Thursday's editorial on the
Alumni Association unfortunately
casually dismissed the discriminatory
practices of many of the local
chapters in recruiting students and
in the distribution of scholarship
funds. Students who have had
contact with many official Alumni
chapters engaged in recruitment
have returned universally discouraged
at the recalcitrance and
feigned ignorance at recent changes
in the University. One alumni
recruiter told a student that he was
not aware that the University
wanted black students. In many
areas of the country where alumni
recruiting efforts are important,
visits are still made to segregated
high school and all-white, all-male
dinners to acquaint high school
students with Virginia are still in
practice.
While local Alumni chapters do
for the most part finance themselves,
they are assisted by the
Alumni Association, and at any rate
are official representatives of the
University and its Admissions Office.
To excuse the continued
adherence to deplorable practices in
recruiting and scholarship distribution
is itself inexcusable.
When students become members
of the Alumni Association, they
have an opportunity to change the
recruiting practices in only a
minimal way. The Alumni Association,
like most other large institutions,
including the University, is
essentially operated by a few
individuals who occupy positions of
importance. In addition, the Alumni
Association is composed predominantly
of older graduates,
many of whom are familiar with
the University when it did not
profess to be an equal opportunity
institution.
The best way to effect changes
in the recruiting practices, then, is to
write Mr. Gilbert Sullivan, the
Director of the Alumni Association,
Alumni Hall, informing him that
you desire to join the Association
and thusly benefit from the continued
contact with the University,
but you cannot do so until and
unless a commitment is made to
institute non-discriminatory practices
and to insure compliance by
the local chapters. Only then will
we not have to be concerned over
the failure of the University to
make good on its oft repeated
promises of prompt action to
remove the vestiges of discrimination
against blacks and women
which all too often are the most
well known characteristics of our
University.
