Whereas the diversity of the student body is a crucial factor affecting the student experience at UC Irvine and;

Whereas UC Irvine has a demonstrable lack of diversity, particularly of underrepresented minorities and;

Whereas some relevant numbers include the 2-3% African American student population and the less than 1% Native American student population in 20111 and;  

Whereas this lack of diversity is a contributing factor to a hostile campus environment and consistent recurrences of direct and indirect attacks on marginalized populations and;

Whereas these attacks have included but are not limited to the 2010 “Pilgrims and Indians” party hosted by the registered Greek fraternity Phi Psi and the 2013 “Blackface” video produced by the then-registered Greek fraternity Lambda Theta Delta and;

Whereas these attacks have also originated from campus entities and include but are not limited to the 2011 Pippin Commons’ “MLK Chicken and Waffles Holiday Special”2 , police and administrative harassment of certain groups such as Black students and Muslim students, routine occurrences of professors making offensive racist comments to their students and;

Whereas the recent Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 (SCA5) that had passed in the California State Senate would have permitted the use of race, ethnicity, sex, and national origin, among other factors, in California public education, in the interest of increasing diversity in public higher education and;

Whereas, contrary to common misconceptions, SCA5 if passed would not have permitted the use of racial quotas to exclude certain groups from public higher education and;

Whereas SCA5 would have been a small step in allowing the implementation of policies to reverse the trend set by the 1996 Proposition 2093 of drastically reduced minority representation in public higher education and;

Whereas, following a concerted campaign of negative publicity against the legislation, SCA5 has been withdrawn to the California State Senate and awaits further action by the legislation’s author and;

Whereas a bicameral commission is being created in the California Legislature to investigate the state of diversity in public higher education and;

Whereas current UC and other public higher education students are closest to the issue of diversity on their campuses, they are living it, and;

Whereas this delay will prolong a period of time when many UC’s including UC Irvine continue to lack critical diversity of historically underrepresented minorities and;

Whereas the urgency of a hostile campus environment is reflected in the UC Campus Climate Study4 that showed at least 24% of UC students have personally experienced discrimination, and at least 7% of UC students were “uncomfortable” or “very uncomfortable” with their campus climate experience and;

Whereas a lack of diversity in public higher education is caused by, translates to, and reinforces an institutional failure to provide equal opportunity to California’s diverse population and;

Whereas the Associated Students of the University of California, Irvine has a responsibility to advocate in the interest of the UC Irvine student body and;

Therefore let it further be resolved that ASUCI asserts the necessity for diverse student voices from across the state to be included thoroughly in the California State Legislature commission on diversity in public higher education and;

Let it further be resolved that ASUCI asserts the necessity and urgency of increased attention and action by the University of California and the California State Legislature to the issue of diversity on college campuses and;

Let it finally be resolved that ASUCI supports the spirit, intent, and method of SCA5 to use affirmative policies to increase diversity on college campuses and promote a more wholesome educational experience.

1 - http://www.assessment.uci.edu/undergraduate/documents/All_Ugs_Enrollment_F07_to_F11.pdf

2 - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/27/uc-irvine-cafeteria-serve_n_814931.html

3 - http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_23516740/affirmative-action-ban-at-uc-15-years-later

4 - http://campusclimate.ucop.edu/_common/files/pdf-climate/summary-factsheet.pdf