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Protesters arrested after disrupting speech

Four pro-affirmative action protesters were arrested Monday night after interrupting a speech by Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien at Zellerbach Hall.

The demonstrators, including members of the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action By Any Means Necessary, shouted at Tien for not defying a move by the UC Board of Regents to end affirmative action policies in university hiring and admissions. One of the protesters was a student, according to police.

The coalition started picketing outside Zellerbach Hall over the preferences issue before Tien's speech began.

The admonitions interrupted Tien's speech for about one minute before police intervened.

"That is what I love about UC Berkeley ­ freedom of speech," Tien said after the outburst, to the applause of audience members. "But we must also show respect for the ideas of others."

Tien, actually an outspoken supporter of affirmative action policies, said during his speech that he considered resigning as chancellor after the regents repealed affirmative action.

"I was depressed for a week or two," Tien said. "I was debating whether to resign. But after two weeks, I said, 'No, I have to do everything I can to maintain excellence and diversity at UC Berkeley.'"

The demonstrators were arrested by UC police at 8:40 p.m. and cited for refusing to leave university property and for disturbing the peace.

Members of the coalition said they want Tien to refuse to comply with the regents' decision and with Proposition 209, a ballot measure approved in November that bars public institutions from using race and gender preferences. In December, a federal judge ordered a preliminary injunction against the proposition, saying that the law presents an immediate threat to women and minorities and will probably be ruled unconstitutional. Tien said Monday that while he supports affirmative action, some societal changes are "embedded" in the culture and cannot be avoided.

209 may have lost applicants

Fewer black and Native American students applied to UC Berkeley this year compared to last year, according to admission records, raising questions about whether the consequences of ending affirmative action policies may already be taking effect.

This year's undergraduate pool showed that the total of Native American applicants dropped by 18 percent, while the number of black applicants decreased by more than 7 percent.

The data also shows that white and Asian applicants made a marked increase, with a jump of 7 percent in white applicants and 10 percent in Asian applicants from 1996.

Among this year's 26,962 applicants, the total number of Latino students applying for admission increased by 5 percent.

Although admissions officials have said the numbers are not a radical shift from average fluctuations, they could fuel the ongoing debate over voter-approved Proposition 209.

"It's not that students think the campus doesn't want them," said Tom Wood, author of the initiative.

"They are making a practical choice to apply to other campuses instead."

Passed by California voters in November, Proposition 209 ends affirmative action programs based on race and gender in state-funded institutions.

Opponents of the proposition have said it would discourage minority students from applying to schools like UC Berkeley. The latest figures appear to support that claim.

Observers from both sides of the debate have indicated they are uncertain of what the numbers suggest about possible impacts the proposition may have on potential applicants. Some said yesterday, however, that they believe students are influenced by the passage of the initiative.

"I think that the reasons (behind this year's application numbers) are complex, but I don't think they are unrelated," said political science professor Nadesan Permaul.

Compiled from Daily Bruin wire reports