University of Virginia Library

Williams Explains University's Difficulties
With Increased Black Student Enrollment

By Jay Steer
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

"There is no way my office can
overcome the bigotry that some
students at the University may
harbor towards black people," said
D. Alan Williams, dean of Student
Affairs, yesterday, on the anticipated
increased enrollment of black
students.

Mr. Williams stressed in an
interview with The Cavalier Daily
that "social opportunities for black
students must come from the
students themselves, rather than the
administration, because here the
social environment is controlled by
the students."

The dean hoped that social
organizations here would come to
the realization that to admit and
accept black students for their own
sake would be in those organizations'
best interests. "The apparent
unwillingness of black students now
enrolled in the University to join
any of the 33 nearly all-white
fraternities will diminish," he forecasted,
"as the total number of
black students rises."

Fred Stokes, the new black
recruiter in the admissions office,
said earlier this year that he aims to
triple the enrollment of black
students here, which would bring
the number of black first-year men
in the 1969-1970 class to over 50.

Mr. Stokes was quoted as saying
that "my role in this office will not
be one of passivity. If I did not plan
to make an honest effort in my new
capacity, I would not have taken
this job. Although the fruits of Mr.
Stokes' labor will not be seen until
next year, Mr. Williams said yesterday
that these new developments
may affect the University in several
ways.

On how this will reflect on the
fraternities at the University, Mr.
Williams would not elaborate, but
he did say that the admission of
black students to fraternities is a
major step towards acceptance of
the increased black enrollment.

Mr. Williams foresaw that as the
black students come together, they
may organize themselves into predominantly
black organizations,
such as a Black Student Union. He
further stated that he was against a
Black Student Union limited only
to black students because this
principle violates the University's
ruling that organizations affiliated
with the University may not discriminate
as to race, color or creed.
Mr. Williams said he was definitely
opposed to this sort of reverse-discrimination.

The dean expressed hope that
federal funds would be made
available to assist increased academic
counseling programs geared to
aiding black students and students
in general in adjusting to college-level
work. Special programs in the
form of summer bridge programs
and special courses would be most
helpful, he noted.

Mr. Williams noted also that the
hoped-for increase in black enrollment
will take some of the pressure
off claims made by interested
parties that University admission
policies are discriminatory. This
age-old problem is again coming to
life in the form of government
investigations into admission
policies at various colleges about
the country.

Mr. Williams denied that authorities
were investigating the University,
and said they were "investigating
elsewhere." The dean further
elaborated that the authorities were
looking not for blatant refusal to
admit black students, but for a lack
of those programs which would
encourage black students to come
to the various universities.

"Two developments in this
matter showing increased interest in
black recruiting at the University
include the hiring of a black
recruiter, and the publication by
the Martin Luther King Chapter of
the Charlottesville Human Relations
Council of a pamphlet
showing the advantages of black
students enrolling at the University,"
Mr. Williams said.

When questioned on whether
preference will be given to black
women if and when the University
becomes co-educational, Mr. Williams
replied that all students
applying for entrance to the University
would be judged on their own
merits. "We have no quotas."