Prof Oakley Discusses UC’s Refusal to Credit High School Religion Courses
Professor John B. Oakley was interviewed on August 13, 2008 by Sacramento news station CBS13 regarding UC undergraduate admission standards and the controversy that generated a lawsuit by two Christian high schools against the University of California after it refused to honor some of the schools' courses when considering students' eligibility for admission. Oakley, who was chair of the Academic Senate of the University of California while the suit was being considered by the court, noted that the university may decline to credit any courses it deems outside the range of academic standards, including courses that either lack a scientific basis or do not encourage critical thinking. A federal judge ruled that the University of California did not impermissibly discriminate against the two schools by refusing to accept some of their course offerings.
Oakley, who has been on the UC Davis law faculty since 1975, is an expert in civil procedure, constitutional law, and federal jurisdiction.