December 18, 1998

The Complications of Hiring New Professors When Affirmative Action Is Under Attack

To the Editor:

A difficult question that arises in faculty searches is: Are we required to hire a qualified woman or member of an underrepresented minority group even if that person is not the top choice of the search committee ("What Has Happened to Faculty Diversity in California?," November 20)? Once the search committee agrees on which candidates are qualified to fill the position, is it, at that point,