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GOLDSEA | ASIAN AMERICAN U

BERKELEY IS NO 2 AAU

e had recently named UCLA as the Number 1 Asian American University based on the total number of Asians enrolled. A disgruntled Golden Bear wrote to point out that the title really belongs to UC Berkeley because 41% of its overall undergraduate population is Asian with Whites making up only 31%.
     The reader has a point. Taking the undergraduate student body as a whole, UC Berkely's stated Asian percentage of 40.9% is higher than UCLA's 38%. What's more, UCB's White percentage is lower than UCLA's 37%, adding other dimensions to the title of "Top Asian American University". But, as with all statistical arguments, the resolution demands clearing up some semantic points.
     First, UCLA has a larger undergraduate population, with a total of 23,615 for the 98-99 academic year versus only 21,738 at Cal. UCLA's status as the biggest of the 9-campus UC system has some bearing on the title.
     Another semantic point is the terms "Asian" and "Asian American". Berkeley's Asian stats are actually labeled "Asian/Asian American", suggesting that they include foreign Asian students. The figures for UCLA don't include the 700 or so foreign students of whom about 500 are believed to be Asian. Including them would have increased the UCLA Asian undergraduate percentage to 40.5%. Together with UCLA's 8.5% edge in total undergraduate population, UCLA would boast several hundred more Asian students. But we admit that the contest is close and, given the fluctuations over time in student enrollment trends, Cal could easily regain the top spot any quarter.
     Our Golden Bear reader feels another fact tips the scale in UC Berkeley's favor -- it's the campus chosen by America's smartest high school grad for 1997, a Chinese American named George Lee. Apparently George had earned the highest scores on 18 AP tests taken during his junior and senior years at the North Hollywood Magnet School and had been recognized personally by Hillary Clinton in October of 1997.
     "If UCLA is so great, a smart guy like George would have gone there, especially since it's a lot closer to where his folks live," contends our reader. We can think of several reasons why a student might want to attend school away from home -- reasons we won't mention for fear of scaring parents. Be that as it may, we have duly noted Cal's close runner-up status for the title "Top Asian American University" and will keep an eagle eye out for developments that may justify a ranking change.