In the aftermath of an expose by the Los Angeles Times that some students were admitted to the University of California at the request of prominent people, a report by the university was recently released.

Rather than silencing the debate, the report drove home one of the dirty little secrets of college admissions -- that when it comes to admitting students who otherwise couldn't get in, friends and relatives of prominent people are the first ones to take advantage of special admittance procedures. This has long been true at private colleges, where "legacies," or children of alumni, have had first preference and requests from large donors are respectfully granted.

But public colleges are supposed to be immune from that sort of influence. The report on the University of California, which recently voted to eliminate race as a factor in admissions, shows that is not so.

The study, titled "Report on Campus Practices Related to Admissions Inquiries by Prominent Individuals," examined the admissions of the past five years. Records from before then have been destroyed. Approximately 215 annual inquiries were made on behalf of undergraduate applications by prominent individuals, of whom about 15 a year appeared to have received special treatment.

Those who attempted to influence the admissions process included UC Regents, legislators, high government or corporate figures, and major donors. The report, which was ordered by UC president Richard Atkinson and conducted by UC provost C. Judson King, showed that most of the inquiries about undergraduate applications occurred at UCLA, Berkeley and UC Davis, the most prestigious of the campuses. Total inquiries about graduate and professional school applications were approximately ten per year for the entire UC system.

During the time period analyzed, approximately 60 applicants may have or did receive preferential treatment as a result of inquiries or letters from prominent individuals. According to the Los Angeles Times, both Atkinson and King had themselves handled some of the admissions cases in question.