The following is pure speculation, and may not align with Professor Loury's intent, but I think seems plausible: There is some portion of the population who vi

The following is pure speculation, and may not align with Professor Loury's intent, but I think seems plausible: There is some portion of the population who view the visibility of an action as a signal of its virtue. In other words, actions conducted "secretly" are "bad", and actions which are "good" may conversely always be conducted publicly. (Somewhat analogous to the familiar "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear.") To this group, "secretly" advantaging one group of students over another is a signal that doing so is intrinsically wrong, and that if such an action is a good one, the university would do so openly and transparently. These negative perceptions, over time, may result in a backlash by this group against a well-intentioned policy meant to increase "the well-being of black students."