At UCLA, we are in a state of crisis. To call the numbers of
underrepresented students of color admitted to the UC system
anything less is to live in ignorance at best and denial at
worst.
Imagine this: At the nine public campuses of the UC system,
there were only 256 American Indian students admitted overall for
fall 2004. You cannot even fill up a lecture hall with so few
students. How many do you think you’ll see at UCLA next
year?
And then there are the numbers of African American students
admitted to the university. UCLA admitted 199 African American
students for fall 2004 ““ a 25 percent drop from the number
admitted last year. Even if UCLA had an abundance of black students
on this campus ““ which we all know we do not ““ such a
dramatic decrease of a segment of our campus community should not
be acceptable. Think about this for a second: How many black
students do you run across on a daily basis? I dare you to
count.
And while a 25 percent drop of admitted African American
students is catastrophic enough, it is important to realize this
number is already a 15 percent drop from the number of admitted
African American students the previous year. Do the math: In the
course of two years, nearly 40 percent fewer African American
students were admitted to UCLA. On this campus, the black student
is endangered and steadily becoming extinct. If my language seems
harsh, ask any black student on campus how she or he feels.
And, you better believe the number of black students who will
actually choose to enter UCLA will be less than the number
admitted. Would you come if you knew you would be subjected to an
unprecedented amount of cultural alienation? How many of us have
experienced this before in our lives?
The lack of underrepresented students of color on this campus is
not due to a shortage of qualified applicants or a decrease in the
amount of students applying. It is not a recent trend, but
it’s tied to greater social issues and public policies.
These students come from schools with inadequate resources. This
systematically disadvantages them when they compete for admission
with students whose schools received disproportionately more
funding.
Meanwhile, the passage of SP-1 and 2 by the UC Regents in 1995
and the subsequent passage of Proposition 209 in 1996, which banned
the consideration of race in state admissions, hiring and
contracting practices, have caused UCLA to experience a
catastrophic drop in overall diversity. The result is 45 percent
fewer underrepresented students of color being admitted. The
combination has resulted in an admissions system disconnected with
the struggles of most students, creating criteria nearly
unreachable by underrepresented students of color.
Every year, when the incoming freshman class is welcomed to
UCLA, we continually tell them, “You’re number
one.” Without a doubt, all students admitted to this
university deserve to be recognized for their efforts. With
enrollment caps, a highly competitive applicant pool, unequal
distribution of social resources, and the life challenges of a
given student, admission is an incredible feat.
However, for a black student, for a Southeast Asian student, for
any underrepresented student of color, this message takes on a new
significance.
“You’re number one,” suddenly becomes,
“no, you are the one.” As in, “You are one of the
only students from your community at this university. You are one
of the only American Indian students at UCLA.”
Think beyond how this affects life at the university to how it
affects society at large. What does it mean that UCLA, the producer
of tomorrow’s leaders, is admitting so few students of
color?
It means that fewer students from underrepresented communities
are able to return and help their communities. It means a loss of
invaluable community leadership.
This is not the time to cry or pity the plight of students of
color. I’m not writing this to make you feel bad. I’m
writing this to make you feel mad. I’m writing this to fire
you up because I’m angry and we need your help.
Students, we need to fight back. You and I have a social
obligation to open the doors for those that will follow us to this
university. This is a public university. All students deserve the
right to a higher education. Get involved.
Whether that means joining the University Neighborhood Learning
and Outreach Coalition to save outreach programs or the lobby
efforts of the Undergraduate Students Association Council to the
state and national government, the choice is yours. But make no
mistake about it, you are obligated to make a contribution because
the university is in a state of crisis ““ and it has been for
a long time.
I leave you with these words to consider from Franz Fanon,
“Each generation must discover its mission, fulfill it, or
betray it.” To do nothing is not a neutral stance, but the
most effective way of maintaining the status quo. Our mission is
clear, the choice is yours. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “Be
the change you wish to see in the world.”
Palma/Saracho is the current USAC internal vice president
and a presidential candidate for the 2004-2005 school
year.