Features
continued from pg. 1
An important goal for the BSU
is a program for promoting
understanding among students
from a variety of backgrounds.
They plan to model it on a
similar one held at University
Park on a January weekend.
The "Ebony and Ivory"
weekend was co-sponsored by two
of that campus' fraternities. Its
goal was the improvement of race
relations at the institution. The
program consisted of a series of
lectures, workshops and panel
discussions that explored the per
sonal feelings, behaviors, values
and attitudes of the participants.
"Right now, most of our
energies are being used to get
through Black History Month,"
Samuels said, "but we do think it
would be a good idea for our
own campus. I wasn't able to at
tend, but from what I've heard
about it, it was an excellent pro
gram and I'm sure any campus
would benefit from an event like
that.
"Perhaps in the spring we'll
have a similar, program here. A
lot of our students go home on
weekends, especially in winter,
and you have to plan your events
around things like that to get
maximum participation."
For an Ebony and Ivory pro
gram at Capitol, Samuels believes
it would get more attention when
the weather is warmer," when
people are staying around because
there are more things happening
to keep them here on weekends."
Samuels wants this and other
things to happen in order to
remove barriers that she believes
exist between student groups.
"For the most part I think
there are divisions between
students, more specifically bet
ween blacks and whites. But for
tunately, you always have excep
tins where individuals and clubs
will mingle and support each
other."
She gave as an example of
potential misunderstandings a
move by the University to provide
tutorial services to black and
minority students as part of a
program aimed at increasing ad
missions and retention of these
groups. This effort was part of a
statewide attempt to bring the
Commonwealth's colleges and
universities into compliance with
the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The University is extending the
tutorial service to include all
students because of concerns ex
pressed by a number of groups
that the initial policy would only
aggravate any existing tension in
the University system.
"One of our (BSU's) priorities
became that the University not
limit those services to blacks and
minorities," Samuels said.
"I think that for people to
understand the workings of these
special groups, they have to
mingle and communicate. If they
have questions like, 'Why are you
guys getting special treatment,"
or something like that, they can
at least discuss the issues.
"An Ebony-and-Ivory-type pro
gram would encourage students to
get together and do this," she
added.
The BSU, which according to
Samuels, is not only comprised of
blacks "by any means," also has
been working on the idea of mail
ing a regular form letter that
would keep students informed
about the various cultural events
at the Black Student Center.
"Very few black students live
on campus and we've been trying
to find ways of reaching black
students."
Another means of keeping peo
ple aware that is under considera
tion is holding meetings at so
meone's home. "Very informal,"
according to Samuels, "in the
evening perhps, to give people a
chance to come and find out
what's happening within the
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schedules as crazy as they are, it's
hard for people to know what's
going on. All the clubs have the
same problem. It's always going
to be like that, so we feel we
should establish alternative ways
of getting information out.
"If we get enough support to
pull off a program like Ebony
and Ivory here on campus, I see
it happening through the
Presidents' Council. That's where
I hope to gather co-sponsors."
(All organization presidents meet
as often as possible to keep each
other up to date on what the
groups are doing.)
"I think this could be an im
portant program for all of us on
campus. I think a lot of people
could learn not only about others
but also more about themselves,
especially if they go into it with
an open mind, if they leave their
preconceptions at the door,"
Samuels said.
"When we leave our little cap
sule world here at school, we're
going to have to know how to
deal with people from all types of
cultures," she went on. "The
quicker we begin to understand
and learn to deal with the diversi
ty, the better off we're going to
be. If we don't take chances while
we're in this relatively protected
atmosphere, it's only going to be
more difficult to deal with when
we get out. That's the way I see
it."
per month
Page 10
Will Ebony and Ivory play at
Capitol?
"I'm an optimist, I believe
anything is possible. It depends
only on how much you want it to
work," she said. "I think that by
all means the program could go
off."
"HISTORY," continued from
pg• 6
as we close our eyes to the pro
blems over which we could have
some control.
Racism will not only be history
but present and future as well,
and we will still need a Black
History Month.
Let's not use February as a
month to remember what one
race did for this country; we can
and should do that all the time.
Let's use February to really think
about what we can do to change
our attitudes about people,
especially in an academic environ
ment such as Capitol Campus.
Racism is not permanent and one
day we will eliminate it. When
Martin Luther King, Jr., sang,
"We shall overcome. . ." from
the steps of the Capitol in
Washington, D.C., he wasn't
talking about blacks.
He was talking about America.
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