As it prepares to turn answer to a California legislative panel, the University of California is defending changes in its new admissions policy that the school says will broaden the eligibility pool for applicants. Critics say it will increase the number of White students at the expense of Asian Pacific Islander students.
Fall 2008 admissions data show Asian Americans make up an average 40 percent of the UC student body across its five campuses
“I support diversity. Many of us do. There are smart ways to do it and there are stupid and counterproductive ways to do it. Based on the projections we saw, this is not the right way to do it,” says California Assemblyman Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, who chairs the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.
The Caucus held a hearing late last month on the new guidelines, which was approved by UC’s Board of Regents on Feb. 5, 2009, and has requested UC turn over documents, studies, analysis and other materials that were used to create the new policy, which goes into effect for the Fall 2012 class.
