Article "IFC Vote: UR May Soon Have Black Fraternity"

Article "IFC Vote: UR May Soon Have Black Fraternity"

This article -- published on February 21, 1980, in The Collegian -- is a feature in which the University of Richmond's Intrafraternity Council (IFC) held a meeting to vote on the addition of the campus's first black fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma. According to the article, the idea had been introduced by several basketball players to Wayne Biggs, the president of the IFC during that time, who enthusiastically promoted the proposal, highlighting its social benefit to black students. Further in the article, the author explains how although fraternities were open to bid to both black and white students, only one black student was actually part of a fraternity, hinting at the racially discriminatory fraternity system. The addition of Phi Beta Sigma would create a social life for black students, but also would help "attract and retain students" to the university, according to Max Vest, the director of student activities and adviser to the IFC. This comment introduces a new perspective of this proposal as it suggests that their is more than one motive for the establishment of a historically black fraternity, namely to appeal to black students.

Doutney, Bernadette. "IFC Vote: UR May Soon Have Black Fraternity." The University of Richmond Collegian 66, no. 17. (February 21, 1980): 1. http://collegian.richmond.edu/cgi-bin/richmond?a=d&d=COL19800221.2.4&srpos=2&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-

The Collegian, University of Richmond

1980-02-21

English

Collegian66.17.1-19800221.jpg

Richmond (Va.)