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Alternatives to affirmative action

In the wake of the Hopwood decision, Texas pioneered methods of enrollment based on class rank instead of race. The state's program of "affirmative access" automatically admits students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class into the University of Texas system. In 1999 and 2000, California and Florida adopted similar systems with the intention of heading off criticism from affirmative action advocates.

Some of these new admission systems represent genuine experiments in higher education reform. But others are merely attempts to conceal the same old discrimination. Gerrymandering admission standards to produce a certain racial mix poses similar legal problems to explicit preferences, as well as being harmful to the educational mission of colleges and universities.

Charles Krauthammer on admission gerrymandering in Calif.

Read a Washington Post column on the University of California's attempts to circumvent Proposition 209 to increase Hispanic enrollment ... at the expense of other groups, including blacks.

Winners and losers of X-percent.

The Chronicle of Higher Education supplies this infographic on the first freshmen to feel the effects of class rank percentages. (.pdf)

What's happening in the states?
Read about X-percent and its ramifications in the state systems that have applied it.

Texas
David Montejano, "Access to the University of Texas at Austin and the Ten Percent Plan: A Three-year Assessment," Admissions Research at UT Austin, March 2, 2001 (.pdf)

Jeffrey Selingo, "George W. Bush's mixed record on higher education in Texas," The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 23, 2000 (.pdf)

Jeffrey Selingo, "U of Texas defends the program affirmative action foes love to attack," The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 2, 2000 (.pdf)

California
Jennifer Hudson, "Four percent plan will not increase diversity, report says," UCLA Daily Bruin, April 14,2000 (.pdf)

Jennifer McNulty, "Admissions proposal aims to encourage high school students to stay on track," USSC Currents, February 15, 1999 (.pdf)

"California governor offers college admission plan to 'ensure diversity," CNN.com, January 6,1999 (.pdf)

Florida
Jeffrey Selingo, "Behind-the-Scenes Advice to a Governor on Ending Affirmative Action," The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 2, 2000 (.pdf)

Max J. Castro, "What went wrong?" Salon.com, February 10, 2000 (.pdf)

Barry Klein and Stephen Hegarty, "Bush details anti-bias plan," The St. Petersburg Times, November 10, 1999 (.pdf)

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