"Students Vent Rage in Dining Hall: Blacks unhappy with existing cultural center social environment"

"Students Vent Rage in Dining Hall: Blacks unhappy with existing cultural center social environment"

On September 22, 1992, NCSU students followed the lead of the Black Awareness Council at UNC to agitate for more programming control of the African American Cultural Center on campus. Inspired by the UNC rally, this protest of 250 NCSU students is representative of increasing awareness of racial issues at NCSU spurred on by an increasing African American population on campus as well as a national politics of backlash against African American civil rights activism.

These students used a scheduled meeting of NCSU's student government to call for the multi-cultural center to take a more active role in addressing current issues of concern for NCSU's African American student population, and not just focus on African American history, culture, and art. The students also protested the hours of the center and demanded that the center be open longer to provide a space for students to gather at night.

In addition, these students alleged that NCSU had promised African American students a free-standing cultural center and they were unhappy with the fact that the cultural center only occupied three floors of the New Student Annex. These students' protests contrast greatly with white students' protests when the center first opened. While these mainly African American students felt that the center was too small and didn't go far enough, the white students in March of 1992 questioned the need to devote even three floors to an African American cultural center.

Ron Batcho

Ron Batcho, "Students Vent Rage in Dining Hall: Blacks unhappy with existing cultural center social environment," The Technician vol. LXXIV no. 17 (September 23, 1992): 1.

1992-09-23

Cheryl Dong

newspaper article

A crowd of about 250 black students, angry about the university’s management of the African-American Cultural Center, used a scheduled Student Government forum to air their grievances Tuesday night.

The students, unhappy with the events scheduled for the cultural center this semester, disagreed with the concept of a cultural center outlined by a panel of four faculty members and three students assembled by Student Government and Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

Students emphatically rejected the panel’s opinion that a center that provides culture through the arts and history is sufficient. Some students said social events are more effective than the current library and museum in promoting African-American culture.

“Your plans aren’t our plans for a cultural center,” one student said, drawing loud applause. Other students said they were tired of third parties intervening in student matters.

When panel members reiterated their belief that the cultural center should not be a “party place” and should not be “torn apart” by wild parties, some students shouted back that such a scenario would not occur.

The students also asked why N.C. State University does not have a free-standing cultural center. Claiming that the administration promised a free-standing cultural center five years ago, the students questioned the presence of non-cultural center groups in the University Student Center Annex.

“Five years ago, the students were told they would get a free-standing structure,’ one student said, “But instead, we got a Student Center Annex instead.”

Panel members denied that a free-standing cultural center had been promised and said that the addition of a theater and several other offices was an administrative attempt to consolidate additions to campus.

Panel members also defended the current operating hours of the cultural center. Students said that because the Student Center Annex was paid for with student fees, the students should have more control of the building and more access to its facilities. Panel members countered, saying the building’s operations were consistent with the operation of other buildings on campus.

“We should get what we paid for,” one student said.

There are no buildings without a lock said Dr. Iya-Ilu Moses, cultural center director. “Anyone is welcome to come between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m.”

News coverage in Technician and program scheduling at WKNC also drew attacks at the forum. Students said the positioning of crime stories near pictures of astories about African-American activities reflects a negative stereotyping of blacks by Technician

Students also said that the 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. time frame of WKNC’s only black music format, ‘Magic 88,’ is unfair to those who would want to listen during the day.

newspaper article