Estudiantes de UCLA piden la Acción Afirmativa
17 de noviembre
de 2000
Decenas de alumnos de ese centro universitario protestan durante reunión de regentes
Miguel Angel Vega
Especial para La Opinión
Cerca de 150 estudiantes de diferentes razas, credos y creencias, tomaron ayer el edificio donde está localizada la sala de sesiones de los regentes de la Universidad de California, en Los Angeles, (UCLA), para " protestar por la disminución de estudiantes de razas minoritarias en los campos de esa universidad".
" Lo que sucede es que queremos asegurar el acceso para todos nuestros hermanos y hermanas, por eso es esta manifestación", expresó Gabriel Pérez, miembro del Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA).
MEChA, fue sólo uno de los varios grupos de estudiantes que decidieron irrumpir la tranquilidad universitaria, para protestar frente a la sala de sesiones de los regentes universitarios, que en ese momento discutían el problema relacionado con inversiones.
Natasha Saelua, presidente de la Asociación de Estudiantes de las Islas del Pacífico, dijo que la protesta obedece a la falta de ingreso de estudiantes de razas minoritarias, la cual empezó a sentirse más durante el actual año escolar, en que, debido a las pólizas SP-1 y SP-2, se ha visto una disminución de hasta un 65% en algunas razas, según indicó.
"En los últimos cuatro años, el porcentaje de admisiones de alumnos de color cayó en un 52.5%, mientras que el de los latinos disminuyó en un 49.2% y la admisión de los nativoamericanos cayó un 63%", aseveró Saelua.
La joven estudiante agregó que, para el periodo 2000-2001, sólo fueron aceptados 25 afroamericanos, lo que los llevó a los estudiantes a unirse para ejercer una presión que solucione la falta de admisiones de alumnos de las minorías.
" ¿Qué está pasando en nuestros campos? ¿Acaso quieren acabar con los estudiantes de color, con los latinos, con los asiáticos y dejar sólo a los blancos?", expresó Saelua.
Pérez, de MEChA, detalló que sus demandas principales solicitan la anulación de las pólizas SP-1 y el SP-2, que impide que la junta de admisión de la universidad tenga alguna consideración con alumnos de otras razas y etnias y de bajos niveles socioeconómicos.
"Nuestra meta es que reinstalen la Acción Afirmativa, que toma en cuenta cuestiones de raza y color, para que alumnos de razas minoritarias tengan más acceso a UCLA", indicó Pérez.
Hasta el cierre de esta edición, ninguno de los regentes estuvo disponible para hablar, mientras que otros funcionarios de UCLA dijeron no estar facultados para discutir sobre ese tema.
Los estudiantes por su parte, indicaron que continuarían manifestándose para mantener la presión y así, por medio de la unión, lograr un cambio.
Coalition of Student Organizations Protest at Meeting of UC Regents at UCLA
Students demand repeal of SP-1, SP-2
By Linh Tat
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Lifting the ban on affirmative action may not have been on the UC Board of Regents' agenda Thursday, but students demanded they address the issue nevertheless.
Starting from Royce Quad, more than 100 students marched to the regents' meeting in Covel Commons to demand the repeal of SP-1 and
SP-2, policies the board set in 1995 prohibiting the use of race and gender in UC admissions and hiring.
"You guys are here for a good cause and you should never give up that cause," Lt. Gov. Cruz Busta-mante told the chanting crowd that wound around Covel's staircases.
Student Regent Justin Fong also appeared before the students, and led them in chanting, "Whose university?" to which the crowd yelled "Our university!"
The rally was organized by the Affirmative Action Coalition, which is comprised of such student groups as the African Student Union, Asian Pacific Coalition and MEChA. It was the coalition that organized the 1998 takeover of Royce Hall in protest of Proposition 209, a California ballot initiative voters passed in 1996.
The coalition is not affiliated with the UC Berkeley group By Any Means Necessary, which gathered a smaller crowd to protest the ban on affirmative action Wednesday.
Since the 1998 implementation of SP-1, SP-2 and Proposition 209, the university has witnessed a drop in enrollment by underrepresented minority students.
In 1997, the last year affirmative action was in place, 221 African Americans and 572 Chicano and Latino students enrolled at UCLA. Those numbers dropped to 157 and 525, respectively this fall, even though total undergraduate enrollment has increased.
Fifth-year Chicano studies and sociology student Juan Guzman, who grew up in a predominantly Latino community, said the low numbers almost drove him away from the university.
"I had a hard time getting acclimated," he said. "I almost dropped out my second year."
Protesters submitted written demands to the regents, calling for the reinstatement of affirmative action. They also presented cardboard coffins containing dummy applications of minority students who were denied admission to the university, but they did not get to speak before the board.
"We hold the regents of the University of California responsible for stunting the growth of communities across California, by denying students, who have the potential to succeed in higher education ... admission to the University," ASU Chair Karren Lane read in a statement before the crowd.
Gov. Gray Davis, who is a regent by virtue of his office, is responsible for appointing three new regents to the board this academic year.
There is currently one vacant spot, and two more will open up in March when terms of Regents Meredith Khachigian and Howard Leach expire. Both members, who were appointed by former Gov. Pete Wilson, voted in favor of SP-1 and SP-2 in 1995.
"The board is changing to a point where they believe SP-1 and SP-2 are poor welcome mats to students," said Bustamante, an ex-officio member on the UC Regents.
"The kind of people the governor will appoint will see the policies have been divisive in the past," he said.
Before marching to Covel, students gathered at Royce Quad and listened to former Undergraduate Students Association Council President Mike de la Rocha speak about how affirmative action helped him get into UCLA.
"I came in 1995 as an affirmative action baby and I graduated with honors as a product of affirmative action," de la Rocha said.
Though they will have to continue upholding Proposition 209 because it was passed by voters, Bustamante said the regents may repeal policies they set themselves.
"We still have to comply with 209 – that's the law," he said. "But it doesn't have to be our policies that are at the forefront of national effort to get rid of affirmative action."
Recent efforts to end affirmative action in Florida have been prompted by UC Regent Ward Connerly, who advocated the passage of SP-1, SP-2 and Proposition 209.
