Discusses the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s and the need to recapture the commitment to ending discrimination. The legal principle on which the early civil rights movement was based and the law's degeneration into preferential treatment and race-based entitlement are discussed. It argues for embracing the colorblind legal order…

Democracy rightly holds a critical significance in any context in which relatively small elites have subjugated majorities. When a democracy has been established in a societal context that encompasses minority subgroups along with a dominant majority, minority groups are in danger. Democracy is not equity, nor any guarantee of equity. (MLH)

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…

Addresses key questions regarding how multicultural counseling programs arise, recommends readings that address ethnic parity in counseling psychology, and makes arguments in defense of affirmative action in psychology departments. Addresses the related issue of federal funding for psychology graduate students. (SNR)

This paper describes progress made between 1973 and 1993 toward creating gender equity in education, with a focus on the Oregon experience. Four topics are addressed: (1) law and policy; (2) language; (3) the culture of school; and (4) school administration. Law and policy are needed at least to change behaviors, though they may not be sufficient…

The Assistant Attorney-General for Civil Rights argues that preferential treatment to individuals based on their race cannot be justified under the law. Reynolds reviews the drafting of the Constitution and notes that the Constitution wronged blacks when it accorded them a fractional status of free persons. The doctrine of…

In 1984-85, a cooperative project was undertaken in New York to address the issue of minority access to those professions that can be entered through two-year college programs (e.g., animal health technology, certified shorthand reporting, dental hygienist, land surveying, and physical therapist assistant). Project activities were guided by a…

The kinds of affirmative action programs that are likely to be successful within postsecondary education are identified. Affirmative action is designed to increase minority access, survival, and upward mobility within the institution. The following arguments are proposed: (1) ethical and legal strategies are insufficient to accomplish the aim of…

Presidents and top-level administrators often need to hear more than the obvious reasons to maintain a commitment to retention programs, equal access, and equal opportunity. The most potent arguments center on appeals based on the costs of not having a well-managed program of equal educational opportunity, (e.g., litigation costs, tarnished image,…

Comparable worth is a concept not merely alien but also inferior to the traditions of the American people. The thesis that jobs of "comparable worth" demand pay equivalency--at least as between male-dominated and female-dominated occupations--is unworthy of serious attention in both legal and economic terms. The consequences of accepting…

Executive orders concerning nondiscrimination in employment have been issued by past administrations from Roosevelt to Kennedy. It was President Johnson who first used the term "affirmative action" in advocating employment regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin and who instituted requirements for organizations to develop affirmative…

Qualified recreation professionals are abundant, particularly for administrative positions. However, many trained professionals have White, middle-class backgrounds which sometimes limit their understanding of the needs of low-income and minority neighborhoods. Blacks, women, and minorities can improve this situation if they can overcome economic…

Higher education cannot successfully pursue policies of both dispersing and concentrating minority and female faculty members. Were nationally uniform hiring goals actually achieved, most minority faculty members would have to move from the colleges where they are now teaching. (MLW)

Only with the spirit of cooperation can the two functions of affirmative action and personnel management advise, guide, and protect their institutions and provide real opportunities for protected classes in the extremely important area of equal employment opportunity and affirmative action. (Author/MSE)

The development of applicable affirmative action legislation and practice and the current role of the affirmative action officer are discussed. Threats to affirmative action and possible answers to those threats are identified, and specific ways by which the affirmative action officer's role might be strengthened are described. (MLW)