There were just two Black students in the freshman class that entered Stanford in 1960. A decade later, 78 black freshmen enrolled at the University. That dramatic jump was the result of affirmative action. Like many universities, Stanford began seeking out minorities during the 1960s. A 1968 campus study recommended granting "special consideration" to African-American, Mexican-American and Native American applicants, "provided they meet basic requirements of academic excellence and personal achievement." That practice was quickly embraced and, three decades later, remains University policy.
During the 1970s, Stanford sought to strengthen its affirmative action programs while resisting calls for explicit quotas. In 1972, a Faculty Senate panel formally rejected a proposal that the ethnic makeup of the student body match the nation's or region's makeup. A few months later, minority law students demanded that the University establish a quota of 50 minority students in each law school entering class of 160. The law faculty said no.
‘Stanford has a responsibility to find and educate those who can become the leaders of the future in a multiethnic and multiracial society. Alas, our society is quite color-conscious, and we therefore cannot yet afford to be colorblind.’
Nationally, public support for affirmative action has been ebbing over the last decade as opponents raised difficult questions about reverse discrimination. The battlegrounds: federal courtrooms and state ballot initiatives. In 1996, a federal appeals court ruled that the University of Texas law school had to scrap its affirmative action program. In November, another federal court struck down racial preferences at a public high school in Boston. Meanwhile, voters in California and Washington have barred public institutions from considering race and gender in college admissions and state hiring.
None of these developments has a direct impact on Stanford, which has steadfastly maintained its support for affirmative action. In 1995, President Gerhard Casper said Stanford has a responsibility "to find and educate those who can become the leaders of the future in a multiethnic and multiracial society. Alas, our society is quite color-conscious, and we therefore cannot yet afford to be colorblind." This policy has helped to create a strongly diverse student body. This year's freshman class is 8 percent African American, 9 percent Mexican American and 1 percent Native American. Including Asian Americans, a group not specially targeted by the admissions office, minorities make up 42 percent of the class.
Those who oppose affirmative action sometimes overlook the other categories that, under University policy, also get "special consideration" when it comes to admissions. In addition to the three minority groups, the favored constituencies include outstanding athletes, children of faculty and staff-and children of alumni.
