Discusses the philosophical rationale for preferential affirmative action presented by Daniel C. Maguire in "A New American Justice." Maintains that self-interest bars present society's acceptance of Maguire's theories of justice, as demonstrated in negative reactions to the Harvard Law Review's affirmative action plan. (MJL)

Challenges the view that, in a meritocratic society, affirmative action in higher education does personal and professional harm to those whom it ostensibly benefits. The author contends that, in most cases, those who are granted preferences are neither professionally diminished nor hurt by personal or societal feelings that they are unqualified or…

A rebuttal to an article by Pearl Lucas is presented. Cornell University's Committee on Special Educational Projects program, established to support the admission and adjustment of black students, is described. College and university special education programs are seen to contribute to academic achievement and promotion of scholarship. (MLW)

Argues that if higher education is to get rid of affirmative action, it should first discontinue special admission of less qualified candidates who are admitted because they are athletes, alumni children, or the children of friends of administrators. Reports on a survey of 52 black college students concerning effects of affirmative action. (MSE)

Discusses recent Supreme Court decisions that suggest policies of preferential admissions in higher education are safe, at least in the moderate form established in the Bakke case. The article examines the meaning of the Bakke case, reviews the benefits of diversity to higher education, and speculates about the survivability of the Bakke decision…

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…

A study examined the college and later-life experiences of over 35,000 students, almost 3000 of whom were black, entering 28 selective colleges in 1976 and 1989. Results suggest that if universities were flatly prohibited from considering race in admissions, over half the black students in selective colleges today would have been rejected.…

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)

Provides information showing that under a race-blind admissions policy at institutions of higher education, blacks would still be largely excluded from the nation's highest-ranked universities. The paper illustrates how admissions policies based on socioeconomic status and entrance examination scores would largely benefit white and Asian students…

Prevailing animosity toward blacks in New England prior to the Civil War is demonstrated in this case study of Prudence Crandall's attempt to establish a school for Negro girls in Canterbury, Connecticut, in 1833. Prudence Crandall, a quaker schoolmistress, was the successful proprietor of a school for girls from socially prominent families in…

Questions whether the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities are admitting large numbers of black students who are not capable of competing with their white classmates and if admission double standards are doing more harm than good. The article is followed by editorial comments addressing the author's position on mismatching. (GR)

Issues pertaining to the Bakke case and to college admissions in general are considered. Three major viewpoints concerning admissions are as follows: whether reserving a fixed number of seats in the entering class for designated minority candidates to programs that are federally supported violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; whether…

University and professional school admissions and hiring practices for Blacks, federal regulations, affirmative action plans, and reverse discrimination cases are discussed in this collection of symposium papers focusing on specific court cases. (BH)