University of Virginia Library

Dean Calls Upward Bound
Key For Entering Negroes

By Jay Steer
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

"Summer bridge programs are
the key to retaining Negro students
at the University," D. Alan
Williams, Dean of Student Affairs,
said yesterday.

Mr. Williams was referring to
programs such as Upward Bound
which train students during summer
months so that they will be able to
compete successfully on an
academic level with other students.

"Social isolation also presents a
difficult problem for first-year
black students," he continued. "In
the give and take of normal
communications, it is difficult for
these students to come in contact
with each other."

"The limited number of black
students here does not help either,"
he added.

Mr. Williams also cited the lack
of Negro women for social contact
with Negro undergraduates as a
contributing factor in this isolation.

He said he feels the date housing
problem for Negro students could
be resolved in the long run, but that
changes need be made to solve
some of the other problems.

The Dean said that many Negro
students feel like "invisible men,"
and remarked that "students seem
to choose to ignore or snub them."

"The admissions office does all
it can to alleviate this alienation by
bringing more Negro students to
the University," he said, "But this
is a slow process."

He added that "nothing
improves relationships between the
races better than contact and
communication. This contact
begins to break the stereotypes. It
is an educational process for
everyone."

Mr. Williams referred to a study
made by Bob Williams of the
Human Relations Council which
laid blame for the scarcity of Negro
students on the University's
admissions board.

He said that the conclusions
derived from this study are
"definitely true."

This study concluded that "the
entrance standards at the University
favor the white middle class
student." It also says that the "time
has come for these standards to be
reviewed."

Backing his assertions, Mr.
Williams cited the work of
Professor DeVito of Emory
University. His experiment
consisted of taking black students
with below-average College Board
scores and allowing them to
participate in the summer session of
the university.

Their achievement as
demonstrated by their grades was
inconsistent with their Board
scores. Mr. Devito's conclusion was
that the College Entrance
Examinations are culturally biased.

Mr. Williams also pointed out
the shortage of Negro faculty
members and the lack of a black
recruiter in the admissions office.

Dean Williams did not comment
on these conditions.