SAN FRANCISCO — Alarmed by declining numbers of African American students at UCLA and other campuses, University of California regents on Wednesday decided to study the effect of the state's 10-year-old ban on affirmative action on UC admissions and student enrollment.
The inquiry, officials emphasized, will not focus on ways to overturn or subvert Proposition 209, the 1996 voter approved-measure that forbids consideration of race and gender in admissions and hiring decisions at the state's public colleges and other institutions.
But by examining the initiative's effects, UC may be able to figure out legal ways to recruit and admit more black and Latino students, the officials said.
"As we plan for the future, we must know if we are doing everything we can, within the legal parameters, to advance the excellence and diversity of the university," said student regent Maria Ledesma, a UCLA graduate student in education who, along with regent Frederick Ruiz, proposed the study.
The regents' debate over the issue was relatively mild, given the passions that Proposition 209 has often raised within that body and elsewhere. Regent John J. Moores, who in the past has accused UC of discriminating against Asian Americans in admissions decisions, repeated that claim and urged that any study be done by a group outside the university. "Anything that UC produces internally will not be well-received by some in California," he said.
Underlining his point that UC must follow the letter and the spirit of the affirmative action ban, Moores asked a university attorney to read aloud the duties of regents to uphold state laws.
Moores, a businessman who owns the San Diego Padres, also reiterated previous statements that the admissions process at the university is opaque and confusing. "I strongly favor transparency about UC admissions, which presently is sorely lacking," he said.
Gerald L. Parsky, chairman of the regents board, said he would soon appoint a panel of UC professors, administrators and other staff members to look at Proposition 209's legacy. Parsky said details of the study were not yet decided, but said he planned to expand an existing committee of administrators and faculty members that has examined admissions issues in the past. He may also include independent experts in the group.
