of the most selective campuses in the system. Less than 27 percent of the nearly 30,000 students who applied for freshman classes received admissions offers. The first year without affirmative action Berkeley officials said they had to turn away more than 800 black, Hispanic and other minority applicants who had perfect 4.0 high school grade point averages and who had SAT scores of at least 1,200. Exceptionally high, but because the school had other applicants with even better credentials others were selected.The finger pointing goes back to the public school system. Figures show how badly many minority students are being prepared by the state's public schools to compete for admission at academically selective colleges. Better academic preparation is needed for everyone in K-12 grade levels. The schools have to do a far better job in preparing students for the rigors of college starting in grade school.People against affirmative action blame affirmative action for robbing them of education, promotions and other opportunities. While many minorities and women support affirmative action, a growing number say its benefits are no longer worth the perception that their success is unearned. A survey was conducted with many women and blacks being torn over affirmative action. Two out of three women opposed affirmative action preference programs for women, compared to three out of four men. And while 52 percent of those blacks interviewed said they supported preferential programs for minorities, while 46 percent did not.Defenders of affirmative action say that the playing field is not level yet and that granting advantages to minorities and women is more than fair. But an increasingly assertive opposition movement argues that the battle to guarantee equal rights for all citizens has been fought and won and that favoring members of one group over another simply goes against our civil rights....
