#25 INTERVIEW OF BLACK STUDENTS ENROLLED AT WASHINGTON AND LEE 1. Have you decided upon a college major? Ifyes, what? No 2. (Ifthe answer to do question 1 is no, skip #7.) What is your grade point average (GPA) in your major field? 3. What type of degree are you working toward at Washington and Lee? BS [ science or commerce] Are you leaning toward science or commerce, do you know? Science. 4. What is the occupation or profession you want to do enter upon finishing your education? Well, when I first got here I wanted to do do computer science, right now I'm still not positive cause this is my first year, and everything. 5. Do you plan on working toward an advanced degree at some time after finishing your undergraduate program? yes 6. While growing up, did you attend or were you personally active in church? Yes/ No Ifyes, please give the denomination, and the type of church activities in which you participated. No. How would you characterize your church involvement in Lexington? None at all. 7. How would you compare your level of participation in extra-curricular activities in high school and at Washington and Lee? Well in high school I did a lot more. Here I haven't really, I'm only a member ofthe Minority Student Association. I'm not a member of anything else. I think it's basically because I'm really trying to do adjust this year. I'm thinking about doing something next year, but this year I just want to do work on my grades .. 8. How did you learn about Washington and Lee University? My high school guidance counselor, she recommended the school to do me, and I just decided to do come down and visit and everything. W&L literature W&L admissions counselor Relative Adult friend Peer Other 9. To do what extent were you assisted during the admissions process by an alumnus of Washington and Lee? I really wasn't assisted at all. 10. Did you visit the campus before you matriculated as a student? If yes, under what circumstances? I came during last summer in June. Ifit was in summer it wasn't when school was in session. Why don't you describe what the visit was like. Well, it was really nice, The guide took us around. I guess because it was in the summer it was really hard to do see what was going on really. there were people here, but there weren't a lot of people. I didn't really get to do talk to do any professors or anything. But at that time, I mean I heard about the school a lot. You had, really? From folks in your home town, or .. Basically from people in my mom's job, cause she works at the Senate building, and a lot of people spoke about the school there. And my guidance counselor basically told me. a lot of people in my area, my high school didn't know about the school itself, but my guidance counselor did. [] So when you visitedyou got a tour andjust got to do see it physically. Yeah. Didyou have any particular reactions to do that visit? Um, I was happy because of the size. I -the view books had said it was a small school and everything, but when I got here and I realized that it was a small school I was really happy because my high school was really small. So it helped ease that aspect of it. Visited on your own Participated in the Summer Scholar's Program Visited during a Prospective Student Weekend Other: Please describe your reactions to do this campus visit. 10a. Was W&L your ... First choice Second choice Third choice Less than third choice Second 10b. About how many other colleges did you apply to do? ... No other One Two Three Four Five Six or more Ten 1Oc. How many other colleges accepted you? None One Two Three Four Five Six All ten 11. What made you decide to do attend Washington and Lee? Relatives wanted you to do come here Teacher advised you Good academic reputation Good social reputation Offered financial assistance Offers special programs you wanted Tuition lower than similar colleges High school guidance school counselor advised you Private college counselor advised you Wanted to do live near home Friend suggested attending Recruited by college representative Recruited by athletic department Graduates go to do top graduate schools Graduates get good jobs Religious affiliation or orientation Size of college Not accepted anywhere else Rankings in national magazines The size ofthe college. Ranking in magazines. I wanted to do live close to do home. It's not that close to do home, but it's closer than some of the other schools I applied to do. My high school counselor advised me. Financial assistance. The good academic reputation. So what was the major one or two .. The financial assistance, and the closeness to do home. You got a better financial package here? .. Yeah Were there other factors you considered in making the decision? The size. 12. Once you decided to do enroll at W &L, what was the reaction offriends and relatives? Well, like I said, a lot of my friends hadn't heard of this school so they were like, I think it was like a shock to do them cause they were like "I've never heard of that." and they didn't think it had a good reputation cause they had never heard of it. And My family was really proud, especially my mom, cause she told a lot of people on her job and they were like "It's a really good school." and, so my family was happy cause I wasn't going that far away from home, so it wasn't too bad. Were there negative images about W&L that made you think seriously about not coming? From when I got here, or when I .. before Before you made your decision. No. 13. Once you were enrolled, did you find the University to do be as you had expected? It was a lot harder than I thought it was going to do be. and the social atmosphere was. I didn't expect it to do be like really cater towards African Americans, but I thought there would be a lot more activities. Activities for blacks. For blacks specifically. Yes. Like what? Well, when I was looking for colleges I didn't really look at the social aspect of going to do college anyway, but I thought maybe they'd have sororities and things like that here for blacks. But, when I was making the decision it didn't really, wasn't really a factor in picking a college because somehow I didn't think like that, but when I got here, ... Um, what else. I mean we've got money in the Minority Student Association, we do things, but it's like there should be more to do do like party wise and everything cause I don't drink or anything like that, so like a lot of fraternity parties there's only drinking and nothing else to do do if you don't drink, so that gets kind ofboring. So the social life wasn't as you had expected. No. Anything else besides being harder and very little to do do socially? Um, no not really, but I was happy -the view books also said the professors are really willing to do help you, and I was really surprised they are really willing to do help you, and you go there any time, you can e-mail them, whatever ... so I liked that about it when I got here. Ifthe school differed from the way it seemed when you first heard about it or visited the campus, please describe how it differed. 14. Please describe what you consider to do be your greatest challenge at Washington and Lee. How have you dealt with it? Hmmm. I guess dealing with the -it's even just the school I think, I think it's just Lexington itself. There's -I'm from a metropolitan area where there's a lot going on, and here there's not a lot going on, so I guess that has a lot to do do with it. Greatest challenge .. I guess just devoting a lot more time to do work than I had to do before and just adjusting to do that. I won't say adjusting.. adjusting to do the work -I won;'t say adjusting to do the social atmosphere, because that's not my greatest challenge here. So adjusting to do the town being different was a challenge, but the greatest challenge was .. Academics. And how have you dealt with that? Well I realize that it's only .. Well I'm almost finished this year. So, time's going by fast, and when I go home I enjoy it. I make sure I enjoy it. And my family comes down and it's really not that bad. And I talk to do my friends about it, and they're having the same problem, so .. Do you go home very often? Usually only during breaks, but hopefully during Spring term I can go home a little more. Let me recap that. Just sort ofhanging in there and getting used to do it and going home helps and having friends here you can talk to do about it. Yes. 15. How has your academic performance at Washington and Lee compared with your performance in high school? Um, hmmm. Well, by no means in high school I wasn't the straight a student or anything, and here it helped me realize -a lot of my other friends, they have straight As -who go here -and they like, compared to do them, I'm able to do accept that I'm not going to do be able to do make straight As all the time, I'm just able to do deal with it. But I guess they're about the same though, as I did in high school here. It's not about the same, but I'm doing I guess for a college of this nature, I guess I'm doing pretty well. So, compared to do high school I'm not doing as well, but I didn't expect that anyway considering ... 16. What academic resources have you used at Washington and Lee? x Undergraduate library Science library x Computer facilities. Writing Center. x Tutors in the disciplines. Study groups. Public lectures on academic subjects. x Language lab. x Visiting professors in their offices. x Study skills courses The courses that are offered through. .. I went to do Dean McCloud and she gave me a little study guide. and I went to do her a couple times and talked about it. Do you have suggestions for the development ofthese or other facilities? No, not really. No. 17. What factors contribute or contributed to do your selection of a major course of study? Promise ofearning a handsome salary after graduation, Interest in the particular academic discipline, College friends recommended this major, Adult relative recommendation etc. Other Interest in the particular academic discipline. I don't want to do do anything where I'm not interested in it, because I'm going to do be doing this for like the rest of my life, so I don't want to do be hating it after a couple of years. I guess the promise of earning a handsome salary after graduation. but that's not as important as interest to do me, cause I could be making a lot of money, but if I'm not happy doing what I want to do do, it's not going to do benefit me much. 18. Have you changed majors since you have been enrolled at Washington and Lee? If yes, please describe that change. Yeah, well not really. I can't really even answer that because right now I'm like way, I'm like trying to do decide. I'm still not sure yet. But I think I am going to do change it, let's say that. You came in assuming that you'd do computer science, and now you're exploring other possibilities? Yeah. 19. Ifyou saw a person or group of persons lying, stealing or cheating would you report it as an honor violation? Please elaborate. Um,... hmmm. Yeah, I would, but I guess it would actually depend on what it is actually they were doing. Cheating definitely yes. Stealing, I guess it depends on what exactly they were stealing. And lying, I guess if it wasn't really that serious I guess I wouldn't for lying either. So you'd make a judgement about what you thought the seriousness ofthe offense was. Yeah. And why is that -why is it that you/eel that way? I guess because a lot of times you may see things going on but its like, let me see how to do put it, I guess it's just difficult for me to do just actually go to do the EC or to do a professor and say something about another student unless I felt it was going to do endanger someone's life, or whatever, But when they gave us the speech, they gave us a white sheet of paper, where they were trying to do decide, and there was a question about this on there, and um, I mean I don't know I guess it would just depend, I don't know why I think that way, I really don't. 20. Do you find Washington and Lee professors easy or difficult to do approach? Please describe in what way they are easy or difficult. Some, Well, I've had an experience with one that I felt that wasn't easy to do approach, but the rest of them I've had, I've only been here two terms, but the rest of them I feel I could approach any time. In what way was this other person difficult? I guess because ofthe way this person presented himself in class. they had shorter office hours than the rest of the professors so it was kinda hard to do make time to do see this person, and it was the way -a lot of the other professors are like "Well, you can come to do my office any time." This person didn't make it as open to do do that, the invitation wasn't as open. Have you been able to do establish close working relationships with a member or with members of the W&L faculty? Yes. Would you describe that? Well basically, when I went to do do the study skills with Dean McCloud I was able to do get a great rapport with her, and we talk on occasion about things. And also my last term English teacher, I feel like I can go to do her any time and just talk to do her about anything and I've done that a couple of times. Like if I'm doing bad, or whatever. she's always nice. 21. What has been your experience at W &L with regard to social life? As I said earlier, I guess most people here would say "great" but I have to admit for blacks it's not like that by any means. I'm not with drinking, even though when I first started here I did. I had a lot more white friends and everything but now it seems like-in the beginning all of us were the same. None of us were in sororities or anything. After some of my friends got into sororities and stuff they kind of changed somehow. They're not open to inviting us to things. Ifyou're not in a sorority or fraternity, you're really not invited to a lot of things. People are getting dressed and all, and you're really not invited to things. Do you feel welcome atfraternity parties? Some of them. At some you get a reaction. They don't want blacks to be there. Most of them are pretty open, but there are some that I've been to that don't seem very open. They just look at you-stare at you when you come in. They like move away from you or something. You could tell. So far you 've talked about parties. Are there other things that are available? There's still things to do like the Fridays program. They have a lot of things. And going to the Troubadour theatre on the weekends. That's nice, too. Comedy shows, there are other things to do, too, that I find interesting. It's not that bad. Sometimes we go other places, like other schools. It's not too bad. The overall impression that I get in what you 're saying is that it's also not too good, specifically for black students. How important to you is alcohol at a social event or social engagement? Not important at all. I don't consume alcohol. How important to you are drugs at a social event? No, not either. 22. What experiences, ifany, have you had with Greek organizations on campus? Other than fraternity parties, none really. How wouldyou evaluate or describe any experiences you may have had? As I said before, the fraternity parties, they're OK, but it's only drinking. Some of them don't even have music. It's always drinking. Some of them do have music. Those that have music, they aren't that bad. But then you're scared someone is going to spill some beer on you, whatever. It's not all that fun, but when I find time I tend to go. 23. Evaluate your experiences with regards to athletic teams/athletic facilities/and physical education classes. 24. How would you characterize your opportunities for "dating" while enrolled at Washington and Lee? None really. I'm not really interested in any of the guys here. I think it's possible for a black student to date people here. I don't find anyone .. I think it's still possible for blacks to date here. 25. Have you ever considered transferring from Washington and Lee to another college/ university? No Why not? I thought what was most important-social life wasn't a decision I made before I came here anyway. Academics-I worked this summer. When I left I was telling the people I worked with that !...school. They said "What school?" I said "Washington and Lee." They were like "That's a really great school." I guess that's the main thing that's most important to me. It's not like it's horrible. It's a comfortable atmosphere. I'm doing what I have to do. 26. Have you had a paidjob on campus (including work-study)? No Ifso, has this influenced your level ofsatisfaction at W &L? 27. Would you be willing to recruit other students for Washington and Lee either as a student yourselfor as part ofan alumni program? Please elaborate. Yes, I've done some of that with calling students on the phone. They had an alumni day at my high school, and I went back. I was telling some of the students about the school and everything. Just trying to get more people here. I tell them it's a really great school. They'll say "I've never heard of it." So I try to explain. I tell them if you're looking for a small campus, it's a great place to be. It you want accessible professors, they're here. The library is open 24 hours. I tell them straight up, if you're looking for a party school for blacks, it's not here. Cause I don't them to get here and be disappointed. When I got here I was disappointed, but if that's what they're looking for in a school, I advise them about that. I talked to some people who did come to visit. Now we ask some background information: 28. In what geographical location did you grow up: Country: Washington, DC State: In what type ofarea or community did you spend most ofyour growing up years? Urban 29. Describe the type ofhigh school you attended. Urban Predominantly Black Please give the kin relationship(s) between you and family members in your home when you were growing up. It was great actually. We were really close. My family has been down here a couple of times. They just left yesterday. So who was it that lived with you when you were growing up? Mother, father.etc. Mother, father, sister, brothers. 31. What was the highest level ofeducation achieved by your parents, guardians, or others with whom you lived when you were growing up? High school. What are the occupations or professions ofyour parents or guardians? My father's retired now. My mother works in the Senate restaurant. What did your dad do? He worked at the post office. 32. As compared to other W &L students, how would you characterize your overall social class position (based on parents' education and family income)? I guess we're more middle class. A lot more people seem like they're more upper class compared to us. How do you think this has affected your experience? It's just different. At my high school everyone was the same, everyone had basically the same amount of money and everything. So it's different. It doesn't really bother me. There's nothing I can do about it. So it doesn 't affect you. I hear that you 're not complaining about it. How may it have affected your experience? Maybe it hasn 't, but maybe it has affected you and you 're not looking to complain about it. It really hasn't affected me. 33. In general how do you think about yourselffirst at Washington and Lee -­as a member ofa particular racial/ethnic/national/gender group, or as a student? The first one, as a member of a particular racial/ethnic/national/gender group. So how would you describe yourself? African American. Please explain. I guess because in all my classes, I stand out. There aren't very many blacks in all my classes. So I'm just there. I tend to sit in front of the class anyway. When you look around the campus, that's all I see. 34. How homogeneous do you believe black students are on this campus? In answering please consider racial identification, political perspective, and/or social class position. It's a mixture, but I guess most would be-I guess socially, social class position, yeah- Yeah, what? Homogeneous? Yeah. Political perspective, that's kind of mixed because I have a few friends who are more geared to the Republican party or whatever. I found that surprising when I got here. Racial identification, I guess we're homogeneous. I do have some friends who would answer the question before this one about how you think about yourself. I think I do have some here who would say "as a student." That one's kind of hard to answer. Definitely, social class position, I think we're all about the same. 35. How similar or different do you believe blacks and whites are on this campus? Consider the same categories that are mentioned in number 34 above and add any other factors that you deem important. As for the similarities, depending upon where the white students are from, there are some similarities, like in music. I have some friends who listen to the same type music I listen to. They tend to live in the same area I live in. That has a lot to do with some of the similarities. As for social class, I think there's a big difference in that aspect between white and black students. As for politics, most ofthe white people here that I know are Republicans. Some black students are Republicans. But most of them are Democrats. I guess they're different in some ways-the backgrounds, like my high school didn't offer a lot. I mean it offered a lot, but not a lot of courses, as in the Advanced Placement courses. A lot ofthe white students I talked to, they said they took six or seven AP courses. My high school didn't offer it, so I didn't have the opportunity to take them even if I wanted to. I guess a lot in their backgrounds differ. They've been a lot more places. They've traveled here, there. Spring break, they go to this place, that place. Most of the black students basically go home during vacations. White students tend to go other places. 36. Do you believe the size ofthe black student enrollment at Washington and Lee is adequate or inadequate? Inadequate. Most of my classes I am the only black student. It's hard for us to get things done. We are planning to start a sorority. It's just that we don't have a lot of females. If the females we have here now, all of them don't participate, we're not going to have enough to do what we want to do. We need more people in that aspect. And to help out with things. Like we have parties or get-togethers, we need people to do things. We don't have enough people. Some people don't want to participate. So is that so that you'd have a bigger social base? Social base and also -yeah, basically socially. Is that the context where you mentioned being the only person in class that's black? Yeah. I guess because sometimes ...you have to group work sometimes. I know we are here so we can get to learn from other people, but sometimes you feel more comfortable being with people who are more like you. Sometimes we're stuck in a group with people you don't know anything about. Sometimes you have to do stuff outside of class with this group. Sometimes they might not want ... in that way. When I do group stuff, and it's not another black student in class, I tend to go to other minority students, international students in my class, when you get to choose who you are in groups with. I just feel more comfortable. Have you been assigned to a group that you felt wasn't accepting you? Yeah, last term. But it wasn't like they didn't-it just seemed like they weren't very comfortable with me. They didn't say anything. It's just a feeling that I had. Do you believe the number ofblack professors is adequate or inadequate? Inadequate. I don't know how many there are, but I've only seen one. I think it's inadequate, but it's not that big of a deal with me, because most of my professors have already been very open. It doesn't make that big of a difference, but it would be nice to have someone else to go to sometimes that I would feel more comfortable with. Do you believe the number ofblack administrators is adequate or inadequate? The same thing. I think it's inadequate. I think if I had a problem, I think I'd talk to my dorm counselor or anybody else here. I'd like to see more, but it's not a pressing issue for me. 37. Should the university offer activities designed to bring new black students together? Yes, they do kind of do that. We get big brothers and sisters who are black. That's kind of nice. I'm kind of close to mine. That helps a lot. I don't know if it's an MSA thing or what, but we have that. I think they should offer-they kind of do-it seems like the most MSA members try to contact us anyway (like through e-mail), so I'm not sure what the school could actually do to enhance that. We don't have too much trouble getting together or anything Has the Chavis House played a role in your life at W &L? Please describe. Yes, because that's the place where we usually have our minority student meetings. When black prospectives come, we take them there and watch movies and everything. We had a party there once. It's a pretty nice place. There are a lot of guys who live there. It's not like a place where I go all the time. I feel comfortable to go there if I wanted to. Has the Minority Student Association played a role in your life at W &L? Please describe. Yes. It has helped. They help us get past a lot, because it's the best way for the black students to get together. Even though all the students may not come to most of the meetings, we know what's going on pretty much. We helped get Yolanda King here. They're really working hard to enhance our role here. Our head person has really helped us a lot. 38. Do you believe that it is important that courses in the humanities/social sciences include recognition or study ofworks by persons ofcolor? Yes, because even though I went to a black high school, I didn't learn much about it. My roommate, she's from Africa -I didn't know anything about Africa other than what I learned on TV. It would be nice to get to know a lot more about my own culture. Ifyou think works by persons ofcolor should be included do you think the recognition was adequate, inadequate, or excessive? Please explain. Inadequate. I haven't learned anything. In English class we have studied a couple ofpoets and authors. We didn't spend a lot of time on it. I think it is inadequate in that aspect. 39. How would you characterize the climate in the classroom for you [as a black student}? I know I'm not the best student there. It's not like the teachers pick on me because I'm black. It's not like other students don't sit beside me because I'm black. It's just that I know I'm the only black student in most of my classes, so I sit up front, I ask questions. It's not that bad. Tell me why you sit up front. The first reason is because I have trouble seeing the board. The second reason is to make sure I hear everything the professor says. I don't want to have any misconceptions or anything. And to let the professor know I'm paying attention. Also it establishes a better rapport with the professor sometimes if they know that you are there. 40. What is the role ofthe Office ofMinority Student Affairs? What is that? That's another name for Dean McCloud 's office. I really do not know. She really helped me. She helped me feel comfortable with going to her at any time. She helped with MSA. Other than that, I really do not know. How can the role ofthis Office be improved? I guess ifthey sent us mail or something-let us know about-I didn't know. I really didn't know about it at all. 41. From whom do you receive the greatest emotional support on campus? Do not use name(s), but please describe the person(s) in terms ofrace, ethnicity, nationality, gender, and position (i.e. fellow student, faculty member, administrator, staffmember). Ifappropriate, include more than one individual and describe the type ofsituations in which the person provides emotional support (i.e. personal, family, religious, etc.) I guess it would have to be my roommate. Dean McCloud helps, but not the greatest emotional support. As I say, she is from Africa. She basically just helped me-I guess ifI didn't have a roommate, I'd be kinda-it's easier to, like, we go places. I'd have to go by myself a lot; my other friends don't want to go. She's always willing to go. She's like, we're from the same area at home, so it's like, I'm not that bad and everything. She helps me a lot, and I help her, too. It's not that bad. I guess it would have to be her. What percentage ofyour friends are black, what white, and what international? I think 85% are black and maybe 5% are white, I 0% international. 42. Have you experienced any discriminatory behavior on campus directed against yourself? What form did that behavior take (written remarks including graffiti, spoken remarks, physical assault, discriminatory treatment). Who was responsible for that behavior? Individual students Student groups Greek Non Greek Faculty Staff Security You mean against me personally or inadvertently hearing something? I think it means specific behavior towards you, but ifthe other has happened, you can talk about that too. Nothing that I can actually say was discriminatory. I can't say it's discriminatory. I mean at the fraternity parties, they kind oflook at you funny, but no one's ever said anything to me directly. One time when I was here, I had my car with me. I loading it up to go home. I had my music on and everything. There was this guy who was outside or something. He talked with his friend and everything. He was like "They like that kind of music-they always play it loud." He kept referring to black people as "they". That kind of bothered me. I didn't say anything to him or anything. He wasn't talking to me. He didn't say anything to me personally, so I guess it wasn't that bad. No one has said anything to me personally-never. And what did you mean when you were asking ifyou should answer in terms ofthings you had heard? That's what I was saying. They didn't say it to me directly. But I heard it and knew what he was talking about. Leaving aside behavior, do you sense racial tensions on campus beyond what exists in the larger society? Ifso, how do you think such tensions could be eased within W &L? No. I can't really say. Other students here have said that they have problems and things like that but not me. It's only what I heard from other black students. Do you sense that there's significant racial tension at all in the community? No, it think there is some, but I don't think it's representative of the W&L community at all. 43. Aside from the Honor System do you believe that the student Executive Committee, the Student Conduct Committee or other University judicial committees treat black and white students equally fairly? Yeah. 44. Do you believe that the honor system is applied in an even-handed way to black and white students? I'd have to say yes. Since I've been here, I haven't heard of anything that went to the EC committee. 45. How would you evaluate student publications (i.e. the Ring-tum Phi, the Trident, etc.), the student radio and television stations with regards to opportunities for black students to participate. I think there are opportunities for blacks to participate in almost anything here. I think a lot of black students choose not to participate. I feel now that if I wanted to participate in a lot more things here, I could. How would you evaluate them with regard to their treatment ofnews about black students? Some article that they had sometime last month-it was one of the two-black students were saying their views about the school and everything. It was great because they let them say whatever they wanted to say. I didn't see much censoring in that aspect-anyone to know what was going on. I felt that they gave them the freedom to speak there. Like the sports and stuff, the girl on the basketball team is really good. She gets coverage. Swimming team, she gets coverage. I think they're pretty fair with that. 46. Do you feel that black students at Washington and Lee today have problems that are basically different from, or basically similar to those ofwhites? Please describe in what way you feel they are different or similar. I think in some ways similar because-especially academic wise-because in some ways I've talked to people on my hall. They were saying they were struggling. Their parents are pressuring them to do better and everything. I do feel sometimes in my class that a lot of our students know a lot more than I do. It takes me longer to comprehend things sometimes. On the whole, quite a few of them are struggling just like I am. Differences would be I guess they don't have to worry about fitting in too much. White students don't have to worry about fitting in because everywhere they go they're going to find someone at fraternity parties. Most white students here are in fraternities or sororities, they don't have a problem with that. They have a great rapport with each other. I guess it's also easier for them-a lot of white students I know, they do participate in a lot more activities. Freshman black students -a lot of them just don't participate in a lot of other activities. I guess they have a problem with just feeling welcome to go to a meeting or whatever, to sit in and try to participate. White students tend not to have that problem. How has that come to your attention? Have you gone to things and seen that black people aren't there or do you hear about it? Like a lot of times we'll ask each other, "Are you going to this? Are you going to that?" They're like "Well, no-I'm not going." It might not be just because they don't feel welcome there. But a lot of times we don't tend to go to a lot of things. *47. Sex F *48. Age? 18 *49. Year in college? FRESHMAN *50. Cumulative grade point average [as of Fall 1996]? *51. How do you identify yourself in terms of nationality? AMERICAN 52. How do you identify yourself in terms of race? Black. 53. Are there additional comments you wish to do make about any aspects of Washington and Lee? I think it's a really good school, and the professors really do help that. I have said that. They do help if you want the help. The social atmosphere, I have to admit, is not the greatest for blacks, but it's not like I'm crying home or anything about it. It's not like it bothers me that much. Ifyou come here, you just don't expect a party school for blacks. Ifyou've got support from your friends here and everything-cause most of the black students here are very close to each other. That kind of makes a difference too that we do have a closeness like that. Some friends at other schools, who do have more black students, they aren't as close. So I guess that's my reason why we're a lot closer. I guess that's it really. Let me ask you a follow-up on what you were just saying. I'm curious. You were saying that there aren't that many things for black students to do and that somehow was related to drinking. So I'm wondering if things on other campuses where there are more black students and so there are more things for black students to do together, do they involve much less drinking? Are they different kinds ofthings that don 't have alcohol? There is drinking, but I don't know what it is here. When you go to a fraternity party, everybody's drinking. A lot of things we have ourselves, the black students, we don't even allow drinking there. That makes a difference-especially in the behavior ofthe people there. These people I see in my classes, they're drunk at the fraternity parties. It takes away from the whole party thing. People at other schools that do have more, they have drinking, but a lot of the students, from what I've heard, don't drink. A lot of the schools, they do have fraternities or sororities there, so they do have a chance to have things. I guess if we had a sorority here-we are thinking of it. We are planning it. Hopefully we'll get it together. No one' stopping us from doing it. We need to get together. We just need more people. As I said, everyone doesn't want to participate in that. Ifyou don't have enough people, we can't do it. It's not enough black guys here to have a fraternity. Anything else? No, not really.