Assesses the possible impact on academia of the Hopwood decision in which the U.S. Court of Appeals ordered the University of Texas to stop considering race as a factor in making its admission decisions. The author explains how race-blind admissions threaten private universities' ability to pursue affirmative action policies as allowed pursuant to…

Critiques the theory advanced by A. Thernstrom and S. Thernstrom that affirmative action is responsible for the high college dropout rates of African Americans because underqualified applicants are admitted. The argument centers on examination of dropout rates at historically black colleges and institutions, where racial preference is not a…

Discusses the consequences to the nation and to Blacks of abolishing affirmative action in college and university admission policies. It examines the impact of abandoning racial preferences on school admissions, particularly as it concerns graduate and medical schools. The author argues that without the use of racial preferences far fewer Blacks…

Race-sensitive admission policies prevail at most private colleges. Questions why more lawsuits have not challenged such policies, discussing difficulties in mounting lawsuits; legal differences between suing public and private institutions; the court's passion for private decision making; racial gaps in test scores at private institutions;…

Considers what the higher educational status of black America and the nation as a whole would be if the Bakke decision had gone the other way and race-based affirmative action policies had been held unconstitutional from the beginning. A major erosion in blacks pursuing higher education would be expected. (SLD)