Students reflect on black history at Tech

The beginning of February kicks off Black History Month, inspiring a flurry of activity and remembrance around campus.

It begs the question: just what is Tech's history when it comes to black students?

In 1961, Tech, as the first Southern university to voluntarily integrate without pressure from a court order, admitted its first three African American students-Ford Greene, Ralph Long Jr. and Lawrence Williams.

However, Tech did not have its first black graduate until Ronald Yancey, a Morehouse transfer student, graduated in 1965 with a degree in electrical engineering. Interestingly, Yancey had applied to Tech twice before in 1960 and 1961 before he was finally accepted.

Tech's first black students spoke about a number of issues they faced when they arrived on campus.

Ford Greene, in his GT Living History Project interview, recalls a class when a professor came in crying, asking his other students how they could let him [Greene] make the highest grade on his test.

Although Greene faced some opposition from parents and faculty, he said that Tech students were generally focused on their schoolwork rather than on the issues surrounding the integration of the school.

However, Ralph Yancey reported a different story about his time at Tech. He received some threatening phone calls and had some unpleasant experiences, but he mostly ignored these incidences.

"What really bothered me was the ring of empty seats around me in class," Yancey said.

Despite these incidences, Greene and Yancey also recalled more positive experiences at Tech.

Although the men said they preferred to spend their time in and around the Atlanta University Center where they would not stick out so much, they both found some very supportive students and faculty at Tech.

Both men looked back with fondness and respect on Dean Dull, who helped them navigate their new environments.

"He was one of the finest individuals I ever met," Greene said.

The students were sometimes very supportive as well.

"Every now and then someone would pass by me on campus and say, 'Hey, keep up the good work,'" Yancey said.

Unfortunately, none of the men who were accepted in 1961 actually graduated from Tech.

Williams was drafted into service, and Long and Greene left the school after Coach Bobby Dodd told them they would not be allowed to play football.

"[Dodd said] the Alumni Association [was] not ready for black students on the field," Greene said.

However, more black students matriculated at Tech over the years and persevered on campus.

In 1964, Enoch Ward, a chemical engineering major, became the first black student to integrate campus housing.

In 1969, Eddie McAshen, the first black athlete to enroll at Tech, arrived on campus on a football scholarship.

In 1973, Clemmie B. Whatley was awarded a master's degree in mathematics from Tech and officially became the institute's first black female graduate.

During the past few decades, black students have continued to reach many milestones at Tech.

Currently, Tech ranks as the number one producer of African American engineers in the country, according to Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine.

The magazine has also named Tech first in awarding engineering master's degrees, second in awarding engineering bachelor's degrees and third in awarding engineering doctoral degrees to African American students.

These accomplishments have undoubtedly been helped by the many programs and initiatives that have been put forward over the years by the university and its students to increase diversity and provide support programs for minority students.

Numbered among these are the dual-degree programs that Tech offers in conjunction with historically black colleges and universities like Morehouse and Spelman, minority retention programs, and, most notably, the Office of Minority Educational Affairs (OMED), which was created in 1979.

OMED offers academic assistance geared toward, but not exclusively for, minority students to aid in their retention, academic performance and eventual graduation.

The office underwent major restructuring in 1990 under the guidance of Norman Johnson, who brought in former students, including current director S. Gordon Moore, to run the programs and set OMED on the path towards becoming what it is today.

Still earlier, the Georgia Tech African-American Association, or GT Triple A, was founded in 1968 with the purpose of providing academic and social support for black students.

The organization still exists as the African American Student Union (AASU).

According to its mission statement, AASU aims to "improve the black experience at Tech by providing uplifting and entertaining events while exchanging integral knowledge and culture to the entire student body, and to challenge each student to improve themselves through professional, social and personal achievement, thereby positively impacting the community."

With that in mind, AASU has taken on the task of creating a program for Black History Month, with several events including the Onyx Ball, the Black Arts Festival and the Black Leadership Conference.

"I encourage all students to attend these events, or any AASU meetings for that matter," said James Holder, AASU president and fourth-year Architecture major.

"We are committed to raising awareness and opening discourse not only among the black community here at Tech but the entire campus community as a whole," Holder said.

More information about the events is available at www.cyberbuzz.gatech.edu/aasu.

Throughout the years, black fraternities and sororities have also joined campus life to enhance the Tech experience for students.

Despite the many improvements on campus over the years for blacks students, "we still have a long way to go," said Gordon Moore, OMED director.

Tech is one of the few schools in the area that does not create campus-wide programs for cultural awareness months and weeks. Black male retention rates are still a major issue at Tech and in the nation. OMED, though it provides commendable support and resources for any minority student who needs help, has faced budget cuts every year since 2001.

At Tech, Black History Month serves not only as a remembrance of the past, but also as a reminder of the challenges to come.