How Tech Has Welcomed Diversity

Now that the History of Georgia Tech's Racism has been observed does it still linger any today at Georgia Tech? In what ways has Tech dealt with racism and how does its campus and students support diversity.  Georgia Tech today is one of the most diverse colleges in the world. People from all over the globe come here to further their education and take their first step into the world. Whatever race or ethnicity you can imagine their is a good chance that they are represented at Tech. Georgia Tech has at least one student from each state in the United States and students from about one-hundred other countries in the world. Georgia Tech is about sixty-six percent white and thirty-four percent other races and cultures. This is an especially big difference from our fellow Georgia colleges and other colleges in the world.Tech’s cafeteria has even accommodated other nationalities by having different styles of food from around the world.

Georgia Tech has identified diversity as one of its highest priorities and is constantly developing new ways and initiatives in the area of diversity. Georgia Tech has a Diversity Leadership Network comprised of the Institute Steering Committee on Diversity (ISCD), the Campus Diversity Reporting Committee and the Diversity Forum. Each of these have a different role and way they attribute to diversity. The ISCD gives executive oversight and makes sure that there is funding for diversity strategies, while the Campus Diversity Reporting Committee collects data and sees how affective diversity initiatives are. The Diversity Forum is mostly a student driven piece, mainly focused on creating programmatic initiatives. Tech also has other organizations that have to do with diversity such as the Institute Diversity and the Office of Diversity Programs. 

The Diversity Programs mission is to provide an approach for meeting the needs of underrepresented populations or minorities by creating and planning educational opportunities which enhance interaction and learning across different groups and cultures. Through its programs and services, the Office assists the students in appreciating and embracing the cultural diversity which exists in the college.

There are also many student organizations that have to do with diversity and race. Examples of some of the student organizations that take initiative in diversity are The Black Graduate Association, The Chinese Student Association and many more depending on race and cultural backgrounds.  These organizations are there specifically for the race of the name for the organization. The help people of that race to graduate, to create a social network for them not only to each other but to the faculty, staff and industry for job help in the future, some represent the interest of that race to the student body and help the community in general. Other examples of initiatives taken are the FOCUS program, the EMERGE alliance, the SURE program, the FACES foundation and the BEST partnership.

All these programs focus on minorities and are there to help them in any way that they can and possible. As seen from above Tech is there for the students no matter what the race or background and want to help them have as bright a future as possible. Tech is very good at giving all students the same opportunities regardless of race and culture. Tech has dealt with racism by embracing diversity and making Tech a place for anyone to be comfortable and welcome at

This video discusses about the GT diversity Symposium and gives one of the professors view on it. The Symposium is just another way that Georgia Tech is embracing diversity and trying to makes it campus as diverse as possible for its benefit as well as for the benefit of it's students.

The Affect of Segregation on Georgia Tech's Athletics

Racism has been a problem throughout history and still is a problem today.  Georgia Tech like most other southern colleges was one of the last colleges to desegregate, because they were one of the last colleges to desegregate other schools being desegregated affected them specifically in sports.Football in particular was affected  tremendously by segregation.

The main controversial game and most known way that has to do with segregation at Georgia Tech was the Sugar Bowl of 1956 in which Georgia Tech played the University of Pittsburgh who had one African American starting player on their team. The name of the player was Bobby Grier who is credited for being the first African American to play in a Deep South bowl game. Before the Sugar Bowl game however Tech had already played Notre Dame and desegregation team and Blake Van Leer the current President of Tech and the Athletic Association had no problem with it and saw the contract for the game as acceptable.  But the Brown v. Board of Education, with which said state laws that established separated schools for blacks and whites where unconstitutional, raised racial tension in the south. Although the Governor, Marvin Griffin at the time, privately gave the head coach of Georgia Tech, Bobby Dodd, permission to play the game he changed his mind. On December, 1955 he succumbed to the segregationist and send a request to the Georgia Board of Reagents chairman that not only can Georgia Tech play the game but all Georgia schools were no longer allowed to play desegregated teams.  The Tech students were outraged and organized a protest rally on campus where they hung the Governor in effigy and made a bonfire. They went to Five Points, the Georgia State Capitol and Georgia Governor’s Mansion and protested at each. Van Leers comment on December third to this was that he had never broken a contract and would not break on now. 

The next Monday the Board of Reagents decided they would allow Georgia Tech to play at the Sugar Bowl but made a new policy. The policy was that Georgia Tech couldn’t play any desegregated teams in Georgia but would abide by the teams in other states policies and laws. In most non-south states blacks had the same opportunities as whites. The game was played and Georgia Tech beat Pittsburgh 7 to 0.The touchdown was controversial because Pittsburgh got pass interference called on them in the end zone so Tech got the ball on the one yard line. The person who the penalty was called on was, Booby Grier who said that it should have been called the other way because he was pushed from behind onto the ground, but he said that Georgia Tech played gentlemanly throughout the game.

As seen Tech’s athletics had a big problem with desegregation and was affected by it greatly especially in football.  They almost were not able to play in the Sugar Bowl game because of racism and afterwords could only play desegregated teams in the opponents state because of racism. Although most of society allowed segregation and participated in sports events and other activities with blacks , Tech did not because of the hate people possessed in the Deep South.

Although it was still bad that Tech couldn’t play desegregated teams in Georgia I believe the Sugar Bowl incident changes the people’s views on segregation and I believe the new policy was a step towards desegregating. By allowing some contact with desegregated teams the gate was being opened to full acceptance of African Americans.Because of Tech protesting against the Sugar Bowl and wanting to play desegregated teams it contributed or was one of the main reasons why the law was changed to even allow Georgia Teams to play desegregated teams.   In 1961 Georgia Tech became the first University in the Deep South to desegregate without a court order and the students voted on ending segregation. Tech was an example to other Georgia colleges in the field of racial discrimination and has been an example of diversity sense then.