The U.S. Census Bureau reported that as of 2004, 35 percent of Californians were Latino. Meanwhile, UCSD lags drastically behind in the numbers game, and in 2005 only 12 percent of those admitted were Latino students.
Earl Warren College freshman Carlos Guerrero is one of the 6,041 Latino freshmen that enrolled in the UC system this year. Of the 2,290 Latino students offered admission to UCSD, only 594 enrolled.
According to the UCSD Chicano/Latino Concilio, a group comprised of alumni, faculty, staff and students, the small number of Latino students at UCSD is due to structural inequalities and is not a result of cultural or socioeconomic factors.
One admissions statistic is telling of where the group places the blame: As of 2005, only one in five Latino students admitted to UCSD actually enrolled.
Latino students, members say, are ready and willing to pursue higher education – it is UCSD that’s failing them.
“”Chicanos and other underrepresented students usually enroll elsewhere because the UCSD campus climate manifests elitism and institutional racism,”” Patrick Velasquez, a member of the Concilio, stated in an e-mail. “”The current UCSD administration has yet to provide a plan or any substantive action to change the fact that Chicanos have remained frozen at approximately 8 percent of the undergraduate student body for over 10 years.””
The group cites outreach as a key failure at UCSD. Velasquez stated that he recognizes the Preuss School as an alternative to outreach, but the school, which caters to low-income students, has never made a significant difference in UCSD’s Latino population.
According to A.S. Commissioner of Diversity Affairs Marco Murillo, UCSD doesn’t appeal to Latino students because the school environment is not accommodating to its Latino students.
“”Many Latino students who visit UCSD do not feel welcome on our campus, which makes them opt for other universities,”” Murillo stated in an e-mail.
In order to better serve Latino students, the university needs to take some serious steps forward, Velasquez stated. There is a serious lack of Latino students and leadership on campus; all six provosts are white, and without a stronger racial balance, even Latino students who are admitted will likely feel alienated on campus, he said.
There are also structural issues within the state’s high school system that perpetuate the current racial imbalance. Students from poorer districts – mainly minority students – don’t receive the same college preparation, and are critically impaired when formulating their college applications.
“”Our education system is failing to prepare all students to be UC-eligible,”” Murillo stated. “”It is usually the students who are already underrepresented in the UC system who are least likely to gain acceptance because they attended high schools [that] did not set them on a track that would make them eligible for UC admission.””
While the university is taking steps toward a balanced racial profile, it is not doing enough, according to Velasquez. In 2003, the Concilio recommended hiring a chief diversity officer, but the university hired only a part-time staff member with no budgetary or staff support.
“”Despite our recommendations, the Chicano/Latino studies minor and program are funded at the pathetic rate of about $1,000 a year (much less than the university spent on a rock, bear statue),”” Velasquez stated.
Both Murillo and Velasquez stated that in order to boost Latino numbers, UCSD needs to take a serious look at its admission techniques, and work harder to adjust its policy in ways that would make admission more attainable to underrepresented students.
The Concilio is currently working with Ujima, a coalition of black faculty, staff and students at UCSD, to promote a greater level of diversity on campus.
“”Given the unequivocal, empirical research evidence of the relationship between diversity and learning, we cannot truly consider UCSD an ‘excellent’ institution with such a dreadfully low level of diversity in all dimensions of campus life,”” Velasquez stated.
