The End of Affirmative Action: Unpacking UC Regents Response to SP-1, SP-2, and Proposition 209

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Federal and State Policy in Higher Education (Table 10)

Abstract

This paper explores the ways in which the UC Board of Regents both challenged and supported the passing of Special Policy 1 (SP-1), Special Policy 2 (SP-2), and Proposition 209. SP-1 and SP-2 were policies developed and passed by the UC Board of Regents which removed the consideration of race and gender in employment and admissions in the University of California (UC). Proposition 209 was a California ballot proposition that amended the state constitution to prohibit state governmental institutions from considering race, sex, or ethnicity in public employment, public contracting, and public education. By examining the positionality and social networks of the UC Regents, I aim to analyze the ways in which members of this board engaged these policies.

Author

• Tim Herd, University of California - Los Angeles