ftronco*’ Voicc
March 1995
Editorial Comment
THE SCARLET LETTER
This issue’s editorial comment was
originally submitted as a letter to the
editor. Its description, analysis, con
clusion of a topic of concern to all FSU
students was on point, so much so, that
we felt it necessary to highlight the
letter in this space. As always, we wel
come and hope that you will offer your
comments and opinions. Ed.
By Sherry Goff
A letter arrived at my residence re
cently, dated Febuary 9,1995, explain
ing the guidelines of the Program for
Further Increases in Minority Presence
Enrollment, and soliciting my assis
tance in the effort to abide by those
guidelines. I feel compelled to express
my disapproval of the goals of this pro
gram in the context of FSU, and the
means the program managers have
chosen to implement them.
The Board of Governors, and the
President of The University of North
Carolina, are no doubt responding to
Affirmative Action mandates, but their
strict interpretation and application of
those mandates to this particular
school are a perfect example of meet
ing the letter of the law and thereby
violating the spirit of it.
1 have encountered more than a
little resentment from a number of
African-American students on campus
since my enrolllment, stemming from
the perception that a traditionallly
Black school has administrators ex
tending special treatment to “minor
ity” white students like myself. Let
ters like the one I received, thanking
me for coming and asking me to iden
tify more specifically non-Afro-
American potential students, give cre
dence to the suspicion of “special treat
ment,” and can only fuel legitimate
resentment against this policy. White
students are unfortunately perceived as
representatives of that policy, and be
come the unwilling recipients of the
misplacement of that resentment. This
police then becomes an injustice, for
reasons 1 will enumerate, to the Afri-
can-American students, and to the non-
African-American students who are
cast into the role of privileged alumni.
Setting aside the mandates of this
program, the simple fact is that Affir
mative Action programs’ authentic
purpose is to redress current and his
torical inequities in the opportunity to
participate fully in American society.
Unless the date I am familiar with has
changed in an astonishing way, most
Black Americans are still marginalized
by a fundamentally racist mainstream
culture. Therefore, the deliberate and
aggressive solicitation for increased
enrollment by (in reality) non-minor-
ity/non-disadvantaged students, to fill
seats
more ur-
gently
needed
by poor
and/or
minority
students,
seems a
case of bureaucrats comforming
blindly to an unexamined scheme, or
to a politically comfortable compro
mise with revisionist elements in the
governing bodies. Perhaps all this in
stitutional energy could be more fit
tingly spent pointing out to the pro
gram pilots that obtuse application of
policy can be corrected by granting
waivers where it is appropriate. Cer
tainly FSU is such an exception.
I believe that I would have been
granted admission to this school with
or without the Minority Presence
guidelines, and obviously do not ad
vocate exclusively Black enrollment.
Moreover, I have never received finan
cial assistance. I wholly believe that
my presence would be better tolerated,
and my comfort level would be sig
nificantly improved, with the
recognitiion that it is imprudent and
unfair to actively solicit for White stu
dents when the need for access to
higher education is still more critical
in the Black community. “Multi-racial
alumni” does not seem, in and of it
self, a legitimate establishment goal.
Given the larger reality of American
society as it now functions, the pre
dominantly Black composition of this
school is providing a place where Af-
rican-Americans can withdraw from
the marginalization of the larger cul
ture and work intellectually in an
enviornment where their essential hu
manity is affirmed, this type of
enviornment is also one where the
“minority” student, like myself, can
gain understanding of curricula and of
human relations from a unique
persepctive, ideally without the ob
stacles of misdirected policies and per
ceptions.
This “minority” student feels privi
leged to be part of FSU, but when it
comes to the Program for Further In
creases in Minority (white) Presence
Enrollment, count me out.
This “minority” student feels
privileged to be part of FSU...
The Broncos’
VOICE
Copyrighted, 1994.
Faculty Advisor Dr. Linda Barlow
Staff
Copy Editor
Layout Editor
Jeff Anderson
Ogbonna
, Coates
Tasheba Dukes
Natasha Etienne
Lishan Harrison
Sharon High
Eric Jones
Rhonda Keyes
Amey Pickett
Jesse Shaw
Elizabeth Willet
Lesii Sample
Shawn Johnson
Office Manager Benetta Kingsberry
Business/Advertising Ogbonna Coates
Managing Editor Dennis Allman
Editor Roger Harris
The Broncos’ Voice
c/o Fayetteville State University
1200 Murchison Road
Fayetteville, NC 28301
(910) 486-1357
fax (910) 486-1857
email- wright@fsu.fsufay.edu
Disclaimer
Opinions expressed in The Broncos Voice are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily
represent the views of Fayetteville State University, its employees, the University of North Carolina, the
Voice staff and editors, or our advertisers.
Submission guidelines
Submissions of editorial material, news, and letters to the editor are welcomed, but should be limited
to 350 words. Any such submissions should be typed and double-spaced, free from grammatical or typo
graphic errors, and should include the name and telephone number of the writer.
Announcements of upcoming campus events should follow the same format as editorial submissions
and should include the name and telephone number of a contact person (for example, the president of a
club).
Where to submit your articles
Typewritten articles may be submitted in person at the Voice office in the Rudolph Jones Student
Center or mailed to the address on this page. If possible, include a 3.5" 720k or 1.44 M disk with your
document. Electronic documents may be sent through email or by fax.