Vel Phillips Papers (Teaching, Box 3)

Tringoli

view his statements with an open mind, realizing that there is another side to the coin. One thing I did not agree with was his concern for more progress. It is my opinion that the present rate of progress is too fast, and that at this rate, very dangerous.

2

Vel Phillips in a way dissappointed me The idea of group presentation, I thought, was a waste of time to discuss one man's feelings is not a true situation. Phillips, herself, was very good during discussion periods. I only wish the whole time could have devoted to that It was at that time that the name Vel Phillips meant anything. During presentation time, anyone could have been the instructor. I thought that much of the material in the Stone book was irrelavent. I am interested in black feeling today. I was also disturbed that the term racist only applied to white people. Malcolm X was a racist Jesse Jackson is a racist.

I was also disturbed at our groups presentation. She applauded the two girls who copied every word out of the book, but quieted me when I was going to apply some of her answers to my questions in comparison or contrast to Chuck Stone. I wanted to point out how opinionated Stone was. The girl in our group actually called called Lincoln a racist after reading one paragraph written by one man. It was obvious that another book with contrasting opinions was needed. Her (Vel Phillips) conclusion that a black man should get the [illegible] over a white man with the same grade point because he is black is ridiculous and is itself a "racist attitude."

3

To improve the effect of the January term is obviously up to the student. During this month, the student is generally free to do what he wants He can pick his own course or devise one on his own Personally,

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Verchota

and easy to follow. I found it especially interesting when he discussed his line of work as a head of a tanning firm. Even though this is not what he was brought in for, I would not have minded him going further into the micro-economics of his own business.

2.

Vel Phillips did not succeed in breaking many of my views of the black people. I found it very hard to understand her view that blacks should get into medical school before whites simply because they are black. I understand her argument of how the blacks have received an inferior education through the primary and secondary grade levels, but I can not see telling the white who had the better grade-point to come back next year and try getting in again. Granted, the black may be smarter and you have succeeded

in turning out a possible leader but what of the prejudice which builds up in all the whites turned away. It seems that the system stalemates itself by creating a smart black and a prejudice white at the same time. She obviously got me thinking on many problems I normally wouldn't have, had she not come. She carried on a very good program, even though it meant hearing what you read the night before the next day in class. I enjoyed her examples behind her arguments very much and found them to give a half picture of what the black is facing today and has faced in the past. I say half because I believe you would have to be black to feel the full force of the situation. I liked her answer to the question: What does the black want? That answer just about made the whole class, in my mind, and I do wish she had delved

Michael [illegible]

That William Law is very articulate & well read I do not argue with. I am still appalled with the required reading assigned by him. This is in good part why I felt I could not why I felt I could not accept his premises and argue from them. Hence I feel we were arguing past each other. Our backgrounds in many areas differ greatly, as do our descriptions of reality & our prescriptions for the future. Despite having asked more questions than anyone else in the class, so many more could have been asked by me, unfortunately time was insufficient to ask & argue them all. Further I would disagree with the view expressed by several members of the class that a strong background was necessary to get much from the the class. I also think that his reading excerpts from various books to the class was ineffective. Perhaps the most important result of that week from my perspective is that Mr. Law & I shall be reading more of the other's material.

2

Vel Phillips seemed to be just as articulate, well-read, & well traveled as Mr. Law if not more so. The books she assigned basically supplemented those read during high school & the Liberal Studies Program by me. I was not greatly interested in the names & statistics . Most of the material in the books locked anything from which controversy could develop. Without much historical background in this area, it is difficult to argue on anything but contemporary events, which I think is an area of much controversy & potential discussion. I am disappointed that the opportunity was not utilized very well. I remain uncertain as to where I would disagree with her. Her stories usually held my attention, but they were not what I wished to hear almost exclusively.

The only justification I can see for the presentation format used is that one could be reasonably certain that the participants read at least part