Speaks Out

Monday, July 27, 1998

Monday, July 27, 1998 Speaks Out

How should the children of UCLA alumni be treated in the admissions process? Should the admissions office give them special attention or not?

'I think they should be treated like everyone else because only the top 20 percent is accepted to the UC system and there's not really room for favoritism. I think if we are getting rid of Affirmative Action all across the boards, then that should apply to the alumni.'

Eric Choi

Fifth Year,

Computer Science/ Engineering

'Giving special treatment to alumni children does benefit the school in some ways because we got a lot more funding for the school for programs, scholarships, buildings, infrastructure. I can understand the other students'opinion about how that's a preference, but UCLA runs 75 percent on donations and only gets 25 percent of its money from the state. I see it helping more students than hurting them ­ most people don't realize that our school is mostly funded by donations.'

Alejandro Sanchez

Third Year,

Political Science

'I think they should be treated like everyone else. There's some idiots whose parents are high up in power and they don't deserve to be in the university, but they get in because someone from high up writes a letter for them, and I think that's a serious problem.'

Zarina Kiziloglu

Assistant Specialist,

Pharmacology

'I think they should get the same thing. Everyone pretty much comes in here with the same standards. I didn't come here because of someone else, and I don't think anyone else should either. In the long run it might help, but I think ethically it's wrong.'

Paolo Dejuzman

Third Year,

Biology

'I think everyone should be treated exactly fairly. It'd be the same type of issue as the preferential treatment with Affirmative Action.'

Ruth Herrera

Fifth Year,

Psychology

'I believe they should basically be treated based on merit. Whoever earns the right to come to UCLA should be the ones attending, and in the end it will make our degrees worth something when we leave.'

Sylvia Gribbell-Williams

Alumna,

Political Science