College policies on race contradict sense of fair play

A new poll highlights Americans' conflicted feelings about affirmative action at colleges: A majority of those surveyed said it benefits society, but even more said schools should not admit minorities who have lower grades than other qualified candidates.

The finding is part of a comprehensive survey of American attitudes toward colleges and universities being released today by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Among other findings, the survey revealed that more than 80 percent of Americans believe skyrocketing tuition has made higher education less affordable to the middle class. At the same time, 75 percent believe a college education is "worth the price."

The telephone survey of 1,000 adults ages 25 to 65 has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

With the Supreme Court deciding a critical case that challenges the University of Michigan's use of race as a factor in admissions, 58 percent of respondents to the Chronicle poll said affirmative action programs benefit society.

But 64 percent of those surveyed said they thought minority students should not be admitted to a school if their grades and test scores didn't meet the level of other applicants.

David Ward, president of the American Council on Education, expects those conflicting attitudes to continue even after the Supreme Court ruling.

He said Americans have a deeply ingrained sense of fair play and individual rights - and for many, affirmative action doesn't seem fair.

"If you feel you've been deprived of something by a process, it is felt very strongly," he said. "And that is an area where universities are struggling."

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