Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund civil rights suit against University of California

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund has filed a civil rights suit against the University of California, claiming that its new "colour-blind" admissions policies is discriminating against women and also minorities.

At UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall school of law, projected enrolment of racial and ethnic minorities other than Chinese, Japanese and Koreans, will decline to about 4 per cent in 1997, down from 25 per cent in recent years, the case alleges.

Minority and female enrolment at UC Berkeley's college of engineering will drop from a third to a half, according to the fund.