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BLACK INK
The essence of freedom is understanding
SEPTEMBERS 1»7»
B1„\( K STI DF.NT MOVKMKNT OF Kl( I Al, NKWSPAPFR University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill,
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3
Dean Hayden Renwick’s charges one year later
Ren wick says he has been encouraged particularly by the moral
support given to him by Black students. Photo by Allen Johnson III.
By ALLEN H. JOHNSON m
Staff Writer
A little over a year ago, in circles in
which cautious tippy-toeing is the rule,
Dean Hayden B. Renwick stomped hard,
and mashed a few of UNC’s administration
toes in the process.
In a column in the Sunday morning edi
tion of the Sept. 17, 1978 edition of the
Chapel Hill Newspaper, the assistant dean
in the College of Arts and Sciences charged
the University of questionable admissions
policies, specifically among them the re
jection of qualified Black students and the
falsification of admissions data.
"The University is not fulfilling its com
mitment to increase minority enroll
ment,” Renwick wrote,
sin 1^6 and 1977
— false claims by the UNC admissions of
fice that it had held follow-up sessions for
admitted Blacks and used currently enroll
ed UNC Blacks in those sessions
— The Board of Trustees failure to apply
its category of special admissions to Black
applicants.
— that apparent lack of commitment by
the University in the increase of the Black
undergraduate enrollment according to
admissions statistics.
Those charges sparked controversy, ar
ticles, editorials, demonstrations, forums,
more charges, countercharges and a facul
ty advisory committee appointed by the
Chancellor N. Ferebee Taylor and headed
by Religion professor Charles I>ong to
study the allegations.
The committee issued a 29-page report
on June 12. During the period from Sept.
17, 1978 to Sept. 17, 1979, life for Renwick
has hardly been routine. One immediate
effect of his charges, says Renwick, was
the sudden aloofness of many of his col
leagues.
“I expected a lot of my colleagues to
back off,” he says, “but no matter how
much you prepare yourself, it’s pretty
hard to take. Inwardly, I’m pretty soft.
Outwardly, I don’t show that. All of my life
I’ve cried. I just cried a lot more in the last
few months.”
Renwick says he has been encouraged
particularly by the moral support given to
him by Black students. To begin with, he
wasn’t sure he would get it.
The Black Student Movement officially
backed Renwick and sponsored a forum in
the Pit last fall, during which Renwick
discussed his allegations. “I looked into
Dean Renwick’s charges and found that
they were correct,” says BSM Chairper
son William Bynum. “Collin Rustin (assis
tant director of admissions) had indeed
lied when he said that he had used current
ly enrolled Black students to help recruit
prospective Black students. In light of the
fact that the charges were true, I think the
administration showed an attitude of try
ing to sweep Dean Renwick’s charges
under the rug rather than trying to in
vestigate.”
Concerning the current status of the
situation, Bynum assures, “It’s not going
to die down. That’s one of the priorities
I’ve set for this year.”
“A lot of people will say that I had it
always,” says Renwick, “but the student
support had been suspect to me up to that
point (the charges). Yet I’d always get
good vibes. It’s nice to meet students on
campus and get verbal and bodily
responses that say: “Dean Renwick, I’m
proud of you.”
Barry Stanback, hpad of Kappa Alpha
Psi fraternity last year and a member of
the Black Campus Cabinet, followed the
admissions controversy closely. “I sup-
(Continued on page 2)
Kelly seeks Black involvement in Springfest
Student body President J.B. Kelly. Photo by Deweese Gilyard.
JAMES ALEXANDER JR.
Co-Editor
Not many Blacks at UNC can reminisce
on the good times experienced last April
by over 18,000 campus and area music
fans, who packed one side of Carolina’s
Kenan Stadium for an evening of outdoor
musical celebration provided by folk-rock
guitarist Jimmy Buffett, the soulful Spin
ners and Raleigh-based hard rock outfit,
Nantucket.
As a matter of fact, there’s probably not
one in one hundred Blacks at UNC who at
tended and thoroughly enjoyed last year’s
event, or even felt that the concert lineup
had something to offer them.
Following April’s Saturday night bash
under the stars, termed a success by the
sponsoring Student Government Associa
tion, complaints quickly surfaced from
most members of UNC’s Black student
body who felt shortchanged by the concert.
Seemingly, many Black students at the
university acknowledged the talents and
the musical style of the Spinners prior to
their Springfest appearance, but the com
plaints centered around the group s being
far past its heyday (without former leader
singer Phillippe Wynne) and its lack of
proper audience appeal to Blacks.
Reportedly, many other more appealing
and reasonably-priced Black musical acts
were passed over by the promoters and the
selection committee and the concert went
on as planned.
Excited over the results of the inaugural
Springfest, the SGA (then headed by stu
dent body president Jim Phillips) along
with other members of the planning com
mittee expressed a desire to see the spring
outdoor concert continued on an annual
basis.
In a recent interview, current student
boy head J. B. Kelly talked about possible
changes planned for the second Springfest
in hopes of eliminating the void that was
felt by many UNC Blacks when the past
concert roster was announced.
Aside from preliminary plans to begin
working on the festival three months
earlier than last year, there are no other
major changes expected at this point, Kel
ly said.
“Everything is visualied in my mind,
but nothing’s permanent yet,” said Kelly.
“We are going to start earlier to pick a
chairman to work over Christmas rather
than wait until February like we did last
year,” be added.
Kelly said he expects this year’s Spr
ingfest to be a one-day affair as last year
and no definite types or number of bands
have been set yet.
“Of course we want the best that will at
tract every segment of the (UNC) com
munity, but we have no idea of costs and of
(Coatinued on page 2)