University of Virginia Library

Negro Admissions

In her letter of October 10, Miss
Corbett stated that she would go
even further than Mr. Levy's
proposal of lower entrance
requirements for Negroes and that
she would suggest a "free tuition
for Negroes."

She said that one of her reasons
for this suggestion is that many
Negroes cannot even think about
seeking college admission because
they lack unit requirements in the
fields of language, math, and
science because of a lack of
parental or teacher influence to
enroll in these courses. However, in
most high schools the lack of
parental or teacher influence to
enroll in these courses is not really
relevant because they are required
courses and must be taken anyway
in order to graduate. These basic
credits are necessary and should be
required for college admission. If a
student were accepted into college
without these requirements then he
would not be able to keep up
academically with the rest of his
class. If a student's high school
doesn't require these courses, then
it is the high school's responsibility
to raise its standards and not the
college's responsibility to lower its
standards.

Another reason that she gave for
her suggestion is that Negroes
would be prevented from attending
college by financial difficulties.
However, I believe this to be untrue
because at most universities, and
particularly at this one, there is a
very good Office of Financial Aid.
It is not hard for any qualified
student, regardless of his color, to
get monetary assistance from this
office.

Miss Corbett claims that the
program, which she endorses, is not
a "hand-out" but a program aimed
at alleviating discrimination on
college entrance requirements. Yet
it creates discrimination by having
different standards for the different
races. This program is no solution
for the problem of "racial
injustice."

I agree with Mr. Murray, who
said that the average Negro scholar
would be insulted by a "hand-out"
education in the form of lowered
standards and lures. I support the
policy of equal entrance
requirements for all races.