I feel compelled to set the record straight. Students of color arenot asking to be held to lower standards for admission than are anyother student. What we are asking is for equal access to a qualityeducation.
The reality is that many students who are eligible for admission,based on California State University standards, are being deniedadmission to San Diego State University because of these increasedstandards imposed as a result of the campus using impaction as ameans of managing enrollment.
The university is increasing its standards, but the institutionsfrom which we receive our students are not. Many of these schools areseparated on the basis of race as a product of de facto segregationand are inherently unequal.
As a result, not all schools are in the position to providestudents with the same level of education. This creates a situationwhere many students are being provided an inferior education, whileothers are being better prepared to compete for access to highereducation.
Admission standards for the CSU are designed to provide access tohigher education to the top one-third of California students. Byusing impaction to impose requirements for admission to SDSU that farsurpass the CSU requirements, the university is placing a glassceiling on the educational plans of many students who meet thesystem-wide standards, but not SDSU’s standards.
The horrifying results of impaction are evident in the Fall 1999class of new admits, which shows decreases in numbers of students ofcolor.
While the university is proud of its ability to attract a “betterprepared” student as a result of impaction and increased standards,it is beginning to earn the label of an elitist university, and isbecoming competitive with some University of California campuses,which are designed to provide access to higher education to the top12 percent of California students.
In 1996, the university affirmed its commitment to maintaining andenhancing the diversity of the campus. More recently, however,university administration has been managing its enrollment to meetbudget restrictions and physical space allocations.
I understand and sympathize with the need of the university tomanage its enrollment; however, I am strongly against this being doneat the expense of students who have worked hard to meet the CSUadmissions requirements and are therefore eligible to attend SDSU.
In response to impaction, the university prides itself with itsprojected increases in graduation rates of students of color over thenext 12 years. But what is not being addressed, with regard to theprojection of increased percentages in graduation rates, is theactual number of students who graduate.
If we examine the Fall 1999 entering class, there are 183African-American students, while the Fall 1998 entering class had 266African-American students. The difference is 83 people. This isunacceptable.
Regardless of the percentages, we must realize that each of thesenumbers represents a person who meets CSU eligibility requirements,but does not meet the new increased requirements imposed by SDSU,which is a campus of the California State University.
The reality is clear. In raw numbers, fewer students enrolledresult in less graduates.
Well, diversity has definitely taken another blow. It will betruly interesting to see if the university will act on its commitmentto maintaining the diversity of the campus, or if it will continue tomanage its enrollment at the expense of its African, Chicano, Latino,Asian, Pacific Islander, Filipino and Native American students.
It is clear that impaction is not the answer to balancing the needfor enrollment management with the need to maintain the diversity ofthe campus. While the idea of enrollment management is gaining, theneed for ethnic diversity on the campus is clearly losing.
To those students who feel that students of color are asking forlower standards, I will affirm that you are sadly mistaken. Ichallenge you to step out of your box and learn to have respect forpeople with experiences different from your own.
If you are going to attack or argue against a cause, at least doso with correct information. It is clear that the establishment hasfailed at its guarantee of equal opportunity, so we must be allowedto compete whether the playing field is level or not.
This column is the opinion of the columnist and not The DailyAztec. Ron Williams is the A.S. Representative for the AfricanStudent Union. Send comments to daletter@mail.sdsu.edu.
