Campus Announcements
Celebrating Black History Month
Mark your calendars, and watch your email in the coming days for further event details.

Dr. Isaac Crosby: A Heretic at Stephens College
(Editor’s Note: The below article is part of the Dudley hallway display in honor of Black History Month. Stop by and see the rest of the display through the end of this month. Thanks to the Stephens Archives for providing this service.)

Stephens College, along with most of white America, was not prepared for the civil rights movement, whose key initial goal was racially-integrated education. In its racial policies Stephens never led. Rather, both in excluding and finally accepting African American students, it followed local community standards in a city and state which were culturally southern. Stephens College’s reluctance to change also reflected the wishes of some alumnae. Not until the early 1960s did the college begin to admit African American and other non-Caucasian students. By then the Columbia public schools and some other local institutions had made significant progress toward integration.

Dr. Isaac Crosby, a professor in the Religion and Philosophy Department from January, 1972, to January, 1983, and the teacher of the Searcy Hall House Plan’s philosophy course, helped to create a commitment at Stephens to racial justice. Born in Bay Springs, Miss., in 1936, Ike Crosby grew up in a white-controlled South which still irrationally defended its system of racial exclusion required by law, and its official toleration of – and in some localities instigation of – racial violence. A deeply-committed Christian who earned several degrees, including the Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va., Dr. Crosby did not hesitate to criticize his own Presbyterian Church when it failed to live up to its own most exalted beliefs. Before coming to Stephens, Dr. Crosby served as an assistant chaplain at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and as minister at Faith Presbyterian Church in Pine Bluff, Ark., among other positions.

In a 1982 article published in the Presbyterian Survey, Dr. Crosby reflected on the meaning of verses 1-2, chapter 12, of the Book of Romans:

It should be clear from this Scripture that Christianity is not synonymous with the American way of life . . . . to be a Christian is not the same as being a well-adjusted person wearing a big smile. In fact, one may conclude from this Scripture that the Christian who avoids conformity is more likely to be a maladjusted person, one who never adjusts to the world or to a church which patterns its life on models of discrimination and injustice.

These were the words of a self-described heretic who expected change from his employer as well as from his religious denomination. Along with other Stephens’ faculty, students, and administrators, most of whom were not African American, Dr. Crosby insisted that excellence in higher education meant more than strong departments, a well-trained faculty, and an attractive, functional campus. In the late 20th century, he believed, excellence at Stephens College meant more than being a nationally-prominent women’s college that was sensitive to gender issues. Ike Crosby continually reminded us that Stephens College would not reach its full potential as a learning community until it passionately embraced racial justice, both in its own institutional life and in the wider society, as a desirable and attainable goal.

Late in 1980, as his career at this college and in national academic and religious circles flourished, doctors informed Dr. Crosby that he had developed bone cancer. During the months which followed he showed his family, professional colleagues, and students no less than they expected from him: courage, an amazing love for those around him, and a buoyant optimism rooted in faith. Isaac Crosby died on Jan. 23, 1983. This Stephens College man poured purpose and meaning into every moment of his time at this institution. Dr. Crosby modeled the life worth living, a priceless gift that endures.

Student Notices
FAFSA Deadline: One Week to Go
There’s only one week until the FAFSA priority deadline! You should have received important FAFSA information in your campus box last week. Your 2010-2011 FAFSA must be completed by March 1, so you get the most financial aid available (work study, free federal money, loans, Stephens grants, etc.) next year. Aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis!

Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov to complete the FAFSA now. If you need help or have questions, please contact the Financial Aid office at finaid@stephens.edu or in Room 216 in LRW.