4
BLACK INK
February. 1973
Where
Blacks live
Linda Florence
Staff Writer
Of the more than 750 Black
Americans enrolled at Carolina
this year, including graduate and
undergraduate students, more
than 50 per cent are living on
South Campus.
One Black coed said that she
is living on South Campus
because “most of the Black
people hve there. And that gives
me a feeling of unity and
belonging. When there is nothing
going on around campus, you
can always get together with the
brothers and sisters to have
fun.”
Of all the reasons given for
living on South Campus, this was
the most common. Seventy- five
per cent of all students
interviewed gave “being with
more Blacks” as their major
reason for living on South
Campus. “If the Black students
moved to North Campus and the
dorms were coed, I’d be happy
to move to North Campus,”
explained sophomore Barry
Wynn.
New dorms which are
equipped with kitchens on the
floors, was given as the second
most common reason as to why
South Campus is more popular.
One-third of the males
interviewed felt that new dorms
were important, whereas only
one-fifth of the females listed
new dorms as an important
factor. This might suggest that
the female dorms on North
Campus are in better condition
than the North Campus male
dorms.
“The guys dorms on North
Campus are just too ragged,”
was a common response. One
male explained the condition of
a dorm that he had lived in
before moving to South Campus.
“There was no fire escape and 1
had to go to the next floor to
take a shower.”
The third important factor
making South Campus dorms
more preferable is the coed
living environment “as an
isolated community in itself.
You can feel more at ease and
closer to the people around you.
Since things are more natural
this way, the study-environment
is better.”
Fewer roommates and more
privacy ties for fourth place in
order of importance. Some of
the students interviewed said
that they had moved to South
Campus so that they would have
only one roommate instead of
two. Others thing that suite
situation gives more privacy than
the dorms with halls.
Location is fifth in the list of
reasons cited. Students in
nursing, pharmacy or related
fields said that South Campus
was located closer to their
particular class buildings.
Whereas the benefits of
location were listed in fifth place
by the residents on South
Campus, one hundred per cent
of all students interviewed on
North Campus gave “location”
as the first reason for their place
of residency.
Junior Sylvia Currie
explained why she moved from
South Campus. “We are closer to
our classes. We are closer to
town, and on the weekends, the
food places on South Campus
are closed.” Other coeds were
pleased that they didn’t have to
look for escorts to go to the
library.
Both males and females said
that location is a benefit because
it alleviates the necessity of
riding the bus as often. One
senior explained that many
people are still at the library
after the bus has stopped
running. Students on North
Campus can more easily return
to their dorms during the day in
order to exchange books or to
change clothes after getting
Most Blacks
choose the South
Emma Pullen
Associate Editor
Over 50 per cent of Carolina’s
Black population lives on south
campus, with an estimated 35
per cent living in Hinton James
alone. Another 16 per cent lives
on north campus. The remaining
30 per cent, mostly graduate
students, live off campus.
What is the reason for this
heavy concentration of Blacks in
one area?
Robert Kepner, director of
Residence Life, insists that room
assignments are done mainly on
the basis of choice. Race is not
specified on the cards that
students return to his office, so
he does not know whether they
are Black or white.
According to Kepner, the
only dorm assignment policy
concerns freshmen. All
undergraduate dorms have to
reserve about 43 per cent of
their space for t^e new class. He
added that the only reason a
student may not get the dorm of
his choice is if his application is
received late. Then he is given
his second and third choice.
John Meeker, assistant
director of Residence life, did
admit to the fact that the
atmosphere in some of the
dorms may not be suitable for
Black hfe. Among the dorms
having no Black students are:
Parker, Spencer, Aycock, and
Old East.
Before 1970, most Black
students lived either on north or
off campus. Two things
happened that seemingly caused
the shift.
In 1969, the BSM sponsored
a National Achievement
week-end. The 200 students who
participated were housed in
James on the eighth floor, which
was vacant and served as a guest
floor.
Also, prior to 1970, incoming
freshmen had to take the
placement tests during the
summer before their admittance.
They stayed in Morrison.
The majority of the Black
caught in the rain.
Forty per cent of the North
Campus students said they felt
that they had more privacy by
living on North Campus. Males
and females said that they
thought that socialization was
“too easy” on South Campus.
Twenty per cent of the
students thought that the easy
socialization wasn’t conducive to
good study.
Though, 75 per cent of the
students residing on South
Campus listed “being with
more Blacks” as their major
reason for their place of
residency, only one-third of the
students said that they would
like to live in an all Black dorm.
One-third of the students said
that they would not want to
stay in a Black dorm, and the
other third said that it did not
matter whether the dorm was
Black or not.
Of the North Campus
students 40 per cent said that
they would hke to stay in an all
Black dorm' “especially if the
location was good.” Thirty per
cent said that they would not
want to live in an all Black
dorm, and thirty per cent
insisted that it did not matter
whether the dorm was Black or
not.
The students who desired the
all Black dorm felt that there
would be more group unity.
Other reasons included: “not
liking white music and having a
desire to be with those of a
common background.” One
coed said that after being in a
freshmen chose to live in James
that year. Many upper classmen
moved there from north campus.
The new concentration of Blacks
in that area caused the social
activities to be shifted there.
After participating in the
special programs which designed
to increase the Black population
at UNC, such as Talent Search,
most students choose to stay on
south campus. They are housed
mainly in the high-rise dorms
and most of the activities are
presented there, thus they are
never really exposed to life on
north campus.
classroom full of whites all day,
“I’d be happy to return home to
a dorm of Blacks.”
Many thought that an all
Black dorm wouldn’t be feasible
and would cause unnecessary
tension without any real benefit.
Reasons given for not wanting a
Black dorm included: “Society
is not integrated; and when we
are together we can learn from
each other.”
A male senior explained why
he would not want to live in a
Black dorm. “It’s safer for us as
long as we are mixed in with
them.”
Across the nation, Black
dorms and Black floors do exist
on predominantly white
campuses. In an article in the
November 27, 1972 issue of
Time students explained their
idea of socialization.
One student, “Adele Allen,
Brooklyn-born Black president
of the student government at
Wellesley, explains. ‘When I
socialize, I prefer to hear James
Brown, not Joan Baez, and when
I’m at a party, I prefer to have
black men around. This is not
segregation, it’s a matter of
personal taste.’”
Though segregated attitudes
do still exist across the nation,
the desire for segregated housing
is declining. How will the trend
go from here? The restless sixties
are behind us. But the seventies
are still young.
I am a Negro. I am clean.
Black and smile a lot. Whenever
I want something-to get a job in
motion pictures, for instance, or
on television or to get a play
produced on Broadway,
whenever I need a political
favor-I go to white folks. White
folks have money. I do not.
White folks have power. I do
not. All my needs-financial,
artistic, social, mu need for
freedom~I must depend on
white folks to supply. That is
what is meant by being a Negro.
Malcolm X used to be a
Negro, but he stopped. He no
longer depended upon white
folks to supply his
needs-psychologically or
sociologically-to give him
money or lead his fight for
freedom ot to protect him from
his enemies or to tell him what
to do. Malcolm X did not hate
white folks, nor did he love
them. Most of all, he did not
need them to tell him who he
was. Above all, he was
determined to make it on his
own. That was why Malcolm was
no longer a Negro. Malcolm was
a man, a Black Man! A Black
man means not to accept the
system as the Negroes do, but to
fight the hell out of the system
as Malcolm did. It can be
dangerous. Malcolm was killed
for it. Nevertheless, 1 like
Malcolm much better than 1 like
myself.
-Ossie Davis
Beware of
new cult
by Willie Wilson
S taff Writer
Carolina, long known for its
“intellectual flair,” Silent Sam,
the Bell Tower and Charlie
Scott, has something new to add
to its enormous list of claims to
fame, the “Black Super C'ool.”
As a result, a new cult and craze
has stormed the bastions of
Hinton James, Ehringhaus, and
even Kenan Stadium.
Dope is the cult, “getting
high” is the craze, and the
“super cools” are real “cool.”
They are hipped with their
“materials,” afro picks, and blue
jean outfits with red, black and
green power patches.
They are known primarily by
their activities — looking tough,
hustling,(any way of making
money outside the legitimate
world of work), “jamming”
(partying), “getting high” - and
by their apparent nonactivity,
bullshitting. One’s ability at
being cool is evaluated
concretely by his success or
failure in those activities.
The more or less organized
center for those “cool people” is
the set — meaning both their
peer group and the places where
it hangs out These sets are the
stage and central marketplaces
for activities — where to cop
dope, where to “get high,”
where to lay and to be laid, and
where to find out what’s
happening. These sets are often
apartments away from campus
but are sometimes dorm rooms
of people with good sounds and
close security. These sets are
hosted by the “super” of the
“super cools,” the “cool dudes,”
not necessarily meaning a fancy
city slicker. At any rate, they
usually supply the “stuff”
whether it be dope or a case of
Schlitz or Budweiser.
These are the big guys who
throw the after-parties and lure
gullible freshmen into the net.
The scene is real “cool” with
black lights, posters and
sweet-smelling fragrances. These
guys are real “Superflys,” lively
“running it down,” jiving, trying
to blow someone’s mind or
forcing someone to “lose his
cool,” give in or give up
something.
More importantly, they are
robbing this campus of some of
the best Black potential in the
state. These “super cools” are
the masterminds of robbing
other Blacks financially -
whether selling dope to a group
of Black females in distress over
their fruitless attempts to find
suitable partners, or to other
dudes who cannot find any
women to score. It is these
Blaxploiters” who can afford
apartments while their “fools”
or “noncools” can barely afford
to pay their room rents in James
or Morrison. But still, they
remain the idols on this campus.
To the aspiring freshman who
desires to become a part of the
“super cool” set: The life seems
glamorous and exciting until the
reality of mid-term grades hits
one in the face and one finds
that the dope could not pull up
that “F” in Chemistry. Even
then, the “super cool” is never
blamed, never exposed for being
a vital reason for the lack of
success of a unified Black
movement on this campus. Until
we come to realize that this man
is our enemy and that dope is
running us crazy, we will never
move anywhere but sideways.