In its new term, the justices will review a challenge to a student-assignment policy adopted by the Seattle school board in 1997 to enhance racial diversity at its 10 high schools, including Ballard High, beginning in the 1998-99 school year. Under the policy, which has been suspended since 2002 pending the outcome of the legal challenge, students…

This report presents the findings of an investigation and audit of certain aspects of the operations of the United States Commission on Civil Rights commissioned by the Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights. First, each allegation made against the Commission is briefly outlined and then findings are discussed…

The results of a survey of some universities in the Southern Region of the College and University Personnel Association to address the problem of affirmative action in temporary employment are discussed. Procedures for faculty, administrative, professional, and support staff are presented. (MLW)

This book examines the law and politics surrounding the Bakke case ("Regents of the University of California v. Bakke") and discusses the key arguments presented by both sides in the context of the current eroding public support for affirmative action. The goal is to elucidate the dynamics of U.S. Supreme Court decision making and…

This book tells the story of students, faculty, and administrators struggling with the politics of race in higher education at the University of California Berkeley's law school, which was one of the first institutions to implement affirmative action policies, and one of the first to be forced to remove them. The chapters are: (1) "Balancing…

This chapter reflects on the civil rights movement and affirmative action at the University of Virginia from the 1960s to 1999, when affirmative action was challenged by people claiming that it discriminated against new groups. It describes how affirmative action changed the author's teaching at the University as he challenged deep-rooted racial…

In 1976, the White Bear Lake, Minnesota, school district instituted an affirmative action program that ultimately increased the number of female administrators from 8 to 12.5 (out of a total of 41.5 administrators). (JM)

The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) can initiate a compliance review of any company receiving a federal contract. The OFCCP equal opportunity specialist looks for discriminatory patterns of hiring, firing, promotion, and pay. Any company not complying with recommendations of the OFCCP may be prevented from obtaining future…

More than any other Supreme Court Justice, William Brennan worked to level the playing field for black Americans. As the recognized architect of affirmative action strategies for higher education, he left an indelible imprint on equal education in America. (SLD)

Both critics and supporters of affirmative action cite the commitment of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) to diversity in the undergraduate population as an example supporting their positions. Merit, diversity, and family income are weighed in applicant processing. (MSE)

The University of Virginia admits proportionately more blacks and children of alumni than other groups. Some other groups also get preferential treatment in admissions: athletes, musicians, artists, applicants from rural areas, children of faculty, female scientists, and other minority group members. (MSE)

Discusses the higher educational background of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas from his acceptance at Holy Cross College through affirmative action through Yale University. The authors provide a description of Justice Thomas as a person who constantly felt he was being looked down upon and describe his bitterness and frustration following…

Describes the San Diego Community College District's Affirmative Action Training Program, which trains all affirmative action representatives on selection committees in compliance, hiring procedures, and committee monitoring. Includes a checklist for assessing organizational commitment to affirmative action. Reviews training goals, content,…

Confusion over American Historical Association policy on the composition of conference sessions, as illustrated in a recent incident over a panel's membership, reflects common concern in scholarly circles over women scholars' participation and representation in discussion. At issue are quotas vs. affirmative action principles. (MSE)

Describes the entitlements and privileges received by a British immigrant to the United States on the strength of his perceived white upper-class background. Notes that the "meritocracy" of the past revered by many writers was, in fact, a system of unequal opportunity based on race, class, and gender. (SLD)