UC San Diego told scholarships may be illegal under Prop. 209
UC San Diego told scholarships may be illegal under Prop. 209
Tanya Schevitz, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, July 23, 2001 ©2001
San Francisco Chronicle
In the latest fallout from the state ban on affirmative action, the University of California at San Diego has been warned by UC's attorneys that one of its scholarship programs may be illegal because it is designed to attract underrepresented minority students. The school's "Millennium Scholarships" were awarded in 2000 and 2001 to 89 students with money from private donors.
The recipients were exceptionally qualified students, admitted to UC San Diego solely on the basis of grades and test scores. But campus officials were told that the scholarships might run afoul of the law because the students benefited on the basis of race and ethnicity, said Joseph Watson, vice chancellor of student affairs.
Proposition 209, approved by the voters in 1996, bans state and local governments from giving preference to women and minorities in contracting, hiring and college admissions. Watson said the campus had considered the guidelines that interpret the application of Proposition 209 to student financial aid when it developed the program.
"We were not taking the scholarship money from other students for this, and these were students comparable to other students we give similar scholarships to," Watson said. "The competition is so fierce for these underrepresented students who have high grades and test scores." Only 10 percent of the campus' 16,000 undergraduates are underrepresented minorities, and the money was donated specifically to improve their representation, Watson said.
In order to now ensure it is in full compliance with the law, the campus will transfer the scholarship program to a private, nonprofit entity.
News and Announcements | AAD Home Page