The University of California system has admitted a number of minority students that surpasses pre-Proposition 209 levels for the first time since affirmative action was eliminated from its admissions process.
In 1995, the UC Board of Regents decided to eliminate race and gender as a factor in admissions. The decision went into effect in 1997, shortly after the passage of Proposition 209, a direct ballot initiative that made affirmative action illegal.
Despite the increase in the number of "underrepresented" students admitted to UC, the total number of students admitted for fall 2000 is greater than the number admitted in 1997, so the percentage of minority students still is below the 1997 percentage.
After a sharp drop in minority admissions to UC schools as a result of the decision, the system revamped their recruiting process while staying within the guidelines of Proposition 209.
UC launched an aggressive campaign to reach out to minority students, informing students about eligibility requirements, encouraging participation in rigorous academic courses and helping students prepare for standardized tests.
Richard Black, vice chancellor for admissions and enrollment at the University of California-Berkeley, credits the outreach programs, which concentrate at the high-school level and even earlier, for the increase in underrepresented students.
Black said the increase in admissions was "heartening" and it demonstrates that UC "welcomes applications from all of California's communities."
He said student outreach groups deserve special commendation, as they worked to encourage students of minority backgrounds to apply to UC.
In California, persons classified as "underrepresented" or "minorities" are those of African-American, Chicano, Latino or Native-American descent but not those of Asian descent.
After the Board of Regent's 1995 resolution, underrepresented groups' admissions dropped significantly within the UC system. In 1998, minorities comprised only 16.7 percent of UC's admitted students, as opposed to 18.8 percent in 1997.
This year, 41,790 students were admitted to UC, and 7,336, or 17.6 percent, of those admitted are classified as underrepresented.
Black said that while UC still is feeling the effects of Proposition 209, he thinks the admissions statistics show a step in the right direction.
Lawrence Groves, associate dean of admissions at the University of Virginia, said he applauds Virginia's programs to attract diverse students.
Currently at the University of Virginia, black students account for 10 percent of the total enrollment, Asian and Asian-American students make up 9.9 percent, Latino students make up 2.1 percent and Native American students comprise 0.3 percent of the student body.
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