California university faculty members delivered a stunning blow to the progressive agenda by rejecting a controversial ethnic studies requirement that critics saw as a thinly-veiled attempt to indoctrinate students with far-left ideology.
Key Takeaways
- The University of California Academic Senate rejected a proposal requiring ethnic studies courses for admission after five years of deliberation.
- The proposal faced opposition from groups like the AMCHA Initiative, which warned it could promote antisemitism in classrooms.
- UC Regent Jay Sures vehemently opposed the requirement, vowing to “do everything in my power to never let that happen.”
- The rejection marks a rare victory against the growing trend of mandatory ideological coursework in higher education.
Faculty Push Back Against Ideological Requirements
On April 23, 2025, the University of California Assembly of the Academic Senate rejected a proposal that would have required all UC applicants to complete a one-semester ethnic studies course. The decision dealt a significant setback to activist faculty and students who had advocated for the requirement since 2020, claiming it was essential for understanding systemic racism and oppression. The proposal, known as Area A-G/H Ethnic Studies, underwent numerous revisions and reviews before ultimately being voted down by the faculty governing body.
“We have to raise the concerns in terms of why this requirement has been handled and subjected to this systemwide review in a completely different way than other requirements,” said Natalia Deeb-Sossa, a faculty advocate for the proposal.
Concerns Over Political Indoctrination
The rejection came after a contentious battle that revealed deep divisions within the normally liberal-leaning academic community. Internal emails leaked by a UC professor to the AMCHA Initiative, a non-profit organization that combats antisemitism on college campuses, raised significant concerns about the proposal’s political motivations. Critics argued that the requirement would force students to adopt specific ideological perspectives rather than encourage critical thinking and diverse viewpoints about American history and society.
“I will do everything in my power to never let that happen,” said Jay Sures, a UC Regent who strongly opposed the requirement.
The proposal faced particularly strong resistance after the UC Ethnic Studies Faculty Council issued a letter criticizing the university’s stance on the Palestinian situation, further suggesting that the curriculum might advance a specific political agenda rather than balanced academic inquiry. The Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) had initially approved revised criteria in June 2023 but later reversed course, voting against sending it to the Academic Council.
Roots in Radical Activism
Proponents of the ethnic studies requirement made little effort to hide its activist origins and goals. According to UC documents, ethnic studies emerged from student protests against American imperialism during the Vietnam War era, highlighting its fundamentally political nature. The discipline explicitly focuses on narratives of oppression and colonization, raising concerns that such mandatory coursework might present a one-sided view of American history and society.
“Ethnic studies — it’s about reality. It’s about history. It’s about why our communities are here and why they are the way that they are. We can’t explain those things without referring to the violent displacements resulting from racism, capitalism and ongoing imperial wars,” said Beshara Kehdi, an advocate for the requirement.
A Victory for Academic Freedom
The faculty’s rejection represents a significant pushback against what many conservatives see as the increasing politicization of higher education. While advocates emphasized that they would continue their fight for the ethnic studies requirement, the decision demonstrates that even within California’s predominantly liberal university system, there remains resistance to mandating politically-charged coursework as a condition for admission. This outcome suggests that the narrative of uniform leftist control over academia may be more complex than often portrayed.
The surprise rejection comes amid growing national debate about ideological influence in education, with many states moving to restrict political activism masquerading as curriculum. For now, California students seeking admission to UC schools will not face this additional ideological hurdle, representing a rare victory for traditional educational values in the Golden State’s higher education system.
