In 1903, black scholar W.E.B. DuBois confidently argued that “the problem of the 20th century is the problem of the color-line.” Today, America is still racially segregated by where people choose to live, learn, worship and work.
Even 50 years after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, the color-line is still a pervasive issue throughout the nation’s K-12 public education system.
Higher education is one of the few remaining institutions where people from ethnically diverse backgrounds have the priceless opportunity to learn from one another as a result of their common academic experience. Here, cross-cultural friendships are established, stereotypes are broken and compassion is cultivated.
Unfortunately, unjust admissions policies prevent people of color from participating in this dialogue of diversity, and consequently students can only access a narrow educational experience, instead of one that will expand their worldview.
The detrimental effects of such unjust admissions policies and the lack of ethnic diversity are evident, especially within the University of California system. In Los Angeles County, we benefit from a unique and diverse community, but that community is not reflected within its most prominent university, UCLA.
Latino students comprised 72.5 percent of the Los Angeles Unified School District in 2003-2004 but only 13.7 percent of the total in-state UCLA freshmen admits for fall 2005. Since the Raza community is projected to become the majority population in the state by 2030, it is essential for Raza youth to become the educated leadership of California’s future.
Black students in the LAUSD are facing a similar denial, with only 247 in-state freshman admits this fall. Native Americans from this district have the least representation, with only 40 in-state students admitted .
Some may argue that these are increases from 2004, but that is deceiving, as the total number of students admitted was much lower and 2004 numbers were already exceedingly low. In fact, there was no significant percentage increase in the acceptance rate of any of these underrepresented groups.
Because of policies such as Proposition 209 and the subsequent drop in the university’s admission of students of color, concerned students established the Student Initiated Outreach Center. Students recognized that to leave outreach in the hands of unconcerned administrators and a now-hostile university would only perpetuate the facade that UCLA is a symbol of diversity and openness.
Today, seven years later, the SIOC now services 857 students weekly, throughout the greater Los Angeles County, in an effort to assist those who our educational system would like to forget. The SIOC aims to provide support for the struggling students who have “fallen through the cracks” of public education.
Unlike administration-run outreach projects (one of which only offers services to students with high GPAs), SIOC projects offer help to any student interested in advancing his or her future through education and cultural awareness.
All of the students in our outreach projects are brilliant individuals who have the potential and the will to succeed in college. They have been admitted to many tier-two UCs, various California State Universities and other private schools. However, only 10 were admitted to UCLA this year.
Through SIOC, college students are able to extend their hands to the underrepresented communities that lack in higher education. But unfortunately, service opportunities are being neglected in terms of funding and support.
It is essential that students have opportunities to become involved in services like the SIOC, in order to apply the information learned in the classroom in a more practical sense.
Outreach is a perfect example of students being able to conduct a service in response to the urgent and serious academic issue of these consistently low admissions numbers.
The university should recognize the importance of outreach in fulfilling a student’s holistic educational development and give it equal representation in terms of funding and support.
Luu is a fourth-year English student. Siataga is a fifth-year Asian American studies student. Arastu is a fourth-year anthropology student.