Questions related to underrepresented groups' access to postsecondary education and their experiences while in college are fundamental to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunities for all students. Some researchers have viewed community colleges as important in giving access to students who might not have the academic ability for the intellectual paths of their choice by helping them define and achieve realistic goals. Others argue that they continue class-based separation by tracking less academically prepared students into vocational programs. Both community college supporters and critics agree that they allow more students to enroll in college at a lower cost. Critics, however, highlight the large gap between students in two-year and four-year institutions who attain baccalaureate degrees and note that two-year college students typically come from non-white families with lower incomes and have parents who did not attend college. The 1995 "Transfer Assembly Study" by the Center for the Study of Community Colleges found that only 12% of Hispanic and Black students transferred to four-year institutions, compared to 23% of White students. Cultural influences on minority academic achievement include family expectations of employment after high school, academic testing which places many minority students on remedial tracks, a lack of minority role models, and lack of encouragement from white professors. Fortunately, some colleges have started programs to actively address these issues through recruitment and outreach programs, peer mentors, minority faculty recruitment, and programs to improve campus climate. (KP)