Regent criticizes affirmative action
By Nancy Hsu
When Katy Burkhart came to UCLA two years ago, she was against
affirmative action. Today, she is convinced that the university
desperately needs it.
The topic of race-based admissions is a sensitive one for
Burkhart, a second-year English student who said she grew up in a
small, racially divided community. She responded Friday to comments
against heavily race-based admissions made by Regent Ward Connerly
at the University of California Board of Regents meeting Thursday
in San Francisco.
"Being here and being with people of other races, I realize that
without (affirmative action), how would the white male power
structure change?" she said. "I came here and it opened my eyes. As
a white person, I have certain things no other people are going to
have because I’m white."
Toward the end of their day-long meeting, Connerly told the
board that he believes the university system puts too much weight
on a person’s race and gender when considering their application
for hiring or admission.
"I want us to think about what we’re doing and make a change,"
he said. "Many of our institutions contribute to the worst kind of
racism, until we recognize that affirmative action was intended to
be temporary … they will always look at Ward Connerly as a black
regent and as the product of affirmative action."
Connerly, one of the two African American regents on the
26-member board, hopes to propose a plan by June that would end
race-based preferences in hiring and admissions.
"Affirmative action was an answer to an act of unfairness," said
student Regent Terrence Wooten at the meeting. "As far as someone
saying it’s unfair to another group  that’s not true. It’s
going to be unfair for one group or another and we’re doing the
best we can."
Administrators at UCLA said that admissions decisions are not
solely based on issues such as race, gender, income level and
whether or not the applicant is the first in their family to attend
college. These elements are only taken into account, said Rae Lee
Siporin, director of undergraduate admissions and relations with
schools.
Currently, the University of California’s admissions policy, as
printed in Introducing the University 1995-1996 handbook, states
that:
"Mindful of its mission as a public institution, the University
of California has an historic commitment to provide a place for all
eligible applicants who are residents of California, and to
achieve, on each campus, a student body that meets the University’s
highest academic standards and encompasses the cultural, racial,
geographic, economic and social diversity of California
itself."
Some UCLA students said affirmative action prevents the
university system from meeting that goal and creates a hostile
environment on campuses.
Ann Pito, a third-year biology student, said she remembers high
school friends who had high grade point averages, but could not get
into a university because they were caucasian.
Because of the volume of applicants, not everybody within the
top 12.5 percent of high school graduates, that the university is
mandated to consider are accepted, Siporin said. This fall, the
office of undergraduate admissions and relations with schools
received 25,000 applications for 3,600 to 3,700 spaces.
"What we are trying to do is get a good cross section," Siporin
said. "We can’t accept everybody who meets that criteria."
Connerly said he hopes to create some sort of plan that would
best fit student’s needs because he feels the current system is not
fair or accessible to all qualified applicants.
"It’s caused reverse discrimination," Pito said. "It’s a good
idea, but it’s gone too far."