• printer friendly
• mail this article
• iPod format
• digg

Photo

Claudia Bautista (left), a second-year political science student, and Rachel Cooper, a graduate s

Photo

Students gather Wednesday to observe a demonstration by various student groups. The demonstration

They entered the lecture hall dressed in black with white bands tied around their arms.

As the students came in and sat on the floors of the UCLA School of Law, one professor asked the students why the mass of marchers had come into her classroom.

“We want to show what a diverse classroom really looks like,” one student replied, referring to the group of mostly Latino and black students who had entered the hall.

SLIDESHOW Click here to see more photos from the rally held by students Wednesday.

The Admission Coalition of UCLA and Students Helping Assure Racial Equity, Justice and Diversity held a walk-in Wednesday, as well as a mock funeral procession for the “death of diversity” and evening panel discussion to protest the decreasing numbers of underrepresented minorities enrolled at UCLA since Proposition 209 passed.

Ten years ago this Sunday, California voters passed Proposition 209, which banned the use of race, ethnicity, color, gender or national origin as a factor in hiring and admissions in public institutions.

Since then UCLA has seen a substantial drop in the number of black, Latino, Chicano/a and Native American students who are admitted.

Out of the 4,422 students in UCLA’s freshman class of 2006, 100 are black. The low enrollment numbers have incited criticism from the UCLA community as well as national media outlets.

Alina Ball, a second-year law student, said she came to UCLA to be a part of a school in California since she had heard that the state, as well as Los Angeles, is one of the most diverse regions in the country.

Instead, she said she found herself to be the only black female student, and one of nine black students total, in her class of more than 300.

“Proposition 209 may have ended affirmative action, but it didn’t end our right for a diverse education,” Ball said, passing out white armbands to other students moments before the walk-in.

Most students at the event said they believe a diverse education gives students a broader understanding of different people and cultures.

After the walk-in, students began the funeral procession, marching from the law school to Dickson Plaza.

Some students lifted a coffin that represented the “death.” Others held crosses with phrases such as “R.I.P. student dreams” and “R.I.P. future lawyers” on them. Others painted their faces black and white to mimic images of a skull.

As the procession came to a close, a gospel choir initiated the mock funeral ceremony. Afterward, representatives from student groups such as the African Student Union and students from the law school spoke about their belief that the university needs to admit more underrepresented minorities.

Claudia Pena, a second-year law student and speaker at the mock funeral, said she believes the UCLA campus needs to reflect the ethnic diversity seen in a state where minorities comprise 51 percent of its population.

“This place belongs to the people and so far, the people have been excluded,” Pena said. “Los Angeles does not look like what your classes look like. California does not look like what your classes look like.”

Though more than half of UCLA’s student population is minority students, the school’s demographics do not mirror the state’s demographics.

Asian American students represent a larger percentage of the UCLA student population than they do the state population, and black, Hispanic, Latino and Native American students are a smaller portion of the UCLA population compared to their percentage of the state population.

Blacks make up 6.8 percent of the California population and 2.2 percent of UCLA’s student population; Hispanics and Latinos are 34 percent of California’s population and 13.9 percent of the UCLA student body is Chicano/a or Latino; American Indians are 1.1 percent of the state population and .3 percent of the state’s population.

The ultimate goal of the events was to inform students about the impact of Proposition 209 and encourage students to write to state legislators and urge them to repeal the proposition.

UCLA recently introduced a holistic approach to the admissions process, which will allow application readers to consider socio-economic factors and personal circumstances, as well as academic qualifications.

UC Berkeley adopted holistic review several years ago and has since seen its number of enrolled underrepresented minority students rise. UCLA closely modeled its review policy after Berkeley’s.

Pena said though she believes the transition to holistic review is a positive move, the new approach will only affect the undergraduate schools and not graduate students.

Later in the day, a panel composed of faculty members, student group leaders and members of the outside community convened to discuss the implications of Proposition 209.

Arshad Ali, a doctoral student at the UCLA School of Education, said though the education provided by UCLA is sufficient, there are other types of education that the school is lacking.

“What does it mean to be educated? From my perspective, you have to know where you are, where you live, and your community,” Ali said.