Newark, Delaware, February 24, 1999-- A large majority of the University of Delaware's faculty is opposed to racial and sexual preferences in student admissions and faculty employment, according to a new survey conducted by the Delaware Association of Scholars, which released the survey today.

More than two-thirds of the faculty not only oppose such preferences, but would also ban them at the University.

Even more surprising, the support for a ban on racial and sexual preferences cut across all political lines, with liberals as well as moderates and conservatives favoring a ban. "The clear message from the UD faculty is that it doesn't like what it believes the University is doing, namely, evaluating students and faculty differently on the basis of race and sex," said DAS President Linda S. Gottfredson, Professor of Education. UD faculty would resoundingly support a ban in Delaware like California's Proposition 209."

Key findings of the survey include:

• 71 percent of faculty thought that the University should not grant preferences to one candidate over another in faculty employment decisions on the basis of race, sex, or ethnicity, whereas only 26 percent supported such preferences.
• 69 percent thought that the University should not grant preference to one student applicant over another for admission on the basis of race, sex, or ethnicity, whereas 28 percent supported such preferences.
• Despite the overwhelming opposition of faculty members to the use of racial and sexual preferences, 90 percent of faculty members claiming familiarity with the University's employment practices report that such preferences are used; 87 percent of faculty members claiming familiarity with its student admission practices report the use of such preferences in admission decisions.
• 72 percent of all faculty would approve a policy which stated that the University shall not discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to candidates in faculty employment decisions on the basis of race, sex or ethnicity. 68 percent agreed when the policy applied to applicants for admission.
• 51 percent of liberal faculty would approve a University ban on racial and sex preferences in employment (33 percent reject it); 51 percent of liberals also approve a University ban on racial and sex preferences in admissions (38 percent reject it). Among moderates, the numbers are 81 percent (versus 15 percent) and 75 percent (versus 21 percent), respectively. Among conservatives, 84 percent (versus 16 percent) and 80 percent (versus 20 percent), respectively.

"A substantial fraction of the UD faculty also reported to us that preferences have lowered the quality of UD students and faculty," said Gottfredson. "We hope that the DAS survey will promote reasoned discussion of alternatives to race and sex preferences."

                  The Delaware Association of Scholars, a chapter of the
                   National Association of Scholars, is dedicated to the
                   principle of nondiscrimination in higher education.

For more information, please contact Dr. Linda S. Gottfredson, DAS President, at (302) 831-1650 or das-req@udel.edu. The full report is available at http://www.udel.edu/DAS/