• • When 75 members of MSM's Class of 1949 returned to campus last June to commemorate the 50th ann iversary of thei r r-"-'~~~---. graduation, no ethnic minorities or women were among them. The Class of '49 was made up predominantly of white male veterans of World War II, who were getting their education through the G.I. Bill. At that time, minorities, particularly those of African American heritage, were denied access to MSM and all other public coll eges and l'el,-·aTh-o-m-pson-Aa-gg-·s..Y o universities in Missouri. Missouri laws prohibited racial integration in the classroom. The laws provided for separate - and theoretically equal rTIT"'--:~=-="'-::;::'-==" elementary, secondary and postsecondary educational opportunities for minorities, specifically for African Americans. As members of the MSM Class of '49 entered the work force, social attitudes toward segregation were beginning to change. President Harry S. Truman 's integration of the Armed Forces in the 1940s changed our nation's view of equality and justice. But progress toward ~.",...~.,-;-,-.,.---,:;-.,..:;:~;o;! integration on other fronts was slow in coming. In 1951, the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark .---T4:-:-=--r-...... Brown vs. the Topeka (Kan.) Board of Education decision accelerated raci al integration of Missouri's colleges and universities. Only two African American males attended MSM prior to 1955, and both left th e campus without achieving their goal of becoming engineers. Leila Thompson, CE'60, the first femal e African American to study at MSM, broke the color -"~"""'--"'---l' barrier when she became the first African American to graduate from MSM. Leila Thompson's perseverence and success demonstrated to other African Americans that they too could succeed at MSM. However, the hindrances were many. The lack of on-campus housing required minority and internationa l students to rent property from L -_ _ __ -_~~-' community landlords. Unfortunately, most of the landlords who agreed to provide offcampus approved housing were not willing to rent their properties on a first-come, first-served basis. As a result, minority students were forced to accept substandard housing at premium rates. The situation became so severe that faculty, staff and friends of the international student population pooled resources to lease a residence at 8th and State streets as an "international house." 22
MSM-UMR ALUMNUS I Winler 1999
Many townspeople were aware of the housing problems and other issues fac ing minorities. But because no one complained, nothing was done to correct these issues. That all began to change in 1963. That year, a white physics major experienced raci al discrimination on hi s way back from a summer job in the southwest. Very tan, thi s man was denied lodging by several Texas hotel clerks who assu med he was Native American. Back in Rolla, he and several professors established a committee on race relations. Thi s group eventually became the Rolla Advisory Committee on Race Rel ations. By 1964, the number of African American students increased to about 1 percent of the student population. These students, all males, were scattered throughout Rolla and had no representation in student government. To create unity and a voice for the black campus community, 18 of these men fo rmed the Epsilon Psi Chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. on April 27, 1965. Fraterni ty members' involvemen t resulted in a policy change at MSM-UMR that improved the off-campus housing situation. The change required all landlords wh o wished to list th eir property with the university to sign an affidavit certifying they would not discri minate aga inst students because of race, color, religi on, creed, or nationa l ori gin. Changes in the composition of athletic teams helped to educate both coaches and players about the ills of society, and as they strugg led with these issues, change was steadi ly occurring on campus. The community created other obstacles for African Americans. Barbers and beauticians refused to cut or treat their hair. Restau rants, motels and other businesses were off-li mits. Today, th ese impediments, vestiges of the old Jim Crow laws, have been removed. The percepti on that minority students, particularly tho se of African American heritage, were unable to compete with the white majority was also dispell ed. And the color barrier that inhibited interracial membership in fraternities dissipated. The increasing numbers of females created a new set of problems. The few African American females on campus found housing in private dwell ings. When one African American parent sought residence in the dormitory for his daughter, he discovered that MSM-UMR did not provide dormitory accommodations for female students. This bothered him and he asked for the university's help in finding a dwe lling fo r his daughter that was near campus. The fath er was very dark-skinned, and upon his departure, the univers ity officia l who was given the assignment of loca ting appropriate accommodations contacted me fo r assista nce. I identified a potential landlord and wa ited for his call. After cla sses had begun and I had not been contacted, I called to inquire about the young lady's enrollment. The university official told me that she had indeed enrolled and did not encounter any problems wi th housing. I obta ined her
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