"The most that can be expected from all these efforts is that adverse consequences for racial and ethnic diversity may be minimized," the task force of 28 faculty members, administrators and students concludes in its report. (UC Davis task force representatives were Professor Merna Villarejo and admissions director Gary Tudor.)
Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef expressed more optimism. "Personally, I'm hopeful and believe that at least we should expect to be successful. If we expect to be successful, we're more likely to be."
He applauded the task force's recognition "that there are likely other kinds of criteria that may be just as good if not better" than grades and test scores in predicting success.
"The numbers, especially the SAT numbers, are not very good predictors of success," Vanderhoef said. "The GPA is a fairly decent predictor of whether somebody will make it through to graduation. But there's really no study at all that shows the numbers themselves are good predictors of success in life."
Among additional criteria recommended by the task force: evidence of leadership qualities, unusual persistence and determination, special academic fit with a campus or program, academic promise demonstrated by achievement or recent marked improvement in specific areas, and cross-cultural experience evidenced, for example, by participation in exchange programs or proficiency in other languages.
The task force also warned that, without the commitment of K-12, post-secondary and state and local leaders to improve UC eligibility of underrepresented groups, "participation of these students in the university will remain modest at best."
Vanderhoef agreed: "We need to truly give more effort than we ever have before to student outreach activities."
Dick Clarke, former chair of the Pacific Gas and Electric Co., and UC Interim Provost C. Judson King were named co-chairs of a special UC outreach task force last month.
Vanderhoef says he'll suggest an addition to the admissions task force's report before it heads to the regents' February meeting: more attentive redirecting of applicants turned away by one UC campus but admissible at another. The task force's report noted that many students--including underrepresented minority students--turned down at their preferred campus choose not to attend an alternate UC campus. "We don't really go the five extra steps we should to encourage them, urge them, push them, making sure they're fully aware they do have another UC option," Vanderhoef said.
The task force's report has been sent by UC President Richard Atkinson to the chancellors and to the chairs of the Academic Council and the UC Student Association for comment by Feb. 1.
Two other task forces delivered their reports last month, with comment already due back to Atkinson.
The group studying the effect of the regents' new policy on employment practices advises strengthening efforts to diversify pools of candidates and eliminating "tie breaker" language that has favored the candidate who would meet an affirmative action goal when two substantially equally well-qualified individuals have been considered for a position. Instead, those hiring would be encouraged to support the university's general commitment to promote employees.
The group studying the new policy's effect on contracting recommends setting annual targets for awarding contracts to disadvantaged or women-owned businesses only if necessary to maintain state or federal funds; returning to self-certification of these businesses; and abbreviating statistical reporting requirements.
"We will continue existing outreach programs, and design new ones as needed, to ensure that all businesses have equal opportunity to participate in university business contracting," the task force concludes.
The new hiring and contracting policies, effective Jan. 1, were issued on an interim basis and will be revised, as necessary, "once we have some experience of their impact," Atkinson said.
The new admissions policy will be effective Jan. 1, 1997, in time for the fall 1997 admissions cycle.
