Admission of minorities to the UC higher than
expected
The University of California’s freshman admission of
underrepresented minorities was higher than predicted, according to
an analysis of admissions policies released Monday.
The results from the study by a UC commission caused some to
call into question the university’s compliance with
Proposition 209, a measure which, among other things, banned the
consideration of race in California public university admissions in
1997.
Black, Asian American and Latino students were admitted to UCLA
at a higher percentage than was predicted by UC researchers.
According to the study, 188 black students were predicted to
have been offered admission to UCLA, and 246 were actually
admitted. There were 1,216 predicted Latino admissions, and 1,291
were admitted. Similarly, 31 more Asian Americans were admitted
than researchers had predicted.
In contrast, 2,999 white students were predicted to have been
offered admission, and 2,872 were actually admitted.
The study was conducted after UC President Robert Dynes formed
an Eligibility and Admissions Study Group last October to examine
issues associated with UC undergraduate admissions.
Dynes said that in light of the new study, he remains concerned
about the possibility of race being factored into admissions and
that more studies would be needed.
He added that if problems persisted, they would be corrected by
the next admissions cycle.
The UC currently uses comprehensive review in its admissions
decisions, which takes personal achievements and hardships into
account when admitting students.
Dennis Galligani, associate vice president for student affairs,
said even with the new figures presented in the report, there was
“no blatant violation of Prop. 209.”
Admission figures at UC Berkeley showed a similar discrepancy
between the number of predicted admissions and the number of actual
admissions of underrepresented minority students.
Kerry sweeps four Southern primaries, is closer to
nomination
CHICAGO “”mdash; John Kerry, with only phantom rivals and
pushovers left in the Democratic race, easily won four Southern
primaries Tuesday, bringing him within striking distance of the
presidential nomination.
Kerry swept Florida, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana on a night
when the names of old foes remained on ballots printed when there
was still a real competition. He was winning about 70 percent of
the votes in Florida and Mississippi, and exit polls found him
piling up sizable victories in the two other states, with the field
pretty much to himself.
Campaigning for the March 16 Illinois primary, Kerry criticized
the nation’s new prescription drug program and argued
President Bush has done little to help the elderly.
“˜”˜It must be getting lonely for George
Bush,” Kerry said in an appearance with Illinois Gov.
Rod Blagojevich. “˜”˜It seems he’s the last person
left in America who actually believes his failed policies will ever
work.”
Kerry may soon get help from former rival Howard Dean, who was
meeting with the nominee-in-waiting Wednesday to discuss a possible
endorsement, sources said.
Kerry essentially locked up the contest last week, after the
departure of chief rival John Edwards. Exit polls of voters in the
four Southern primaries found that Edwards, a North Carolina
senator, would be a popular choice in the region for Kerry’s
running mate. More than half the people surveyed said they’d
like to see him on the ticket.
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Rev. Al Sharpton, both trailing
Kerry distantly, were still in the race, but Sharpton didn’t
make it on the Louisiana ballot.
Terrorist attack hits restaurant in Turkey
ISTANBUL, Turkey “”mdash; Two suicide attackers stormed a Masonic
lodge Tuesday, opening fire with automatic weapons and setting off
explosions that killed one person and wounded five, officials
said.
One of the attackers also died, and one was injured in the
assault, which comes months after four suicide bombings blamed on
al-Qaeda killed dozens of people in Istanbul.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack,
said Gov. Muammer Guler.
“˜”˜Two assailants shot the guard in his feet and
raked the restaurant of the lodge with gunfire, then detonated
bombs,” Guler told reporters. “˜”˜One
terrorist and one waiter was killed. The second terrorist is
injured, with his arm ripped off and his guts spilled
out.”
Police said the attackers strapped between eight and 10 homemade
pipe bombs to their vests. Guler said explosives on one attacker
detonated before the assailant entered the restaurant where about
40 people were dining.
Police cordoned off the area as ambulances and firefighters
rushed to the scene in the residential Kartal district. At least
one person was reported to be in critical condition, doctors
said.
Four suicide attacks against two synagogues, the British
Consulate and a British bank killed 62 people in Istanbul last
year. Prosecutors have indicted 69 people suspected of belonging to
a local al-Qaida cell in the case. Underground leftist and Kurdish
groups also are active in Istanbul.
The Masons, a secretive society that traces its roots to
medieval craft associations, are active in this predominantly
Muslim but strictly secular country.
Council picks new Haitian prime minister, violence
continues
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti “”mdash; Haiti’s U.S.-backed advisory
council picked a former foreign minister as the new prime minister
on Tuesday, a step toward forming a transitional government in this
troubled nation.
Gerard Latortue’s appointment came as U.S. Marines said
they would help Haitian police disarm the general population. The
new program, set to begin later this week, will appeal to rebel
groups and supporters of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide,
who have demanded weapons be taken away from their enemies.
Efforts to bring calm to this troubled Caribbean nation followed
a bloody insurgency that ousted Aristide on Feb. 29, put rebels in
control of half the country and sparked a frenzy of looting and
violence. At least 130 people were killed in the rebellion, and
reprisal killings since Aristide’s ouster have left at least
300 dead.
After five days of private meetings, the seven-member Council of
Sages settled on Latortue, also a former U.N. official and an
international business consultant.
Now Latortue and interim President Boniface Alexandre will try
to work toward organizing elections and building a new government
for Haiti.
Latortue, who served as foreign minister in 1988, was in Miami,
but was expected to fly to Haiti as soon as Wednesday, council
members said. If he accepts the job, Latortue would replace Prime
Minister Yvon Neptune.
Also Tuesday, CIA Director George J. Tenet warned that in Haiti,
“˜”˜a humanitarian disaster or mass migration remains
possible.”
Aristide, meanwhile, has insisted from exile in Africa that he
is still president of Haiti, saying he was removed from office by
the U.S. government.
State Department officials have denied those claims. But the
53-nation African Union and the 15-nation Caribbean Community have
said they are investigating.
In the worst violence since Aristide left, gunmen opened fire on
anti-Aristide protesters Sunday, killing six people and wounding
more than 30. U.S. Marines said they killed one gunman.
Late Monday, Marines shot and killed the driver of a car
speeding toward a checkpoint. A passenger was wounded.
In Washington, the U.S. Defense Department defended the Marines,
saying they acted within their orders to fire when they felt
threatened.
Caltech student arrested for alleged
vandalism
The FBI arrested a California Institute of Technology student
Tuesday for investigation of arson and vandalism that destroyed or
damaged 125 sport utility vehicles at San Gabriel Valley car
dealerships and homes last year, in apparent support of radical
environmentalism.
William Cottrell, 23, of Pasadena was held without bail during a
court appearance. He shook his head in disagreement when
prosecutors talked about some of the charges.
If convicted, he faces a maximum of 40 years in prison, the U.S.
attorney’s office said.
Cottrell, a second-year graduate student in the physics
department at Caltech, used an alias when he contacted the Los
Angeles Times by e-mail and informed the newspaper he was involved
in the SUV firebombings, the FBI alleged in an affidavit.
Caltech officials said they were aware of the investigation and
were cooperating. Authorities searched campus classrooms in January
and seized six computers. They were also able to track the e-mails
to Cottrell, according to the affidavit.
With reports from Bruin staff and Bruin wire
services.