University of Virginia Library

Record Number

As a result of the black recruitment program
recently initiated by the Admissions office,
there were a record number of black applicants
for positions in this year's entering class. Out of
approximately 191 applicants some 92 black
students have enrolled this fall. Many others,
although accepted for admission, chose to
attend other institutions.

That the University could ever actually
become coeducational must come as a surprise
to many alumni and old friends. This is in fact
the case, though, and rather than brace itself
for the shock the University community seems,
at present, to be giving itself freely to the whole
idea.

Although the final decision to admit women
came late last fall the admissions office still
received 1300 applications from women either
for the first year class or as transfer students
from other institutions. According to Mr.
R.M.Lafferly of the admissions office the number
of applicants was also reduced by the fact
that many women from out of state probably
felt that the admissions standards would be
unusually high and thus never bothered to
apply. This would also seem to be one of the
primary reasons for 79 per cent of the 450 girls
enrolling being Virginians. It is expected that
the number of women applicants will increase
next year.