Presents data from a survey of the admissions offices at the nation's 25 highest-ranked universities and liberal arts colleges to determine the racial makeup of freshman classes, examining number of African American applicants, acceptance rates, enrollment numbers, and yield rates. Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and…

This article suggests that previous bans on race-based affirmative action have done serious damage to black enrollments at the U.S.'s "flagship" public universities. In some cases, black enrollments have rebounded somewhat, but enrollments are still far below the level that prevailed prior to the bans. Only Texas, with its 10 Percent…

Reveals that, prior to the 1970s, businesses did not hire blacks for managerial positions, but today American businesses are eager for black managers, producing a great increase in black matriculation in the nation's Master's of Business Administration programs. Profiles of blacks who were business school pioneers are presented. (GR)

Presents the opinions of a professor (the author) from the University of Michigan who leads the campaign against racial preferences in higher education, focusing on such topics as his feelings about the situation, why he challenged the university's admissions policies, peer reactions to his efforts, the reaction of black students in his classes,…

When Anita Hemmings applied to Vassar College in 1893, Vassar did not know she was an African American passing for white. In August 1897, the college discovered that she was black, and it took another 40 years for Vassar to open its doors to another African American student. Discusses the phenomenon of African Americans passing as white to gain…

"America in Black and White: One Nation Indivisible: Race in Modern America," by Stephan and Abigail Thernstrom, has become important in the movement to abolish affirmative action in higher education. Suggests the book seriously misinterprets and misuses evidence to make its case, refuting specific results the book cites related to…

Nearly as many black students now take the American College Testing Program (ACT) college admission test as sign up for the competing Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT). In common with the SAT, the scoring gap between blacks and whites is widening. Almost no Blacks score at the very highest level of ACT performance, which is generally necessary to…

Discusses the philosophy of John Rawls, asserting that although Rawls never wrote about affirmative action, his ideas are relevant to the issue. Rawls concentrated on "ideal theory," which he believed was the theory of what constituted a truly just society. He considered slavery and racial segregation paradigms of injustice. His ideal…

Offers evidence that, although blacks were making limited progress in higher education before and immediately after the civil-rights legislation of the 1960s, significant progress did not occur until the late 1960s and later after strong affirmative-action admissions programs were in place. (SLD)

Notes that in 1998, despite energetic efforts to devise a more flexible admissions process at the University of California's professional schools, the percentage of entering black or Hispanic students (with the notable exception of 1997) stood at its lowest levels in 29 years. Discusses the problem, examining the effects of the University's…

James Meredith applied to the University of Mississippi 24 hours after Kennedy was inaugurated. His struggle, the efforts of the state to exclude him, and the delay tactics waged by Ole Miss are described. Escorted by federal marshals, Meredith eventually registered in October 1962. (SLD)

Shows why prior rulings of a key Supreme Court justice are not in conflict with a final ruling that race may be considered as one factor in admissions to higher education. Discusses the Supreme Court's decision to hear the cases on affirmative action policies at the University of Michigan, asserting that affirmative action in the university…

Discusses the problem of racial inequities inherent in the Scholastic Aptitude Test structure. The author argues that the origin of the test is based on racism and devised to confirm racist assumptions and that it is simultaneously being used to develop merit criteria for college admission. (GLR)

Describes the work of the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), a "public interest" law firm that has been highly successful in stamping out the use of affirmative action in the admissions process of some major universities. Summarizes CIR tactics to eliminate affirmative action. (SLD)

Investigated the effectiveness of race sensitive college admission using data on 60,000 students admitted under race conscious policies. Students admitted under preferential policies (who would have been rejected under race-neutral policies) were qualified to attend their universities and graduated at high rates. Students believed that living and…