Executive orders concerning nondiscrimination in employment have been issued by past administrations from Roosevelt to Kennedy. It was President Johnson who first used the term "affirmative action" in advocating employment regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin and who instituted requirements for organizations to develop affirmative action plans with numerical goals and timetables. Congressional legislation provided further for equal employment opportunities and for court litigation to enforce the law. These provisions were applied to educational institutions in 1971, when women earned less than men, minorities earned less than whites, and women and minorities comprised a disproportionately small percentage of the academic profession. Ten years later, the same conditions prevail, suggesting that affirmative action in the academic world has been ineffective. Furthermore, the affirmative action controvesy has been reversed, with the majority claiming that ethnic minorities receive preferential treatment and that whites suffer reverse discrimination. Discussions of affirmative action based on the false issues of quotas and reverse discrimination must be refocused. Furthermore, lack of support from the Reagan administration and bureaucratic failure in enforcing affirmative action emphasize the need for commitment and enforcement at local and institutional levels. (MJL)