Discrimination at UC Berkeley

As a recent high school graduate who was denied admission to the University of California, I completely disagree with Tien, who felt that the admission policies of UC Berkeley serve the needs of California. As a publicly funded institution, it is inexcusable that only 55% of all admitted applicants were based upon academic criteria while the remaining admitted students were admitted on any variety of the factors deemed necessary for the purpose of diversity.

Should Californians fully and blindly entrust these admission officers with the selection of students for this state’s most prestigious university? How is this state served when thousands of hard-working, qualified students, who drudged through four years of high school, can be denied admission because one is unfortunate enough to be a member of the “improper” ethnicity? Is UC Berkeley a trophy case to display diversity?

I’d like to remind Tien and the UC regents that UC Berkeley belongs to the people of California, not the elite few who uses our tax dollars to deny admission to thousands of fully qualified students so that they can realize their personal quest to bring salvation to society by creating the “perfect” student population.

ERIC LEUNG

Covina