University of Virginia Library

A Different Educational Environment

By JEFFREY RUGGLES

Ed.)

Hampton Institute is a college
of 2500 students, located on
Hampton River in Hampton,
Virginia. A short way beyond the
college, the river runs into
Hampton Roads, "the world's
largest harbor," bounded on the
north by the cities of Newport
News and Hampton, and on the
south by Norfolk and Portsmouth.

Sad Mixture

Hampton is a large, spread-out
city with a little under 100,000
inhabitants. Its prosperity is due
mostly to the presence of numerous
government facilities: Langley Air
Force Base; NASA Langley
Research Center; Fort Monroe, the
site of the Continental Army
Command; and a large Veterans
Administration hospital and home.
The only really local industry is
seafood, especially crabs. Across
the river from the college stands
downtown Hampton, what there is
of it: Hampton is the oldest town in
Virginia, but you'd hardly know it
from the sad mixture of run-down
buildings and garish urban renewal
which characterize the downtown.

Steady Progress

Hampton institute was founded
in 1867 by a former Union general.
It has steadily progressed from
being primarily a trade school to
the point of ranking among the
better colleges in the state. It is
predominantly black, with students
from a wide range of economic,
social, and geographic backgrounds.

The level of ability of the
students on the whole is at least up
to that of the University. Other
aspects, such as the faculty, the
administration, and the extent of
student autonomy, will have to
wait for proper judgement.

Although there is nothing like
the Lawn at Hampton, the campus
is open and pleasant. Buildings are
brick, usually in either of two
styles: a classic Victorian, or a
modern plain 'n' ugly. There are a
good number of new buildings,
including a high-rise coed
dormitory and a gym. The main
landmark is the square chapel
tower, which can be seen from
Interstate 64 just before the
entrance of the Hampton Roads
Bridge-Tunnel; there are bells on
the hour, though no two clocks on
the tower ever read the same time.

Show-Piece

The show-piece of the college is
its Communications Center,
finished in the late 60's and located
right at the main gate. To my
knowledge, no other facility in
Virginia can match it. The center
portion of the building,
square-shaped and three stories
high, contains a well-designed and
equipped theatre for the Drama
Department, classrooms, and
offices.

At either end of the building are
circular wings. In one, there are a
television studio, radio station, and
the Journalism Department; in the
other, the Music Department, with
a small auditorium, classrooms,
music library and listening rooms,
practice rooms, and offices. All of
my courses but one meet in the
Center.

An Explanation

There is much more to be said
about Hampton—such as what the
people are like, the living, the story
of the strike last spring—but since
this article is only the first of
several which will be published,
these things can be delayed. At this
point, a justification, or
explanation, for the appearance of
articles about Hampton Institute in
the Cavalier Daily might be useful.

Last year, an arrangement was
made between the University and
Hampton Institute, similar to the
ones existing between Hampton
and Cornell, and William and Mary
and Hampton; by which a student
at one of these schools could spend
a semester or two at the other
school, and details of transferring,
of receiving credit, etc., would be
smoothed over.

Racial Harmony

These exchange programs have
been funded with Federal money,
under some huge law designed to
promote integration; in particular,
my tuition is what I would have
paid at the University, and the
difference is being made up by the
government money.

So one of the purposes of these
articles is to make University
students aware of the opportunities
at Hampton; especially those
interested in mass media, television,
radio, journalism; or those
interested in Afro-American
studies, in music, literature, history,
etc.; or several other of Hampton's
strengths. A continual exchange
would probably encourage both
schools to widen their offerings
into areas the other is now strong
in.

And then there is another
purpose, and that is to support
racial harmony. There's been
prejudice against blacks for a damn
long time, and the University has
been as guilty as anyone of
spreading it: in uncountable ways, it
still spreads many of these myths
and stereotypes.

Black Environment

The subtlety of racism, the
accepted customs which set black
below white — almost
subliminally are made much
clearer living in a black
environment: if a little awareness of
what's happening can be
transmitted into a few more white
heads, so much the better for
everybody.