In 1969, the University of Virginia was a very different place. Discrimination was part of the fabric of the University and racial tensions were high.
Last night, Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. held a forum entitled "Participation vs.
Yesterday the University added a fifth section to CHIN 101, "Elementary Chinese," reflecting how the increased national demand for Chinese language skills has impacted the University. While the federal government has increased funds for critical languages such as Chinese, some fear the University has not been sufficiently responsive to this added need. "The whole nation and other schools are experiencing this increase, but the University is behind in terms of improving the program and adding additional sections," said Shu-Chen Chen, Asian and Middle Eastern language coordinator. President Bush introduced a $114 million plan in January to increase the number of "critical" languages to be taught in schools throughout the United States.
One thousand T-shirts were distributed by Sustained Dialogue yesterday for its first-ever "De-stereotype Day," an event that attempted to raise awareness of racial stereotypes among students. According to former Sustained Dialogue chair Jessica Fowler, this event shows that Sustained Dialogue wants to change the environment around the University. Various organizations throughout the University supported this event including Jewish student organizations, several Black fraternities, Queer Student Union, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Resource Center, Organization of African Students, Taiwanese Student Association, Korean Student Association, Chinese Student Association, Black Voices, United Sisters and numerous others. In preparation for Wednesday, Sustained Dialogue handed out 1,000 T-shirts with the words "Stereotype Me" on the front.
