Climate Change at UCSD

Congratulations on your excellent article on UCSD. As you point out, UCSD actually accepts more black students than UCLA or Berkeley but less than 20 percent choose to attend. The problem, therefore, is not whether or not UCSD uses holistic or comprehensive review. It is primarily an issue of climate, scholarship money, and other factors, as you also explain. The “admissions” issue is really not the problem except at the acceptance stage.

As a faculty advisor to the BSU and allied student groups during the recent crisis, I know our students are anxious to change the climate of the campus. But this, in effect, is to change the character of the institution and there are many who will oppose such change.

Professor Lytle’s argument that UCSD be left alone because the real problem is in the K-12 system is only half true. K-12 is the problem but it will not be resolved in our lifetime. To leave UCSD unchallenged is to abandon its small population of black and other students of color who experience stress everyday.

Again, I enjoyed your article.

I am attaching a link to my analysis of recent events at UCSD:

http://www.counterpunch.org/mariscal03122010.html