Describing herself as a 22-year-old "African-American and Mohegan indian womyn," Praileau wrote that she had decided to wage a one-woman fight against racism at thc university. She told her readers in cyberspace that she was going on a hunger strike and would subsist on juice and water.

Praileau wrote she was appalled by the death threats received by three black women on campus and was dismayed by the school´s failure to act on the concerns of minority students. For their part, university officials labeled Praileau´s views as "separatist," saying she represented a small percentage of minority students. They said they acted appropriately after the threats, calling for an investigation and condemning the racism. They offered her medical assistance during the hunger strike. "Our goal must be one of inclusion and community building," Thomas Salmon, the university´s president, wrote to trustees last month. "Not one of further fragmentation." Praileau, a psychology major who weighcd 134 pounds in December declined the university´s offer of assistance.

"This hunger strike is not about Shontae," said Kathy Lubon, a white sophomore from Cincinnati. "What this is about is one more step in the long struggle against racism." Now four dress sizes smaller and 22 pounds lighter, Praileau stood before a packed audience Wednesday and announced that she was ending her strike. She said she was satisfied that her food deprivation, which had been eased by a nutritional supplement, had not been in vain. Praileau said the size of thc crowd made it clear the students had been mobilized. At the same time, another student announced he would begin a solidarity fast last Thursday, eating only every fourth day.

"For the white people who are here, I hope this isn´t a Band-aid moment, a Hall mark card moment, where you go hug me and pat me on the back and then assassinate my brothers and sisters," Praileau told her supporters...This is a war."

Minorities had a similar siege mentality when Praileau came to the campus in 1991. That year, students took over the administration building and went on hunger strikes. In response, the school attemped to diversify its curliculum, faculty and student body. The university has implemented a minority studies program, as well as made efforts to recruit more minorities to campus. Officials said that this year the number of minority applicants had doubled from the previous year.

"As far as I know, this institution under my tenure has done nothing wrong, in fact, we´ve done many things right," Salmon said. "That doesn´t square with a small group on this campus, and they´re entitled to that view."

Last year, 4.6 percent of students were minorities, down from 5 percent in 1991. Of the faculty on the tenure track, 6 percent were minorities in 1995, compared with 5.4 percent in 1991.

Among the grievances made by Praileau and other minority students was the firing of a popular director of the Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs, allegedly for financial mismanagement. They were also outraged when a new director was hired with out their approval. Then a commission, established to address diversity issues, was abruptly disbanded.

In the 62 days that she fasted Praileau attended classes and slowly gained widespread support. Her messages and university responses ,were distributed over the Internet, and encouragement poured in from as far away as India. At times, it appeared that more people off campus ,than on knew about Praileau´s protest. A group of students and staff who described themselves as the "White Allies" organized two rallies on her behalf. One was held in front of Salmon´s house.

Fifteen days into the protest, Praileau issued to the university a list of demands to be met before she would eat. Among them was replacing the chief of multicultulal affairs and adopting an ALANA (Asian Latin American and Native American students) Bill of Rights. The bill would, in part, require administrators to undergo antiracism training and ensure that the student body matches the racial demographics of the nation.

University officials said they telephoned Praileau repeatedly during her hunger strike and Salmon offered to meet with her. But Praileau refused to see him without a mediator. She stopped using the university health clinic due to suspicions that her confidentiality was being violated.

Although the university never acquiesced, Praileau claimed a moral victory. At midnight on Thursday, she ate a bowl of rice.

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