EXTENSIONS of REMARKS October 21, 1991 EXTENSIONS of REMARKS

26910 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS October 21, 1991 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS COLLEGE ADMISSIONS PRACTICES TRANSCRIPT FROM 20/20 PROGRAM, MAY 5, ing that we're not going to speak out. Well, DISCRIMINATE AGAINST ASIAN 1989 we've proven them wrong. AMERICANS Hugh Downs, co-host: Sherr: For the past five years, Henry Der, For many high school seniors, the month executive director of the Asian-American of May is a month of misery. They're waiting Task Force, based in San Francisco, has HON. DANA ROHRABACHER to hear if the college of their choice has a waged an all-out war at Berkeley. Asians OF CALIFORNIA place for them next September. Well, con now make up twenty-six percent of the IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ventional wisdom is that the best students Berkeley student body, and in recent years, with the best grades have the best shot at many have turned in breathtaking academic Monday, October 21, 1991 getting in, but a growing number of Asian records. But some Asian students think their Mr. ROHRABACHER. Mr. Speaker, the Jan American students say that for them, dif achievements have made them a threat. Lis uary 1989 Yale Law Journal carried an article ferent rules apply, that while as a group, ten to what happened to one Berkeley senior entitled "Assuring Equal Access of Asian they are excelling academically, they're also when she ran for campus office. Americans to Highly Selective Universities" by as a group, victims; victims of racism and a Unidentified Asian Student #1: I found one of my flyers marked and defaced. And one of an Asian-American woman, Grace W. Tsaung resentment of their scholastic success. Lynn Sherr investigated to see if they have a case. my issues was Asian missions, and someone who was a graduate of Brown University and Lynn Sherr reporting: actually crossed it out and said, "Go home, was in 1989 a student at Yale Law School. Brown University in Providence, Rhode Is there's too many of you here already." She presented information that Harvard, land; one of the most prestigious Ivy League Sherr: The problem began in the early Brown, and Stanford Universities had a lower colleges in the country. It is also one of the 1980's, when the number of applications from admit rate for Asian-American applicants sug toughest to get into. But some of those who students of all races to selected universities gesting an upper limit quota. have worked hard to make it, say they are nationwide, soared. At the same time, In a May 5, 1990 20/20 ABC-TV program victims of their own success; they say excel thanks largely to liberalized immigration segment on discrimination against Asian ling academically has created resentment, laws, Asian-Americans also began to apply in and that now they are not being treated fair far greater numbers than before, but at some American college applicants the new Dean of ly. They are a growing minority delivering a of the schools, there was no rise in the nwn Admissions at Brown virtually admitted that in modern protest: Asian-Americans, two per ber of Asians admitted. All the universities the past Brown had an upper limit quota cent of the U.S. population, 8.6 percent of the deny the existence of Asian quotas, but against Asian-American applicants. Brown student body; the highest proportion Grace Tsuang, a Brown graduate whose now The same program interviewed Grace ever, but they say that's not enough, and studying law, recently published a study of Tsaung and Vat Pang Au of San Jose, CA a that discrimination by officials is reflected admissions policies as they pertain to Asian high school student who had an outstanding in the atmosphere on campus. Americans at a number of major univer academic and extra-curricular record but was Kelly Kim (Student): You know, I walk sities. around, and I hear comments like, the eleva Grace Tsuang (Student): Over the last ten not admitted to the University of California at tor being the Orient Express. I'm walking years, what we're seeing is dramatic in Berkeley. He told 20/20 he felt he had been I'm walking around with a bunch of my creases. In fact, at Brown, from 1978 to 1986, suffered racial discrimination. After the 20/20 Asian friends, and I hear a crack, 'Oh, there there was a four hundred and thirty percent program a cover story in the Los Angeles goes the yellow peril,' you know, to me, increase in the number of Asian-Americans Times Magazine and a national AP. wire serv that's very overt racism. applying, yet at the same time (and this ice story lo and behold he was admitted 2 Sherr: Herald Chen of Butler, Pennsylva trend is true also, for Harvard and Stanford), years after his initial application. nia, thinks his race may have been a strike the number of Asian-Americans admitted re I commend the following excerpt from Grace against him from the moment he applied to mains fairly constant, even though this is an college. A straight-A student who scored 1350 extremely highly-qualified pool applying. Tsaung's Yale Law Journal article, the tran on his SAT's, way above average, Herald told And so, what we are suggesting is that there script of the 20/20 program and the A.P. story us he was turned down by Harvard last year. is some type of upper limit ceiling on the on Vat Pang Au to my colleagues: Herald Chen (Student): As I filled out the number of Asian-Americans admitted to [From the Yale Law Journal, January 1989) application, there was one section where you these highly selective universities. EQUAL ACCESS OF ASIAN AMERICANS can mark a box if you're Asian or any other Sherr: At Brown, Eric Widmar, current Admissions programs at many institutions minority group, and I did ask myself, and I dean of administration, agrees, there were granted preferences to racial minorities in also asked my parents, 'Oh, do you think times when too few were admitted, but he the selection process, which frequently re that I should mark this box?' But I was won says Asian-Americans can't expect their sulted in high admit rates for minority dering, would my changes be better getting numbers to escalate continually. groups compared to Caucasians Statistics into Harvard if I wasn't an Asian student? Eric Widmar (Dean of Admission, Brown from the Brown Admissions Office reflected Sherr: This is Chinatown in the heart of University): Ten years ago, we had relatively downtown San Francisco, the city with the few Asian-American applicants to the uni such patterns. Beginning with the Class of largest concentration of Asian-Americans in 1985, however, Asian Americans were admit versity. We wanted to have more. We accept the continental United States. Some of the ed, as you said, practically half, in the class ted at a lower rate than Caucasians, and the youngsters here are immigrants, some were disparity continued until the Class of 1987, of, I think, 1982. Now, we have fifteen hun born in the U.S.A., but they all want their dred or more every year; we can't accept half when only 14% of Asian applicants, compared share of the American dream, and for many, to 19% of Caucasian applicants, were accept of that number. that means access to the prestigious campus Sherr: This year, Brown anticipates up to ed for admissions. Although the number of of the University of California at Berkeley, Asian applicants continued to escalate, the thirteen thousand applicants. There is room just North of here. But in recent years, for only thirteen hundred freshmen. So, like number of Asian candidates accepted re Berkeley, like a number of other universities mained fairly constant, suggesting the exist other schools experiencing the same surge of around the country, has been accused of lim interest, Brown is looking at more than just ence of an upper limit quota. Similar dis iting the number of Asian-Americans it ac parities in admit rates occurred at Harvard academic qualifications to balance their 1 cepts as students. Now, Asian-America s are campus. Among the subjective criteria: race, and Stanford, suggesting a trend at the na fighting back. tion's highly selective institutions. gender, geography, sports and leadership Henry Der (Asian-American Task Force): skills. They may not have in their mind, "I hate Widmar: What Asian-Americans have to 1 Between 1982 and 1985, "Asian-American appli Asians, and therefore, I don't want them in,'' understand, and what their parents have to cants to Stanford had adrniBBion rates ranging be but they do take advantage of Asians, think- tween 66 percent and 70 percent o! adrniBBion rates understand, is that every college in this !or whites "STANFORD UNIVERSITY, 1985-86 ANNUAL country, so far as I'm aware, has to pay at REPORT OF THE COMMI'M'EE ON UNDERGRADUATE AD The Stanford University Campus Report, Nov. 12, tention to enrolling a variety of different MISSIONS AND FINANCIAL AIDS 5 (1986), reprinted in 1986, at 14, col. 2 [hereinafter CUAFA REPORT) kinds of people, and they reserve the right to •This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. October 21, 1991 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 26911 describe, as long as it's not discriminatory, but they felt his extra-curriculars would lot of evidence out there that would indicate what those different categories of people are.

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