Because admissions directors at private colleges do not like to talk about affirmative action policies and practices and are not required to, they are often challenged and criticized. Some admissions officials feel data would be misread or distorted if released. (MSE)

Discusses the increasing presence of Asians in higher education, their domination of the very top of Scholastic Aptitude Test ranks, and why these circumstances may cause racial conservatives to rethink advocating race-blind college admissions. Asian dominance in admissions at the most prestigious universities in the United States and how some…

Transfer is a crucial point in a student's educational pathway since a student who fails to transfer will not be able to attain a bachelor's degree or the benefits that accompany it, such as middle-class status and higher earnings. When members of ethnic minority groups are particularly disadvantaged in reaching their full educational potential, a…

The first need after the Bakke case is for an atmosphere in which the right questions can be asked and answers sought. Advocates and opponents of preferential admissions need to be willing to discuss the root issues with candor and courage. (Author/LBH)

This legal document addresses whether the University of Michigan's use of racial preferences in undergraduate admissions violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d) or 42 U.S.C. 1981. This brief filed in support of the petitioners by the federal government argues that…

On June 23, 2003, the United States Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of race-conscious admissions policies designed to promote diversity in higher education. The Grutter versus Bollinger decision upheld the University of Michigan Law School race-conscious admissions policy as constitutional. However, in Gratz versus Bollinger, it held…

The University of California Regents have instituted a "Comprehensive Review" system for admission that purports to consider the whole student instead of merely grades and test scores. An examination of the Comprehensive Review reveals a back door attempt to reinstate racial preferences in college admission, a practice the Regents banned…

This paper presents three reviews of the book, "The Shape of the River: Long-Term Consequences of Considering Race in College and University Admissions," by William Bowen and Derek Bok. The book defends affirmative action in college admissions. The first review says that the book presents important data, but it is seriously flawed…

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)

The DiLeo v Board of Regents of the University of Colorado decision which dismissed an equal protection challenge to a preferential admission program of the University of Colorado School of Law is discussed. Whether the decision is in accord with the general law of standing and alternative remedies is examined. (MLW)

The Bakke decision will cause institutions to strengthen academic support programs, improve admissions procedures, and develop stronger evaluation programs. Institutions will see more "reverse discrimination" cases in the future. (Author)

Uses the experience of the University of California in abandoning affirmative action admissions policies to explore the real consequences of the removal of minority preferences in law and medical schools. Although numbers of racial minorities are reduced in the short run, it is argued that the change will benefit students with solid…

Examines the philosophy and strategies of a conservative public-interest law firm, the Washington, DC-based Center for Individual Rights, in mounting a legal assault on college and university affirmative action policies. The firm claims it is motivated by belief in the conservative notion of limited government, and the extension of this philosophy…

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…

Affirmative action was a strategy adopted by an expansionist federal government to hasten integration, meant to be temporary and thought to be innocent. It has become a system of racial preferences and should be ended. It is unconstitutional, is inappropriate for the complex racial distribution in this country, promotes racial resentment and…