University of Virginia Library

In reference to your article
'integrated' rush on Oct. 6. I would
like to clarify the facts in one of
the items you offer as an instance
of racism in the fraternities. The
paragraph concerns a white frat.
man and his date talking to a black
rushee and the black rushee asking
to dance with the "fraternity
man's" date. That white frat. man
was me and the incident occurred
at the S.A.E. House (which The
Cavalier Daily seems to think is the
Hitler Youth Corps of U.Va.) on
Friday night of Homecoming weekend.

First I would like to explain that
I am not the typical fraternity man
so abhorred by The Cavalier Daily
staff writer. I entered U.Va. four
years ago and was pledged to S.A.E.
at the end of my first year I
withdrew and just this summer
returned to college life at Virginia.
As most of us know the social life
here centers around the fraternities
and upon returning to school I
asked for and was given a social
membership in the S.A.E. House.

Now as for the incident itself, I
would like to give people the whole
story, which The Cavalier Daily did
not see fit to do.

My date and myself were standing
inside the S.A.T. House listening
to the band when a black rushee
walked up. We struck up a conversation
and talked for 15 or 20
minutes about nothing in particular,
after which time he asked me
if it would be all right to dance
with my date. I said certainly it was
all right with me but it was up to
my date whether she danced or not.
At this point the girl I was with (a
blind date from Columbus Ga.)
nearly feinted and blurted out a
string of cacophony amounting to
save the confederacy, keep the
magnolias and mint juleps, and
daddy would shoot me if I danced
with a "Nigrah." The black rushee
then turned to me and angrily
stated that the only reason my date
wouldn't dance with him was
because he was black and she was
white. I then said that if that was
her reason I didn't respect it any
more than he did, but don't put me
on the spot because I can't push her
out on the floor and make her
dance with you. After I said this
the black rushee turned around and
walked out of the S.A.E. House. An
unfortunate incident, yes, but
Sandy Southern-belle was not
about to dance with the black
rushee and there was nothing I
could do about it, except pray for
understanding when he heard her
accent.

I could not agree more with the
statement "This place has got to
change" but witch hunting for
racial incidents and slanted journalism
will not hasten this change. A
lot of understanding (on both sides,
patience, and I am afraid a lot of
time will be required before we
become an integrated community
at the University of Virginia.

The fraternities do tend to be
racial, but as has been stated, as the
University community changes so
will the fraternities, and even the
S.A.E. House has a number of
liberals working for a change within
the house. So I will continue to
drink my black Russians, cat my
fried left wing of chicken, but not
to digest the news of The Cavalier
Daily.

Justin P. McCarthy
College 2

—ed.