Wednesday, March 4, 1998
Outreach programs given money to woo minorities
USAC: UCOP allots each campus $10,000, student leaders ask if
it’s enough
By Dennis Lim
Daily Bruin Contributor
The needy bank accounts of student outreach groups will soon
receive $10,000, thanks to the appointment of a new Steering
Committee – but USAC officers feel that this sum is not enough.
The Steering Committee of the undergraduate student association
council (USAC) will disperse money given to them by the University
of California Office of the President (UCOP) to increase racial
diversity.
Appointees Jessica Lee, chief of staff for the Community Service
Commission, and Kendra Fox-Davis, chief of staff for the USAC
President’s office, were approved for the Steering Committee by
USAC Tuesday.
The money, which will be used to enhance racial diversity at the
nine UC campuses, comes in response to Proposition 209 and UC
Regents’ policies SP-1 and SP-2, which banned affirmative action at
all UC campuses.
Students at each of the nine UC campuses will receive 10,000 to
fund outreach programs that increase racial diversity.
Comparatively, UCLA administration-led programs have been allotted
$290,000 by UCOP.
Each of the appointees were heavily involved in outreach
programs in the past.
"We wanted to appoint people who were closely related to
outreach, people who knew what the issues were," said Abi
Karlin-Resnick, USAC community service commissioner.
After approving SP-1 and SP-2, the Regents sponsored a study of
what the UC system would be like without affirmative action. The
study found that in place of affirmative action programs, more
outreach programs aimed specifically at historically
under-represented groups were needed to maintain diversity.
Originally, the UC Student Affairs Office proposed to match the
$10,000 offered by the UCOP but later rescinded, saying they
disagreed with the distribution of the money.
Student groups vying for the money will have to petition the
Steering Committee for part of the $10,000.
"All the money will go to student-initiated programs in
existence or (that) students will put together in the future," said
Assistant Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs Administration Jane
Permaul.
USAC hopes by counting on student groups to do outreach, UC
outreach will take a different approach, explained USAC President
Kandea Mosley.
"It is important that we have a student majority on the
committee because student groups have historically taken a more
holistic approach to recruiting students," she said.
However, doubt still remains as to the real effect $10,000 will
have on admission rates of disadvantaged students.
Many close to the committee lament the small amount of money
allocated and the short amount of time they have to use it.
"Chances are $10,000 won’t have any effect. It’s a pathetic
attempt by the (UC) President’s office to make a difference,"
Karlin-Resnick said.
"Also, we’ll only have until June to distribute the money. Three
months simply isn’t enough time," Karlin-Resnick continued.
To have an effective outreach program, a more long-term program
stressing closer student counseling would be needed, said those
close to the committee.
"$10,000 isn’t a lot of money, and there isn’t a lot of time to
do much with it, but if we can educate someone about what classes
to take, or how to fill out an application then at least we will
have done something,"said Karlin-Resnick.