Prop. 209 a Wise Policy

The staff calls the recent drop in minority admissions an indication that non-affirmative action policies are "unfair." Quite the contrary. The radical drop instead reveals the absurd degree to which race had previously been a factor in admissions and thereby the extent to which non-minority applicants had been unjustly discriminated against.

If California wants to improve diversity in higher education it should fix its system of public secondary education. In the meantime, the Board of Regents should continue to heed the wise voice of the people as expressed through Prop. 209, and continue to maintain an admissions policy based solely on merit. Jenny E. Heller '01   Noah D. Oppenheim '00