Newspapers / Black Ink (Black Student … / Sept. 24, 1979, edition 1 / Page 2
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News Summary of the Report on Minority Admissions By BSM Information Bureau In 1968 a Faculty Council ad hoc commit tee on minority admissions issued in their recommendations the following state ment; “The University administration should initiate centrally directed sup ported efforts to increase the proportion of Negro students in the University in all of its segments.” In 1979, more than ten years later, another faculty committee gave its recommendations as to how the University of North Carolina at Chape! Hill should increase black enrollment on cam pus. From reading this report it is hard to find much difference from the committee ' (CoQtinued from page 1) who is touring in April. “We don’t even know how much money we have to spend yet,” Kelly commented. As a meml)er of the concert planning committee last year, Kelly said he realized the Black community was unhappy with the lineup and particularly with the choice of the Spinners to attract Black concert- goers to the festival, but he noted that only one Black students was on the seven-man concert committee. "Bemg of the white community, I really don't know what the Black Ustes and preferences are. “But I don’t want to see a repeat of last yf «r, because some segments of the com munity were overlooked. Everybody has paid their student activity fees,” com mented Kelly l^st year’s concert cost the student report made in 1968. In the fall of 1978 Dean H.B. Renwick made the following allegations; that qualified black students were denied ad mission to this University in 1976 and 1977, that the University has not made use of a special category of special admissions in the case of blacks, that Undergraduate Ad missions Officers made untrue claims about recruitment practices, and that the University’s record questions whether it is truly committed to increasing black enrollment on the UNC campus. Dean Renwick also aired these concerns before the 1979 Faculty Committee on Minority government an estimated $100,000 to stage, and returns from gate receipts and other income totalled $102,000, according to Kelly. The reason the festival was switched to a one-day affair as opposed to the original plan that called for two days of live out door music was not only financial but was risky in terms of rain, said Kelly, who also noted that with a one-day concert a rain date could easily be obtained. Meanwhile, Kelly says that for Blacks to have a more influential role in the selec tion of groups for the upcoming Springfest, the planning committee will have to be ex panded to accompany more Blacks and in creased cooperation from the Black Stu dent Movement staff will be necessary. More active involvemet will be needed from people outside of Suite C to have a successful concert, Kelly says. Admissions which was chaired by Dr. Charles Long. Two hundred and sixty-one (1.5%) black students were enrolled in this University in 1968. Ten years later the black student population increased to 1385, a rise of only 5.3 percent. These numbers represent both graduate and undergraduate students. But during this ten year period the enrollment of black students has not always increas ed. In 1974 , 428 blacks were admitted to this University. That number dropped below 400 in 1975 and below 350 in 1976. The number of black students admitted in 1977 rose, but was significantly lower than 1974’s level. These figures — indeed — call into question the University’s commitment to increase black enrollment. But the Long Committee reports that it believes the Undergraduate Admissions Office did a “a conscientous job” of processing admis sions from black students. The committee also accepts the Undergraduate Admis sions Office’s claim that it made mistakes wen processing applications from blacks. This is only a small part of what the I^ng Committee attempted to investigate, but it is the part with which this observer finds the biggest argument. With respect Renwick (Continued from page 1) ported Dean Renwick all along because I knew and respected him,” says Stanback, now a UNC law student, “and I know that he is man enough not to make such charges unless they were valid.” As far as the other students are concerned, I think it took about a month and a half for them to support Dean Renwick fully because they weren’t at first clear as to what the issue was. Renwick was no doubt encouraged by support publicly given to him by Karen Stevenson, the first Black female Rhodes scholar. Stevenson told newspaper and television reporters that a “cloud of racism” hung over the University due to the lack of response to the charges by UNC officials. “My statement was that, to date, these isues have not been addressed,” Stevenson said in a January Black Ink interview. “The UNC community is still waiting for the full story. The ball is still on UNC’s court.” Black faculty response, says Renwick, “was another matter. I don’t mean to in dict anyone,” he says, “but when you look at the total Black faculty and staff popula tion, the support just wasn’t there.” Dr. J. L. Greene, a Black associate pro fessor of English, says he saw Dean Ren- wick’s Chapel Hill Newspaper column one day and sent him a letter of support the next. “I support Dean Renwick wholeheartedly,” says Greene. “I believed everything he said is true. Count the number of Black students who were admit ted before the charges and after the charges and you’ll see — IF you can count.” Does Renwick feel that the Long Report, which concluded that the increase in Black enrollment from 1968 to 1978 “does not ap pear to be satisfactory for the ten-year period.” “The only difference in the recommenda tions that the Long Report made and what was recommended in 68-69 was (the Long to University policy on “special talent” the committee does not agree with Dean Ren- wick’s interpretation of that policy nor with the policy itself. Since this special category could be used to admit to this University students with exceptional athletic ability who might have very limited academic skills, the committee suggests that this practice be studied fur ther. A “vigorous, team recruitment pro gram” is recommended so that the alleged false recruitment visits to high schools, which the Admissions Office said were misunderstandings, would not likely occur again. After reading the Faculty Committee Report on Minority Admissions this observer is still unsatisfied. The report vaguely and unsatisfactorily responds to Dean Renwick’s allegations. But the report does blatantly state that the ex isting minority recruitment program is one with which the committee is not con tent. This observer hopes with much sincerity that the University administra tion will put mto action the recommenda tions of the Long Committee, and that there will be no need for such a committee ten years from now. charges Report’s suggestion that) the Afro- American studies curriculum (be depart mentalized). Now, if the same recommen dations were made 10 years ago and were properly implemented there would be no need to make them now, 10 years later.” Renwick adds that he thinks none of his charges were disproven by the report. Interestingly, as the admissions con troversy brewed, the University was in the process of admitting its largest Black freshman class ever. The Office of Admis sions reports that 821 Blacks applied for admission and 569 were accepted. Over 400 enrolled. A total of 297 Blacks enrolled last faU. Renwick contended in a Daily Tar Heel interview on Aug. 27 that his charges spur red greater efforts by admission officials to enroll Black students. “Those jokes over in the admissions office were scared to death of what I did so they got to work,” he said. But Collin E. Rustin, Jr., assistant direc tor of admissions, said numbers could have been greater without Renwick’s charges. “All the hassle of the controversy slowed us down,” Rustin said in the same article, ”and had it not been for it, we may have gotten to visit more scools.” Says Renwick now: “If you go back a few months you’ll see that Mr. Rustin said that because of David Duke and Upendo (two earlier controversies concerning Black students) and the enrollment would go down. He said the same thing would happen because of my charges. Then he turns around and says we have more Black students.” Looking back, does Renwick have regrets concerning his actions? “The only regret I have,” he says, “is that for eight years I believed the ad ministration of this University would try to do the right thing. I don’t think that they ever have or ever will look at this thing realistically and try to serve the Black constituency of the state in the manner they should.” Harold Wallace promoted CHAPEL HILL — Harold G. Wallace has l)een named assistant vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Formerly director of special programs for student affairs, Wallace will assist Vice Chancellor Donald A. Boulton in general program development for the division of student affairs and will assume particular responsibility' for support services and programming for minority and handicapped students. Wallace will continue his involvement with the International Student Center and the Campus Y. ‘‘I am very pleased that Harold Wallace has agreed to accept these addi tional responsibilities,” Boulton said. “Hal had t>een a valuable colleague in student affairs for the past six years, and and I look forward to a productive and close relationship with him in his new role.” Wallace, a native of South Carolina, earned his B.S. degree in 1967 from Chaflin College in South Carolina and his M.Div. in 1971 from Duke Universi ty. Before coming to UNC-CH, he served as assistant provost and dean of black student affairs at Duke. Wallace commented ‘‘I hope it (the position) will help in a positive way to aid minority students.” Wallace further commented that he will have more time for students. MIEM students honored Four senior members of Minorities in Electronic Media (MIEM) received scholarships from various television stations and affiliates. Ike Cummings of Lumberton, N.C. received a $500 scholarship from WSOC-TV in Charlotte, N.C., where he was an intern this summer. WSOC-TV also awarded Rosie Riddick of Edenton, N.C. a $500 scholar ship. Kathleen Hoskins of Wilson, N.C. received a $750 scholarship from WN(TT- TV In Greenville, N.C. The scholarship was sponsored by Park Broad- casiing, Co. WFMY-TV of GreenslK»ro, N.C. gave Jerome Moore of Greensboro a $1000 scholarship. Most of the scholarships were awarded through the RTVMP Department. Springfest plans
Black Ink (Black Student Movement, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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