Friday, September 26, 1997
Campus leaders share post-Prop. 209 ideas
STUDENT AFFAIRS: Parties air doubts, discuss outreach programs
to offset effects
By Mason Stockstill
Daily Bruin Contributor
Before classes even began, dozens of diligent students and
administrators were molding UCLA into an even better university
through better communication.
UCLA administrators gathered with student leaders in an informal
conference Wednesday, discussing a variety of topics, but focusing
mostly on the impact of Proposition 209 on the university
campus.
The conference, sponsored by the department of student affairs,
boasted presentations by USAC President Kandea Mosley and Graduate
Student Association (GSA) President Andrew Westall, as well as a
short question and answer session with Chancellor Albert
Carnesale.
For most of the student leaders, this was their first
opportunity to meet with the new chancellor since he took the post
in July.
But the pressing concern of the moment was Proposition 209 and
what effects it would have on the campus.
"Proposition 209 became law on Aug. 28," said Joe Mandel, vice
chancellor of legal affairs.
"The proposition will remain law unless the U.S. Supreme Court
rules it to be unconstitutional," he continued.
The Supreme Court has yet to decide whether it will hear the
appeal regarding Proposition 209.
Students expressed concern that the proposition – which bans
preference in state hiring based on race, color, gender, ethnicity
or national origin – would have an adverse effect on academic
programs such as ethnic studies. They were pleased to learn that it
would not.
"There is no way that 209 will be interpreted to have an effect
on academic programs," Mandel said.
Other items of concern among student leaders present included
ethnic graduation ceremonies, where students of one ethnicity come
together to celebrate graduation apart from the standard
ceremony.
"We can fund student-initiated graduation celebrations," said
Winston Doby, vice chancellor of student affairs, "but we cannot
give funds to any group that gives preference based on race, color,
gender, ethnicity or national origin."
It is exactly this kind of technicality that could be the
difference between a lawsuit and a peaceful campus existence. The
ceremonies will not be eradicated, but they will have to find a way
to bend to the new rules.
Meanwhile, Carnesale stressed the importance of diversity from
an educational standpoint.
"I taught a public-policy course at Harvard, and the class was
made up of students from a variety of nationalities," he said. "The
value of that class would have been much lower had all the students
in the class been Americans.
"Just think how different the perspectives of the students would
have been at the end of the class," he continued. "Or how different
they would have been if everyone in the class had all been liberals
– or conservatives."
The chancellor went on to include the pursuit of diversity in
the mandate of higher education.
"The goal of the university is to provide access to education,"
he said, "and denying this to anyone is as un-American as anything
I can think of."
But ensuring campus diversity in a non-affirmative action
environment is something no one can guarantee. The university has
made a commitment to increase outreach efforts.
The chancellor remarked that although there is no danger in
doing too much outreach, even this falls short of obtaining the
diversity that UCLA has had under affirmative action.
"Outreach programs can only do so much," Doby said. "Projections
have shown us that without affirmative action, the campus profile
will look the same as it did in 1965 (before affirmative
action)."
UCLA has been preparing for the impacts of Proposition 209 ever
since it was originally passed by voters in 1996.
Mandel said that soon after the measure had passed, campus
leaders had been asked to locate potential programs that might be
affected by Proposition 209’s eventual implementation.
"We looked at a number of programs, including the Women’s
Resource Center, and tried to determine how we could keep the
center and still abide by the law," he said.
"We considered everything from changing the name to the Men’s
and Women’s Resource Center to publicizing opportunities available
for men and women at the center," he said.
UCLA’s readiness for potential problems is strong in comparison
to other schools statewide.
"Other UC schools, for some reason, have not been preparing
themselves adequately for the effects that 209 will have on their
campuses," he said.
Carnesale expressed hope that one way to increase diversity on
campus without violating the law would be to help build up local
elementary schools and prepare students for higher education at an
earlier age.
"I think that any money spent wisely on K-12 education is as
good as any investment in UCLA," he said.