The Black Student Caucus of Grant Towers South met Thursday night to discuss ways of stopping violence at NIU dances.

Kelli Hinton, Resident Assistant adviser for the BSC, said the meeting was set up to get input from students on what steps need to be taken to solve the fighting problems at dances held at NIU.

“We don’t pay money to come to these parties and duck fights all night,” said BSC President Nyree Ford.

Many students said they wanted security beefed up and some

suggested cancelling the parties altogether, which caused most students to object.

“Without the parties there isn’t much for us to do in these cornfields,” said Willie Fowler, president of the Black Graduate Student Association.

Fowler said the dances and functions provide a vital social need for blacks at NIU. Fowler also said the functions provide more security than off-campus parties.

“If we cancel the parties we’ll have the same problems off- campus,” Fowler said. “They think they have a problem now—wait until they try to cancel them.”

A large portion of the evening was devoted to discussing the problem of guests of NIU students coming up and causing problems. Questions were raised about banning outsiders from

NIU dances.

“That’s unfair. Some people here start the fights. How are you supposed to single out who does what,” said BSC member Steve Clark.

Hinton also said she isn’t satisfied with the coverage of violence at black greek functions or the policing. Hinton said there are also many unreported problems on Greek Row.

“While the police are manning parties at the student center, who’s manning Greek Row?” Hinton said.

She produced some figures which show, among other things, 55 batteries that have taken place on Greek Row since August.

Fowler said that when NIU fraternity Omega Psi Phi used its own security there were no problems. NIU took over security this semester.