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S3AIHDHV AJLISd3AINn TheSpEcn^u 6961 \ 0 AOW Q3AS303a I Vol.20 No.31 State University of New York at Buffalo Monday, November 3, 1969 Medical school admissions Students call for black mem ers on commission In 1943 a black man graduated from the State University of Buffalo School of Medicine and, according to James Byers, president of Millard Fillmore College Student Association, no black American has , graduated from there since. Mr. Byers recently composed a letter which was signed by five other leaders of student-faculty government organizations and sent to LeRoy A. Pesch, dean of the Medical School. The letter called for “the placement of black community professionals on the State University of Buffalo Medical School Admissions of Pre-Medical Advisory Commission. “This is to insure the fair representation of non-white students in receiving advisement and/or consideration for entrance into Medical School,” the letter read. 'xWi Dr. Pesch -Ackerman The Medical School Dean denies discrimination in admissions policies. \We are exploring several programs which would encourage the development of physicians from a wide variety of disadvantaged areas.\ he says. Not an undergrad problem Mr. Byers feels that the problem of increasing black physicians at the State University of Buffalo rests with Medical School admissions rather than undergraduate admissions. \There are many black and Puerto Rican students already studying at the State University of Buffalo who are interested in medicine,” Mr. Byers said. ftbto 1. , proposes the creation of a /n// Austin committee of minority group doctors who would recruit Blacks and Puerto Ricans into the University. The Student Association president “The Medical School would rather accept a B student from a small southern Negro college,” he continued, “than a C student from the State University of Buffalo though a C is equivalent to a B at most of these southern schools. Black and Puerto Rican students at this University who want to be doctors must go to the traditional Negro medical schools such as Howard.” help alleviate the critical shortage of health care personnel servicing the ghetto areas of Buffalo and other cities, Mr. Austin said. Of the 104 students in this year’s freshman class at the medical school approximately ten are non-white. In addition, Mr. Byers notes, only four of the ten non-white freshmen are Americans - the rest being African and Asian - and only one was an undergraduate at the State University of Buffalo. admissions,” he maintained Dr. Pesch added; “We actively encourage students from minority groups to attend medical school. These students will have to be accepted as equally qualified, and not placed in special tutorial programs. “I believe a better mixture of students from varied economic and social groups.” Dr. Pesch stressed, “will help provide a more adequate How of manpower into areas where health services are presently poor, such as the inner cities and rural regions.” Bill Austin, president of Student Association and one of the co-signers of the letter said “The Medical School has not been taking a major part in the recruitment of blacks and Puerto Ricans into the University.” Mr. Austin recommended the formation of a committee of black and Puerto Rican doctors from Buffalo that could “reach high school students and the people the doctors come in contact with every day.” Policies termed ‘nun-discriminatory’ Defending the Medical School’s current admissions policies, Dr. Pesch explained that it is very difficult for the admissions department to determine the race of the individual from an application. “A lot of people, on the basis of anecdotal information or heresay, assume that discrimination is happening here,” Dr. Pesch said. ‘The admissions policies of the School of Medicine are non-discriminatory. Calling for greater participation by members of the university community in solving health care problems, he said; “We have programs in community health care just getting started by some of our students. We are exploring several programs which would encourage the development of physicians from a wide variety of disadvantaged areas.” “Wee will consider any reasonable program and any group of people which will have an impact on health care problems.” He said he is “totally in support” of Mr. Austin's proposal for a committee of black and Puerto Rican doctors of Buffalo which would advise high school students about education and careen in medicine. Recruitment of non-whites According to Mr. Austin the doctors would advise people from Buffalo — especially Blacks and Puerto Ricans — about medical education and would recruit interested students into the University. Such intensive recruitment of blacks and Puerto Ricans into medical education would James Byers number of black pfcyacani paduating from the unwewity real* with M wheal School rather ays the MFCSA prewdent. Ackerman “There are a number of community physicians on our faculty and one on our admissions committee. Admissions is a faculty responsibility. I don’t think it would serve any purpose to have non-university people involved in
