PAGE FOUR
THE BENNETT BANNER
Friday, February 28, 1986
by Carla I?annister
How often is it that
Greensboro students can get
together in the coffeehouse
and discuss the Soviet and
U.S. relationship? On a cold
rainy Thursday, Feb. 6, the
Political Science Club hosted
a forum sponsored by the
National Conference of Chris
tiana and Jews.
The speaker was Dr. Robert
Lickliter, a UNCG research
associate in psychology. A
short video, discussion groups
and a box lunch were the
activities of this forum.
Sophomore Janice Smith, a
member of the Political Sci
ence Club, enjoyed the expei--
ience. “Although there was a
definite lack of participation
on the students’ part,” said
Smith. “I think the Kaleidos
cope program went off well.
1 met a lot of interesting
people and heard their views
and ideas on the U.S.-Soviet
relationship. I found the pro
gram very enlightening and
my once critical outlook on
the Soviet Union isn’t as one
sided any more.”
One instructor, who does
not want to be identified, be
lieved that the forum was “a
good experience for students,
and it exposes them to several
ideas outside of the classroom
setting.”
The program included a
video tape, “The Soviets:
What Is The Conflict About?”
In addition, there were three
discussion groups , w’hich
talked and tried to shift their
view of the Soviet Union.
Dr. Dorinda I). Trader said
that she wanted to increase
her respect for the Soviets.
Ti-ader said, “Who am I to
say that we’re better than
them? Their system should
be given respect.”
Beth Conright, an instruc
tor at Greensboro Technical
Community College, visited
Russia. She said the Soviets
were like Americans. Con-
right said that the Soviets
were friendly towards Ameri
can tourists and her trip
opened her views obout them.
She saw that the American
and Russian definition of
freedom differ. Conright said
that “even though the govern
ment took care of the people,
they still didn’t seem as free
as they should be.”
Dr. Isaac H. Miller Jr. said
that he was glad that the
forum took place because he’s
“aware that in many ways
our perspective in life is re
lated to the U.S. and Soviet
nations.” Miller said that we
need to keep in mind the song
“Let There Be Peace On
Earth,” “and let it begin with
me.”
Miller also pointed out,
“College students must have
a perspective on the world
scene and you need to be a
global person.”
Efficiency characterizes
by Laura Nelson
She is one of the movers and
shakers and one who adds flair
to anything she is involved in.
Anna Sumpter, a prelaw major
and sophomore class president, is
articulate and dynamic and turns
those words into action as she
performs her roles as scholar,
Belle and class officer.
“I saw a lot of changes that
needed to be done and felt I was
the one to do it, along with the
help of the board members,” she
says. She has worked to change
negative attitudes on campus.
Sumpter becomes serious as she
talks about her role as president
of the sophomore class. Some of
her projects include a sophomore
class party for South Africa and
a Blow Pop sale which was a
fundraiser for the class treasury
and Miss Sophomore.
Sumpter plans to run for other
offices even though she is not sure
which. “I’ll definitely run,” she
says and adds “I still see things
that need to be changed. I’ll try to
change them in my years here.”
Sumpter’s dreams are an ex
pression of her dedication to hard
work: “I want to have a law firm
in a major city like Washington,
D.C., Chicago or New York with
one black female partner and a
male secretary.” She wants to
start a referral system for her
present and fluture Bennett
sisters.
Sumpter says, “My door is
always open,” and likes for people
to remember “my smile and the
words I have to offer.” As she
attempts to describe herself,
Sumpter is overcome with her
mischievous wit and begins to
call out numerous adjectives,
. . and friendly, funny and out
rageous.” She quickly regains her
composure and says she is stud
ious, conservative and funny.
Sumpter joined the Young En
trepreneurs, the organization
which keeps her aware of what is
going on in the business world.
class president
She attended a business high
school in the Wall Street district
of New York City.
Sumpter specialized in legal
studies and secretarial science.
She says, “I chose that school be
cause I had thought of makmg
business my major and it opened
up a lot of doors for me,” such
as a student internship at Chase
Manhattan Bank and visits to
various courts in New York.
Always finding the wit in any
situation, Sumpter says she liked
the school’s atmosphere and re
members “the school was across
from the police plaza, so you
know there weren’t very many
fights.”
Even Sumpter’s hobbies and
interests display her flair. She
likes to travel and wants to go to
China someday. “1 like putting
on different accents—Jamaican,
Spanish, English—it’s fun to
change my voice,” she explains.
Sumpter, emphasizing aerobics,
says “1 like sports; I like to be
healthy.”
Sumpter stresses the signific
ance of tradition. “You shouldn t
keep traditions within yourself,
but share them with other people;
everyone should know of your
t’'aditions.” Sumpter says tradi
tions are very important to her
family. As she speaks of her
family, there are small jokes
made but she becomes serious
and softens as she says, “I think
they brought me up well—pretty
good—I’m a Bennett Belle.” She
makes the last statement as if it
was the final evidence that her
parents had done a good job of
raising her.
Sumpter would like to contri
bute to the world “a message of
peace, pride and togetherness.”
Yet as she contemplates the ques
tion of what she would like to
contribute, Sumpter decides there
is a saying that describes how she
feels—. . All 1 can do is accom
plish as much as I can. I cannot
change the system, but I can suc-
creed and excel despite it ”
Anorexia can be a killer
Some medical experts believe
anorexia and bulimia (A-B) are
rapidly reaching epidemic propor
tions. It is estimated that anorexia
now strikes more than one of
every 100 teenage girls and young
women. One of five college wom
en develop bulimia.
In addition, anorexia nervosa
is the most lethal of psychiatric
illnesses, killing 5 to 10 percent
of its victims.
Dr. W. J. Kenneth Rockwell,
director of the Anorexia Nervosa/
Bulimia Treatment Program at
Duke University Medical Center,
said anorexics and bulimics are
preoccupied with food and share
an irrational fear of being fat.
Anorexia is characterized by a
dramatic weight loss from contin
uous self-starvation or from severe
self-imposed dieting. Bulimia is
characterized by binging and
purging, accompanied by frequent
weight fluctuations rather than
profound continuous weight loss.
“A 10 pound weight fluctuation
over a few days is a characteris
tic of bulimia,” Rockwell said.
“But they (bulimics) will rarely
lose more than 25 percent of their
normal weight.”
Rockwell said victims of A-B
are mostly upper-middle class,
white, adolescent females.
“They seem to be overly ambi
tious, the overachievers, the over
protected, the over this and over
that,” Rockwell said. However,
recent research indicates that the
problem cuts across socioecono
mic, racial, age and intellectual
boundaries.
Although no one knows the
exact cause of anorexia nervosa
or bulimia, social and psychologi
cal factors are generally consid
ered the root of the problem. The
dynamics of parental and sibling
relationships may often play a
role, Rockwell said. “Treatment
often involves family work,” he
said.
Individuals with A-B frequently
report feelings of failure and iso
lation. Their low self-esteem may
puzzle family and friends because
they are often quite successful in
school.
However, for many A-B vic
tims, their drive to achieve comes
not from the satisfaction of ac
complishment, but from the over
whelming fear that they may fail
or be rejected.
In today’s society, where beauty
is equated with being thin, many
A-B victims are convinced they
would be more acceptable if only
they could lose more weight.
A-B can occur at any age, but
young people are more suscep
tible when they are contemplat
ing a move or if they just moved
away from home. Other major
stresses or life changes, such as
a broken love relationship or the
divorce of parents, can also trigger
the sicknesses.
“Bulimia is a response to
stress,” Rockwell said. He said
bulimia is more pronounced at
stressful times, such as during
college exam time.
Rockwell said bulimics may eat
as many as 40,000 to 55,000 calor
ies in one sitting and then vomit.
“We don’t know why, but it seems
that if they feel they have had
one bite too many during a nor
mal meal, then they feel they
must go ahead and keep eating,”
Rockwell said.
After the vomiting, bulimics
feel some relief of tension, Rock
well said. “But then self-loathing
sets in,” he said.
Conversely, anorexics rarely
feel any remorse about self-star
vation. “They get off on it,” Rock
well said.
Symptoms of A-B patients vary
from one individual to another,
but some are usually present in
cluding:
• Extreme weight change. In
anorexics, severe weight reduc
tion; in bulimics, severe weight
fluctuation.
• Hypothermia. Extreme weight
loss reduces the body’s ability to
maintain heat so A-B patients
will often complain of being
chilled.
• Insomnia. Routine sleeping
patterns are disrupted by A-B,
• Constipation, The intestinal
tract is often disturbed by the
failure to take in or retain suffi
cient food and fluid.
• Skin rash and dry skin. Body
dehydration and associated prob
lems will result in skin deterio
ration.
• Loss of hair and impaired nail
quality caused by protein defici
encies.
• Dental caries and periodontal
disease. The nutritional deficien
cies in A-B, together with vomit
ing, adversely affect the teeth and
tissues of the mouth.
« Cessation of the menstrual
cycle. A-B usually reduces the
female hormone levels.
Historical medical records in
dicate that anorexia nervosa and
bulimia are centuries-old eating
disorders. But their prevalence in
this country in this decade is un
paralleled in medical history.
( (
You need to be a global person
Summit succeeds
American media stereotypes African life
a column
by Omotayo Otoki
I have had two semesters of
public speaking courses, but noth
ing compared to what I had to
face in my television and radio
announcing class at UNC-G. My
instructor is Lee Kinard, an an
nouncer at WFMY-TV.
He gave each student a different
topic so I decided to talk about
my country. This was my first
time to sit in front of about 35
students, 30 of them white. For
a few seconds, I lost my breath
but, the thought of shedding some
light on my country awakened
me. I was ready to talk my heart
out.
The American media always
portrays Nigeria, or should I say
Africa, as a land of barbarians
where people do not wear any
clothes or shoes and live in the
forest with the animals. This is
not so at all. Africa is noted as
one of the leading developing
continents in the world. The
people are civilized.
Though we have political un
rest, we certainly have plenty to
offer tourists around the world
in the area of social attractions
and heritage. Africans do not pass
judgment on Americans before
we learn about their country.
This important point has put a
question in my mind for some
time. Are Americans ignorant to
foreign issues due to their media
or is it just a matter of indiffer
ence? The class has not come up
with a sufficient answer yet.
My instructor asked me whether
I feel what America has is worth
having. I answered that America
might not realize this but what
it has is something to be grateful
for.
In Nigeria, we do not have
segregation, and everybody lives
in an environment he or she can
afford. This brings mo to Niger
ian men. Marrying more than one
wife is customary in my country.
This depends on whether or not
the man can afford more than
one marriage. Unfortunately, some
of these marriages take place out
of greed and ego. I also talked
about famine which is a problem
facing all countries instead of
just Africa or Ethiopia as the
American media seems to think.
Big Meeting in Miami
The United Negro College Fund Conference was held in Miami, Fla., Feb. 6-9.
It involved 43 privately operated colleges or universities.
The purpose was to allow each school to report on its activities on behalf of
UNCF, to make plans for the next year and to better acquaint student represen
tatives' with the functions of pre-alumni councils.
Mrs Ellease Colston, director of pre-alumnae affairs here, was reelected trea
surer for the National Alumni Council Board of Directors. Clara V. Bernette
served as member-at-large officer for the college.
Penny Hill, Miss Bennett, was chosen as Bennett’s Miss UNCF. Other Belles
attending the conference were Josefa Bethea and Vicky Dunn, SGA officers;
Sharon Highsmith, Stacey Goode, Monica Johnson, Valerie Reid, Constance
Blackwell Da-Nah Muhammad, and Pamela Douglas, representatives of the rre-
Alumnae Council; and Monica Basil and Anna Lisa Sumpter, freshman and sop
homore class presidents.
Senior Constance Blackwell gave up her title as eastern regional director. Mr.
James Burt, director of institutional advancement, also attended.
The Pre-Alumnae Council plans to get students more involved so that it can
increase attendance at the next year’s conference to be held in Atlanta.
(Anna Lisa Sumpter)
Women’s March
Members of the Greensboro chapter of the National Organization for Women
and other interested citizens who support reproductive rights will travel to Wash
ington, D.C. on March 9 for the “March for Women’s Lives,” organized nationally
by NOW.
The march will demonstrate that large numbers of people support safe, legal
abortion and birth control. Participants will meet and load buses at 1 a.m. in the
Four Seasons parking lot near the movie theatres. The buses will arrive in D.C.
in time for the 10 a.m. rally on the mall w'here an estimated 250,000 people are
expected to gather.
The activities will then move to the Lincoln Memorial where speakers such as
NOW President Eleanor Smeal will address the group. By 4 p.m., Greensboro
buses will head home and should arrive back at the Four Seasons parking lot by
10 p.m.
Those interested in joining the Greensboro NOW chapter for the trip should
contact Maura Fallon (288-7184) during the day or Pam Leary Valadez (852-
7168) in the evening for further information. Tickets for the trip will cost $35.
Reservations must be made by Feb. 28.
(Jackie Blount)