HEW integration directive defended

HEW integration directive defended

Desegregation, HEW, Cheyney University

A student defends the West Chester and Cheyney integration initiative in response to an earlier opinion piece published in the Quad.

Les Stevenson

Quad Angles Vol. 42 No. 13

West Chester University Quad

December 11 1973

Angela Grabosky

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https://digital.klnpa.org/digital/collection/wcnp01/id/14983

http://www.blackstudentslives.org/archives/items/show/279

JPG Newspaper Scan

English

Student Newspaper

HEW integration directive defended I am responding to the rantings of Craig S. Evans. His opinion has been given and I can understand his concerns about forced integration. He has identified a small bureaucracy (Department of Health, Education and Welfare) and ignored the larger bureaucracies (Federal, State and local governments). As long as these larger bureaucracies dictate his way, he does not get so upset. Mr. Evans is very wrong. These "non-elected bureaucrats" and "social planners" are acting on the wishes of a great many of us. We have had to sit back and.wait, or work within the system until the powers that control admitted that most entrance requirements did little or nothing to predict a student's actual performance in college. While most entrance requirements were used to control numbers of freshmen admitted, secondary or planned effect was discriminatory against persons of minority races. These entrance exams are notoriously poor predictors of academic performance among blacks. These same tests proved to be very poor for Vets after World War II and the Korean War. Mr. Craig Evans has several unfounded or unsupported fears. We have no evidence that Cheyney students are inferior to West Chester State students. I fear that Mr. Evans is more concerned about skin color than he is willing to admit. This is the only fairly concrete difference he can see. I am sure that no "softening" of grading will have to be made for black students entering here. This would not be fair to either black or white students. I shall not denounce Mr. Evans as a racist. He is very much out of step with the times, perhaps as much as fifteen years. A true racist is much better informed about his "enemies." He will seek out blacks who agree with him. He will tell them that their blackness will be destroyed. He might even have his picture taken with them or join one of their groups. He seeks evidence that "social planners" are out to destroy a basically good system. I am sure that Mr. Evans could scare a few blacks into helping him if he threatened to transfer to Cheyney. I like the status quo. There are about twelve percent blacks in this country. I would like to see about twelve percent blacks in Mr. Craig Evans' neighborhood, on his potential job, and in his college. This percentage is natural. It exists in our country. It is beautiful. The "system" has worked against minorities for hundreds of years, perhaps once against a limey named Evans. We are correcting these injustices very slowly. We really don't need non-elected bureaucrats to tell us that we have to offer more educational opportunities to minorities. Perhaps at some point Mr. Evans can get to know one of these well educated blacks which might be a first step in helping him with his fears.
Les Stevenson
Counseling Center

Microfilm