Burning Down The House: Politics, Governance, And Affirmative Action At The University Of California (frontiers In Education)

Burning Down the House SUNY series FRONTIERS IN EDUCATION Philip G. Altbach, Editor The Frontiers in Education Series draws upon a range of disciplines and approaches in the analysis of contemporary educational issues and concerns. Books in the series help to reinterpret established fields of scholarship in education by encouraging the latest synthesis and research. A special focus highlights educational policy issues from a multidisciplinary perspective. The series is published in cooperation with the School of Education, Boston College. A complete listing of books in the series can be found at the end of this volume. Burning Down the House Politics, Governance, and Affirmative Action at the University of California Brian Pusser State University of New York Press Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2004 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207 Production by Judith Block Marketing by Anne Valentine Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Pusser, Brian Burning down the house : politics, governance, and affirmative action at the University of California / Brian Pusser. p. cm.—(SUNY series, frontiers in education) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-6057-6 (alk. paper) 1. University of California (System)—Admission. 2. Education, Higher—Political aspects—California. 3. Minorities—Education (Higher)—California. I. Title. II. Series. LD729.8.P87 2004 378.1'18'09794—dc21 2003052619 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Figures and Tables vii Acknowledgments ix 1. 2. Burning Down the House: The Politics of Higher Education Policy 1 The UC Governance and Decision-Making Structure: History and Context 13 3. The Context Shaping the Affirmative Action Contest at UC 25 4. Interest Articulation and the Illusion of Control 45 5. The New Politics of Governance 83 6. National Contest and Conflict 119 7. Contest, Resistance, and Decision 143 8. Aftermath 197 9. The End and the Beginning 211 Appendix 1. SP-1 as Amended and Passed 229 Appendix 2. SP-2 as Amended and Passed 231 Notes 233 Bibliography 253 Index 263 List of Titles, SUNY series: Frontiers in Education 279 v This page intentionally left blank. Figures and Tables Figure 3.1. California SAT Scores 31 Figure 3.2. Eligibility Rates 33 Figure 3.3. UC Berkeley Freshman Applications and Admissions, Fall 1980–Fall 1994 35 Figure 3.4. Number of Applicants to UC San Diego, Berkeley, and Santa Cruz by Academic Index: 1994 35 Figure 3.5. Number of Admits to UC San Diego, Berkeley, and Santa Cruz by Academic Index: 1994 36 Figure 6.1. Fall 1992 Freshman Admissions at Berkeley 139 Figure 8.1. UC Berkeley Enrollment 202 Table 3.1. Parental Income, Occupation, and Education Level: UC In-State Freshman Applicants, Fall 1994 32 Table 3.2. UC Board of Regents: Backgrounds