PAGE FOUR
THE BENNETT BANNER
Friday, April 27, 1990
Seniors bequeath wisdom to sisters
by Shavaughn Neal
This semester is the end of the
road for graduating seniors. They
have studied, worked and endured
all the obstacles to make it to
graduation day.
What wisdom would the class
of 1990 like to bestow on its
sisters? The Banner asked as many
seniors as it could find. Here are
mementos they bequeath Bennett:
De’Lisa Hill ■—■ “You must be
sell-motivated because your edu
cation is your responsibility. Think
big.”
Tina Breeden — “Take school
seriously. Enjoy yourself but get
your work done at the same time.
Always be prepared because it’s
best to be prepared and have an
opportunity than to have an op
portunity and not be prepared.”
Jocelyn Hudson ■— “Learn how
to budget your time.”
Catrlna Carson — “Seek infor
mation and knowledge because
all the knowledge you need or
may want will not be handed to
you by your professors.”
Elois Minor — “Never let your
academic future rest in the hands
of someone e'lse. If there is a
problem, always go through the
proper channels first and if that
doesn’t work always have a back
up plan. Utilize the alumnae asso
ciation as much as possible. Be-
conrue involved in your department
and voice whatever opinions or
ideas for improvement you may
have to the department head or
to your advisor. After all you’re
paying for it and you don’t want
your money to go to waste.”
TamiUa K. Stubbs — “My ad
vice to underclassmen is for them
to attain an informal education
as well as a formal education.
Study hard and remember that
Bennett College’s faculty mem
bers cannot possibly teach them
everything they need to know.
Read, read, read because if one
does not take the initiative to
teach herself, who else can? No
one.”
Tanya Bruton — “Always have
faith in God. Take responsibility
seriously. Think about yourself
because you come first before
anything else, as far as your boy
friend or anything else.”
Valerie Rice —■ “Don’t procreis-
tinate. Depend on God to lead you
through your years here. Take
time to talk to your instructors
and counselors. Believe me, it
will help. May God bless you all.”
Yvette Freeman — “Do your
best and don’t let anytihing at
Bennett discourage you from ob
taining your goals.”
Gillian Hodges — “If there is
something you want to do, do it.
Take the chance and don’t let
anyone tell you that you’re doing
the wrong thing. Don’t listen to
the negative; only listen to the
positive. Always follow your heart
and remember perseverance and
persistence wear down resis
tance.”
Carmen Brown — “Make sure
that you follow your curriculum
and read your student handbook.
Do your best.”
Sonya Cloud — “Take advan
tage of education and career op
portunities while you’re an under
graduate and also read any and
everything pertaining to your
major and society in general. Get
involved in various clubs and
campus life because it will reflect
your position in society.”
Sharron Miles — “As a graduat
ing senior, my advice to under
classmen would first be to plan
to attend and participate in as
many summer programs and in
ternships as possible. Second, to
take an active part in activities
and organizations on campus and,
last but not least, to develop and
respect relationships with instruc
tors directly and/or indirectly
related to their major fields. These
long-lasting relationships are
beneficial to students’ careers.”
Jamie Mills — “Remember that
your life is your own. You are
your own best friend, sister and
guide.”
Leslie Redfield — “In all your
endeavors always put the Lord
first and all of your desires will
fail into place.”
JiU Jones — “Put your priori
ties in order. Education comes
first and then your social life.
Start job-networking your junior
year instead of your senior year.”
Alicia Elam — “Strive for ex
cellence.”
Kimmberly Waller — “Bennett
has produced several outstanding
individuals in the past, but the
expectations of the work force
exceed Bennett’s preparations.
So, my advice to you is to further
your education and it wiU bring
several advantages, rewards and,
not to mention, success. 1 love you
all, but I got to go.”
Stacy Copeland — “Even though
things may look grim, there is
always a light at the end of the
tunnel. You’ve only just begun
and you have a long way to travel.
Keep the faith.”
Sabrina Williams — “Remem
ber that only through knowledge
can success be achieved.”
Adrai Fuller — “Take advan
tage of all the resources available
to you through the college. Don’t
just study to simply pass a test,
but learn to apply the concepts
you have been taught. Remember
tihe purpose of your education is
not sdm.ply to gain facts but to
also enhance your ability to think
for yourself.”
Rhea Simpson — “Adjust, adapt
and advance early in your college
career. Degrees are not given to
the swift nor the strong but to
those who endure to the end.”
Andrea Burnell — “Take college
seriously because it will pay off
in the end. Close your ears to
slanderous gossip and don’t let it
hinder your progress.”
NicheUe Gordon — “College life
is a learning experience. It is up
to you how you achieve your
knowledge.”
Shirley Payne — “Always follow
your curriculum pattern and you 11
always stay ahead. Good luck.
Glenda Smith — “Consult with
your advisor through the entire
year and not just at registration
time. Take advantage of them
because they are here to help
you.”
Kathryn Marshall — “My advice
is to take control of your own
destiny. Your stay at Bennett
College is what you make of it.
If you don’t try and make any
thing out of it, you won’t get any
thing out of it.”
If one develops an underlying
message from these words of
wisdom, the message would pos
sibly be that life is what you
make of it and the same goes for
school and education. These are
the kinds of things the senior
class wishes the sisters that they
will leave behind to remember.
The final message comes from
the writer of this article: “There
are a lot of professors on campus
who hold within the walls of their
minds a wealth of information. I
suggest to you that you go that
extra mile to get it and make it
yours as well. Secondly, please
leam to work together as black
women and finally, good luck.
kid campers
Cruelty
by Erica Salter
Enjoyment filled the humid air,
big red wooden barn and chil
dren’s hearts that summer at
Camp Joy. Kids from Parktown,
Laurel Homes and Stanley Row
had gathered for a month of hik
ing, swimming, fun, games, strange
flood, ghost stories and oamp fires.
We project kids looked forward
to our month away from the de
pressing, trashy, roach-infested
ai)artments we called home. Most
of us never left the ghetto unless
it was a holiday and shopping
needed to be done.
Camp Joy was located in a
predominantly white part 6f Ohio,
far away from the black ghetto
in Cincinnati called “The West
End.”
AH of my friends went.
Michelle, Rihonda, Michael, David,
Alan, Katrina and many others
loaded the yellow school bus.
Mike and David were so excited
that they left their sleeping bags
in front of tlie community center.
After being on the road for
five hours, we arrived at Camp
mystifies
Joy. It was nothing spectacular,
but it was better than home.
There was the daily routine of
breakfast, chores, lunch, nai>s,
swimming, games, dinner, hiking,
more games and sleep. All of the
children were enjoying the sum
mer break away from home.
Everything seemed so peaceful
and wonderful up there.
A week after our arrival,
Rihonda and Michelle burst into
the bam one day, screaming,
“There’s something hanging on
the tree and it’s dead and bleed
ing.” The counselors and children
ran outside to see wihat the com
motion was about. To our amaze
ment we saw a black kitten hang
ing from the tree by a rope. Its
throat had been cut and eyes
gouged out. A note had also been
attached, but before I could read
what was said the counselors hur
ried all of us into the barn.
Three days later we went swim
ming. Actually, we got dressed
for swimming. It was a blistering
July afternoon and we needed to
cool off. David and Katrina ran
ahead, but came back screaming
about some dead frogs. Everyone
raced up the hill to see what had
happened this time. When we
arrived and looked toward the
shallow side of the pool, our eyes
almost popped out of the sockets.
Stretched from the left to the
right side of the pool, in a hori
zontal line, were several charred,
dead toads. They lay on their
backs with their arms and legs
extended.
As 8 to 10 year olds, we did
not understand any of the events
that had transpired. We assiuned
that the frogs wanted to swim,
too, but did not make it into the
IX)ol because of the hot sun.
The pool, which was usually
managed by some white lodgers,
was not supervised this day. Once
again our counselors hurried us
down the hill and back into the
bam.
The next two days were normal
camp diays. We resumed our fun
activities and Not-So-Fun activi
ties, such as eating snake tails and
frog legs. We did not go swim
ming, though.
At about 10:30 p.m. Friday, we
were playing pick-up sticks. This
time Alan came in, yelling “Fire!
Fire!” The counselors prevented
us from going outside, so we
crowded on the bunk beds and
peered out the windows. Burning
outside was a wooden cross that
glowed so brightly and stood so
tall that it illuminated the entire
lot.
The last week dragged on. The
project kids now followed a daily
schedule of breakfast, chores
games, lunch, naps, games, dinner,
more games and sleep. Swimming
and hiking were omitted.
It wasn’t until I turned 13 that
I understood what had happened.
Racism never entered our minds
because we lived in a poor, black
neighborhood, far from white
people. KKK were just letters and
the cat, toads and cross fire jiist
happened.
Happy Summer!
Reebok corrects ugly rumor
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Paul
Fireman, chairman and chief exe
cutive officer of Reebok Interna
tional Ltd. today reaffirmed the
fact that has company does not do
any business, whaitsoever, in South
Africa, and called for the con
tinuation of economic sanctions
against the government of South
Africa.
Fireman made this statement
March 21 at a press conference
held at the U.S. House of Re-
r»resentatives. Office Building, at
which Reebok made a three-year,
$375,000 grant to TransAfrica, the
nation’s leading anti-apartheid
organization, for its work with
the Washington, D.C. public school
system.
“Reebok is not in South Africa,
and we have not been there since
1986 when we terminated the one
distributor relationship we had
there,” Mr. Fireman said. “In
fact,” he emphasized, “we are the
only major athletic footwear com
pany not doing business in South
Africa, yet there is a vicious
rumor circulating, especially with
in the black community, that we
are there.
“Nothing could be further from
the truth, and we would ask any
one concerned with this matter
to check us out with TransAfrica,
with the Interfaith Center On
Corporate Responsibility, with the
United Nations Center against
Apartheid, and the Africa Fund,
all organizations actively fighting
apartheid. And/or check us out
with the anti-apartheid leader
ship in South Africa by contacting
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the
Reverend Alan Boesak, president.
World AUiance of Reformed
Churches, or The Congress of
South African Trade Unions
(COSATU)).
“When you do check us out,
you’U find we are not there, but
far more importantly, you’ll find
out who is there ■— and I don’t
mean only the companies with
plants and employees and major
assets, but companies doing busi
ness there on any basis. With
this information in hand, you can
direct your rightfiil concerns to
the companies who are profiting
from their business involvement
in South Africa,” Mr. Fireman
said.
“Reebok refuses to do business
in South Africa because we have
made a commitment to help ad
vance the cause of human rights
throughout the world. The system
of apartheid and everything it
represents is directly counter to
every belief and practice we
adhere to as a company and as
human beings who care,” he said.
“While the freeing of Nelson
Mandela and other actions by the
South African government are
encouraging, they are not suffi
cient changes to warrant the lift
ing of economic sanctions by com
panies like Reebok who have
withdrawn from that country. We
totally support the request of Mr.
Mandela to continue the econxjmic
sanctions until) apartheid is
stamped out and gone forever,”
Mr. Fireman said, “and we con
tinue to encourage those compan
ies doing business there to get
out of South Africa until apartheid
is gone,”
Reebok International Ltd, head
quartered in Stoughton, Mass,, is
the leading designer and mar
keter of active lifestyle and per
formance products, including foot
wear and apparel. The Company’s
operating units include the Reebok
Division, the Reebok Apparel
Products Division, and the Avia,
Bllesse North America, Rockport,
and Boston Whaler divisions.
Sales for 1989 totaled $1,822
billion.
Art - from pg. 1
of ‘other races’ questions.
McKinzie said “art is univer
sal and if it’s good it shouldn’t
matter if it’s done by an Afro-
American, Italian or a white
person.”
All Honeywood’s pieces give
such explicit detail about each
event.
Quake - from pg. 3
structure in the midst of the
rubble. They all kept saying how
the most damage had taken place
in San Francisco, but it wasn’t
at all true. There was very little
mentioned about Santa Cruz where
most of the disaster had taken
place. There were homes and
buildings that appeared to be safe,
but days, sometimes weeks later
they collapsed.
By December, the talk of earth
quakes had faded, but there were
many people who had homes and
businesses demolished. They had
to relocate. As for my home, I
think a pencil rolled off the kit
chen table.
Mandela’s book
NEW YORK — Pathfinder
Press, a New York publishing
house, is rushing 30^000 new
copies into print of “The
Struggle Is My Life” by
Nelson Mandela, whose re
lease from prison Feb. 11 has
spurred massive interest in
the ideas of the South African
freedom struggle leader.
“My political beliefs have
been explained,” Mandela
stated in a letter written last
July to then South African
president Pieter Botha, “in
my autobiography ‘The
Struggle Is My Life.’ ” That
letter was Mandela’s first
public declaration since 1964
during his “sabotage” trial.
Pathfinder first released
“The Struggle Is My Life” in
1986. Two subsequent print
ings brought sales of the book
to nearly 40,000 in North
America. The Pathfinder edi
tion is published in coopera
tion with the London-based
International Defence and Aid
Fund for Southern Africa.