Documents released late Friday provided new details on how UC Berkeley handled what a recent state audit called an “inappropriate letter of support” from University of California Regent Richard Blum to get an applicant admitted despite the student’s “uncompetitive” ranking by admission readers.
The redacted documents, released by the California State Auditor’s Office, showed that Blum sent the letter to current UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ. Blum told Christ he wanted to “express my support” for an “outstanding” applicant on the waitlist who “embodies all the qualities we look for in our students.”
“Beyond college, I can see [the applicant] as a devoted alumnus who will greatly contribute to the CAL community,” Blum wrote. He asked Christ to give the student “every consideration” as a “worthy addition” to the undergraduate class.
The date of the letter was redacted, but the other documents released indicate Blum wrote it in spring or summer of 2018, during Christ’s first year as chancellor and after regular admissions decisions for prospective freshmen are released in late March.
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