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FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 1981
BENNETT COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N. 0.
VOL. XLII, NO. 7
Student government anticipates serious changes
Linda Anderson, appointed president of SGA, anticipates changes for
the remainder of the school year.
(Photo by Davis)
Shelly J. Coston
The SGA here at Bennett an
ticipates many changes for the
remaining academic year.
Linda Anderson, a senior Eng
lish major and appointed presi
dent for the SGA, feels the biggest
change will be to let the adminis
tration know that the SGA as an
organization is very serious about
the future plans. “We want to be
taken seriously and are anxious
for the administration, on the ex
ecutive level, to respond,” she
adds. Anderson explained that the
SGA is willing to work with the
administration and that it should
be understood that all decisions
and actions will be based on sound
judgement, which considers the
Addo co-authors book
Linda Anderson
Mrs. Linda Addo, professor of
History at Bennett, recently co
authored a book titled, To Be
Faithjul to Our Heritage: A His
tory of Black United Methodisvi
in North Carolina. The book re
flects a history of the progress
and achievements made by black
United Methodists in North Car
olina. As the Western North Car
olina Annual Commission on
Archives and History met during
the 1976-80 session, it was decided
that such a book might be a useful
resource.
Heads of the WNC and North
Carolina Conferences commis
sioned the publication of the book
and the research was begun. Real
izing the need to incorporate so
cial, economic, political and cul
tural aspects with the background
materials, Mrs. Addo was chosen
as the historian and co-author.
The book traces the interaction
and involvement of Blacks in
Methodism from its conception in
the state of North Carolina. There
is also information credited to the
founding and development of Ben
nett College. Copies of the book
are $10.00 ($11.00 by mail) and
may be obtained by contacting the
commissions on archives and his
tory of either conference.
Pres. Miller delivers Opening of College Address
President Isaac H. Miller, Jr.
delivered his second semester state
of the college address during the
Opening Convocation on January
22, in the Annie Merner Pfeiffer
Chapel.
Miller said that because we are
living in a time of “change and
upheaval in our society,” he de
cided to speak on the topic of
“Black Colleges Living With New
Realities.” Some of these realities.
he said, are the dependency of
black schools on federal support
for post-secondary programs, cuts
of many social programs that are
a mainstay of many, ethnic groups
competing and challenging the
gains of other ethnic groups,
and black colleges in competition
with non-minority institutions for
teachers as well as students.
To the students he said, “College
is not a place ... to take a winter
Black history recognized by Fed. gov’t
Jackie Jeffers
Each year during Black History
month the Federal Government
recognizes the achievements, past
and present, of Black Americans.
Through executive mandate those
agencies and their activities which
comprise the federal work-force
are charged with participation in
programs for recognition of the
Black contributions in society.
The Department of the Treasury
and the Internal Revenue Service
has as its theme this year, “Black
History; Role Model for Youth.”
The Greensboro District Office
of IRS in conjunction with the
Career Placement services of Ben
nett College will sponsor a career
seminar on February 18, 1981 on
the campus.
Role Models for the seminar
will be four women employees
from the Greensboro District IRS
Office who have achieved success
and recognition in the field of tax
administration. They will share
with students the avenues used in
attaining their current positions
and be prepared to field questions
from the audience.
The Role Models who will visit
Bennett College are Mrs. Letitia
Johnson, Internal Revenue Agent
(Review Staff), Ms. Gwendolyn
Pearson, Labor Relations Special
ists (Personnel Branch), Ms.
Mamie Okeke, Group Manager
(Excise and Employment Tax
Staff), and Ms. Edwina Wilson,
Attorney (District Counsel Staff).
This program will be held in the
Pfeiffer Science Assembly on Feb.
18th, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. This
seminar has been designated as
an A.C.E.S. and is sponsored by
the Career Services Center.
Ms. Linda Anderson, President
of the S.G.A. will be the moderator
for this program.
Course offered
A two (2) week mini course
offered January 19-30, 1981 and
titled “Managing, Investing and
Saving $$ in the 1980’s,” featured
financial specialists who assisted
students in understanding the
management of personal assets.
Consultants appearing were:
Mr. Albert S. Webb, Executive
Vice-President, American Federal
Savings and Loan Association;
Mrs. Carol H. Raines, Office Man
ager, Carlyles, Carolina Circle;
Miss Paulette Murray, Office
Manager, North Carolina Mutual
Insurance; Mr. B. L. Amsberry,
Treasury Department, United
States Savings Bonds Division;
Miss Edith Conrad, Broker, Mer
rill, Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and
Smith Inc.; Mrs. Ann L. Davis,
Owner, Anniques Antique Fash
ions; Mr. James Scarlette, Busi
ness Manager, Bennett College;
Mr. J. Kenneth Lee, Attorney, Lee
and Johnson Attorneys.
The course ended on a high note
with the presentation of a skit
titled, “To Tell The Economical
Truth” by Senior Home Economics
Majors. The original skit was pre
sented at the Annual Meeting of
the North Carolina Home Eco
nomics Association in Fayetteville,
North Carolina during their
November meeting by the Seniors.
vacation” or to squander tuition
by not attending class. Teachers,
he advised, “must re-establish
themselves as mentors.” Bennett,
and other institutions like it, he
contended, has an environment
that may be inhospitable and con
tradictory. Its success, he said,
would be measured by “what it
has done to improve the aware
ness, astuteness, and competitive
ness” of its students.
Society, he said, has a tendency
towards “name calling, scape
goating, and finger pointing. On
the other hand, there’s a great
tendency for us to fold our hands
and acquiese.” As long as these
tendencies exist, he stated, black
schools will “continue to live with
a legacy of presumed inferiority.”
Quoting statistics. Miller stated
that more than 50% of today’s
black graduates come from black
schools. Another “disquieting sta
tistic,” however, is that only three
out of ten black students in non
minority institutions graduate.
These statistics prove, he main
tained, that the non-minority in
stitutions are not philosophically
prepared to provide quality edu
cation for black students.
Miller said that “New variables
and new circumstances create new
demands. From one end of the
spectrum with students to the
other end with the president and
somewhere in between with the
faculty and staff, we must all be
aware that there is never such a
thing as ‘business as usual.’ We
must all prepare for revolutionary
and unprecedented creativity.”
He concluded that the state of
the college is “stable and healthy,”
although if we “go to sleep and
fail to be aware of the problems
alluded to,” anything could hap
pen. “The future is in our hands,”
he said.
Also on the program was the
college choir, the college organist,
Susan M. Smith, reading the
scripture lesson; Jeanette M.
Hatch, who led the litany; and
the president. The convocation,
Linda Anderson, who presented
which began at 10:00 a.m., ended
with the singing of the Alma
Mater.
Bennett that was, the Bennett that
is, and the Bennett to come.
The SGA members are fed up
with the stagnation and apathetic
attitude present on Bennett’s col
lege. “Another goal is to unify the
student body. We want the admin
istration to recognize the student
body as a functioning entity of
the school,” says Anderson.
Many feel that the student
body’s decision to boycott classes
in favor of King’s birthday is a
positive step towards the SGA’s
goals. “I am really pleased with
the turn-out for the recognition
of Martin Luther King. These ac
tions are the first signs to the
administration that the student
body can be, and is, a powerful
entity on campus,” responds
Anderson.
The decision to boycott classes
wasn’t handed down by the SGA,
but agreed upon by the student
body. Once the decision was made,
as the elected leadership on cam
pus, the SGA had to take the
forefront, regardless of the out
come, in organizing and directing
the activities recognizing King’s
birthday.
At present the SGA is operat
ing without either a vice-president
or a special assistant to the pres
ident. “The cabinet functions as
one, and very well. We all have
equal input, althoug,h there have
been incidents when I have had
to make the ultimate decision,”
says Anderson.
A.C.E.S. held
The annual service of remem
brance for David D. Jones, pres
ident of Bennett College (1926-
1955) was held Sunday, January
18 in Annie Merner Pfeiffer
Chapel, with Dr. Isaac H. Miller
presiding.
Professor C. Eric Lincoln, Pro
fessor of Religiion and Culture at
Duke University, Durham, N. C.,
was the guest speaker.
Lincoln spoke of black Ameri
cans’ failure to utilize their free
dom, liberty and justice, and said
that they are ignorant about the
rights they are entitled to. Lincoln
also said that Bennett women
should do the best they can in
everything they do.
Lincoln, who has earned five
academic degrees, is the author
of several publications and the
editor of seven publications.
On Jan. 29, Rev. Leontine T.
Kelly, minister of Asbury Hill, the
leading Methodist Church in Vir
ginia, was the guest speaker for
the convocation sponsored by Mrs.
Anderson, director of the coun
seling center.
Rev. Kelly is the founder and
operator of CHUM, a program
geered to black youths in Rich
mond. The purpose of the program
is to motivate black youths to
excell in school and to enter col
lege. Besides being the motivating
factor for many. Rev. Kelly is also
a member of the General Council
for the United Methodist Church,
as well as a delegate to the Na
tional General Conference.
While on campus, Rev. Kelly
will also speak during the Human
Sexuality mini-course.
New Lyceum grading system adopted
Denise Wilder
Recently Dean Harold E. Bragg,
Dean of Student Affairs, relieved
Computer Center personnel of one
of their duties, recording ACES
grades.
Bragg pointed out many disad
vantages of using the computer to
record the ACES grades. The com
puter, according to Bragg, fol
lowed the direct instructions of its
operator (s). The operator (s), for
some unexplained reason, did not
pick up excused absences acquired
through Dean Bragg’s office.
Therefore many students received
failing grades. Married students
who were excused from ACES
were penalized by the computer.
Other students who worked or ex
perienced similar conflicts were
also penalized by the computer.
Dean Bragg recognized that this
system of using the computer did
not work in the best interest of
the students and his office as
sumed the responsibility of re
cording ACES grades.
With this new system worked
out by the Student Affairs Office
any student who can not attend
an ACES program is allowed to
present a valid reason why she
is unable to attend the ACES to
the Student Affairs Office. She is
given consideration and may be
excused without being penalized,
but she will be given an alternate
assignment. Dean Bragg says, “We
try to be as fair as we can with
the ACES program.”
Bragg thinks very highly of the
new system. “It works in the in
terest of the students,” says BVagg.
Incidentally, he signs each card
individually to make sure there
are no mistakes and records each
student’s attendance under the
labeled column of each ACES
program. All of this, says Bragg,
is done by hand.
This past semester was the first
time this new system was put into
effect and, if you noticed, your
ACES grade was not recorded. “I
will take responsibility for the
grades not being recorded on the
grade reports,” says Bragg. “I just
didn’t get them all signed in time
to have them run on the grade
reports, but they were recorded
on your cumulative records,” he
explains.
Bragg also explains that any
student who is in doubt about her
past semester grade may stop by
his office to inquire. “We not only
have the total number of programs
in attendance but we also have
the specific programs labeled,”
says Bragg.
The results may not be reached
as fast with the new system
(manually) as opposed to the pre
vious system (computer), but
Bragg is confident that the new
system is a better way. It, he
believes, works in the best interest
of the students.
Letters to the Editor Page 2
Editorials Page 2
President’s Corner Page 3
Sports Page 4