Demands Settled by Boyd
Staff Writer
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs William B. Boyd has agreed to two of the demands set forth by the Mexican-American Student Confederation according to an unconfirmed report received here Tuesday.
The Vice Chancellor allegedly agreed to change the ethnic make-up of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) students and staff in the future to more nearly approximate the distribution of minority students in the state.
The majority of the students in the program now are black. If the report of alleged ethnic redistribution is true, Mexican-Americans, who constitute the largest minority population in the state, will be new majority in the EOP.
The Vice-Chancellor according to the report agreed to work for expanding the Faculty Advisory Committee to the EOP to include one black student, one Mexican-American student and one American Indian student. They will have one vote each, as would any faculty member of the committee.
Chancellor Roger Heyns when asked yesterday to comment on the report that Boyd intended to change the ethnic ethnic make-up of the EOP, was reluctant to say anything. “I’m not going to talk about this until I talk to him.” He added, however, “If it is true, it is fine with me.”
In a telephone interview last night to Boyd in Washington, D.C., he would not comment on the report, saying he preferred to wait until the series of meetings was
A new demand set forward by MASC is:
• That the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Minority Education recommended to Chancellor Heyns that he immediately act affirmatively on all of the above demands.
One reason that the Mexican American students have united to present these demands was pointed out by
Hector Gonzalez, a member of the Confederation, who stated that although his race constitutes the largest minority group in California, there are only approximately 70 Mexican-Americans enrolled here.
Gonzalez blamed the “establishment” for this condition. “It's the dumb sociologists who say that we’re lazy. It's the high school counselors who tell us to take shop because they say that we do not have it. We do not get the encouragement that white kids do.”
Gonzalez also pointed out the difficulty his group is having in calling attention to these problems. “Last year Quinto Sol (another Mexican-American organization) presented similar demands to the administration, but they were ignored and finally (the whole organization) had to move off campus. The administration thinks the same will happen to us.” He indicated an intention not to let it happen.
Speaking in his private capacity, however, Boyd said it was his personal goal to “have the student body of the University reflect the ethnic distribution of students in the eligible pool.” He defined the ‘eligible pool’ as those students eligible to enter the University.
Boyd commented further, “It goes without saying that if this is the objective of the university, it should also be the objective for the EOP.” He added, however, that he still did not believe in the use of “the quota system.”
Asking if he thought too much attention had been given recently to black students, Boyd said he thought that the university could still strive to bring in black students
The reason that it has taken so long for the Mexican-American to present their demands was because they “have just not been as well organized” (as the blacks), he said. He thought that the university could still strive to bring in black students
Other demands of MASC include:
• That the EOP have a Co directorship—one black man and one Mexican-American.
• That a thorough and immediate investigation plus continuous evaluation of EOP be conducted by the Research Center for Higher Education and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of of Health, Education and Welfare.
That the entire 2 per cent waiver be used to recruit minority students. If it later changes to 4 per cent they demand that the
At the end of the spring quarter most members went home for the summer, I attended the University of the Americas in Mexico City under the Study Abroad Program. But those who stayed on campus were busy laying groundwork for our next confrontation with the university. MASC, led by Ralph Arreola, had been negotiating with Scott Wilson, business manager for student housing and food services, and gotten him to support the Delano grape boycott by not purchasing grapes for the dormatory dining halls. But the MASC victory in getting the University to to support the Grape Boycott was shortlived.
Manuel Delgado, chairman of MASC, called Hitch’s action “reactionary and racist.” Speaking for MASC, he continued, “We condemn this further affront to those citizens of California who are still struggling under the burden of poverty—and we demand President hitch’s immediate resignation.”
President Hitch also said that because the University “is designed to serve all the people of California” it does not take positions on public issues other than those directly related to its own welfare.”
Hitch ended the week-old policy initiated by Scott Wilson, business manager for student housing and food services that had kept grapes from dormitory dining halls.
Scott had acted after pressure from MASC to support the Delano grape boycott.
But in Friday’s statement, Hitch ruled that the university may refuse to serve a good food only if “there is not sufficient demand to make continued service economical." He instructed campus purchasing departments
“The issues are human,” the statement continued. “And it is on these terms that the university and every citizen of the State and country must make his stand.”
MASC charged that not more than “half a dozen” people on the campus desire to eat grapes. “Any grapes ordered by UC will rot at taxpayer’s expense. President Hitch’s indication that he is responding to a consumer demand on campus is a calculated lie.”