The trend continued upward, so much so that by 1999 some universities had admissions policies that explicitly favored men. In doing so, the school managed to maintain a ratio of 45 percent men to 55 percent women. The young women’s lawyers argued that the extra points for men violated both the equal-protection clause and Title IX, which guarantees equal educational opportunities for men and women. But Title IX does not prohibit gender-based affirmative action in admissions at all schools. That Title IX exemption still stands, allowing private colleges and universities to privilege men during the admissions process.

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Persons: Katie Lew, Marie Bigham, Pérez, ’ ”, — that’s, ”, Sourav Guha, “, You’d, ’ ” Jason England Organizations: University of Georgia, Georgia, system’s, Regents, Princeton, Trinity College, National Association for College, ”, Wesleyan University, Carnegie Mellon, Wesleyan