Jackson advocate., 1951-05-12
ON THIS NATTER
EDUCATION


tnat 1T is quite difficult to keep
up-to-date inventory on what real
ly is happening in that area of
human activity.
In a short period of months. the
Southern states have seen more
than a thousand Negro students
entered in heretofore considered
white graduate and professional
schools. At this writing, North
Carolina is the most recent state
to admit Negro to a unit of its
university.
South Carolina, Georgia, Flor
ida, Alabama, Mississippi and
Tennessee are the only states of
the region having not enrolled
Negro students in their universi-
ties. Tennessee, however, has been
told by a Knoxville Federal court
that it must admit Negro students
in accordance with the 18th A
nendment.
Georgia and South Carolina
seem among the most determined
to deny Negro students equal ed
ucational opportunity, if such
means admitting these students to
the white universities. For sew
eral months now, the application
of would-be law student has
been on file in Georgia.
Since this application was placed,
the Georgia legislature has passed
minimum foundation program
and enacted state tax program,
which should equalize school spend
ing in that state. At the same
time, Georgia has made it Gun
lawful" to mix students in any
of its schools.
The current appropriations law
in Georgia provides that if stu
dents are mixed in elementary or
secondary schools or in any unit
of the University system state
funds shall be withheld, even if
the courts should find said proviso
to be unconstitutional A consti-
tutional amendment is proposed
to support this position.
Kentucky, on the other hand,
has amended its Day Law, which
prohibited the mixing of students,
to provide for the admitting of
Negro students in that states col
leges and universities. Beginning
in the Fall, students at the now
Negro Louisville Municipal Col
lege will enroll at the University
of Louisville.
Negroes of Louisville are not,
however, happy over the fact that
the teacher personnel at Municipal
is not being carried to the campus
of the University. Since Munich
pal is unit of U. L., its employ
ees are members of the University
staff. | hear that at least one
n. c. faculty person will be re-
tained.
Some three to-four hundred stu
dents will shift campeses in the
Louisville move. 1t is likely that
with draft acceleration the re-
placements from Municipal will
not fill classroom spaces incurred
by draft losses at the University.
1t does appear, nevertheless, that
staff reductions, if necessary might
be otherwise determined.
Another case at hand involves
Arizona, which recently abolished
separate schools below the college
level. According to information
coming out of that state, two Ne
gro teachers have been dismissed
the assumption being that they
were hired to teach Negro students
only. AS in Kentucky, the Arizona
cases seemingly violate tenure
laws.
1t will be noticed that most Ne
gro students educated in the col
leges and universities of the North
quickly end up teaching in South
ern schools and colleges that are
operated for the education of Ne
gro boys and girls. 1t is still easy
to count the number of Negroes
working on the faculties of North
ern universities, and front page
news when one is hired.
The larger Northern, midwest
.ern and Western cities hire Negro
teachers somewhat freely in public
schools which serve communities
mostly comprised of Negro popu-
lations. Indiana and New Jersey,
recent states to eliminate separate
schools, have handled the question
of teacher employment with good
balance.
In the South, for the most part,
concern is for equal pay for Negro
teachers and equal facilities for
Negro public school children. CO.
lumbus, Georgia, has equalized
teachers salaries effective July /,
and Fulton County (Ga.) has a
two-year equalization program un-
derway. Indications are that 9TH
er Georgia communities will soon
follow.