The ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International) has filed suit against the University of California after the UC's admissions committee, BOARS (Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools) has ruled that Christian textbooks are not sufficient for core admissions requirement, in spite of meeting all academic requirement, because they teach a viewpoint contrary to what the BOARS believe is acceptable. Here is what the ACSI has written on it...

Some Historical Background

When California Christian school administrators began to contact ACSI regarding concerns about the new university demands, Ken Smitherman, president of ACSI, wrote to Susan Wilbur, UC director of undergraduate admissions, to inquire about the restrictions. Here is some of the information that she supplied in her February 9, 2004, response:

In the 1930s the UC faculty established the “a–f” subject area requirements, representing a sequence of 15 courses that students must take in order to be eligible for UC admissions. Since that time UC faculty and staff have reviewed course descriptions and outlines from public and private high schools in California to determine whether they meet the “a–f” (now “a–g”) guidelines (i.e., are they adequately rigorous and do they cover core academic concepts that the faculty have determined should be covered in a college preparatory curriculum).… The faculty/staff course reviews result in lists of a–g certified courses for most public and private schools in the state. Students use these certified course lists when they apply to the University.

The BOARS Committee Rejects the Textbooks

The UC Faculty Senate has a committee known as the Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (or BOARS). Each of the universities in the University of California system has a representative on this board. BOARS establishes the policies and practices used in the admissions process, including course requirements for minimum eligibility for freshman admission to the University of California.

A UC position paper states that the general purposes of the a–g subject area requirements, which BOARS oversees, are to ensure that entering students ...

Can participate fully in the first-year program at the University in a broad variety of fields of study;
Have attained the necessary preparation for courses, majors, and programs offered at the University;
Have attained a body of knowledge that will provide breadth and perspective to new, more advanced studies;
and Have attained essential critical thinking and study skill.

The position paper goes on to state the following:

The faculty set guidelines for prerequisite secondary school course content that UC students need to be prepared to take and pass University major requirements. Not every secondary school course meets these criteria. In the sciences, for example, courses and texts that provide general overviews or perspectives without providing strong basic information can be determined to be unsuitable in meeting the prerequisite criteria that fulfills the “d” laboratory science requirement.

Initially, the Christian publishers’ science texts were rejected by BOARS. The following is a part of the University’s position paper regarding those texts:

The texts in question are primarily religious texts; science is secondary. The textbook authors and publishers are quite clear and direct about their approach and provide evidence of this approach in both the texts and general marketing materials such as their websites.… As a result of the orientation/approach of the texts in question, which expressly prioritize religion over science, a course relying on these texts as core instructional materials does not meet the faculty’s criteria for the UC subject “d” laboratory science requirement.

More recently, a course outline entitled “Christianity and Morality in American Literature” was also rejected, and it used the American Classics for Christians, Volume V from A Beka Book. A history course entitled “Christianity’s Influence on America,” using the Bob Jones University Press (BJU) text United States History for Christian Schools as well as a college history textbook, was also turned down because it truthfully explored our nation’s Christian roots. Other rejections have also occurred. It is interesting that these courses with strong content were rejected when other courses with such titles as California Problems, Cinema and the Real World 2, Theory of Knowledge, and Sound and Acoustics have been accepted by BOARS....

Meeting with UC Personnel to Discuss the Issue

Representative Sharon Runner, a California state legislator, arranged for a meeting at the California state capitol in May 2004, between UC personnel, Christian school personnel, and attorneys from both sides of the issue. Among those present to discuss the situation were two attorneys from the Christian Law Association; Burt Carney, ACSI’s director for legal/legislative issues; and Rohn Ritzema, ACSI’s regional director for Northern California and Hawaii.

The Christian school representatives learned several points at this meeting:

1. The rejection of the science books represents the first time that UC has rejected books because of their religious content and teachings. (Note: Since that meeting, courses with religious content in other subject areas have also been rejected by UC.)
2. When asked whether poor college performance by students from religious schools prompted the rejection of the textbooks, UC representatives responded negatively. They also acknowledged that UC did not have any objective evidence that students from religious schools are deficient in science when they arrive for their freshman year of college.
3. The UC representatives indicated that there was no problem with the material facts in the BJU physics textbook—that if the Scripture verses that begin each chapter were removed the textbook would likely be approved for the science lab course requirement.
4. As the discussion continued about the biology books, it became evident that they were rejected because they appeared to state the perspective that the Bible is revelation and along with faith is more authoritative than the observations of science, especially if there were a conflict over a “factual scientific issue.”
5. The UC representatives acknowledged that there were no UC policies or guidelines for BOARS to follow when it decided to reject the books. ACSI also discovered that no minutes were taken of the meetings in which these decisions were made, nor were the publishers or schools asked for more information regarding their submissions.

It became obvious to those present representing Christian schools that the textbook decisions were highly subjective and appeared to be made because of discrimination against Christianity.

The "a-g" requirements are...

(a) History / Social Science – Two years, including one year of world history, cultures, and historical geography and one year of U.S. history or one-half year of U.S. history and one-half year of civics or American government.

(b) English – Four years of college preparatory English that include frequent and regular writing, and reading of classic and modern literature.  

(c) Mathematics – Three years of college preparatory mathematics that include the topics covered in elementary and advanced algebra and two- and three-dimensional geometry.

(d) Laboratory Science – Two years of laboratory science providing fundamental knowledge in at least two of these three disciplines: biology, chemistry, and physics.

(e) Language Other Than English – Two years of the same language other than English.

(f) Visual & Performing Arts – One year, including dance, drama/theater, music, or visual art.

(g) College Preparatory Elective – One year (two semesters), chosen from additional "a-f" courses beyond those used to satisfy the requirements above, or courses that have been approved solely for use as "g" electives.

The actual lawsuit complaint (1.6m pdf) can be found at the ACSI site. (By the way, reading through these complaints are extremely educational not only for parents, but students as well. Even if you or your child have no interest in law as a career, knowing at least something about it provides help whenever you or they will be confronted with people abusing it.)

To sum the problem up: While Article 9, subsection 9(f) of the California Constitution, states the Regents of the University of California are given “all the powers necessary and convenient for the effective administration of its trust.” The same subsection also says, “no person shall be debarred admission to any department of the university on account of race, religion, ethnic heritage, or sex.” Therefore by the UC personnel's own admission that absent the Bible verses, the curriculum would be acceptable, they are in violation of the requirements of the California Constitution as well as the US Constitution.

Perhaps the "a-g" requirements should again be altered to become "a-i", adding "(i) A basic understanding of both California and US Constitution."