Asian Bias Probed at UC
The news that some Asian students feel they are being discriminated against by an unstated quota at the University of California that favors whites, says to me that affirmative action is in deep trouble and ought to be done away with (“U.S. Probing Possible Asian Bias at UCLA, UC Berkeley,” Part I, Nov. 18).
At one time it was successfully argued that academic merit alone was an unfair basis for admissions policies because it favored whites. So quotas--call it affirmative action if you like--were instituted. Now some Asians are arguing that quotas are unfair because they favor whites. In essence, the argument is this: Quotas are good if they favor minorities; quotas are bad if they favor whites.
Pursuing this logic will only lead to bitter resentment. Let’s do away with affirmative action and return to using merit alone as our criteria.
BRAD HAUGAARD
Monrovia
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
