Cans of Worms from the Legislature

There are several bills floating around in the legislature that seem to reflect grumbles about controversial elements of UC undergraduate admissions.

One controversial issue relates to the degree to which courses in "data science" can substitute for algebra. Another deals with requiring ethnic studies - and what can be included in such courses - as part of the A-G requirements for undergraduate admissions. However, these issues are not directly confronted in the bills which instead seem to create procedural hurdles in UC decisions regarding admissions requirements.

AB500 would require that the UC student government and the State Board of Education play some role in changes of admissions requirements.

AB684 would make BOARS (Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools), a committee of the Academic Senate, subject to the same kind of open meetings requirements that regular meetings of the Regents are required to meet.

AB1217 also puts the State Board of Education into decisions on UC admissions requirements.

CSU is also enmeshed in these bills. AB1217 "requests" UC to comply rather than requires it to comply. Presumably the request format addressed to UC is a reflection of the constitutional autonomy the Regents are supposed to have.

The bills are at:

https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB500/2025, https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB684/2025, and https://legiscan.com/CA/text/AB1217/2025.

Note that as long as its hard to get into UC and parents complain to their representatives, there will be bills and pressures dealing with admissions. Many bills introduced in the legislature ultimately are not enacted.