Posted on 06/03/2004 5:13:53 AM PDT by Max Combined
BERKELEY, Calif. - Sometimes, Adia Harrison looks around her classes at the University of California, Berkeley and is slightly surprised at the reminder: Just about no one else looks like her. This fall, being black at Berkeley is likely to become even more of an anomaly that it already is. As of late spring, 98 black students had registered for fall enrollment out of an expected class of 3,821.
AP Photo
"This is supposed to be a public university and it's not really representing the public," Harrison said.
Campus officials aren't sure what lies behind a nearly 30 percent decrease in black admissions this year.
Part of the explanation may go beyond the famously liberal school itself. Applications from black students were down about 10 percent here, and decreases in minority applications also were reported at the University of Michigan and Ohio State University.
Gary Orfield, co-director of The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, said possible explanations include higher tuitions across the nation as well as publicity over a U.S. Supreme Court (news - web sites) ruling that struck down Michigan's system for giving admission preference based on race.
Berkeley recruiting efforts were further hurt, campus officials say, by new restrictions on their practice of flying students from predominantly minority high schools to campus for pre-application visits.
UC lawyers advised that targeting minority schools could violate Proposition 209, the 1996 voter-approved law banning the use of race in California college admissions, Berkeley spokesman George Strait said.
Berkeley officials don't agree with that interpretation and they are looking at ways to revive the visits.
"Virtually every part of the campus is extremely concerned about the low numbers of underrepresented minorities and, in particular, the appallingly low numbers of African-Americans," Strait said.
The fall enrollment figures came about six months after John Moores, chairman of UC's governing Board of Regents, issued a report saying Berkeley turned away thousands of students who aced the SAT but accepted hundreds — many of whom were black or Hispanic — with low scores.
After Moores wrote an opinion column in April saying UC policies victimized students, his fellow regents slapped him with a rare public censure. Regents also reaffirmed their commitment to UC's "comprehensive review" admissions, which don't consider race but do look at social factors, such as overcoming poverty, as well as grades and scores.
Still, the affair left some Berkeley students feeling undermined.
"The way a lot of the students feel is that the UC system and the administration has this rhetoric of celebrating diversity but they're not really following through with it," says Peter Tadeo Gee, a Berkeley student who works with a campus multicultural resources center.
Black student admissions have been low for some years.
In 1997, the last year affirmative action was allowed at UC's nine campuses, Berkeley admitted 562 black students. That number fell to 191 as the new race-blind policies took effect, but had risen to 338 by 2000.
But this fall, only 211 black students were admitted.
Renita Chaney, a junior and executive director of the campus Black Recruitment and Retention Center, said she would be reluctant to encourage black freshmen to attend this fall unless they want a challenge.
"If it's activism or some kind of fight they're looking for, then come here. But if education is what they're looking for, then don't come here," she said.
Toff Peabody, a Berkeley molecular biology major, was so struck by the new Berkeley numbers he joined a loosely organized group this spring that has been campaigning for a more diverse campus under the banner "White Males for Diversity."
"If the purpose of school was to just go to lectures we could all stay home and watch them on the Internet," Peabody said. "It's the actual interaction you have with other students that makes my education better at Berkeley than somewhere else."
As of fall 2003, whites accounted for about 30 percent of undergraduates, with Asian Americans, who also did not benefit under the old affirmative action programs, comprising about 40 percent. (Berkeley's definition of Asian American is broad, including people with ties to the Pacific Islands and countries such as India.)
Proposition 209 supporters say it's a mistake to focus on race or ethnicity — that keeping a close tally of demographics only serves to create barriers.
"Don't go there thinking, 'I'm going to be looking around for other black kids,'" says Ward Connerly, a part-black UC regent who led the fight to drop race-based admissions. "Go there and recognize that it's going to be one of the greatest experiences of your life. You're there to meet new people. You're there to learn. You're not there to engage in this racial, 'Mirror, mirror on the wall' kind of thing."
But for Harrison, knowing there'll be fewer black students on campus next year is a little unsettling.
"People are going to notice even more that there's not very many African-American people. Not only the African-American students will notice it," she says.
Still, she doesn't regret coming to Berkeley: "It's a good school, and I know eventually, no matter how difficult it is, I'll be able to get through."
Easy explanation. Berkley is a RACIST university!!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!
But that's not the take-away the academics are hoping for.
SSSNNNIIIFFFF...you shoulda put a tear jerk alert on this, man. I'm like soooo distraught. No one should have to suffer like this!
/s off
This part of the article says it all:
Renita Chaney, a junior and executive director of the campus Black Recruitment and Retention Center, said she would be reluctant to encourage black freshmen to attend this fall unless they want a challenge.
"If it's activism or some kind of fight they're looking for, then come here. But if education is what they're looking for, then don't come here," she said.
WOW! Even the recruiters are recognizing the hypocrisy.
Either that, or they are publicly admitting that the school's purpose is training activists. Education is a secondary activity that can be better accomplished elsewhere.
> "This is supposed to be a public university and it's not really representing the public," Harrison said. <
What's the percentage of those with Down's Syndrome at Berkeley? Are they adequately represented?
Only 30% of the undergraduates are white? Then 70% of the students are non-white. By idiot liberal standards, if the majority population is white, then the student population should refelct this. Seems like thwey have waaay too much diversity.
When I was in college, no one looked like me either, but that was good for them, I suppose.
Since no one looked like anyone else, the Prof was able to call on us by name, each of us being an individual and all.
What about the low numbers of underrepresented majorities and, in particular, the appallingly low numbers of chirstian white Americans?
Given the high numbers of Jewish and Asian students at top schools, white Christians are underrepresented.
No mention that the Black seats were filled by illegal Hispanics? Hmmm?
"This is supposed to be a public university and it's not really representing the public," Harrison said.
It is supposed to be an elite and intellectually rigorous university and in order to achieve that goal, it has very high admissions standards which results in more Asians being admitted than any other ethnic group.
Good for the Asians, they worked hard to get into Cal and they work hard to stay there.
Student Body
Enrollment: 23,206
Female: 54%
Out of State: 11%
International: 3%
African American: 4%
Asian: 41%
Caucasian: 30%
Hispanic: 11%
Native American: 1%
"Toff Peabody"
He sounds like a bruiser. I wouldn't want to meet ol' Toff in a dark alley.
Sounds like excellent judgement on their part.
"If the purpose of school was to just go to lectures we could all stay home and watch them on the Internet," Peabody said. "It's the actual interaction you have with other students that makes my education better at Berkeley than somewhere else."
Why is this guy so elitist? Oakland is not far from Cal, is it? He can always catch a bus over to Oakland and interact with some fellows his age over there and learn more about life than he is learning in the classroom. He could wear a couple of nice gold chains around his neck and see what happens to them.
I can confirm from personal experience that the self-congratulatory do-gooders at liberal universities are some of most racist, patronizing people around.
. . .perhaps now the elementary; middle and high schools will once again feel the 'mission' of their profession; teachers will return to 'teaching' and holding students responsible for learning and appreciating the value of acheiving success in an academic world so as to prepare them for what should be their success in the 'real world'.
When that happens, the public university will once again be a reflection of the community which it is there to serve; rather than the students being there to serve the image of the university.
Around here we have more than our fairshare of kids attending NOVA (Northern Virginia Community College) after blowing all of their family's money at University of Virginia or William & Mary (both state schools with Ivy league pretensions/costs!)
It doesn't make sense for Junior Division courses to be taught at the supposed elite and premier campuses any longer. Then, too, a bright student can do all this work on the internet and avoid the costs of traditional campuses anyway.
"Ward Connerly, a part-black UC regent"
A PART-BLACK UC regent?
I think that is the first time I have ever read that term in reference to a black person.
Do they refer to Halle Berry as being the first part-black winner of the female best actress Oscar?
They must be trying to de-legitimize old Ward for his un-PC views.
The fall enrollment figures came about six months after John Moores, chairman of UC's governing Board of Regents, issued a report saying Berkeley turned away thousands of students who aced the SAT but accepted hundreds — many of whom were black or Hispanic — with low scores.
Meaning that a degree from Berkeley isn't a resume enhancer.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.