Young clashed with the UC Regents over his support for affirmative action policies. In a speech before the UCLA Academic Senate, he defended the use of race and ethnicity in admissions. “’The result is that UCLA enrolls the highest qualified students from all ethnic groups, all income levels, all family backgrounds, all life experiences,’ he said. ‘And all of them are qualified to be here.’ After Young spoke, faculty members greeted him with warm applause and several rose to express their gratitude for what one professor called Young's leadership role.” He was also vocal in his support for affirmative action at the University of Florida. “Charles E. Young, president of the University of Florida, was the loudest dissenting voice to Bush’s plan. Young believed the policy was being imposed for entirely political reasons and was developed rapidly without involvement from those in the education community.”