Fifteen ignominious episodes or recent trends in higher education for minorities and people of color are noted, including issues of affirmative action, testing, declining real value of financial aid, sex and racial discrimination, athletics, college administration, racial bias, and student misbehavior. (MSE)

Reports on a conference on school choice at Hillsdale College attended by many Black educators. Describes the popular system implemented in Detroit Public Schools. Discusses problems of racial discrimination and school finance. (FMW)

Black students at Gallaudet University, the nation's only liberal arts school for the deaf, say they face racial discrimination as well as discrimination against the deaf. Cites a lack of Black courses in the curriculum and of Black faculty. (FMW)

Examines a report by the Project on the Status and Education of Women. Black women face sexual and racial discrimination on college campuses. Isolation, invisibility, hostility, indifference, and a lack of understanding of Black women's experiences are part of the problem. (DF)

Some white and non-African faculty at historically black colleges are challenging the traditional role of those institutions with claims of racial discrimination and lawsuits and are often winning. Diversity is a central issue. The problem is expensive to address, and most institutions can not afford full-time legal counsel. (MSE)

Three landmark Supreme Court cases concerning affirmative action and racial discrimination within higher education institutions, and their interrelationships, are discussed: Hopwood vs. the State of Texas; Regents of the University of California vs. Bakke (1978); and Brown vs. Board of Education (1954). Treatment of the legal issues by the Center…

W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the leading intellectuals of the 20th century, was unwavering in his commitment to the equality of the colored peoples of the world. All intellectual giant and a life-long agitator, Du Bois devoted his life to ensuring that the majority of the people in the world, "those of color," would break the shackles of colonialism and…

The story of Brown is compelling. Blacks and Whites alike understood that the Jim Crow system of "separate but equal" was a convenient fiction. There was no actual effort to ensure that Whites and Blacks were provided the same services. Invariably, the White schools had higher funding, better buildings, newer supplies and so on. Indeed,…

It's not clear how supportive African Americans are of racial preferences. Supporters of preferences like to use the term "affirmative action," which is supported by most African Americans, but it is not the same thing. The old forms of affirmative action--positive, proactive measures to end discrimination, and aggressive outreach and recruiting…

A University of Michigan policy barred harassment or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, handicapped, or Vietnam-veteran status. It was declared unconstitutional because it violated First Amendment rights. University officials may rewrite policy or…

A new policy study finds that Latinos are the ethnic/racial group with the least amount of education and highest labor force participation. It concludes that more education would decrease Latino poverty. Suggested solutions include equalizing educational attainment, eliminating employment discrimination, making work more rewarding, guaranteeing…

Most women and minority faculty who sue on grounds of discrimination when denied tenure become alienated from their colleagues, fall behind professionally, and forfeit their jobs. Only one in five is successful in courts. Describes the outcomes of several recent cases and summarizes a 1987 book on the subject. (DM)

Bill Cosby ruffled feathers, raised eyebrows and said a mouthful when, at a Howard University black-tie celebration of the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, he launched into a rift about "the lower economic people" not holding up their end of the bargain in the wake of Brown. "We can't blame White people," Cosby said, for an array…

Fearing a federal court in Oklahoma might end a state-financed merit-scholarship program targeted by a discrimination lawsuit, black legislators passed a bill making the program race and gender neutral. State regents are criticized for failing to develop effective policy to remedy past discrimination. (MSE)

The December 1997 conference of the National Association of Scholars reflected the association's opposition to both affirmative action policy in higher education and multiculturalism. Much of the discussion on racial preference focused on the academic performance of African Americans in relation to other racial and ethnic groups. Multiculturalism…