The civil rights movement and legislative efforts of the "New Frontier" and "Great Society" served to accelerate acceptance of the idea that universal opportunity also applies to higher education. Many colleges and universities designed experimental and compensatory programs for Negro students with deficient pre-college backgrounds, but few institutions are fulfilling their social obligations. Colleges should conduct open recruiting among high school students to include other disadvantaged groups such as American Indians, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, and poor whites in rural and mountain areas, particularly in the South. Academic requirements should be adjusted and techniques should be developed for systematic evaluation of compensatory programs, and dull remedial courses replaced by a new set of stimulating curricular experiences that motivate rather than discourage low-achieving students. The university's obligation extends to the individual student. A broad academic and social counseling and guidance program is necessary, along with provisions for adequate financial aid, for the added burden of loan and job obligations makes scholastic improvement unrealistic. An integrated environment is an important component of equal educational opportunity and minimizes the extent to which disadvantaged students are made to feel rejected or on display. (WM)