Dive Summary:
- A report released last week by University of California at Los Angeles law professor Richard Sander--showing what he claimed to be evidence of the school's interpretation of "holistic" admissions resulting in the admission of black students with significantly lower scores than students in other groups--has sparked a debate over race and admissions at the institution.
- Holistic admissions is a system used by many leading colleges and universities, and is intended to review each applicant as more than just a set of test scores and grades, but for factors like socioeconomic status, background and the ability to overcome challenges.
- Student groups are accusing Sander of questioning minority students' right to be at UCLA, with one slogan at a Monday rally--"How close to zero do they want us to get?"--conveying a sense that any large number of black students would appear suspect to affirmative action critics.
From the article:
The University of California at Los Angeles uses a "holistic" approach to undergraduate admissions. Each applicant is reviewed not only for test scores and grades, but for low socioeconomic status, a disadvantaged background and evidence of the ability to overcome challenges (among other qualities). Holistic admissions (used by many leading colleges and universities, some of which also consider a candidate's race and ethnicity) is designed to evaluate each applicant as more than just a set of numbers. ...