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…

Shows what is likely to happen to black admissions, particularly at highly ranked undergraduate colleges, law schools, and medical schools, if admissions decisions at these institutions are largely based on the scores of standardized tests. The performance gap between blacks and whites on such tests has actually grown since 1988. (SLD)