admissions

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UC and Affirmative Action

Byuclafaculty

The U.S. Supreme Court will be making decisions on affirmative action in higher ed admissions soon.  UC – despite Prop 209 which bans such affirmative action – seems to be caught up in the case indirectly due to research papers and court submissions dealing with the impact of Prop 209.  Inside Higher Ed today points to a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper on the impact of 209 on graduation rates of minorities from UC.  It has been contended that affirmative action programs create a kind of mismatch between students and institutions.  The working paper finds that 209, by…

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UCLA Admissions Controversy

Byuclafaculty

The Daily Bruin today carries a story about a report by Law Professor Richard Sander indicating that UCLA admissions officers are violating Prop 209 – the anti-affirmative action initiative that bans preferences based on race and ethnicity. According to the story, although UCLA uses a “holistic” numerical rating system (which was meant to encourage diversity), minority admissions go beyond what the scores would indicate.  Undoubtedly, there will be controversy about this report. You can find the Daily Bruin story athttp://www.dailybruin.com/article/2012/10/findings-by-law-professor-suggest-that-ucla-admissions-may-be-violating-prop-209  It contains a link to the Sander study. Prop 209 was approved by voters after a prior action by the…

A Real Downer

Byuclafaculty

Inside Higher Ed today has a feature story on falling SAT scores.  There has been a long-term decline over the past 20 years since the test was change, the report indicates:…College Board officials have long cautioned against reading too much into a one-point gain or one-point drop in a given year, but over the years since the new SAT was introduced, the average total score has fallen by 20 points, and scores have fallen in all three categories…A chart from the article is below.  The full article – which also has data by race.ethnicity – is at:http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/09/25/sat-scores-are-down-and-racial-gaps-remain Watch where you…

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Moguls

Byuclafaculty

The historically minded might have looked at the headline above in the LA Times today and thought it had to do with increased admissions of international students: http://www.asianartmall.com/mogulempire.htmBut no, it was a different kind of mogul’s kid. Not clear there is a story here.  The mogul in question is hip-hop singer Sean Diddy Combs, sometimes known as Puff Daddy and P. Diddy. At one time, he performed with a rap group known as “Diddy-Dirty Money” that recorded on a label called “Bad Boy Records.”  (The Times did not make an issue of that.) Anyway, his son got a football scholarship to…

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UC-Berkeley Chancellor Protests Proposed Constitutional Amendment Pending in Legislature Capping Out-of-State Enrollment

Byuclafaculty

(Any thoughts from UCLA about this issue?) Media Release from UC-Berkeley Below: Chancellor expresses concerns about proposed constitutional amendment Public Affairs, UC-Berkeley, May 24, 2012 A message from Chancellor Birgeneau On May 16, California state Sen. Michael Rubio introduced a proposed amendment to the state’s constitution that would restrict the enrollment of out-of-state and international students on University of California campuses to 10 percent of undergraduate enrollment. If cleared for the ballot by both houses of the Legislature and passed by voters this November, Senate Constitutional Amendment 22 would take effect in the fall of 2013. Its provisions would mandate…

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Leaving California

Byuclafaculty

The Sacramento Bee today carries the graphic on the left accompanying a story about an increase in California high school grads who are leaving the state for college elsewhere due to rising tuition here in public higher ed and restricted admissions slots. Even though out-of-state privates have higher sticker prices for tuition than California public universities, aid of various types brings down the gap.Click on the graphic for a sharper view or go the article at the link below. The article is at http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/06/4469074/more-college-bound-californians.html Whatever happened to: Things seem to have reversed:

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UC History: Connerly

Byuclafaculty

Former UC Regent Ward Connerly who led the move to abolish affirmative action at UC in 1995 is back in the news, albeit not in a positive way.  http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2012/01/18/allegations-against-prominent-foe-affirmative-action  (There is a link within that link to a NY Times article with more detail.)  A related news item appeared in the Sacramento Bee this morning: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/18/4195636/connerly-financial-misdeeds-alleged.html The news clip below describes the Regents’ action but focuses on then-Governor Pete Wilson.  (Connerly is briefly shown.)  The Regents’ resolution was made redundant by the later Prop 209 and the resolution was subsequently repealed.  However, since UC is covered by Prop 209, the…

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Ballot Initiative Offers Online Route into UC

Byuclafaculty

With a formal title and a favorable fiscal analysis in hand, backers of an initiative to broaden access to online college preparatory classes will begin gathering signatures today to qualify for the November ballot.The proposed initiative would give students the right to go elsewhere for a course required for admission to a UC or CSU campus if their school doesn’t offer it. While they could drive to a nearby district, they also could take the course online. It would establish a California Diploma, which would be awarded when a student completed the 15 required courses, known as A-G… (The sponsoring)…

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Evolving Jurisprudence on UC Admissions

Byuclafaculty

Christian schools lose appeal bid in UC case (excerpt) October 13, 2010, San Francisco Chronicle, Bob Elko The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Tuesday from Christian schools that want the University of California to grant college-prep credit for courses with religious viewpoints – using textbooks, UC says, that replace science with the Bible. The justices, without comment, denied a hearing to the Association of Christian Schools International, which accused the university of violating freedom of speech and religion with its policy on the classes applicants take in high school. UC requires certain high school courses for admission and says…

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UCLA Admissions in NY Times

Byuclafaculty

July 15, 2010, NY timesIn California, a University Tries to Enroll Students that Reflect a Diverse StateBy RACHEL GROSS Which college in the United States gets the most applicants? It’s not Harvard or Yale; it’s the University of California, Los Angeles. The urban campus, the most selective in the 10-campus system, received 57,578 freshman applications for fall 2010, though less than a quarter of those got in. Systemwide, a record 100,000 students applied as freshmen this year, according to a new admissions report presented by the university this week. Full article at:http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/15/in-california-a-university-tries-to-enroll-students-that-reflect-a-diverse-state/?pagemode=print