Past Supreme Court rulings have allowed colleges to consider race
in their admissions processes and about 40% do. But the justices
will revisit the issue later this month and could overturn years
of President John Yang recently visited a university that has been
making a big push to improve diversity without the consideration
of race or sex in the admissions process. He's back now with this
report for our series Rethinking college.
The University of California, Berkeley, accepted only about 11% of
applicants for this year's freshman class, which is one of the most
diverse in decades. Nearly 70% are US students of color.
The university is trying to boost the number of students that it
defines as underrepresented that includes African Americans. Iconix,
Latin X Native Americans, Alaska natives and Pacific Islanders.
They have made some progress. But diversity numbers still haven't
returned to where they were. In the 19 nineties In 1996, California
voters approved a ballot initiative. Proposition two Oh, nine. It
said that race, ethnicity and sex could not be used in hiring or
admissions decisions at state institutions, including colleges and
universities.
The result, a dramatic drop in the number of underrepresented minority
students. Proposition two. Oh, nine had a devastating impact on diversity
on the Berkeley campus are percentages of underrepresented minority
students dropped by 50%. Crist is the Berkeley chancellor since he
joined the faculty in 1970
seen the student body go from being largely white to being more diverse
and inclusive in the 19 nineties.
We live in a diverse world. Students learn more when they're going
to school when they're going to university with, uh
Students that have different beliefs that have different experiences
than they do so. Having a diverse student body is really important
for learning also to be a healthy state. It's important for opportunity
for every young man or woman in the state of California that they
have an equal shot at going to a place like Berkeley or U C. L A
or U C. San Diego.
Studies have found that after the U. C system could no longer consider
race and ethnicity and admissions, the student body became less diverse,
especially at Berkeley and UC L. A. The two most selective schools
in 2018. A year after becoming chancellor Chris launched an initiative
to improve diversity. Part of it was the 2019 hiring of Oluwafemi
Gundel, who goes by Femi as head of admissions is critically important
for us as an institution for me and my work and in my
Role.
To make sure that we have equitable admissions processes. Elihu previously
worked on diversity in the admissions offices of other schools, including
Stanford and Cornell changed how his team judges applications We
are evaluating applicants are looking for excellence and not perfection.
That means that it allows us to take a look at students in the context
of where they are coming from everything from the curriculum that
they are attempting to the extracurricular activities that are available
to them in their schools were measuring student's up against what
what's available to
To them rather than comparing students because we recognize that
the 12 system is not apples to apples for all the students who are
going through it.
To get a better sense of applicants backgrounds. They began using
race neutral tools like a college board database of socio economic
information about their neighborhoods and academic offerings at their
high schools in Delhi, also added a diversity team. The admissions
office, expanded outreach around the state and made other changes.
We created the Berkeley and Espanol website for me, it was important
that we had materials that were in a language that
Parents could absorb that they were comfortable with so they can
engage in that conversation every year. Berkeley brings to campus
high school college counselors in college advisors from around the
state in Delhi, says these connections are increasingly important
as the university tries to reach more underrepresented students.
A lot of times. People think that the admissions work at Berkeley
is, you know they're really strong students versus the really weak
students, and you just kind of make decisions. But really, the majority
of our applicant pool is strong enough to get in here.
Let's have a conversation about what are some of those deeper nuances
that we need to really consider to really make sure that excellence
emerges in the conversation. The changes are showing results. This
year's freshman enrollment for underrepresented groups was about
24% up from 17% in 2017. I think we are all going to be learning
from the University of California system.
Angel Paros says the approach dandelion his colleagues are taking
it. Berkeley could be helpful for schools around the country if the
Supreme Court overturns affirmative action. He's the CEO of the National
Association for College Admission Counseling, which represents more
than 25,000 admission and counseling professionals. They are actually
some of the pioneers and creating more partnership programs in local
communities, partnering with high schools or community based organizations
and creating programs where students can begin to
Do work before they actually become high school seniors so that
They become eligible for the requirements for admission to get into
the U. C. And so they've been really intentional there, and they
actually have had some pretty good success. Berkeley is also focusing
more attention on minority students on campus experiences. This year.
I have classes where I'm the only black student, even the classes
that are within African American studies department, you'll see a
handful of black identifying students.
Shaka Tulum has senior majoring in political economy is student body
president the first in school history to be elected twice, he says.
There's been progress, but problems remain. Unfortunately, it is
a common phenomenon, especially among the black community
to not really have this sense of belonging. And I think that really
everyone I would argue that walks through here at some point in time
will feel a sense of imposter syndrome, right and in processing drum,
meaning the doubt that one has on whether or not they actually belong
in an environment And I think that when you're the only
We won
Um in certain classrooms that's exacerbated.
Three times over. It's going to be much more harder for you to actually
reap the benefits and fully embrace the wonderful things that Berkeley
has to offer
in Delhi, Berkeley's head of admissions, says it's more difficult
to achieve diversity without being able to consider race and ethnicity.
When choosing students
really grateful for the games that we have we have not returned back
to pre Prop two Oh, nine.
Numbers Take a look at the millions of dollars at the UC has spent
as well as Berkeley has spent over the last 30 years to try to get
the diversity numbers. When you look at what our what our data looked
like back when we could consider those factors. We were much more
in line with the high school graduating population in regards to
diversity versus acceptances and involvements into Cal. If you ask
me if I think that
We could do better work with the ability to consider those factors.
The answer to that is absolutely
An ability. Schools around the country could lose after the Supreme
Court's ruling, which could come during the process for admitting
the class of 2027.