PAGE TWO
THE BENNETT BANNER
FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 1987
Complaints can’t earn you a degree
Is a women’s college better for us than a two-gender school? Remember for
a moment, August of your freshman yeear, the first month of your stay at Ben
nett. For most of us, that was the first home-away-from-home experience. How
did we conduct ourselves? Some of us partied hardy, a few of us studied hard
and a lot of us, out of culture shock, didn’t know how to act. Friendships were
on a rollercoaster ride.
Some of us loved Bennett and being away from the pressures of home. Out
of home sickness, a lot of us ran up high phone-bills and gave our parents and
friends (not to mention boyfriends) much more mail to read.
Things settled down as time went on and we began to notice the chipping
paint, the unnattractive bathrooms, the utility problems and either too much
or too little heat. Then the question arose: “Why did I come here?”
For starters, what were the reasons for you to come here in the first place?
The all-woman atmosphere? The smallness of the campus and student popula
tion? The emphasis on the education of black women? Because your mother or
some other relative went here?
It is hard for a lot of us to look beyond the college’s physical and recrea
tional problems. But one has to do this in order to benefit most from Bennett.
From the standpoint of Bennett itself, the college is successful in developing our
talents in a much less competitive atmosphere that that at a co-cd school.
This is important to us who have come from larger and more integrated
cities and high schools. Those of us from smaller, more isolated regions have
the opportunity to expand and discover our talents at Bennett. The surround
ing colleges offer even more expansion of ourselves with the consortium.
Thanks to this, we can take some classes at other colleges if needed or if we
just want to.
So which is more important? Complaining about the college’s physical prob
lems? The food? The administration? Or is taking advantage of the benefits
and opportunities of Bennett more important to you?
After all, complaints and gossip don’t earn a college degree.
(Tish Richmond)
Obsession with a man makes for misery
Have you ever seen a woman so obsessed with a man that she talks con
stantly about him? Have you had a friend that centers her whole life around
making her man happy? Are you the type of person to let your boyfriend control
you by using you day after day while you sit suffering?
Obsessive behaviour is a disease. According to the book Women Who Love
Too Much by therapist Robin Norwood, “Obsession has its roots in low self
esteem, but most often a destructive relationship also resembles a situation or
relationship a woman has experienced in childhood.” A woman who loves obses-
sesively puts her happiness on the back burner just as she was taught at a
young age.
This is a disease just like alcoholism. It happens when the woman tries to
make up for what went wrong in her childhood. Some obsessive women actually
believe that making a man happy will make their lives more complete. Norwood
said, “A woman thinks that if she can fix all the wrong things in a man’s life
then she can be happy.” So the woman tries hard, using all her energy to satisfy
a man. Norwood says, that because an obsessive woman does not want to take on
the responsibility for the pain and suffering in her life, she thinks that having
a man who needs her more than she needs him makes her forget her problems.
Remember you are not responsible for anyone’s happiness but your own.
If you are living to make your man happy or even if you’re trying to change him
into someone else, you are doing it in vain. Because if men won’t change for
themselves, what makes you think they will change just for you?
Please take a look at yourselves and if you are clinging to a man and
waiting for him to change, think about how much energy you are wasting.
Please use your energy wisely and make your own happiness for yourself. Al
low yourself the best and don’t try to change anyone but yourself. If you feel
tied down to a relationship that has caused you more heartache than happi
ness, drop that relationship and seek a more positive relationship.
Expand your horizons and grow with a person. Always remember that if
you’re not happy in a relationship, please get out. Only in a positive relation
ship should you constantly work. (Carla Bannister)
Shades of Hitchcock
The bird blitz
a column
by Crystal Sadler
The birds, I remember the day
they came back. It was November
24, 1986, around 6:50 a.m. The
dorm was hot and muggy, but
outside the ground was damp and
the air chilly. I heard them chirp
ing in an unmusical chorus; then
I heard the beating of wings, and
from my bed I looked out the
window and watched the birds,
thousands swarming through the
sky.
Last year we had a terrible
bird problem. In the two years I
had been here, I had never seen
anything like it. It reminded me
of Alfred Hitchcock’s movie “The
Birds,” in which flocks of birds
descended on a peaceful seaside
town. The birds were just multi
tudinous at first, but somewhere
along the line due to human
error, they began attacking the
inhabitants of the town. An avid
fan of Hitchcock, I had seen this
movie a number of times, and
when I first saw these scores of
birds I was more than a little
wary.
As the winter months con
tinued, the birds began to be more
than just an intimidating force on
the campus. They began to be a
nuisance. These animals left drop
pings everywhere. It was necessary
to cross the campus at night with
an umbrella to avoid being de
fecated on by birds. I remember
one path was so slick with drop
pings that one could easily skate
across it.
Then there was the incessant
chattering of the birds. Those of
us living in Cone or Player really
didn’t have the problem in the
trees surrounding us, but the
young women who lived in Barge,
Pfeiffer and Merner had to en
dure this chirping and chattering
every dawn and every twilight
of the day. It became sickening.
The birds were using Bennett
College trees as their private
bird motel. Unlike the Bates motel
of “Psycho” fame, these motels
were filled to the maximum and
still claimed there were vacancies.
Not only were birds a problem
for the humans, but also for our
squirrels. With the proliferation
of the birds, I noticed a marked
decrease in our squirrel popula
tion. How could a squirrel inhabit
his home when birds had seized
it from him instead of sharing
it with him?
I hope those birds were just
passing, and Bennett never has to
worry about the bird problem
again, and if we do I hop>e it is
a problem that is “nipped in the
bud” before it becomes uncon
trollable.
But this morning, I did see two
large flocks of birds, chattering
as they skimmed through the sky,
their beating wings echoing in my
mind like a drum of doom. I only
hope they were flying south,
farther south than North Carolina,
and not planning another rest stop
at the Bennett Bird Motel.
ftne tlJia nn^
Editor Carla Bannister
Associate Editors Shonna Luten, Laura Nelson, Bernice Scott
Columnists Tricia Hairston, Tish Richmond
Reporters Kimberly Eatmon, Megan Harris, Karen Horne,
Catrena Jordan, Tammy Reed
Faculty Advisers Mr. Michael Gaspeny, Dr. Martha Gleaton
With special thanks to Ms. Sallie A. Hayes
Opinions expressed in columns and letters to the editor belong to
their authors, not to the staff of the Banner, whose ideas appear in the
editorials at the top of this page.
Send letters to the editor to Box 2, campus post office. All corres
pondence must bear a handwritten signature and must be acknowledged
by the author. Letters are subject to editing according to newspaper
style and demands of space. No anonymous letters will be published.
Choir at Kennedy Center
a column
by Shelly Ann Middleton
I’m the type of person who likes
to experience life through adven
ture. So when the opportunity to
join the Bennett College Choir
presented itself, I jumped at the
chance and succeeded in becom
ing a member. I did not realize,
however, what was ahead of me.
The choir consists of very
talented young woman and is
directed by Dr. Charlotte Alston
who is the Maria Von Trapp of
the group. I joined the choir in
the early part of February, and
I rehearsed religiously for the up
coming tour. In my mind, touring
would be like touring with the
Performing Arts Company here
at Bennett. The only difference
was that traveling with the choir
during my spring break would
prove to be a little more tiring
than the weekend travels with
PAC. This year we covered the
East coast and we made a stop
in Niagara Falls, Canada, which
was very exciting.
My sudden hunger for adven
ture did not prepare me for Dr.
Alston’s announcement of our
special appearance at the Kennedy
Center in Washington. The Diva
Foundation’s presentation of “The
Night Of The Divas” was to in
clude such greats as Nancy Wil
son, Clamma Dale, Shirley Caesar
and many others. The choir was
to play a small role during the
program and add to the splendor
in the grand finale. I was so ner
vous I thought I would regurgi
tate bricks. Then one of my favo
rite phrases of wisdom came to
mind, “Be careful of what you
pray for, you might get it.”
It seems that we all got it this
time. I forgot my own state of
pandemonium for a moment and
became mindful of Dr. Alston.
I’ll never forget the look on her
face as she entered the majestic
Kennedy Center. I watched her
face, and I saw a devoted woman
who spent years trying to make
something of the lives of those
she taught as well as her own
life. She had a proud and incre
dible expression. 1 wanted to say,
“Dr. Alston, this is for you,” or
something that mushy. B'ut she
had already told me that I talked
too much so I remained quiet and
observed what was going on.
We rehearsed with the orches
tra, which thrilled me from head
to toe because I felt like Linda
Ronstadt singing with the Glenn
MiUer Band. For a while I be
lieve we all felt like little people
allowed to share in a big people’s
world.
Some of the important folks
were very kind to us. Nancy
Wilson, one of the great jazz divas.
was truly kind to us. I will tell
you straight from the source we
were very uncouth about getting
her autograph. But she was will
ing even after she repeatedly told
us she had to go. Shirley Caesar
was just as open-hearted. She
prayed and conversed with us on
such a down-to-earth level that I
could hardly believe it was she.
The word “exciting” could not be
gin to describe what we all felt
that night during the grand finale.
We sang “The Greatest Love”
with all the diva greats who par
ticipated in the program, and the
audience rose to its feet from the
magic that was created on the
stage. It was spectacular.
We lived like wealth for one
night at the Hyatt Regency in
downtown Washington. The tour
continued, and as a result of our
one-night fame in D.C., egos were
boosted even higher than they
were before. When we pulled into
Greensboro late Sunday night, we
felt exhaustion, relief and maybe
a little sorrow because the magic
had ended and the realities of
college had to once again take
priority.. Whatever the overall
spirit was, it could not change the
experiences gained or the adven
ture we shared.
I think I’ll start praying a little
more carefully now before I end
up with the world in my pocket.
Letter to the editor: NAACP chapter wants members
To the editor:
Why join the NAACP? Many
students asked me that question
during the time I was collecting
names for membership. First, I
must say that the NAACP is one
of the oldest organizations
created by both blacks and
whites, who wanted to assure that
blacks got what they deserved as
citizens of the United States.
Second, we must realize the
plight of Bennett College, a his
torically black and female insti
tution for higher learning. This
college was founded to educate
the minds of young black women
so that they could take their
rightful places in society. The
plight of the NAACP and Bennett
College both have the same goals.
In order to be successful, you
must support organizations that
share common goals. We as black
women and college students must
actively participate in all endea
vors that exist to bring our people
into the mainstream of American
life.
The only way we can do this is
to emphasize the need for educa
tion, political awareness and the
realization that becoming econo
mically independent are the keys
that unlock many barriers that
we as a people must face. We,
as future mothers and professio
nals, must have a hand in helping
form the mind of youth today.
We must do this by portraying
positive role models. We must go
out and volunteer in our com
munities.
We must not become com
placent, We must never forget
our past because, without a past,
there is no future. And most of
all we must learn from our mis
takes and never forget them but
put them to use as “philosophical
know-how,” We must today be
progressive and ready for action.
We can no longer hide our heads
in the sand.
There is going to have to be a
change in our thought. We are
going to have to decide what we
want, how to want it and what
means we are to use it to get to our
destiny! We as a people cannot
get to this goal without a national
organization such as the NAACP.
Many things have changed since
the conception of the NAACP, but,
in essence, the principles of the
NAACP are still the same. We as
Bennett College students must
realize this plight and join the
NAACP.
Elizabeth Toyia Johnson
President of the Bennett College
Chapter of the NAACP