ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, February 5, 1996 TAG: 9602050019
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: Associated Press
Graduate students at the University of Virginia are delving into the past 100 years of the school's history to trace the institution's transformation from an all-white, all-male school.
``It's a very brave thing to do,'' said university historian Phyllis K. Leffler, who is involved in the effort. ``It takes a lot of courage for the university to say, `We're not afraid to look at our past.'''
The most recent comprehensive university history, ``Mr. Jefferson's University,'' written by the late Virginius Dabney, was published in 1974 as the university was beginning to admit women and blacks in large numbers.
``Until Dabney, we had a university that was mostly populated by men, by white men,'' said Jeffrey Plank, an assistant provost. ``In the last 25 years, we've become a much more diverse student body.
``Most folks felt that there were additional chapters to be written.''
Graduate history students last year began poring through archives, dusty yearbooks and student lists to compile a directory of all known residents of the historic Lawn between 1895 and 1995.
They sent questionnaires to the 1,200 living alumni who were Lawn residents during the 20th century and have received about 450 responses in six weeks.
Edna Johnston, a doctoral student in history who was in charge of compiling the Lawn directory, said the research already has revealed some long-held misconceptions.
``One is that there were no women here before 1970,'' when UVa first officially opened its doors to women, she said. ``There were actually as many as 1,000 women at the university before that. They were in the education and nursing schools. ``They were called `local girls' - they lived in the area, and so the university didn't have to worry about housing.''
On April 13, Jefferson's birthday, students and historians will present some of their findings at a workshop. After that, many are hoping a revised written history of the university will be in the offing.
LENGTH: Short : 45 linesby CNB