Tuesday, April 14, 1998
ASU voices outrage over admission rates
ADMISSIONS: Carnesale says he will comply with initiative, but
angered group says it will fight
By Barbara Ortutay
Daily Bruin Contributor
In a meeting with members of the African Student Union (ASU),
Chancellor Albert Carnesale expressed his commitment to complying
with Proposition 209, despite ASU’s demands that the university
administration formally denounce it.
In Monday’s meeting with Carnesale and Vice Chancellor Winston
Doby, ASU members voiced outrage over the 42.6 percent decline in
the admissions of African American students to UCLA, which is
expected to result in diminishing opportunities for minorities and
less ethnic diversity at UCLA.
"ASU as a representative organization for African students is
outraged. We feel that the (drop in admissions) is an insult to the
intelligence of African American students," said ASU chair Chad
Williams.
"It threatens diversity and results in a hostile environment,"
he added.
ASU’s list of demands included non-compliance with Proposition
209, and a public statement by Carnesale denouncing Proposition 209
and the UC Regents’ decision SP-1, which was passed prior to
Proposition 209.
ASU also called for a halt on all recruitment and admissions
activities, and permanent ASU representation on outreach and
admissions committees.
To reach out to underprivileged students, ASU asked for an
establishment of college recruitment and preparation centers in
disadvantaged areas of Los Angeles County.
Carnesale’s response to the demands was his commitment to "obey
the law."
"When I came to the university, I knew the law of the land, and
I was determined to do the best I could within that," said
Carnesale. He went on to say that if he didn’t follow state law, he
would be fired, and somebody else would take his place, complying
with the law.
When asked whether he favors or opposes Proposition 209,
Carnesale said that he believes it is "fruitless" for him to state
his stance on all aspects of the proposition; however, he added
that it "adversely affects the university."
Kendra Fox-Davis, director of S.H.A.P.E., the ASU’s outreach
program, said Carnesale’s statement is "not enough."
"We asked him to make a definitive statement – he didn’t," said
Williams.
ASU expects a response to their demands from the administration
by a 5 p.m. Wednesday deadline.
If their demands are not met, ASU "will not allow the university
to use the academic programs, student organizations and community
service projects created by African American students." Projects
include ethnic studies centers and retention programs designed to
meet minority needs.
ASU stated that it would be supporting a "false claim of
commitment to diversity" if these resources were used to attract
perspective African American students, recruiting them into a
system that is "eliminating our presence in the university."
Carnesale said ASU’s actions would further reduce the number of
under-represented minorities at UCLA.
"I don’t believe these actions would increase diversity," he
said.
He added that ASU is making a "trade-off" presumably between
pursuing outreach efforts and having their demands on Proposition
209 met.
"We are not making a trade-off. We are not sacrificing students
to meet our demands, but the university should consider what it
means to lose African American students," said Fox-Davis.
In a subsequent press conference in front of Murphy Hall,
Williams spoke of the historical need to resist laws that are
thought to be unfair.
"Prop. 209 is unjust and does not need to be complied with. Laws
that are unjust and immoral are meant to be broken," he said.
ASU also presented a very real example of student response to
Proposition 209. In Rieber Hall, students were able to post
anonymous comments on a poster regarding their opinion on the law’s
effect on minority admissions.
Comments included, "Sorry, but if you need a proposition to get
into a school like UCLA maybe you don’t belong here," and one
urging minority students to rely on athletics to get into
college.
The statements caused first-year student Evangeline Lawson to
doubt the sincerity of some of her dorm mates.
"People who smile in my face every day were the ones who made
those comments," she said.
According to Nanaefua Badoo, a fourth-year student, comments on
the board illustrated the ignorance of some students about issues
surrounding race and admissions.
"This is institutionalized racism embedded into freshmen," she
said.
"The university is the mirror of society. If this goes on in
society, it’s going down," she continued.