Guide To The Allan Bakke Vs. Regents of UC collection
CEMA 113
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara 93106-9010
Phone Number: (805) 893-3062
special@library.ucsb.edu
Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Title: Allan Bakke Vs. Regents of UC collection
Identifier/Call Number: CEMA 113
Physical Description:
0.5 Linear Feet
1 box
Date (inclusive): 1976-1980
Language of Material:
English
.
Conditions Governing Access
None
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was acquired by the Colección Tloque Nahuaque and was transferred to CEMA in 1989. It has an unknown provenance.
Biographical / Historical
After several unsuccessful applications to the University of California's medical school at Davis, Allan Bakke applied to
the school in 1974 receiving a 549 out of 600 on his application. Under a special program, UC Davis held 16 of its 100 available
places in each class through a process administered by what was called The Special Task Force for Miority and Disadvantaged
Students. According to Allan Baake students competed amongst themselves and were not held to the same grade point averages.
Shortly thereafter, Bakke filed suit, challenging that the University's admissions policy was unconstitutional on the grounds
that the school's consideration of race denied him his right to equal protection of the law. Bakke was able to show that his
grades and test scores were higher than those admitted through the special admissions program, though nearly fifty other white
candidates who had been denied had superior numerical indicators. Reinforcing, yet complicating Bakke's case, a few white
students with scores lower than Bakke's had been admitted to the class.
The University of California conceded that Bakke would have been admitted absent the special admissions program and the consideration
of race. It was the University's intention through this plea, to obtain a definitive ruling on the constitutionality of its
admissions program. The case never went to trial but was instead decided in Bakke's favor by a trial judge on the facts of
the case alone. This did not, however, decide the fate of special admissions programs for minorities, as the subsequent and
numerous appeals helped to lay out the legal foundations of special admissions programs and their relationship to what were
then termed "regular admissions" programs (Selmi, 1999).
This collection contains materials related to both the opinion held by the Supreme Court and the debate within the UC over
the legitimacy of Bakke's complaint and/or legal standing of the University. There was no definitive consensus among scholars
as to the strength of weaknesses of the University's case yet the arguments presented during the amicus filings covered a
wide spectrum of concepts. Despite the controversial nature of these issues and the continuing legal debate of affirmative
action programs in the United States, most, if not all, of the fundamental legal arguments for and against affirmative action
were explored in the Bakke vs. UC decisions.
Processing Information
Alexander Hauschild, 2007.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains materials related to both the opinion held by the Supreme Court and the debate within the UC over
the legitimacy of it's complaint. There was no definitive consensus among scholars as to the strength of weaknesses of the
University's case ye the arguments presented during the amicus filings covered a wide spectrum of concepts. Despite the controversial
nature of these issues and the continuing legal debate of affirmative action programs in the United States, most, if not all,
of the fundamental legal arguments for and agains affirmative action were explored in Bakke vs. UC decisions. The collection
is contained in a single box collected from materials obtained through the collection Colleción Tloque Nahuaque.The collection
is arranged in a single series.
Series I: Bakke vs. UC Regents. The series contains numerous correspondences between UC scholars and representatives, lawyers from the Mexican American
Legal Defence and Education Fund, (MALDEF) and organizations within the UC, all voicing their opinions on the case including
a series of mail grams imploring the UC not to appeal the case based on the weakness of its merits.
Selmi, Michael. The life of Bakke: An affirmative action retrospective.
The Georgetown Law Journal 87 no. 4, 981-1022 (2009).
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or
quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given
on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Affirmative action programs
Series I: Bakke vs. UC Regents
box 1, folder 1
News release-Supreme Court School Admission Program Based on Racial Classifications
September, 1976
box 1, folder 2-3
Correspondence
October-November, 1976
box 1, folder 4
Mexican America Legal Defense and Education Fund
September-December, 1976
box 1, folder 5
Correspondence
November-December, 1976
box 1, folder 6-8
Report on Special Admissions at Boalt Hall
box 1, folder 9
Mailgrams urging against a Bakke appeal
1976
box 1, folder 10
Petition for rehearing
1976
box 1, folder 11-12
Supreme Court opinion of appeal
1976
box 1, folder 13
Concern of Thomas Calderon
October, 1977
box 1, folder 14
Bakke decision, disadvantaged Graduate Students-Draft
July, 1977
box 1, folder 15-16
UC regents vs. Bakke, Brief for Petitioner
box 1, folder 17
Policy Interpretation on Implementing Affirmative Action
October, 1979
box 1, folder 18
Decision of California Court of Appeals DeRonde vs. the Regents
January 1980
box 1, folder 19
Articles and Newsletters
1976-1980
