Roughly a decade after state voters passed a proposition that banned affirmative action at the University of California, the university system’s governing board has called for an aggressive approach to increasing depleted minority enrollment.
Following the recommendations of a systemwide report on diversity enrollment issued today, the UC Board of Regents tentatively passed as university policy a statement on the value of diversity and a formal call for change, as well as a requirement that the UC president present an annual report on systemwide diversity to the regents.
President Robert Dynes pledged more specific plans soon.
On the steps outside the Mondavi Center at UC Davis ““ where today’s meeting was held ““ a group of about 70 students and union members gathered to demand more concrete plans to increase minority enrollment.
Many held black umbrellas with the words “Don’t water down diversity” painted on the tops.
“Some of the regents called for a very specific plan … and I thought that was heartening,” said Justin Hotter, external vice president for UCLA’s Undergraduate Students Association Council.
Looking to provide more actionable solutions, Regent John Moores proposed reevaluating the UC’s current high school course requirements, as a great number of predominantly black or Latino high schools in California do not offer all of the A-G requirement classes.
Regent Sherry Lansing encouraged a push to train and recruit more teachers qualified to teach A-G classes.
“There’s an incredible shortage of qualified teachers,” she said.
California State Assembly Speaker, and ex officio regent, Fabian Nuñez warned the board that, without aggressive moves to increase minority enrollment, the university would stray away from its mission statement.
“We run the risk of not becoming elite for the right reasons but perhaps for the wrong reasons,” Nuñez said. “So elite that (the UC) stops looking like California.”
In other news:
Wednesday’s meeting marked UCLA Chancellor Gene Block’s first regents meeting.
George Blumenthal was formally appointed chancellor of UC Santa Cruz. Blumenthal, a former regent, had been serving as interim chancellor at the beachside campus for the past 14 months.