CAMDEN, N.J. -- As students here at Rutgers University walked to class yesterday, everything seemed normal. But inside the school buildings, about 20 students were protesting, waving signs and shouting demands at Rutgers President Francis Lawrence. Lawrence had come to the Camden campus to meet with faculty, administrators and the Black Law Students Association. And in spite of Lawrence's efforts to open dialogue, black and Latino groups have joined together to protest what they consider racist comments by Lawrence. These remarks have prompted protesters to call for his resignation or ouster. Yesterday's confrontation was just the most recent in a series of student protests that have called for Lawrence's resignation. It all began January 31, when it was revealed that in a November faculty meeting Lawrence stated that blacks performed poorly on standardized tests, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, because they are "genetically inferior." "The average S.A.T. for African-Americans is 750," he said in the November speech. "Do we set standards in the future so we don't admit anybody with the national test? Or de we deal with a disadvantaged population that doesn't have that genetic, hereditary background to have a higher average?" Since the incident, Lawrence has repeatedly apologized for his remarks, and said that his remarks were misunderstood. In addition, Rutgers' Board of Governor's unanimously voted continued support for Lawrence's presidency last week. But the students awaiting Lawrence's visit yesterday didn't share the Board's view. The first students appeared at about 9 a.m. and stayed until late in the afternoon, with many missing all of their classes. Other protesters took shifts, switching to attend classes. And when the students caught their first glimpse of Lawrence leaving a bathroom, they chanted "You must go?you must go?Fran must go." Students also touted signs ranging from "R.U. Wants U Out!" and "Lawrence Must Go," to "Genetically Inferior I Don't Think So." One student even carried a sign asking students to boycott the Coca-Cola Company because they provide most of the beverages for the urban campus. Most Rutgers' students, however, went about their daily business, lounging on couches in the Campus Center, lunching in the cafeteria, and engaging in conversation. But the protesters were willing to put all else aside until they achieved concessions from the Rutgers' administration, including Lawrence's resignation. Cal Maradonna, Rutgers' dean of students, said that student protest was increasing in intensity. "I don't know if there would be this much activity if the President wasn't here," he said. And some demonstrators planned to travel to the main Rutgers campus in New Brunswick to stage a sit-in at the Rutgers-Temple basketball game last night. Last Tuesday, a Rutgers–University of Massachusetts game was postponed at half-time after upset students took over the court and refused to leave. That rally was sponsored by the Black Students Union and the Latino Students Organization. The remainder of the game will be played at a later date at a location to be announced. Even though Latino students were not explicitly mentioned in Lawrence's remarks, many Latino protesters felt Lawrence had slighted them also. Rutgers sophomore Evelyn Montanez said Lawrence was not doing enough for minorities at Rutgers Camden campus, including Latinos. One of Rutgers' Latino leaders, Carlos Ilarraza, agreed, demanding more Latino administrators and faculty, as well as a Latin-American Studies or Puerto Rican Studies major. Montanez and Ilarraza refused to accept the apology Lawrence made last week. Not all students shared their sentiments, however. Rutgers senior John Antoni, who was not involved in the protest, said he recognizes Lawrence made a mistake in his speech, but accepts his apology. "Most of the people agree he shouldn't resign," Antoni said. Nonetheless, it appears that the controversy is still brewing. Recently, rumors have spread that faculty members conspired to release hundreds of tapes of Lawrence's infamous comments. This may have been in retaliation for Lawrence's plan to review the performance of tenured professors. But Rutgers sophomore Ophelia Singleton, a vocal demonstrator in yesterday's protest, said the conspiracy theory is not the issue. "Whether or not it's a conspiracy is irrelevant," Singleton said. "He's determined his own fate." Singleton added that although Lawrence has a good record of hiring minorities and accepting minority students, it is not a reflection of his personal feelings, but the law. "President Lawrence has to hire a certain percentage of minority students by law," she said. "It's not about personal sentiment -- he has to do that. It's more out of necessity. "I don't want him to retain any dignity because what he did was not dignified."
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