Something is fundamentally wrong with UCLA’s admissions
system when next year’s freshman class of 4,852 will contain
only 96 black students.
Despite recent systemwide increases, the overall decline in
enrollment of some underrepresented ethnic groups at UCLA and the
University of California system is nothing new ““ not since
California voters passed Proposition 209 in 1997.
That ballot measure outlawed the consideration of race and
gender in state hiring and admissions, and the numbers of certain
student groups, particularly blacks and Chicanos/Latinos, at UCLA
has been in relative free fall ever since.
Interestingly, UCLA administrators seem to be just as upset and
frustrated about these numbers as some students. Janina Montero ,
the vice chancellor of student affairs, called the low enrollment
of underrepresented minorities “a very low crisis
point.” And retiring chancellor Albert Carnesale called it
one of the bigger frustrations of his tenure. Regardless, though,
it’s clear no one has yet discovered the answer to the
admissions quandary.
Having a diverse college campus creates a diversity of opinions
and views, which in turn enhances the educational experience. UCLA
is rapidly becoming a campus not of diversity, but of a sore lack
thereof. We worry what this means for next year’s freshman
““ and the future of the campus in general.