Yet, at UF, many black students wonder if they will ever be judged on merit. Blacks have become such a rarity on campus that it’s not unusual for strangers to ask if they attend the nearby community college.

Most weren’t even in elementary school yet when Bush’s plan was enacted; “affirmative action” to them is a little more than a glossary item in a textbook.

“It’s funny they say Jeb Bush ended affirmative action,” said Dashari Kearse, a 20-year-old linguistics major from Orlando who sports a small afro and wired-rim glasses. “People still think I got in because I’m a minority.”