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Prof Charges UCLA Admissions Cheating, Resigns From Committee

On National Review?s phi beta cons blog, Robert VerBruggen points to a devastating 89 page report by political science professor Tim Groseclose criticizing admissions cheating by UCLA officials.

I shall probably have more to say about this report once I?ve had time to read the whole thing. Meanwhile, here is Prof. Groseclose?s Summary:

A growing body of evidence strongly suggests that UCLA is cheating on admissions. Specifically, applicants often reveal their own race on the essay part of their application. This allows admissions staff members to learn the race of applicants; then, in violation of Proposition 209, readers use such information to evaluate applicants. To the extent that this happens ? an extent which can only be assessed with systematic data on admissions ? such practices are de facto implementation of racial preferences.

For the past three years I have been a member of UCLA?s Committee on Undergraduate Admissions and Relations with Schools (CUARS). This is the faculty committee responsible for oversight of undergraduate admissions at UCLA. Since late April 2008, I have made several requests for data. I wanted to investigate the above, as well as other, suspicions, including possible discrimination based on religion. Without exception, however, my requests for data have been denied.

There is considerable evidence that high-ranking administrators and a controlling block of my committee are engaged in a cover-up ? they are preventing me and others from obtaining these data so that the above malfeasance will not be discovered.

Because I cannot properly conduct the duties with which I am charged as a member of CUARS, I am therefore resigning, in protest, from the committee. To do otherwise would condone and make me complicit in what appears to be illegal activity.

Prof. Groseclose is not the only UCLA professor to be denied access to data relevant to understanding the extent and effect of racial preferences. As discussed here, here, and here, UCLA law professor has been denied access to such data gathered and maintained by the California State Bar.

Any public policy that cannot withstand openness and transparency should be eliminated, and academics who support denying access to data should be ashamed of themselves.

Full post as published by Discriminations on August 29, 2008 (boomark / email).