Minorities in State Colleges

Re “The Meaning of Fewer Minorities at UC, UCLA,” by James Q. Wilson, Opinion, April 5:

It was refreshing to see a rational professional evaluation of the effect of Prop. 209 on our UC system and the overall California advanced school system. As Wilson states, UC Berkeley and UCLA are by no means a measure of this fantastic school system California residents are blessed with--and pay for with exorbitant taxes.

I had to bring my level of performance up before entering a major course of study and found that our undergraduate system is very adequate and students will hold their own when prepared for any course of study. This preparation needs to begin in middle school and progress through their final studies. Placing a preferential system on admissions inhibits growth of both the student and the institution.

I attended my daughter’s graduation at Long Beach City College two years ago and the class was by far more minorities than whites. I think this is a very positive statement for the current generation. A great education is available to those who are willing to work for it. If by chance they excel in undergraduate study, they can still get an advanced degree from any school in the country. Harvard entrances are up for minorities but they have completed the required study and grades to get into that advanced study. And Harvard ranks right up there with the best.

DAVE WHITTEN

Long Beach

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Re “Set Up a Lottery for UC’s Top Applicants,” Commentary, April 2: While I agree that more racial diversity would greatly behoove the UC system, I do not believe that a random drawing is the answer. There still needs to be a standard, and APs and SATs provide that adequately. It should be noted that AP classes are significantly harder than regular classes; Ronald Takaki made it sound like extra points were just passed out to rich kids.

Also, I assure you that it is possible to score well on the SAT without taking a class on it. The problem is not in the admissions procedure, but in the high schools. You can’t build a strong house on a weak foundation. There needs to be more money put into our public secondary schools.

The only answer is to go to the root of the problem.

DARREN POLLOCK

La Canada

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Sadly, the dramatic decline in the admissions of black and Latino students to the University of California verifies that the state has been suffering the loss of well-qualified white and Asian students for a number of years. Although our state will never be able to compensate these unfortunate students, they may take some small comfort in the fact that we are finally seeing some fairness in the selection process.

This is particularly true for low-income white and Asian students who--until recently--had to overcome the barriers of both poverty and institutionalized injustice.

JOHN C. DREW

Irvine