University of Virginia Library

Magazine States Negroes' Plight
Concerning Scholarship Situation

By Sandy Prater
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

In the wake of a controversy
created over their February 12
publication of an article concerning
the migration of Negro athletes to
various colleges around the
country, the editors of "Sports
Illustrated" printed a follow-up to
sorts explaining just what colleges
the athletes went to, and in what
numbers.

This second article, which appeared
in the "Scorecard" feature
of the magazine under the apt
heading of "In Black and White,"
was a survey of the Negro enrollment
in the colleges comprising the
seven major athletic conferences.
The results of the survey were
enlightening, and in some cases
rather stunning.

"Big Ten" Leads Nation

The conference with the highest
Negro enrollment is the Big Ten,
which also has the highest number
of Negroes on athletic scholarships.
Michigan State alone, for
example, has 50 Negroes in attendance
on athletic scholarship.

At the other end of the spectrum,
predictably, are the Southeastern
Conference and the Southwest
Conference. The SEC has
nearly 2000 Negroes in its universities
and 11 Negroes on athletic
scholarship. The SWC, with a
Negro student population percentage
of only .65%, has issued 16,
grants to Negroes.

Typically Southern

Almost in the same category
with the Southwest and the Southeastern
Conferences is the Atlantic
Coast Conference. With a Negro
population percentage of 1.4%,
the same as the SEC, the ACC
has 34 Negro scholarship holders.

Cited by the magazine as having
the smallest Negro population
percentage in the ACC is Virginia,
with .4%. Virginia is also
listed by the magazine as being
one of four members of the Conference
having no Negroes on
scholarship.