Records show that since 1993, 19 students were admitted to the University of California Berkeley solely because of the intervention of VIPs, including UC Regent Ward Connerly who is leading the fight to dismantle affirmative action programs which he says amount to racial “preferences.” A committee created to review such VIP referrals gave “some special consideration” to more than 200 students. UC officials said still other students were given “courtesy handling” such as being denied admission to the fall class but automatically being admitted to spring classes without needing to reapply. The Los Angeles Times found that at the University of California Los Angeles, where no such committee exists, more than 200 VIP applicants were admitted after initial rejection or having been coded for denial. The issue began an uproar last month when the Times reported that several of the UC regents who favor abolishing affirmative action for women and minorities were among those using their university influence to give preferences to relatives and friends.
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