"Students urge SAAC support," February 11, 1974

"Students urge SAAC support," February 11, 1974

This February 11, 1974 Technician article by Jeff Watkins discussed the letter seven white students who attended the "Student Affairs of Human Relations Conference" at the Quail Roost conference center sent to university administrators. The students, including student body president Terry (T.C.) Carroll, asked administrators to give African American students access to the Print Shop for use as a cultural center.

Jeff Watkins

Jeff Watkins, "Students urge SAAC support," Technician, February, 11, 1974.

1974-02-11

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Seven of the nine white students who attended the Quail Roost conference last weekend have signed a letter supporting the Society of Afro-American Culture (SAAC) in its efforts to obtain the first floor of the Print Shop for office space and a cultural center.

Originally, the organization had been allocated half of the first floor by Dean of student Affairs Banks Talley. Since then, however, he has reopened the matter for more investigation.

Talley was sent a copy of the letter, but was out of town last week, attending a conference in Alabama. he is withholding comment until he reads the letter.

The letter states that the whites students who signed it “have a better understanding” of the racial situation on campus after attending the conference last weekend.

“It is our feeling that SAAC should be given control of the entire first floor of the Print Shop for the purpose of having office space and developing a cultural center,” the letter says. “An open space should be provided, similar to the present Ghetto, to be used for dances and meetings. This area is to be under the control of SAAC but can be reserved by other campus groups upon approval by the SAAC executive board.”

The letter adds that the whites believe SAAC has attracted “undue criticism from the student body and from editorials refering to them as a racist organization,” claiming that the editorials were “inaccurate.” Both the Technician and the State Sentinel have criticized SAAC on their editorial pages.

The letter was signed by T.C. Carroll, Beverly Privette, Gary Parsons, Don Byrnes, Roxanne Gallant, Boyd Stanley, and Wayne Lowder.

Stanley, president of the Inter-residence Council, termed the situation a “power struggle between the administration and SAAC for control of 100 square feet.

“That’s the area in dispute,” he said. “It would be open for all students, not a closed area.”

Concerning the method for allocating the open space, Stanley said that three or four ideas were discussed, including one that would permit the Union to coordinate the activities there.

All the students contacted agreed that they did not completely understand the situation or were not aware of it before the conference.

Carroll, student body president, said he was “in the dark” about the matter of the Print Shop. “What took place at the conference made me decide,” he said.

Gallant, a head residence counselor at Metcalf Residence Hall, “had no idea about the controversy (over the Print Shop).” She added that she “became aware after the meeting, and agreed with the black students.”

Privette, editor of the Technician, said, “I had the belief (before the meeting) that SAAC wanted the whole top floor for themselves at the expense of other student organizations. Their perception of the Print Shop and my perception was different due to a lack of communication.”

Byrnes, station manager of WKNC-FM, claimed he also did not understand the situation, calling it “a perfect example of a lack of communication between black students and white students.”

Before I signed it (the letter), I wanted to make sure we weren’t running any other organizations out of space,” he added. “From what I understand from John Poole (Dean of Student Development), other organizations in the Kind Building have been given space.”

The King Building is scheduled to be demolished, and the organizations housed there, including SAAC, are being located.

Parsons, attorney general for the student body, had no opinion of the situation before the Quail Roost session. “I listened to them (SAAC), and I was impressed with their reasoning. I thought is was the best course to follow.”

Lowder, president of the Inter-fraternity Council, did not have an opinion on the Print Shop allocations before the session, because he was “”not aware of the details involved.

“To me, the administration gave implications that they felt if SAAC had the space, ther would be no room for other organizations that needed it, but other organizations did not want it for use all the time, just for meetings,” he said.

Concerning criticism aimed at SAAC, Carroll said, “The blacks caught flack from the students. Both newspapers printed negative things about black students.”

Carroll referred to the chancellor’s liaison meeting on Thursday, Nov. 1, when members of SAAC attended the meeting and met privately to discuss problems with university officials following the meeting. Carroll was not admitted to the meeting.

“The blacks caught s--t from the Technician after the liaison meeting,” he said. “I wasn’t upset about not being allowed in the meeting. Just because I’m student body president doesn’t mean I have to be in on all students’ concerns.”

Parsons said that both papers were discussed at the conference. “We discussed the Sentinel editorial regarding the Black Voice, claiming it was the newsletter of SAAC, and the Technician editorial generally putting down the conference. The opposition to the conference created a lot of friction. That was the need for the conference, to show that we didn’t think SAAC was a racist organization.”

Stanley said, “My opinion before the conference (concerning the Print Shop) was in line with the articles in the Technician and theState Sentinel. I was highly influenced by what I read in the papers.”

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