About 100 students gathered in front of Campbell Hall on Tuesday
to support affirmative action as the policy faces its greatest
challenge in 25 years.
Speakers also attacked UCLA’s admissions policy, arguing
fewer underrepresented minorities are being admitted and those
students have worse educational experiences.
“This is also a call to action for students … about how
blatantly racist this university is,” said Anica McKesey,
chairwoman of the African Student Union.
The protest was one of many across the nation, as the Supreme
Court heard oral arguments on a pair of cases that could determine
the fate of affirmative action.
Three white students are suing the University of Michigan in the
cases Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger, saying they were
denied admission while less qualified minority applicants were
admitted.
Affirmative action was banned throughout California by
Proposition 209 in 1996.
The ban gives University of California students a unique
opportunity to influence the decision, McKesey said.
UCLA students “presenting facts of what’s really
going on will have a great impact on the court,” McKesey
said.
While the court’s ruling will have no impact on
California’s public schools, protesters said it is important
to prevent the situation from spreading.
“We don’t want to have these limits
nationwide,” said Cheryl Lott, a second-year law student.
Along with trying to influence the court, student activists
tried to educate students about problems they see on their own
campus.
McKesey said UCLA’s student body does not reflect the
racial composition of Los Angeles, and student services designed to
help minorities are being diminished first because of state budget
cuts.
This is evidence that both the campus and the government are
hostile toward minorities trying to gain a higher education, she
said.
With this environment, McKesey recommended every African
American who was denied admission to UCLA this year should appeal
the decision.
She said the goal is to make a political statement, rather than
try and get all of the decisions reversed.
Supporting the same cause as the students at Campbell Hall, 20
UCLA law students traveled to Washington D.C. to protest in front
of the Supreme Court building.
Washington police estimate between 5,000 and 7,000 people
protested, the majority of them advocating in favor of affirmative
action.
Inside the Court, the justices debated the topic for the first
time since the Bakke v. UC Regents decision in 1978.
In that case, a split court ruled that affirmative action could
be used in admissions, but colleges were banned from using quotas
to implement it.
Most experts expect a 5-4 vote this time, with Justices Sandra
Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy being the key swing
votes.
During oral arguments, Kennedy told a university lawyer,
“your program looks to me like this is just a disguised
quota.”
O’Connor asked Kirk Kolbo ““ the white
students’ lawyer ““ many skeptical questions.
“˜”˜You’re speaking in absolutes and it
isn’t quite that,” O’Connor said in response to
Kolbo saying race cannot be used in admissions.
“I think we have given recognition to the use of race in a
variety of settings,” O’Connor said.
A record number of groups and individuals, including President
George W. Bush, UC Regent Ward Connerly, major corporations and a
group UCLA law students have filed briefs in the case, trying to
sway the court’s opinion.
While the Court heard arguments Tuesday, it is not expected to
make a ruling until the summer, giving protesters more time to make
their voices heard.
With reports from Daily Bruin wire services.