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.