Ageism's negative stereotyping may be avoided in helping professions by involving students in naturalistic research during their training, allowing them to observe the real world of older adults thereby increasing the range of possible helping interventions. (MSE)

Surveys legal developments in the area of discrimination against students in higher education. Under the heading of the class (such as race, sex, or handicap) affected, constitutional, statutory, and administrative bases are described along with applicable judicial decisions. (Author/IRT)

Economic, psychological, and social effects of age discrimination in employment are examined. This note analyzes constitutional challenges to hiring-age ceiling and mandatory retirement policies, as well as the constitutional criteria against which those ceilings and policies should be measured. Federal statutory prohibitions and their judicial…

Students (n=46) in a graduate gerontology course, ranged in age from 23-77; 32 were aged 36-55. They were positive about age diversity and its contributions to learning. None of those under 36 would apply age restrictions to admission; 13 of 38 older students would. A sizeable minority would discriminate against older students in awarding…

A Supreme Court ruling last March, "Seminole Tribe of Florida vs. State of Florida," sharply restricted Congress' ability to override a state's immunity to federal lawsuits under the 11th Amendment. State institutions have already used the decision to fend off litigation on a variety of issues, including age discrimination, patents and…

Managers and students received age-related or neutral information, then viewed videotape of interview of old or young job applicant. Under neutral condition, managers preferred young applicant for low-status job; students favored old applicant for high-status job. Under age-related condition, managers favored old applicant for low-status job;…

Faculty attitudes toward older learners were studied using an adaptation of Kogan's (1951) attitude scale and methodology. Forty-nine faculty members from various colleges and universities in Ohio and Indiana were subdivided into two groups: those who had taught in a structured higher education experience aimed at people over 60 years of age and…

Litigation that has arisen from claims of discrimination is discussed along with the notion that there is a clear lack of understanding of the laws and statutes. Legal models of proof and the major statutes under which litigation can be brought are described. (MLW)

This study developed a descriptive profile of female presidents of selected four-year independent colleges by examining their career paths, mentor relationships, professional development and background, and institutional characteristics, as well as any hindrances that had impacted their ascent to the presidency. A 49-item questionnaire mailed to…

For each major federal antidiscrimination statute the various standards of proof adopted by the courts are reviewed. A uniform model approach is proposed as a means of eliminating confusion about the type and quantum of proof necessary in litigation. (MSE)

An understanding of adulthood educational participation should be developed according to a criterion of environmental and situationally dependent factors rather than solely to one of inexorable and cross-situational biophysical decline. Environmental and organismic factors that may relate to chronically low rates of educational participation by…

Court litigation in which the claim (to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) that a faculty collective bargaining agreement violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act is examined. Focus is on arbitration of wrongful termination cases. Conflicting judicial rationales applied in two cases are discussed, and a practical solution is…

The impact of the Supreme Court's 1984 Grove City College v. Bell decision on the interpretation of civil rights laws is discussed in this report. The Grove decision, it is argued, has made it possible for institutions to discriminate in programs which do not receive direct Federal aid. As a result, civil rights and affirmative action laws have…

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and its 1978 amendments are discussed. This statute protects all aged 40 to 70, and it has had a widespread effect. Although the 1978 amendments clarify several issues, there are still many questions left, including retirement issues. (MLW)

For those institutions endeavoring to increase the likelihood of older workers' leaving, a diversified set of retirement options is suggested. Many employers are offering an interim period of part-time employment before final retirement. Evaluations should not be used to drive employees into retirement. (MLW)