University of Virginia Library

Often we compare ourselves to
Harvard, Princeton, etc. However
there is one thing which we definitely
do not compare in—the
admission of Negroes to the student
body. (The following clipping
will explicate my view.)

"This year, admissions officials
have been particularly zealous in
seeking out Negro students—and
no longer just those from middle-class
homes. In their eagerness to
attract Negroes from disadvantaged
backgrounds, many
schools have relaxed their admissions
standards. The University of
Chicago has accepted Charles
Jones, 18, a Negro from Chicago's
Marshall High School whose
College Board test scores were
far below those of most incoming
freshmen. But Dean of Admissions
Anthony Pallett is confident that
Jones, who has worked 40 hours
a week as a dishwasher to help
support his family, 'knows where
he's going, and he's determined
to get there.'

"Stanford, in addition to the
71 Negroes already accepted for
next year (against 52 years ago),
this month said it planned to admit
and provide special tutoring
for ten 'marginal minority-group
students' who do not meet normal
academic requirements.
Brown, in a freshman class of 720,
expects to have 25 Negroes next
year, up from 13 last year. Princeton,
which accepted 23 Negroes a
year ago, has tapped more
than three times as many, 76,
for its incoming freshman class
of 810."

This source for this comparison
is Time Magazine so each may
weigh its credibility for himself.
However in any event, does anyone
believe that relaxed admission
standards for Negroes will lower
the academic standards of those
institutions? I doubt that it could
lower the standards of the University
of Virginia, either.

Alvin Schensier

We referred this letter to Paul Saunier,
director of University relations, so
that he might supply corresponding
figures for the University. Following
are his comments:

The spring, 1968 Princeton Quarterly,
'University,' states that about
40 Negroes were enrolled there in
1966-67, (when the University of Virginia
enrolled 69) and that in 1967'68
Princeton has a 'somewhat larger
total (the University of Virginia enrolled
71 last fall). No figures are
available on the number of Negro
first-year students accepted at Virginia
in 1967, (when Princeton reportedly
accepted 23). Virginia has accepted
more than 18 for 1968, while Princeton
reports 76. How many of the 18 or 76
actually will enroll will not be known
until September. The University of
Virginia has not released any comparisons
of College Board scores by
race or color; Dean Ern states that
although Negroes admitted here have
high class rank and strong recommendation,
their College Board averages
are well under the University's
class averages, in most cases rejecting
directly on their lack of educational
opportunity."—Ed.