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BLACK INK
MARCH 30, 198?
Racial tensions probed
When college-bound high school stu
dents consider which college to attend,
they would consider, most likely, the
school's academic requirements, the
location, the student population size
and the social life. And for black stu
dents considering predominately white
universities, the list is a little longer to
include the number of other blacks at
the school and the relations between
blacks and whites. Recent campus news
stories may give those blacks consider
ing UNC-CH greater concern.
Last semester, due to several inci
dents involving racial harassment or
violence from white students directed
toward black students, the University is
forced to confront its attitude towards
improving campus race relations. In
itially, three specific incidents were dis
closed at a meeting involving members
of the Black Greek Council and the
Black Student Movement last Movem-
ber. The three cases consisted of;
• A black female physically and ver
bally assaulted by a white male class
mate during a physical education class.
• A black female physically and ver
bally assaulted by two white female re
sidents of Hinton James dormitory.
• A black custodian working on pre-
dominantely white North Campus
transferred to more racial integrated
South Campus after he received thre
atening notes from students dissatisfied
with his work.
But as reported during that meeting
and in a letter in The Daily Tar Heel
Nov. 23 concerning the meeting those
incidents are not rare. Several more
such incidents were reported by the
Black Greek Council and the BSM.
As many as 12 letters were sent to the
DTH concerning the racial incidents
during the next weeks including letters
from the chancellor, the vice chancellor
of student affairs, the student body pres
ident and the BSM chairperson. A cou
ple of student campus publications, the
DTH printed a house editorial and the
Phoenix featured an article about the
matter.
Letters were also sent directly to stu
dents on campus and to faculty to read
in classes about the administration's
concern to maintain harmonious racial
relations on campus.
As a result of the reported racial ten
sions, the approval of a new course,
"Perspective on Black/White Rela
tions" on campus.
But racial differences have been the
focus of several campus programs in the
past as black/white discussion groups
sponsored by the Carolina Union and
the Black/White Dialogue committee
composed of students and faculty focus
ing on improving relation between
black students and white instructors.
However the problems resulting from
misunderstanding between the races
persist and as some administrators
admit — the tensions that surfaced have
been around for a long time.
A national survey's findings, for inst
ance, reported that 63 percent of the
UNC-CH black students questioned
acknowledged they had experienced
some form of racial discrimination in a
March 3 DTH. The survey results, for
the University, as it turns out, were con
sistent with four other state universities
polled nationwide.
A new campus group, to form specifi
cally from the'racial tensions, is the
"Study Committee on Race Relations."
The committee will work as Harold
Wallace, vice chancellor of university
affairs, describes "to capture the tension
of the community and put it in a positive
force." Composed of students and
faculty, Wallace said it will work as a
task force, working with different seg
ments of the University community
seeking aid to improve its race relations.
The committee won't check problems
on a case by case basis but "a long term
view on how the University might im
prove race relations."
In fact, this can be viewed in the com-
bining of Orientation and Pre-
Orientation (designed for and mostly
run by minority students) for freshmen
for next year.
Wallace said the committee will deal
with attitudes basically, to seek sugges
tions to aid the particular segment of the
University community which
approaches the committee for help.
Since interracial problems, in general,
stem from misunderstanding and lack oi
mutual respect, it seems the new com
mittee will enjoy a long and rewarding
„stay at the University.
BLACK INK
' ^ "The essence of freedom is understanding.
E. Ramona Brown
Editor
Lawrence Turner
Managing Editor
Lisa Lewis
Advertising Manager
Donna Whitaker
Columnist
Sonja Payton
Photography Editor
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77,^^ C^lAN'T
Sister's Corner
Sisterhood thrives
By DONNA WHITAKER
Columnist
Throughout the years, concerts in American life have changed. For example, Americans
went from newspapers to radio to television as the dominant means of obtaining information.
Even the concept of family has changed. "Family" use to mean warmth, security and
cohesiveness. However, those features seem to be lading in today's families as the number ot
murders, assaults and rapes involving t'amily members increase.
All family concepts haven't disappeared, though. One ol the thriving concepts that has
endured the ages is sisterhood. Black people have been known to ex[)ress this concept to
total strangers of the race, if only in words. It isn't uncommon to hear l)lac k men sav "What's
happening sister?" or hear black women say "Hey, sister!" to black women. It's not
uncommon for black women to group together and hang together and c lassiiv themselves as
sisters, even though they don't have the same mother. Sisterhood thrives despite the prob
lems it may encounter.
One way sisterhood is thriving is through black sororities. These sororities strc'ss sis
terhood: many were founded on the basis of promoting sisterhood. The three black sororities
on the UNC-CH campus atest to that. Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma theta and Zeta Phi
Beta sororities unite women who are interested in promoting sisterhood.
Sisterhood doesn't come easy to ladies in the sororities. They have to go through rush, a
pledge period and a period of internal growth to really appreciate the conce|)t. But the hard
work pays off.
Andre FlowersofWadesboro Isa senior majoring in public relationsand communications
She is also president of DST. She said that her pledge period hel|)ed her mature a great deal
She said that she learned how to work with other people, set goals and make decisions within
a group.
"After I pledged, the closeness I felt with my sorors was unexplanable," Flowers savs. "I
like my sorors are my family here. I've learned t'rom them like I've learned Irom my older
sisters."
Odessa Stubbs, president of ZPB, says that her pledge period helfic'd her, also. She says
that she has grown more confident of herself with the help of the sorority.
"The sisterhood and the projects I've done have helped me tremendously," she says
Black sororities are service-oriented. The heads of the sororities on campus say that service
projects help their sisters develop sisterhood and womanhood.
Karen Bryant, a junior from Supply who is majoring in pharmacy, is basileus (president) of
AKA. She says, that womanhood is achieved by her sisters through projects such as tund
raising from the United Negro College Fund and visiting underpriviledged kids once a week
"We hope it stems from the insicJe and go outside so that other people will see it," she says.
The members of the sororities trv to overlcjok gossip and rumors about them, the head
ladies of their respective sororities. They work together and give each other support so that
their sisters can withstand pressure from persons outside the group.
Stubbs, a senior from Southern Pines who is majoring in sociology, sums up the meaning
of sisterhood. She says, "Being a sister is being there whenever a sister needs you."
Well said, Miss Stubbs.