Casey Nguyen
Section 2
A Tale of Two Campuses
Every year, students try to advocate for their needs to UC Davis' administration to no avail. The battle for better resources and retention services seems to be an uphill one despite Chancellor Katehi's 2020 initiative to increase the amount of undergraduates at UC Davis by 5,000. The lack of accountability affects students from marginalized and underrepresented identities the most because their retention numbers are already at an all time low. Unlike Berkeley, UC Davis prides itself more on creating a united community, a "one UC Davis" instead of focusing on the unique individuals who's needs should be driving retention initiatives. It was just recently that both the African Diaspora and the Chicanx/Latinx community have successfully advocated for a retention and resource center specific to their communities. However, the conversations for an Asian American Pacific Islander Success Center have not been taken as seriously. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up a little more than 40% of the UC Davis undergraduate population, but the retention ratios for its subgroups like the Southeast Asians and Filipinx are extremely low. This could in part be due to the administrations buy in the model minority myth which is supported by stereotypes and the belief that Asian American students don't need the extra help to succeed. However, as the Student Recruitment and Retention Centers have proven through and because of their work, administration and the rest of the UC Davis community couldn't be more wrong.
Q: Why does it seem like UC Berkeley care more about its students than UC Davis does? Is it a question of leadership or overall campus climate?
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