Racial preferences opponents David Lehrer and Joe Hicks co-authored an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, titled, “UC proves Prop. 209′s point.”
“As proponents of Proposition 209 in 1996, we could only have hoped that the ‘underrepresented’ minorities at the center of the debate would ultimately be admitted to the UC — without preferences — in numbers approximating their rate of admission with the benefit of preferences. Our argument then, as now, was that granting preferences on the basis of race and ethnicity was wrong and that, ultimately, in a bias-free environment, students would figure out what had to be done and would qualify for admission on their merits. That argument was right.
“Here are the facts: The number of minority admissions to the University of California for this fall — without the benefit of preferences — exceeds that of 1996, in absolute numbers and, more important, as a percentage of all “admits.” The numbers are, in almost every category, quite staggering.
“Latino students have gone from 15.4% (5,744 students) of freshman undergraduate admissions in 1996 to 23% (14,081) in 2010 (a 145% increase). Asian students have gone from 29.8% (11,085) of the freshman admits to 37.47% (22,877). Native American admits have declined slightly, from 0.9% to 0.8%, but their absolute number increased, from 360 to 531. African American admits have gone from 4% (1,628) to 4.2% (2,624), a modest gain in percentage but nearly a 50% increase in numbers of freshmen admitted.
“The only major category that declined in percentage terms was whites, who went from 44% (16,465) of the freshmen admits to 34% (20,807).”
What accounts for these post-Prop. 209 numbers? Could it be that removing race from the equation puts minorities on notice that grades and scores—and not skin color—will determine their acceptance, and, therefore, attracts minority students with higher qualifications? Perhaps.
As the writers note, racial preferences proponents are under the impression that the percentage of preferred minorities enrolled in colleges must match the percentage of preferred minorities in the state, regardless of SATs, GPAs, and overall achievement. Where did this idea of proportional representation come from?
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