Bell questions speed of desegregation moves

Education Secretary Terrel Bell says the government may have moved too quickly in taking eight Southern and border states to court for allegedly having traces of segregation in their public colleges. While stressing that his department is firmly committed to civil rights, Bell said the states may be given additional time to comply with federal guidelines.

The states -- South Carolina, Delaware, West Virginia, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Florida, Missouri, and Kentucky -- all have been ordered to take remedial action to eliminate "vestiges of segregation" in their public colleges. If the state s fail to take action they could lose federal funding.