As prepared for delivery

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

We have much important business before us today, but recent events on our campuses demand such a full and thorough examination that I will devote my remarks exclusively to this subject.

First, I thank those from the community who have taken the time to share their comments. I understand your passion and your pain. I understand your anger. And I share it.

What we have witnessed in recent weeks are quite simply the worst acts of racism and intolerance I've seen on college campuses in 20 years.

I recently had the privilege of meeting with leaders of the Black Student Union from UC San Diego. What I heard was deeply disturbing: a young woman who'd had a swastika drawn on her door; a young man who'd heard other students using the most loathsome epithets in his presence; another student who saw her dorm mates darkening her photograph. These students told me of their isolation, fear, disappointment and anger.

I was deeply impressed with their courage and eloquence, with their determination to seek redress and constructive solutions.

We must — and we will — deal with the causes of the offending behaviors, both the immediate and the underlying. We will address the campus climates that gave rise to these actions. And while we must not and will not abandon fair process, in those instances where policies or laws have been violated, the perpetrators in each instance will face appropriate consequences.

Shortly you will hear from individual chancellors about what is being done on their campuses.

But first, I'd like to say a word to the students who have been so deeply harmed, to the students who may wake up in the morning and wonder "Do I still belong here?" or "Am I safe here?" or "Will anyone stand with me?" I'd like to speak to the faculty and the staff who may be wondering, "Is this still my university?"

The answer from me, from this board and from the chancellors is a resounding "Yes." I stand with you and we stand with you.

Let's not let the actions of a very few divert our eyes from the prize. And that is what the University of California stands for: a commitment to access and opportunity for all Californians. Diversity and openness are in our DNA. Diversity is a critical topic of discussion in the annual performance evaluation that I give each chancellor. That is our existing practice. One-third of our undergraduates are eligible for Pell Grants; nearly a third are the first in their families to attend college; half of our students come from homes where English is not the only language spoken. No other top-tier public research university in the country comes close on these measures.

I speak today not only as a university president, but also as a person who has been deeply offended, and as a legal scholar who has devoted much of my career to ensuring access to education for those who have been historically underrepresented. I speak above all as a citizen who refuses to see the First Amendment hijacked to serve the perverse ends of a tiny, intolerant minority.

It's time for the vast majority of us, for those of us who revere diversity and tolerance, civility and respect — the true values of this university — to stand up and say "Enough."

Enough.

Don't talk to me about immaturity, about copycats or sophomoric attempts at edgy humor or the supposed right to "free expression," when it means drowning out the speech of others. There are no excuses for the behavior we've witnessed and even one incident is one too many.

It must be stopped.

It won't be easy. And the remedies can't come from me or from those in this room alone.

But if there's one thing the events of recent weeks have reinforced, it is the idea that the remedy for bad speech is good speech.

It's incumbent on every one of us, on every single member of the UC community, to visibly and vigorously challenge expressions of bigotry wherever, whenever and however they occur.

For those in the majority, it's tempting to dismiss incidents like those we've seen as an aberration. To those in the targeted minority, these incidents feel like the tip of the iceberg. We have to understand the special harms that are done to people who fall within the defamed class.

As a university, we have to start by recognizing that we have a problem.

But let's be clear: The problem is not limited to one campus alone. We must take steps to address the campus climate issues that leave students feeling marginalized.

Changing that campus atmosphere is a task that starts on the ground, cafeteria table by cafeteria table; student organization by student organization; department by department; class by class, college by college; on the quad; in the bleachers; in the dorm rooms, the classrooms and the labs.

The chancellors have done admirable work in addressing these issues with their campus communities, and all have my full support. We all know that what affects one UC campus affects us all. Similarly, where we see best practices that promote diversity and tolerance, chancellors will share information with their colleagues.

Our job, at the oversight level, is to consistently set the tone, to devise better policies and to be tough on those who break the rules.

So to those who may ask, "What have you done?" a question that is absolutely fair, let me outline the steps taken so far:

First, I have appointed Dean Christopher Edley of UC Berkeley Law School, a distinguished civil rights and constitutional law expert, to act as a special adviser to me and to Chancellor Fox on racial issues on the UCSD campus.

Dean Edley has served two U.S. presidents and was a member of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. There is no better expert in the land to advise us on the way forward.

I'm encouraged by the progress that's been made so far between Chancellor Fox and the Black Student Union and support all steps that will contribute toward an improved campus climate at San Diego.

Second, I am issuing a clarion call for alumni, friends of the university and for all concerned Californians to come together and raise scholarship funds that will support underrepresented minorities on UC campuses. Far too often, we see many of our most talented candidates accept offers from private universities that do not face the same restrictions on affirmative action that we do, and that can offer far more generous financial aid. Proposition 209 is of course the law and as a public university we must operate within its confines. But there is nothing preventing private individuals and private entities from targeted giving and you can expect to see a major expansion of the opportunities in this area.

Third, we have begun to review student-proposed legislation on campus hate crimes. We intend to work with the students to identify gaps in existing laws that can be addressed while still upholding the Constitutional principles that we value.

Fourth, I am taking steps to reevaluate our campus admissions processes. Campuses have been given latitude to develop their own processes and some, frankly, do a better job than others.

I want an admissions system that is more in-depth and fair, and that more effectively considers multiple factors beyond test scores and GPA. And I want one that has a larger pool of applicants that will be considered. I believe this will occur with the implementation of the new eligibility plan that the board approved last year.

I believe we can be inclusive and fair without violating the ban on affirmative action approved by the voters of California.

I understand that this is an area where the faculty hold sway and I look forward to leadership from them on this issue. I have asked the Academic Council and BOARS to recommend revisions in the regental policy on comprehensive admissions review adopted by the board in 2001. These will require campuses to adopt processes that are more consistent with one another and that represent best practices.

I have confidence that the faculty will move quickly to provide guidance to our campuses that will lead to an expansion of holistic review on our most selective campuses.

Finally, I have asked authorities on each campus for an incident report so that we may monitor disciplinary proceedings. Our campuses will cooperate fully with prosecutorial authorities wherever laws are found to have been broken. Campus authorities will also ascertain in each case under investigation what campus codes may have been violated and, while affording a fair process, will act aggressively to impose the appropriate discipline.

We do not shy away from examining our own problems, from acting decisively and with dispatch to address them.

But I must caution everyone that these are only the first steps in what will be a long and unending journey. A racial divide, I am afraid, will be with us for a long time in this country to some degree, in some form or another. There is no magic bullet, no perfect fix. One regents meeting, one speech, one five-point plan — none of these will make the festering sores of bigotry and intolerance go away for good. This is hard work that we take up, a long pull.

We are not powerless. We can — and must — proceed in the spirit that whenever and wherever we have to act, we will.

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my remarks.