May 16, 2001 UC Regents rescind anti-affirmative action resolutions The University of California Board of Regents today (Wednesday, May 16) adopted a resolution that rescinds two anti-affirmative action resolutions it adopted in 1995. "This is a great day for the University of California and the people of California," said UC President Richard C. Atkinson after the vote. UCSC Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood attended the board's meeting in San Francisco. In a message distributed to the campus community following the vote, she said, "I am very pleased to let you know that the Regents of the University of California have voted unanimously to rescind SP-1 and SP-2, the anti-affirmative action policies on admissions and hiring, respectively." Regent Judith L. Hopkinson, who introduced the resolution, said the action "sends a clear and unequivocal message that people of all backgrounds are welcome at the University of California." Consensus on the resolution was reached in part by reaffirming the shared governance role of the UC faculty in determining admissions criteria, including the "two-tier" process through which the campuses admit 50 percent to 75 percent of an incoming freshman class on the basis of academic achievement alone. Atkinson requested in a February 15, 2001, letter that the Academic Senate begin this review to develop admissions criteria that allow a more comprehensive, holistic evaluation of applicants. That review is under way and is anticipated to be completed by the end of the year. The Regents' action further underscored the university's commitment to K-12 outreach programs that aim to improve the educational preparation of California's elementary and secondary school students to pursue a college education. The resolution also commits the university to retention programs to assure that UC students succeed and complete their education. As part of UC's various efforts to expand the pathways to UC, the resolution further commits the university to undertake new initiatives to improve the transfer process for community college students. One of those initiatives includes the president's "dual admissions" proposal that would simultaneously admit eligible high school students to both UC and a community college. SP-1 and SP-2, the regental policies that prohibited the use of preferences in university admissions, employment, and contracting practices, were approved in July 1995. While eliminating SP-1 and SP-2, the university is still governed by a similar ban incorporated into the California Constitution through Proposition 209, the state measure passed by California voters in November 1996. Return to Front Page