Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 21, 1994                   TAG: 9409230037
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE                                LENGTH: Medium

STUDENT RECALLS DAD'S ADVICE, GIVES `SOMETHING BACK'

Gray, a senior government major from Gary, Ind., has given back $10,000 in scholarship money.

The reason? Gray figured he didn't need it.

``When I was growing up, my dad always said to me, `You can't just take, take, take, take. You've got to give something back,''' Gray said.

Gray for three years was a recipient of the four-year Jerome Holland scholarship. The scholarship, which is based on academic achievement rather than financial need, is given annually by the university to four or five black first-year students.

Last spring, Gray was awarded another scholarship that provided tuition, room and board and fees for his fourth year. Under terms of the Holland Award, he could now apply that year's scholarship money to graduate study. But he decided against that.

Gray, 21, said he told his father that ``the primary reason I am here is because of this scholarship. I wanted to give something back.''

Now that Gray has returned his scholarship, university admissions officials will be able to award it to another black student next year.

The university has set as one of its priorities attracting black students, who make up 11.2 percent of the university's 11,500 undergraduates.

``He's not looking out for himself. He hasn't changed a bit,'' said Michael Mallory, the assistant dean of admissions who recruited Gray out of high school.

Gray said he had planned to transfer to a different college after his first year, but his father urged him to stay in Charlottesville.

``I had a really hard time my first year or so. I was unhappy, because the racial situation here was very rigid and very segregated,'' Gray said. ``I had a lot of problems.''

To overcome them, Gray founded U-SUPRA, University Students United to Promote Racial Awareness, a discussion group.

Gray now is the president of the university's student government.

He said he is confident he will be able to find other ways to pay for graduate school or law school without the $10,000 scholarship.

``It might sound kind of weird, but I feel like if I'm going to have to go into debt, I might as well go all the way,'' he said. ``I believe I'll be able to pay back my loans.''