Affirmative action proposal for California universities runs into Asian-American opposition

[KamaAina]

Derp.

http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_25340851/asian-american-backlash-measure-restoring-affirmative-action-life

A legislative push to permit California's public universities to once again consider race and ethnicity in admissions appears to be on life support after an intense backlash from Asian-American parents who fear it will make it harder for their children to get into good schools....

Over the last several weeks, the three senators who have had second thoughts about the referendum -- Leland Yee, D-San Francisco; Ted Lieu, D-Torrance; and Carol Liu, D- La Cañada/Flintridge -- said they have received thousands of calls and emails from fearful constituents who believe that any move to favor other ethnic groups could hurt Asian-Americans, who attend many of the state's best schools in large numbers. A Change.org petition to kill the referendum now has more than 100,000 signatures, and email listservs for Chinese-American parents have been flooded with angry posts....

Since 1996, the year voters approved Proposition 209, state universities have been barred from "discriminating against or granting preferential treatment" to any racial or ethnic group in college admissions, hiring and contracting. Since then, admission offers to black students have plunged 49 percent at UC Berkeley and 16 percent at UCLA, the state system's two most prestigious schools....

Der said one of the culprits is Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff, who argued at a packed town hall meeting in Cupertino last month that the percentage of Asian-American undergraduates across the UC system -- now about 38 percent -- could plummet if the ban was lifted. Der and Huff were both panelists at the meeting.

I don't watch Fox, obviously, but I'm pretty sure they're going 24/7 on this one, with Benghazi updates at the top of the hour.

Note: Sen. Lieu is the frontrunner to take Henry Waxman's seat in Congress.

[upaloopa]

1. Well no old white men involved in this one

This is the future when all us old white men die off. The races will have to blame each other.

[NOLALady]

2. It seems to me

that the races are all blaming each other now, just as in the past.

[Iggo]

7. "The races" includes white people.

[upaloopa]

8. Well white people won't be a majority I'm told.

[Iggo]

9. Yes, they'll be a minority, just as other minorities are.

Doesn't mean they'll cease to exist.

[upaloopa]

10. So they can still be the villains then.

Which in this case they are not depending on what aside of the fight you're on. Most likely some whites favor return to affirmative action.

[Iggo]

12. Ugh.

[NOVA_Dem]

3. I attended a UC school and it was majority Asian-American.

I thought all UC's were ~50% Asian.

I believe the Black population in CA is declining and this will likely end up as a beef b/w Asians and Latinos.

ETA:
Reading further I see it's Republicans fomenting fear among Asian parents.

[KamaAina]

4. According to the article, it's 38 percent systemwide

these people are complaining that they may no longer be as overrepresented in the UC system.

[NOVA_Dem]

5. My particular UC was over 50%.

Black students comprised less than 5% (that's being generous) of the University's population back in the mid-90's.

[Bonx]

6. "these people" ?

"complaining" ? Is it being 'politically active' for some people and "complaining" for others ?
Also, What % is "overrepresented" ? Which of these students should we remove/deny ?

[KamaAina]

11. Not all Asians

just the ones like Der quoted in the article. No one is talking about removing any students. And how many African American and Latino students are we denying under Prop 209?

[KamaAina]

13. Update: Right on cue, here come the repukes trying to make political hay out of this

http://www.mercurynews.com/education/ci_25356235/chinese-americans-wooed-by-gop-over-anti-affirmative

If passed by the Legislature and then by state voters, Senate Constitutional Amendment 5 would jeopardize their children's chances of being admitted to state universities, opponents told more than 150 people gathered at a "Stop SCA 5" forum at the Cupertino Community Center.

"It would be a serious mistake to let the Latino caucus secure the vote of all Democrats," said Ward Connerly, author of Proposition 209, which SCA 5 would overturn. Connerly's proposition outlawed consideration of race in University of California and California State University admissions. He called SCA 5 "a violation of all democratic principles."...

"I guarantee you the number of Asians will be diminished and the number of Latinos will be increased" if SCA 5 passes, said Connerly. "That's the whole objective."...

Sensing the potential political gain in this issue, the top GOP leaders of both chambers addressed the session, which was conducted in Mandarin and English.