Aggressive outreach is the least controversial form of affirmative action. Many employers advertise job openings in African-American newspapers and interview at women’s colleges.
The Labor Department requires firms receiving federal contracts to establish hiring goals for women and minorities-and deadlines for getting there. Many universities set up similar targets for admissions and faculty hires.
Goals sometimes lapse into rigid quotas in which employers or admissions directors must hit a specific number of minority hires or students.
