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A REPORT ON NEGRO APPLICATIONS FOR ADMISSION TO
THE UNIVERSITY

By

President Gordon Gray

July 16, 1951

"ON APRIL 4, 1951, the Board of Trustees of the University of North Caro-
lina adopted this resolution:

'In all cases of applications for admission by members of racial
groups, other than the white race, to professional and graduate
schools when such schools are not provided by and in the State of
North Carolina for such racial groups, the applications shall be pro-
cessed without regard to race or color, and the applicant accepted
or rejected in accordance with the approved rules and standards of
admission for the particular school.'

"In adopting this resolution the Board of Trustees of the University recognized
at this time it would be unsound and unwise - educationally and economically -
for the State to provide certain highly specialized and highly expensive graduate and
professional courses in the consolidated University and in the Negro Colleges.

"However, at no time in the discussions leading to the final adoption of the
April 4, 1951 resolution, was it ever suggested by any one that the University of
North Carolina has any legal or moral obligation to assume the total responsibility
of providing graduate instruction for all qualified citizens of North Carolina - both
with and Negro. The doctrine of 'separate but equal' educational facilities is
still the law of the land.

"It has been cited again and again that the State of North Carolina, while pro-
viding graduate instruction for its qualified white students in the three institutions
of the University, also provided for 'separate but equal' graduate instruction for its
qualified Negro students in its Negro colleges.

"The 1939 General Assembly, in the enactment of G. S. 116-110 (the 'Murphy
Act') mandated that 'The Board of Trustees of the North Carolina College in Durham
is authorized and empowered to establish from time to time such graduate courses
in the liberal arts field as the demand may warrant and funds of the North Carolina
College justify. Such courses must be standard.'

"('The act further provides that graduate and professional cources in agricul-
tural and technical lines may be added at the Agricultural and Technical College
in Greensboro as the need for such work is shown).

"On May 22, 1951, inm view of several appliocations from North Carolina Negroes
for admission to the University in areas of study leading to the doctoral degree
which the State, under the 'Murphy Act' has mandated the North Carolina College
to establish 'as the demand may warrant and the funds of the North Carolina col-
lege justify', the University Board of Trustees adopted this resolution:

'That a committee of three be appointed from the Board of Trustees of
the University of North Carolina to confer with a similar committee from
the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina College in the hope of making
adequate and satisfactory provision for Negro graduate students; and that
during the period of these discussions, applications by Negros to the
University of North Carolina graduate or professional schools involved
in the discussions not be acted upon.'

"The committees appointed were, from the University Trustees: Mr. Kemp
D. Battle, Mr. J. Hampton Price, and Mr. W. Frank Taylor; and from the College
Trustees: Mr. Spencer Murphy, Mr. Walter R. Jones, Jr., and Dr. J. M. Hubbard.
Mr. Battle was elected Chairman of the Joint Committee.

"Two meetings of the Joint Committee have developed the following conclusions,
as cited in Mr. Battle's report to the University Trustees and in the proposal of the
Univeristy Comittee to the North Carolina Board of Trustees for consideration at
its meeting on July 16, 1951.

"(1) The areas in which the College is now offering standard work lead-
ing to the Master's degree are as follows: