Stated as a legal constitutional issue the question is, Do affirmative action programs that embody some form of preferential treatment of selected groups resulting in possible quotas constitute reverse discrimination in violation of basic constitutional rights? This issue represents one of the most fundamental questions for our society that the…

In this statement the Assistant Attorney General (Civil Rights Division) discusses the Reagan administration's plans for ensuring the enforcement of equal employment opportunities. Civil rights legislation and court litigation involving racial quotas and preferential treatment are discussed. While the author stresses the Justice Department's…

As women enter nontraditional occupations and training programs, tokenism may develop and its side-effects of visibility, contrast, and assimilation may appear. Each of these effects was encountered by the first class of women cadets at the United States Military Academy, West Point, in 1976, who received great visibility from the news media. This…

Based on a review of the briefs filed with the U. S. Supreme Court in the Bakke case, the principal arguments addressed to the Court, possible dispositions of the case, and implications for the educational community are addressed. Bakke's claim is that he had been denied the equal protection of the laws in that applicants of lesser obective…

This paper is the result of a symposium called to discuss a two-year, multiuniversity development project which attempted to assist in advancing the role of women in education. The purpose of the project, commissioned by the University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA), was to design, develop, validate, and disseminate instructional…

The main question investigated by this study was whether future teachers' attitudes toward women were significantly different from the attitudes of other college students. The subjects of this research were college students divided into two groups--education majors and majors in other subjects. A Likert-type scale questionnaire was administered…

The role of an affirmative action officer is seen to be an effective link between sociological theory/research and practice. The author describes her experience as the affirmative action officer at Lehigh University by citing origins, functions, strains, and conflicts surrounding the position. She was able to test theories about power, conflict,…

Since 1995, the University of California has been prohibited from employing affirmative action principles in student admissions. In response to this constraint, the UC has sought to pursue a number of other avenues for promoting the selection and retention of a diverse student body. In this paper we look at how officials and staff within the UC…

The challenge is still before Black people to give the kind of moral leadership that would help this nation to see what it is that the poor are struggling with. Black people who become successful must not forget the sufferings of those who made it possible for them to get where they are today. (Author/WI)

Affirmative action addresses disparities in higher education. Recent trends threaten gains, resegregation is underway nationally. California outlawed affirmative action, the quality of K-12 education is declining, and prison construction is soaring. African American and Latino participation in higher education has declined; both groups are…

America has two conflicting visions of equality. The first evolved during the American Revolution through the 1960s, which is identified with the phrase "equality of opportunity." The second vision, advanced since the 1960s, embraces the concept of affirmative action to redress social injustices. In an attempt to reach accord on these conflicting…

This report examines the affirmative action attitudes of 204,103 college freshmen from 473 colleges and universities nationwide and from four racial/ethnic groups: Whites, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Mexican Americans. The study addresses how and why student support for affirmative action in higher education admissions depends on how…

This paper examines the use of statistical evidence, specifically regression analysis, in employment discrimination cases on college and university cases. Sections of the paper provide the following: (1) a description of regression analysis focusing on the specific features that make it appropriate for use in discrimination lawsuits; (2) a review…

The research, based on a March 1988 survey of all Ontario school boards (board and separate), was an attempt to identify and synthesize boards' employment equity/affirmative action policies and practices--in order to ensure that, ultimately, women are more equitably represented within the management positions in education. The findings of 52…

Affirmative action implementation at 183 public and private doctorate-granting universities was studied. Based on high institutional scores on a change index, three universities were selected as case study sites. Factors and processes thought to account for the amount of change that occurred on behalf of women faculty on each campus during the…