they do the state population, and
black, Hispanic, Latino and Native American students are a smaller
portion of the UCLA population compared to their percentage of the
state population.
Blacks make up 6.8 percent of the California population and 2.2
percent of UCLA’s student population; Hispanics and Latinos
are 34 percent of California’s population and 13.9 percent of
the UCLA student body is Chicano/a or Latino; American Indians are
1.1 percent of the state population and .3 percent of the
state’s population.
The ultimate goal of the events was to inform students about the
impact of Proposition 209 and encourage students to write to state
legislators and urge them to repeal the proposition.
UCLA recently introduced a holistic approach to the admissions
process, which will allow application readers to consider
socio-economic factors and personal circumstances, as well as
academic qualifications.
UC Berkeley adopted holistic review several years ago and has
since seen its number of enrolled underrepresented minority
students rise. UCLA closely modeled its review policy after
Berkeley’s.
Pena said though she believes the transition to holistic review
is a positive move, the new approach will only affect the
undergraduate schools and not graduate students.
Later in the day, a panel composed of faculty members, student
group leaders and members of the outside community convened to
discuss the implications of Proposition 209.
Arshad Ali, a doctoral student at the UCLA School of Education,
said though the education provided by UCLA is sufficient, there are
other types of education that the school is lacking.
“What does it mean to be educated? From my perspective,
you have to know where you are, where you live, and your
community,” Ali said.