University of Virginia Library

Black Students See Bad Reactions

Perhaps the two key words to
the black recruitment program are
organization and co-operation. The
first impression one gets in analyzing
the efforts of the black
recruitment program is that it is
well run. The first thing that Mrs.
Johnson did was to notify many of
the state high schools of her
representing the University in its
search for qualified black students.

The next task facing the black
recruiters was to plan where they
were going to recruit. The recruiters
decided that they should go where
they were most needed, the major
population centers where many
black students were. Therefore, the
recruiters planned to visit northern
Virginia, Richmond, Tidewater Virginia,
and major cities both inside
and outside of the state.

The next step for the recruiters
was to contact the guidance directors
to arrange visits. Mrs. Johnson
stated that this and the step of
advising the counselors of their jobs
beforehand were crucial steps. "We
must make personal contacts. You
must not make contact with institutions
but with individuals of institutions."

This same personal contact continued
with the recruiters talks with
the students and counselors. Mrs.
Johnson stated that every effort
was made to really communicate
with the students and their counselors.
As she put it, "We have a
new breed of precollege student.
He wants the truth and if he gets
lies, he sees right through them."

After speaking to the students
and getting names of eligible black
students from guidance counselors,
the recruiters obtain identification
cards from the students they feel
showed an interest in the Univerity.
If applications are not received
from these students, an extra effort
is made to get them to apply to the
University.

Coordination is the other key
word to the black recruitment
program. This coordination is both
inside and outside the Admissions
Office. Within the office itself, Mrs.
Johnson explained to The Cavalier
Daily that once applications were
received, the black recruiters were
notified of what black students
applied. Coordination also exists in
evaluating the applications as the
whole Admissions Office will decide
on the eligibility of a prospective
student, black or white.

Coordination also exist outside
of the admissions Office as the
student black recruiters, Mr. Taylor
and Mr. Thomas help to coordinate
the use of students in recruiting
black secondary school students.

Another area in which the
University has made gains in
attracting black students to the
school is through the Transition
Program. Set up by the President
through his Assistant for Special
Programs, William A. Elwood, the
Transition Program has as its
purpose "to get high school students
who have survived a disadvantaged
background into college."
According to Mr. Elwood the
Transition Program works by getting
both disadvantaged black and white
students to Charlottesville during
the summer where they work
during the mornings and then go to
classes in the afternoons to improve
their writing and mathematical
abilities.

Last year, 15 students participated
in the Transition Program,
which last year relied on private
contributions. Mr. Elwood stated a
hope that about twice as many
students would participate in the
program this summer. This summer's
program will be funded by
the University with some funds
from the Federal Government.

On completion of the program,
all of the students are admitted to
the University. Some of these
students were admitted to the
school before the program while
others were admitted upon the
condition that they completed their
work in the Transition Program.

The efforts of the Law School
must also be noted in the area of
black admissions. A letter from
HEW noted this effort in "a
dramatic increase in the number of
Negroes entering the Law School."

The administration is not the
only group that has tried to attract
more qualified black students to
the University. The Student Council,
in cooperation with the black
recruiters of the Admissions Office,
has initiated a black recruitment
program. It is the feeling of many
administrators that students sten
most to other students. This activity
of the Student Council may
help communicate the new image
of the University to high school
students on a student-to-student
relationship.

The final area where a great deal
of activity has been done to attract
black students to the University is
by the student body. According to
President Shannon in his letter to
HEW, the national office of Zeta
Tau Alpha, the only sorority at the
University, contacted the Dean of
Women, Mary Whitney, that it was
not discriminatory.

Another aspect of student body
acceptance of blacks on the
Grounds was the pledging of five
blacks by fraternities in this year's
rush.

All of this is not to say that
nothing is left to be done. Little
results have been seen in the
acceptance of a black athlete on a
grant-in-aid. The University is the
only school in the Atlantic Coast
Conference not having such a black
student.

Reports of discrimination in
classrooms and in room changes
due to race have also come into The
Cavalier Daily. The Admissions
Office still does not have a full-time
black recruiter and is still in the
words of Mr. Ern, "understaffed."
The law that forbids the University
from spending state money for
advertising the University still to
some degree limits the efforts of
the University to change its image
in the eyes of secondary students
and counselors.

But perhaps the most important
area where progress remains to be
made is in the attitude of the
student body. As one of the black
recruiters stated in an interview
with The Cavalier Daily, "It isn't so
much what they say, it's what they
don't say. Hostile looks and hostile
silence isn't an attitude that attracts
black students."

Perhaps the words of Mrs.
Johnson help to conclude the
importance of this progress. "The
atmosphere is changing, we have
found some welcome and understanding.
But the student body will
have to assume a commitment to
make blacks welcome."