CAA Shares Announcement Reacting to Higher Ed Supreme Court Ruling

Chancellor Christ and Cohen Crumpler issued a response to the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action in higher ed. “Through the recruitment and admission of a bright student body that reflects our state’s population, the university can fulfill its commitment to providing a world-class public education for all future generations. With California’s Proposition 209 restrictions, the Cal Alumni Association, as an independent 501(c)(3) organization, is uniquely positioned to further our campus’s efforts to increase diversity. For decades, the Cal Alumni Association has provided scholarships and support programs for Cal students, working to ensure that all students have the opportunity to attend college and pursue their dreams in an inclusive and equitable environment.”

More from the CAA statement:

In the 27 years since the passage of Prop. 209, our university has pursued strategies for a diverse student body under compliance with the law. Immediately following the proposition’s passage, populations of Black, Latinx, Native, and Indigenous students plummeted at Cal and other public California institutions. In 1999 the CAA board of directors, responding to a directive from then-Chancellor Robert Berdahl, established The Achievement Award Program (TAAP) to support the recruitment and retention of first-generation and low-income students at Berkeley in intersecting support for our underserved populations.

Today, CAA’s Alumni Scholars Program continues to support the advancement of diversity and equity in admissions, recruitment, and retention at UC Berkeley through financial and holistic student support. Beyond monetary awards, the program’s offerings include one-on-one advising; workshops that foster personal, academic, and professional growth; and alumni networks. Financial resources for emergency and basic needs help alleviate risk for marginalized students, who most often carry additional responsibilities that present obstacles to completing their education.

We have further to go. UC Berkeley is working toward designation as a Latinx Thriving Institution, and has been designated an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, part of its goal to become an anti-racist institution. UC Berkeley’s African American Initiative (AAI), begun in 2015, was designed to create welcoming and sustaining environments for Black students at Cal. Alumni volunteers serve on the selection committee for the AAI Scholarship, launched in 2018, which is administered by the Cal Alumni Association in partnership with the San Francisco Foundation.