The practical application of AA has run its course and should now come to an end at our public universities.  What was once considered by some a reasonable policy to right past wrongs, thereby assisting more black students, has now morphed into reverse discrimination that targets and harms certain other ethnicities, most significantly students of Asian descent.  One group now benefits unfairly to the obvious detriment of another.  If one is not a racist, one will not support reverse discrimination quotas.  It’s past time for our public higher education admission departments to only admit students based on objective academic and extracurricular criteria. 

But in a truly free society, without the interference and meddling of our government in higher education where it does not belong, our private schools would be free to practice or not practice affirmative action.  In a truly free society, individuals and groups would be free to associate and enter into whatever voluntary relationships and commitments they chose.  So, if a private school wants to discriminate on the basis of gender, race, SAT scores, height, religion, or whatever, so be it, as long as it does so peacefully, and without violence.  It seems clear to me that our government, and its public universities, have no business giving adverse or preferential treatment to anyone on the basis of these same factors, but that doesn't mean that affirmative action, quotas and targets aren't viable options in a free society. In a truly free society, any person or group has the right to associate with any other person willing to associate with them.  Likewise, a person or group should not be forced to associate with those they don't want to be associated with, including those they don't want to educate.