Friday, September 26, 1997
Teach-in at law school expresses Prop. 209 concerns
LAW SCHOOL: Three-hour discussion addresses misconceptions and
issues of affirmative action
By Sharon Yee
Daily Bruin Contributor
It was a backlash against the backlash.
The courtyard of the UCLA Law School quickly transformed into a
forum of open dialogue and discussion Wednesday, as a distinguished
panel of professors from the school spoke about the future of
Proposition 209.
The measure, officially amended to the California state
constitution Aug. 28, has already become the subject of widespread
controversy in law school admissions at UCLA and UC Berkeley.
Sponsored by the newly formed Coalition of Law Students for
Diversity, the teach-in lasted three hours, with each hour
specifically designed to give the audience a step-by-step,
comprehensive understanding of the issues involved and to further
address common misconceptions about the proposition.
"We wanted to figure out a way to express our frustration
against the growing political attitudes against affirmative action
and help find ways to foster diversity among the students here at
the law school," said Daria Neal, a second-year law student and
founding member of the coalition.
Neal further explained that though the law school class
increased by 20 percent this past year, there is a serious decrease
in diversity among the student population. There are currently only
nine black students and 39 Latino students in the entire
school.
Much of the wording of the amendment may seem vague and subject
to interpretation, argued law professor Christine Goodman. For
example, general terms such as "preferential treatment" are not
even defined in the document, she added.
In addition to some lack of clarity in the wording, professor
Stuart Biegel predicted a negative impact on elementary
schools.
Proposition 209 could eliminate bilingual education programs, if
those classes have students of only one race or ethnicity.
Professor Jerry Kang focused on how affirmative action affects
an ethnic group not commonly associated with the program – Asian
Americans.
"Affirmative action is genuinely a complex social and moral
issue," Kang began, "because it involves both a self interest in
terms of opportunities for our loved ones, and an individual sense
of what justice requires."
"Asian Americans are a peculiar minority," he said, "because
there are not too few, but rather, too many Asians enrolled in
universities across the nation."
Kang further addressed the fact that Asians are often used as
"poster children" for conservative politicians who argue against
affirmative action. Though considered a minority, they have still
been able to achieve success without preferential treatment, said
Kang.
Kang also dispelled the myth that Asians are, as a group,
opposed to Proposition 209. Nearly 76 percent of Asian Americans
voted against the initiative, he said, similar to the voting
patterns of blacks and Latinos.
"In fact, they actually favor (affirmative action) because it
actually offers opportunities to less privileged people," he
concluded.
UCLA law professor Laura Gomez discussed the importance of
defining the mission of the law school, and how to link that
mission with law school admissions. UCLA is the only public law
school in Southern California.
The current admission procedures, which rely heavily on LSAT
scores and GPAs, were criticized as offering only a limited look at
personal characteristics.
According to Gomez, admissions committees will now be forced to
look at different aspects of candidates, possibly conducting
personal interviews to examine candidates’ past experiences and
future goals.
Hour three provided an in-depth analysis of the procedural
history of the proposition by professors Evan Kaminker and Gary
Blazie.
Simply put, the 9th Circuit of Appeals overruled a stay, or
temporary injunction, of the amendment. The Supreme Court also
denied to have the implementation of Proposition 209 stayed.
Currently, a second petition to the Supreme Court has been filed
to review the case and determine the constitutionality of the
amendment.
The Coalition hopes to involve more students in its cause and is
planning to be a part of an October rally featuring the Rev Jesse
Jackson as a guest speaker.
AARON TOUT/Daily Bruin
Professor Evan H. Caminker keeps the dialogue alive at the
"Teach-In on Diversity."