University of Virginia Library

Recruiting

Rallies were held, students got
excited, administrative hairs greyed,
committees got appointed, and the
University began, perhaps for the
first time, seriously talking about
changing its attitudes and increasing
its efforts to recruit Black students.
A summer preparatory program was
inaugurated largely with
student-raised money. Things
started to happen.

Last year the enrollment of 92
Black students in the first year class
raised the percentage of Blacks in
the College from 0.7 per cent of
two years ago to 1.9 per cent. The
total Black enrollment at the
University role to a "peak" of 2.2
per cent.

But the reaction to the increased
Black enrolment was not good.
Blacks reported incidents of
harassment by city and University
police, students and University
employees. They charged that
police were indiscriminately
stopping Black students in checks
for student identification. Despite
these discouraging signs, Blacks
have established themselves at Mr.
Jefferson's University, but the
process has just begun.