After a shaky, touchy-feely start, the author comes to the right conclusion: “The University’s vocal support for affirmative action in administrative promotion does a disservice to women, minorities and the institution.”

The reason being that if everyone knows minorities and women receive preferences, people will assume that minorities and women who are selected are less qualified. And, of course, that assumption is correct in the aggregate; the particular minorities and women who would have been chosen even without preferential treatment get stuck with the bill.