Evening star., 1950-04-25
College Farley
Urges Ban on
Discrimination
Laws to Open Schools
To Minorities Asked .
BY Regional Group

Representative OF 28 District
Maryland, Virginia and Delaware
higher education institutions have
gone on record opposing discrimi-
nation against any minority grour
in college admissions.
The conference Of educators anc
students. meeting at American
University yesterday, advocated
repeal of any laws requiring segre.
cation in colleges and universities
The group added that positive
laws forbidding schools to turn
down applicants on grounds OF
race. creed or color may be one
OF the desirable means of ending
discrimination"
Both Virginia and Delaware
require segregation of races In
education.
DR.. Walter E. Hager, president
of Wilson Teachers College, who
was chairman for the day-lone
session, told the conferees, "Yo,
have faced the problem squarely.
IS Attend Farley.
I'VE have gone on record much
more vigorously than T anticipated
We could at this conference" he
asserted.
The conference was sponsored
by a group of Washington area
educators to consider problems of
discrimination in higher educa-
ton. It was the first regional
conference of its kind, advocated
last fall by the American Council
on Education. About IS educators,
students and others connected
with schools were sent to the con-
ference by the heads of their in
stitutions.
The elimination of a qualified
college applicant on grounds of
race, creed or national origin sis
unjustified and un-American," a
majority of the conferees agreed
They urged institutions in this
area to "re-examine practices and
policies" regarding admissions
with a view to ending discrimina-
tion.
DR.. Hager, in a summing-up
talk. said the conferees recognize
it may take long time to accom-
plish their ideals. It will be neces-
sary. he said, to lead up to the
ideals through education.
Steps Suggested.
Some of the steps suggested to
carry out the program are inter-
racial workshops at colleges, open
ing Of more college activities to
the community, exchange of STU
dents among various institutions
and leadership training of stu
dents.
1t was felt the major barriers
to ending discrimination exist
among boards of trustees, resi-
dents Of college community and
others outside of the student body.
DR.. Hager was authorized to
appoint a committee to plan with
national organizations how dis
elimination in education can be
combatted.
The conferees felt they did not
have enough information to con-
slider discrimination in hiring
teachers. They suggested colleges
could experiment" by placing
representatives of minority groups
in important faculty posi-
tions under conditions carefully
planned to assure success of the
experiment.
The recommendations adopted
at the closing general session were
prepared by four groups that had
met separately earlier in the day
DR.. Hager explained the group re-
ports represented majority
opinion and were not necessarily
unanimous. The full meeting
adopted the reports by a voice
vote without much discussion.
Called Dangerous Weapon.
In the opening address, a Uni
versity Of Maryland dean described
racial and religious hatred weap-
ons as more dangerous to America
than those of "steel, flame or nu-
clear fission.'
DR.. Harold Benjamin, dean of
Maryland's College of Education
said these shadowy enamies can
do tremendous things to our peo-
pie. They can take differences in
color, magnify them until we have
whole system of economic and
social barriers. They can trans
form good men into cruel mon
sters."
DR.. Benjamin said dynamic
education was necessary to combat
the fear and ignorance which lead
to hatred. He added that "di-
viSiveness stares me in the face
at the University of Maryland, but
did not elaborate. Negroes are not
admitted at College Park.
Cd. c. Schools Represented.
Heads of the four group ses-
sionS were DR.. M. Weldon Thomp.
son of Lynchburg (Va.) College
DR.. Allan P. Colburn, president OF
the University of Delaware; DR.
F. Wilson Shaffer of Johns Hop.
kins University, and DR.. F. G. Liv-
ingwood, acting president OF
Washington College, Chestertown