Thursday. October 27. 1983
The Pendulum
Features
Piage?
She’s a rarity — black female prof. at Elon
Dr. Katherine
Wallace-Casey
By Vicky Jiggctts
Staff Writer
Katherine Wallace-Casey is a rare kind of professor at Elon.
The 27-year-old assistant professor of foreign languages has a
master’s degree from Stanford and a doctorate from Harvard,
two of the more prestigious universities in the United States.
She speaks French, Spanish and German with native fluency.
Her doctoral dissertation was on the philosopher Walter Ben
jamin of the “Frankfurt School” of German Marxists.
She’s also black — and minority faculty members, whether
black, Hispanic, Oriental, or Arabic, have indeed been rare at
Elon. (See accompanying article.)
In fact, except for two black members of Elon’s ROTC staff—
who are not considered permanent members of the faculty —
Wallace-Casey is the only black professor at Elon. (Hornsby
Howell Jr. is an instructor of physical education, head resident
of the Oaks Area, and an assistant coach in football and track.)
So how did Wallace-Casey end up at Elon?
“I found out about it (Elon) in the Modem Language Associa
tion job listings,” she said in a recent interview. “I was looking
for jobs in North Carolina because my husband is a student at
North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. He had
taken a year off and worked in Boston so that I could finish my
thesis at Harvard.”
“This was the nicest school I had an interview with, although I
had some other options,” she continued. “I think that the people
here were nice and more enthusiastic about me coming.”
Nearly two months into her first semester on the faculty here.
College has had few minority faculty
By Vicky Jiggetts
Staff Writer
In the history of Elon Col
lege, there have been few
faculty members from racial
minority groups. Unlike state-
supported colleges and univer
sities, Elon receives little
money from the federal govern
ment and thus has not been
subject to affirmative action
requirements to hire more
women and minorities to teach.
But the vice president for
academic affairs says the col
lege has been trying to hire
more blacks and international
professors. “The problem,”
says Dr. Chris White,” is find
ing qualified personnel to
teach at Elon.”
White said there has been a
shortage of black Americans
for college teaching positions,
but that the supply is beginning
to increase.
“We’ve wanted to hire more
blacks, but many black profes
sors prefer to work at black
universities,” White said.
“Once we find them, we go
head-to-head with other
schools who pay more. The
schools with the most money
get the best personnel.”
White also said that the edu
cational level of black Amer
icans is getting better, and they
are entering the Job market
more than in the past
“I don’t think that there are
enough black faculty here at
Elon,” White said. “I’m proud
of what we have, but it isn’t
enough at all. 1 also don’t think
there are enough women. The
ratio is 2 to 1 of men to women.
We’re trying as hard as we can
to take care of blacks and
females.”
He said that the quality of the
professors is very important,
regardless of race. “We have
been absolutely steadfast in
this point We have refiised to
sacrifice quality,” said White.
“We want to hire the best we
can. whether black or white.
That’s for the health of the
school.”
White compared the job
opportunities for women to
those of blacks. He said. “The
woman is going to have a better
shot than a man. All other
things being equal, the job will
go to the woman. The same
thing with minorities and
whites. If both people are qual
ified, we accept the minority
applicant”
An incomplete list of present
and past black faculty in
cludes;
Katherine Wallace-Casey,
foreign languages; and Horns
by (Mike Howell, physical
education (1983 to present);
Richard Davis, sociolt^ (1960-
82); Louis Attah. part-time che
mistry (1981); McKinley De-
Shields, part-time biology
(1981); Regina Bowden, sociol
ogy (1978-1980); and Mildred
Covington, accounting (1970-
72).
Also, black members of
Ellon’s ROTC staff include Maj.
Trevathan McCarther and Sgt
Harold Wilson (1982 to present)
and Capt Perman McIntosh
(1981^).
Other minorities on the
faculty include Raghavendra
D. Rao, biology (1969 to pre
sent) originally from India;
A.H.M. Golam Azam, econo
mics (1983 to present), from
Bangladesh; Gerardo Rodri
guez. Spanish (1982 to present)
and Ruben L. Gomez, part-time
Spanish (1981). both Hispanic;
Hong-Sik Ahn. mathematics
(1982), Korean; and Rudolph T.
Zarzar. political science (1967
to present). Palestinian.
OAK GROVE CAFE
Home-Ccx)ked Vegetables
Hot Biscuits
Open Lunch and Dinner
1826 S. Church St
Burlington. N.C.
226^7392
how does Wallace-Casey feel — as a woman and as a
about her relationships with other professors and with stu
dents?
“I don't feel uncomfortable in terms of the professors.’^' Wal
lace-Casey said- "The professors are veiy nice, and they haw
been very helpfiil and supportive. Everybo^ has rea^ we^
corned me; they have done all they can to help me get adjusted.”
However, she added. “'I think I feel a little uncomfortable in
terms of the students, because they feel uncomfoitable with me.
Tm not sure that any of them may be aware of it People tend not
to have the same respect for me that they would for a white
male.
“I think part of it is that Fm so young. I think that if I were a
male this a^. they would have a little more respect for me.
Sometimes I have trouble getting people to do thin^ in class.
They're not used to people like me as their educatois.”
“Black women have been role-cast in this world for certain
kinds of jobs,” she said. “For example, black women can be
nurses and school teachers. But being a school teacher is a
whole lot different from being a coll^ professw. 1 think that a
lot of people, both blacks and whites, have trouble with thaf”
Commenting that many people aren’t taking her seriously,
Wallace-C^sey said. “I think that comes from the fact that
pie expect the most valuable information will come from white
males. It’s as simple as that We (blacks) expect that, as much as
white people. That's how it has always been.
“Therefore, when the person with the valuable infbimation is
young, black and female, it is a little toucher to deal with. Tliafs
the only thing Pve noticed, and it takes a sensitive perstm to
notice ttat”
Her job here is her first fiill-time teaching job, but Wallace-
Casey did bring teaching experiences to Elon. At Stanford she
taught a humanities seminar and was a writing instructor. At
Harvard she taught in a program called History and Liteiature.
was a tutor and directed senior honors theses. She also was a
lifeguard every summer and waited on tables for three years in
graduate schooL
Surprisingly. Wallace-C^sey described her Harvard years as
“the most racist experience I have ever had. Htwener, it was a
racism of a sophistication unknown in the South. People there
ar« highly educated, and the ways in which they di»rriininate
are so subtle, that 1 really had to study to lealiw that it was
happening. It took me a good six months to realize what was
going on.”
During her education she lived in Vienna. Austria, for a year;
in Germany for four months; in Mexico for three months; and
briefly in Paris. She was studying and attempting to learn n»ore
of the languages and cultures.
She has replaced Dr. Mike Taylor as principal teacher «»f
German at Elon. Her goals are to increase the enrollment in
German classes and to develop some third-year courses.
Gibsonville Drug Co., Inc.
All Prescriptions Computerized
Print-Outs Quickly Available
For Taxes, Records, Insurance
Elon Students and Professors
Bring ID For Special Discounts
For Free BLOOD PRESSURE Check
See: Susanne Hix, R.N. everyday - anytime
Phone 44»4181
Emergenqr (24 Ifes.) 449-6204
■ i ^ ■ l-iH'--!
Open: Mon_-Fn 8 AM-7 PM
Sal8AKt6PM
i