• C6— Greensboro Daily News, Friday, May 24, 1968
The Life Of A Negro Coed
UNC-G Students Have Varied Reactions
BY ROBERT M. AUMAN
What is life like for the Negro
eoed In a predominantly white,
predominantly girls school.
Is she snubbed in the dormitories Is her social life satisfacto-
m
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where there
are 18 white students for each
Negro, poses these and other
questions.
RECENTLY A group of Negro
girls at the University talked
candidly about their experiences
on campus and in Greensboro.
Some of them feel socially isolated. But, as one of the girls put
it, few have had any "awful" experiences.
Most of them feel "accepted"
by their white schoolmates. And,
most of them would pick UNC-G
BUT LET them speak for
themselves: ' 7/
frenee Flood, a freshman from
JMCofield in Hertford County, went
V to a Greensboro church this year
J with her steady boy friend, a
Negro student at the University
at Chapel Hill, a youth whom she
has dated since high school.
"One of the ushers called us
up front and made us sit in one
of the front pews," she said. "It
seemed we were made a point
of." But she added that the incident at church was "the only racial run-in" she had had in
Greensboro.
-iMflrm3 Rjddick. a sophomore
from Norfolk, Va., said, "Most of
the time I've been really aware
rf the differences between the
races has been while in stores
"CLERKS ASK questions," she
:aid. "You have to explain that
■ou don't go to A&T or Bennett.
his is a thing of wonder to
WESLEY
them." A&T State University
and Bennett College have predominantly Negro student bodies.
Miss Riddick rooms alone this
year. She roomed with a Negro
her freshman year because "the
administration required that we
send pictures and all Negroes
were grouped together. It was
assumed that we would set
along. I resented that very
much," she said.
The policy of assigning room-
d::o;r?
this
Freshmen are assigned i
mates without regard to
Rising sophomores, junior:
with a
Auditorium and to movies downtown, and taking in social events
at A&T State University.
Only one of the five coeds said
she had dared a white person.
She explained that once she
needed transportation and "a
dear friend came by and took
Three of the five said interracial dating at UNC-G was "fairly
unusual." One said she had not
"the vaguest idea" about how
much it goes on.
THE FIFTH person, Miss Ray,
disagreed. Interracial dating
"does exist," she said, "and I
think a lot more goes on than is
actually seen. There are a lot of
white girls on campus who date
r Negro
first."
Negro fellows. This is what
Yvonne Johnson, a junior s<
ciology major from Winstoi
Salem, said she felt isolated "a
far as the social life is cor
MISS JOHNSON said she prol
ably would not choose UNC-G :
she were a high school senic
again. Her reason involved se;
"I would like for it to be coec
I don't think I fully realized th
implications of attending a pri
dominantly all-girls school whe
I entered here."
The other girls said they prol
ably would choose UNC-G if the
had to make the choice again.
MISS RAY qualified he
answer. "I would say 'yes' o
the basis of the educational an
■ value
My n
saying 'no' would b
strictly for social values.
"I feel that on the whole ma
of the girls here have tolerate
me. I haven't had any awful e?
perience. It's just that I fe<
closer to the other Negro girls
My best friends here have hee
Negroes," she said. W&
i dormitory
»ht or nine Negro girls
voluntarily. Most Neg- I
-efer to live together,"
'We have returned to
cycle which was mandatory i
i Wesley, a
year Barbara
with a Negro. Next year sh(|
plans to room with a fellow mi
sic education major who
"My closest friends are bot
whites and Negroes," she said. \
Most of her friends a
very closely knit music depart-
OF THE FIVE Negro coeds ir
%erviewed, Miss Wesley was th
Vly one who had detected an:
utcial prejudice among the facul- I
ty. She was offended durmg
freshman year when a woman
I professor would discuss Negro
social patterns and then ask, "Is I
that not right, Miss Wesley?"
"The other Negro girl and I i
the class were looked upon a
authorities as to what Negroes
ate, did, said and acted," Miss |
Wesley said. The professor "
I er qi-ytioned any of the white |
*-~-i w^iite social pat-
led.
