Letter from Eloise Severinson to George M. Modlin

Letter from Eloise Severinson to George M. Modlin

In this letter from the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) to University President George M. Modlin, Chair Dr. Eloise Severinson, expresses the office’s appreciation concerning the University staff’s cooperation with Mr. David Gerard, Mr. Harold Davis, and Dr. Mary Whitney in the process of the university’s civil rights compliance re-review. The writer emphasizes that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that all institutions recipients of federal aid have to provide their services equally without regards to “race, color or national origin." The re-review of the University indicated that most of the recommendations made after the first review, held on February 28 and 29, 1968, had generally been implemented. However, Severinson states that additional actions should be taken to meet the objectives of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, given that the University of Richmond “still projects an image of an exclusive all-white ‘Southern’ institution”. Dr. Severinson recommends that more minority personnel, particularly “Negroes," should be hired as staff members, and as part of the Board of Trustees, and that the Alumni and Alumnae Associations should be informed that UR has changed its admission and hiring policies to include black people. Furthermore, she encouraged Admission Directors and Deans to engage in more recruitment of black students through allotting a greater budget to recruitment and using Federal Work Study funds to employ minority student recruiters, and it suggested the elimination of questions concerning race in application forms. The correspondent states that University College should admit more “high risk” students, and that the Center of Psychological Services should be more publicized. In addition, the Department of Education at the University should require that each school district where student teachers are assigned file a written assurance of compliance with Title VI of the CRA, and that all Deans and the Athletic Department that assist in locating off-campus housing should have written assurance from landlords that they are willing to rent on a non-discriminatory basis. She also recommends that the term “lineage” be deleted from the application form of the School of Business Administration, and that students, faculty and administrators should begin exchange programs with Virginia Union, Virginia State, Norfolk State, and Hampton Institute, which are HBCUs.

Letter from Eloise Severinson to George M. Modlin, 01 September 1970, RG 6.2.5 Box 25 Folder 3, University Archives, Virginia Baptist Historical Society.

1970-09-01

English

UA6.2.5.25.3-19700901.pdf

Richmond (Va.)