Education Quotas (1 of 3):
California Newest News

The no-speech culture (posted 03/13/01)

SUBHEAD: Even in paid ads, students quash views they don't like

          "Most of the campus uproar was conducted in the language of feelings, as if the emotional response of some students adds up to a powerful case for suppressing an argument against reparations. "It hurt so much," said one protestor.  "Indescribably hurtful," said another. "Disrespectful to the minority population," said a third. "It was completely opposed to what I've been taught."

          "Many [pro-quota minorities and sympathizers] said they no longer felt welcome on campus. …That notion that free speech is a tool of the oppressor is now mainstream in the campus culture. This is why campus newspapers with the wrong news keep getting stolen, posters for the wrong events keep getting torn down, and speakers with the wrong views keep getting disinvited or silenced. Recent nonspeakers at Berkeley, home of the free-speech movement, include conservative organizer Daniel Flynn (shouted down) and former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu (threats of violence, advised to withdraw by police). Berkeley gets another chance to oppose free speech this week. David Horowitz is scheduled to speak there on March 15."

(Excerpted from the story by John Leo in US News)

[Last known link:  http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/010319/19john.htm ]

School disasters (posted 03/13/01)

          "TEST scores are not the only things that tell us how bad our public schools have become.

          "In San Francisco, the school board voted unanimously to have the city's students take Friday, March 9th, off to go to Berkeley, in order to stage a protest demonstration, demanding the reinstatement of affirmative action in the university's admissions policies. Only after the Berkeley police contacted San Francisco education officials was the rally called off. The police were concerned about such logistical things as where all the buses carrying students from San Francisco were going to be parked and where all these students were going to eat. A school board member then admitted, "there would be no easy way to get that many kids over and back." The more basic question is why these children's education was being sacrificed to some teachers' and administrators' political project. Nor is this the first time that school children have been used as political cannon fodder or as guinea pigs for social experiments. Nor is California the only place where this happens. Nothing is easier than to call any project or activity engaged in by a school "educational." So long as parents and voters buy it, the schools will keep selling it.

(Excerpted from the Thomas Sewell column in Jewish World Review)

[Last known link:  http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/sowell.html ]

UC Bars Professor For Faking Credits To Help Athletes (03/10/01)

          [Berkeley] -- "A longtime ethnic studies professor at the University of California at Berkeley will be barred from teaching next fall as punishment for giving two football players credit for course work they did not do.

          "[Professor Alex] Saragoza wrote in a Nov. 17 letter ... that he has made accommodations in the past for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to help keep them in school.  For the past year, he has headed the UC system's educational outreach program, intended to prepare underrepresented minorities for admission to UC. [Emphasis added.]

          "Alex Saragoza, who has been a faculty member at the campus since 1979 and also serves as systemwide vice president for educational outreach, will be suspended from his faculty position for one semester, sources close to an investigation into the affair said yesterday. He will continue teaching his Chicano studies class this term.

          "In addition, UC Berkeley's athletic program would be put on probation for a year and the football team would lose four scholarships under a recommendation by the Pacific-10 athletic conference. The penalty, if approved by the NCAA, would be relatively light. Other colleges have been barred from participating in postseason play or appearing on television because of academic violations."

[Last known link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2001/03/10/MN173831.DTL ]

Ad sparks debate at college papers (03/01/01)

          MINNEAPOLIS -- "Daniel Hernandez, editor in chief of the University of California - Berkeley's student newspaper, spent the past week and a half making headlines instead of writing them. On March 1 his newspaper, The Daily Californian, ran an advertisement titled, "Ten Reasons Why Reparations for Slavery is a Bad Idea -- and Racist Too."

          "Since then, students, newspapers, radio stations and members of his own staff have bombarded him with complaints, insults and threats. The students and staff stormed his office the morning the advertisement ran, calling him and his publication racist.

          "The advertisement, written by David Horowitz, states "there is no single group responsible for the crime of slavery" and "reparations to African-Americans have already been paid ... in the form of welfare benefits and racial preferences." Horowitz, who is white, joined the Black Panthers during the 1960s but now describes himself as a neo-conservative.

          "Instead of alleviating the complaints he had been receiving, Hernandez's apology only incited a rash of insults and criticism from a variety of sources, ranging from other college papers such as the Badger Herald to major media outlets such as Fox News and The Washington Post.  "I've had a week-long migraine," 20-year-old Hernandez said.  "People are calling me a pussy, a racist communist, a spineless idiot -- everything you can imagine.  And the executive editor at Fox News told me never to enter journalism.  And getting heat from the Badger Herald is something I can do without."  Despite all the criticism, Hernandez said he stands by his newspaper and his decisions."

[Last known link: http://www.uwiretoday.com/topnews030901002.html ]

Affirmative Action Rally Turns Ugly (03/08/01)

          "A lunchtime rally demanding the return of affirmative action [racial quotas and preferences] got out of hand this afternoon. A thousand people were protesting at U.C. Berkeley when a sizable splinter group broke off, starting fights and vandalizing stores. An unruly crowd of about 150 high school students got out of control and raced down Telegraph Avenue before the noontime rally was to begin.

          "Terrified shopkeepers kept their gates closed. "I was thinking I was glad we didn't open," says Tamara Riley of Sam and Libby shoe store. "I was thinking these kids were going to kill each other or themselves." Before and after the rally, fist-fights broke out as students hit bystanders and then ran.

          "Blood still remains on Robin Lee's sweatshirt and on the front of his store after he got hit in the mouth, nose, and head. "Some guy punches me for no reason," he says. "Thirty kids instigating more violence. There were just as many people apologizing for it. And they got be back in the store." A group of hoodlums also descended upon the Athlete's Foot store and started throwing shoes to the crowd outside. Berkeley Police Captain Bobby Miller says, "The specific intent was to loot. Officers came up quickly, but as a result, there were no windows broken.""

[Last known link: http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/kpix/20010308/lo/178_1.html ]

Throngs Show Support For Quotas and Preferences (posted 03/13/01)

SUBHEAD: Organized demonstration turns unruly, forcing some businesses to close early

          "Thousands of protesters against the ban on affirmative action [ban on racially discriminatory quotas and preferences] marched down Bancroft Way yesterday, shouting chants and stopping traffic.

          "BAMN, the student group that supports reinstating affirmative action, organized the protest which involved approximately 800 public school students and teachers from around the Bay Area. After the morning "teach-in" in Pauley Ballroom, students spilled onto Telegraph Avenue, and some looted the Athlete's Foot and started fights. Police dressed in riot gear blocked off Telegraph Avenue at the corner of Bancroft Way, and businesses closed their doors for nearly three hours. Several businesses did not reopen at all yesterday. Robin Lee, an employee at Mr. Rags, suffered minor injuries to the mouth and head after a student punched him in the back of the head. Lee said the attack occurred when he went outside to close the shop doors in response to a tip from another student who came in to the store. Lee said he locked the doors and watched the looting of Athlete's Foot from inside.

          "…Michael McFarlane, a freshman, protested with the Coalition of Student Organizations Opposing Affirmative Action, bearing a sign that said "Disadvantage Transcends Racial Lines." "No one denies that people are disadvantaged, but it is far too simplistic to target these disadvantages based on race," McFarlane said. "We need to look at why these racial groups are disadvantaged, and target the sources of those factors—many which transcend race. Fixing dilapidated schools would help minorities in a race-blind way.""

[Last known link: http://www.dailycal.org/article.asp?id=4876 ]

Rowdy Rally in Berkeley (03/09/01)

          "Jeanah Braden ... a senior at the University of California at Berkeley, shouted during a rally yesterday to demand that the UC regents reverse their 1995 ban on [racial quotas and racial preferences] in admissions. Luke Massey ... addressed the crowd of about 2,000 college and high school students that converged on the Berkeley campus. The rally at Sproul Plaza was marred by some looting and violence as [anti-white, pro-quota] demonstrators marched through downtown Berkeley. See UC Protest Rips Policy On Minorities."

[Last known link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2001/03/09/MN181075.DTL ]

Melee Erupts At Affirmative Action [Pro-Quota] Rally (03/08/01)

          "A rally for affirmative action [for racial quotas] at the University of California turned ugly in Berkeley this morning, when a fight broke out among protesters and about 100 high school students looted a Telegraph Avenue shoe store, authorities said. A young man, identified only as a UC Berkeley student, was severely injured and was taken to Alta Bates hospital for treatment. His condition was unknown by early afternoon. About 2,000 young people, many of them high school students, converged on Berkeley for a noontime rally in support of a return to affirmative action programs.

          "After some of the speeches began at the gate to the UC Berkeley campus, a group of students ran into and started looting an Athlete's Foot shoe store on Telegraph. The melee was quickly broken up by Berkeley police, and no arrests made. But a one-block section of Telegraph was closed in the process. …In addition to demanding that the university resume affirmative action programs, those at the rally wanted an extension of minority outreach programs and more women faculty members. "This rally to reverse the ban on affirmative action in the UC system now is being held on International Women's Day," said Hoku Jeffrey, with the student government's Defend Affirmative Action Party. "The rally will be a declaration of the new civil rights movement," Jeffrey said. "We intend to fight for equality and integration throughout society, including for women of all races."

[Last known link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/03/08/MN224000.DTL ]

UC Protest Rips Policy On Minorities (03/09/01)

          [Berkeley] -- "About 2,000 high school and college students converged on the University of California at Berkeley campus yesterday, calling on UC regents to repeal their ban on affirmative action in admissions. The rally at Sproul Plaza -- the scene of innumerable protests ever since the tumultuous 1960s -- was marred by some looting and violence as demonstrators marched through downtown Berkeley to demand that the regents take action at their meeting in Los Angeles next week, before the May 1 deadline for entering freshmen to declare their intent to enroll for this fall. The demonstration came amid a renewed campaign to pressure the regents to reverse their 1995 vote to end racial and ethnic preferences in admissions. Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante and other state officials held a news conference Tuesday in support of a resolution introduced by Assemblyman Marco Firebaugh, D-Los Angeles, calling for an end to the ban. Even if the regents were to reverse their policy, racial and ethnic preferences could not be restored. California voters abolished affirmative action in public institutions when they passed Proposition 209 in 1996. …One young man, an employee of a clothing store whose name was not disclosed, was beaten on Telegraph Avenue shortly before the noon rally. During the afternoon march, another young man was shoved down and his head kicked, knocking his face into a car wheel and bloodying his nose. A Chronicle reporter also was knocked to the ground. The assailants were high school-age boys. Police said there were other assaults, although details were not known. A Chronicle photographer saw about 100 young persons run into the Athlete's Foot shoe store on Telegraph Avenue and about a dozen of the youths run out with boxes of shoes."

[Last known link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/03/09/MNE217135.DTL ]

High School Students Disrupt Peaceful Protest (posted 03/13/01)

          "As hundreds of activists took to the streets protesting the ban on affirmative action [ban on racial quotas and preferences], scores of Bay Area high school students tainted the demonstration with acts of violence yesterday. Police estimated 800 high school students from Berkeley, Oakland, Richmond, and San Francisco participated in the event. Several schools bused students to Berkeley as part of an educational field trip with permission slips in hand, while other students opted to cut classes for the day. Several local school boards formally endorsed the event, although they did not necessarily condone sending students over to march in the protest. "The ban on affirmative action at UC has had a negative impact on the educational opportunities for all students," stated a resolution approved by the Berkeley Board of Education March 7.

          "Approximately 250 students from Berkeley High School were authorized to attend the event to "experience political activity in action," said Principal Frank Lynch.  He said another 300 students skipped school to participate in the event. …School officials had assured police that students attending the protest would be peaceful, Lopes said. While students should be allowed to stage demonstrations, the high school students who acted violently "took it too far," said Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean. …San Francisco schools had planned an organized field trip, but canceled it after receiving warnings from UC police earlier in the month that the protest could pose safety hazards. Mark Sanchez, a member of the San Francisco Board of Education, said he was frustrated by the warning and accused police of manipulating the situation." He said the school board, which passed a resolution similar to Berkeley's, could not have sent the students after receiving the warning. "It is our kids who are not getting into the UC system," Sanchez said. "It is necessary for them to be involved." The protest was an "educational event," maintained Jill Wynns, president of the school board, expressing regret that the field trip was canceled."

[Last known link: http://www.dailycal.org/article.asp?id=4877 ]

Controversial Advertisement Affects Publications Nationwide (posted 03/13/01)

SUBHEAD: UC Regent Takes Stand Against Daily Cal’s Actions

          "Student newspapers across the country have found themselves pushed into the national spotlight after publishing an advertisement criticizing reparations for slavery. UC Regent Ward Connerly slammed the Daily Californian for its "retreat from the fundamental principle of free speech."

          "On the other hand, a University of Wisconsin student newspaper refused to apologize for publishing the inflammatory ad, prompting student protests outside its office. In a letter to Daily Cal Editor in Chief Daniel Hernandez, Connerly said he cannot "in good conscience" speak to reporters from the paper any longer, due to an apology issued last week for the ad. "There is nothing in the ad that offends the First Amendment so much that the Daily Cal has to cave into a bunch of racial extortionists," he said in a letter. "By the way, I happen to agree with (David) Horowitz's position on reparations, which is shared by millions of Americans.""

[Last known link: http://www.dailycal.org/article.asp?id=4880&ref=news ]

Recruitment on Hold, California Reacts (posted 03/13/01)

          (LETTERS TO THE DAILY CAL, UC BERKELEY) "Let me see if I have this straight: people who think the university needs more diversity are going to actively discourage the very potential students needed to bring more diversity about from enrolling ("Groups to Discourage Enrollment in UC," March 2). Apparently, UC Berkeley either doesn't teach logic or doesn't teach it very well. By their actions, they show that what they care about isn't "diversity," but a governmental policy that purports to substitute one kind of racism with another, giving one race of potential student preference over another race. Adam Bernay Fresno, Calif. I hope the recruitment and retention groups do not think that by not recommending UC Berkeley to potential minority students the UC Board of Regents will change their minds about SP-1 and SP-2. Instead of engaging in self detrimental and hypocritical practices, the groups first priority should be to actively promote UC Berkeley to counter the effects of SP-1 and SP-2. In the very least the groups should not negatively affect a student's decision, but rather stay neutral. They should remember that the overall goal is to maintain a diverse campus whether it is through outreach efforts or affirmative action. If the members of the groups so strongly believe that they should not recommend UC Berkeley to other students then they should ask themselves, "Why am I here?" Siddharth Doshi UC Berkeley student "

[Last known link:  http://www.dailycal.org/article.asp?id=4861 ]

A Challenge to The Chancellor of UC Berkeley (03/09/01)

David Horowitz writes to the Chancellor of U.C. Berkeley as follows:

          "Dear Mr. Berdahl: TWO WEEKS AGO, I submitted an advertisement to the Daily Californian arguing that reparations for slavery was a bad idea. Reaction to the ad from some segments of the Berkeley community was swift and hostile, as the paper’s editor-in-chief, Daniel Hernandez, will surely agree. Since Mr. Hernandez issued his regrettable apology for printing the ad, however, other voices from the community have spoken up, demonstrating the desire for a genuine dialogue on this subject. To that end, I have been invited to speak at Berkeley on March 15. In all candor, I have some personal concerns about this event. Dan Flynn of Accuracy in Academia was an invited speaker at your campus last semester. He came to talk about his monograph, Cop Killer: How Mumia Abu-Jamal Conned Millions Into Believing He Was Framed.

          "During the course of his presentation, Flynn was shouted down, threatened, verbally assaulted, and had his books burned by students while campus police watched. I have enclosed his account of this dismaying incident which was published by my online journal frontpagemag.com."

[Last known link:  http://frontpagemag.com/horowitzsnotepad/2001/hn03-09-01.htm ]

END of California: NEWEST News (1)