FUTURES
Back pats not sought
Sherry Meadows: actively behind the scenes.
Slal r pholo by Janies Parker
Blacks are needed
Toi Carter
Staff Writer
“There are a lot of Black kids
in the program but mostly white
big brothers and big sisters,” says
Greg Michaels co-director with
Linda Kimble of the YM-WYCA
sponsored Big Brother-Big Sister
program.
“I want to encourage more
Blacks to participate in the pro
gram,” he says, urging any interest-
Allen Johnson
Associate Editor
In Grade B movies and detec
tive novels, a mysterious stranger
often lurks in dark shadows, mak
ing things happen with stealthy,
behind-the-scenes craftiness.
At UNC, we have our own
honest-to-goodness “behind-the-
scenes” person whose forte is not
her ability to lurk in dark corners,
but her ability to accomplish tasks
with so much quiet effectiveness
that she is seldom noticed.
“I’m not after recognition or
a pat on the back,” says Sherry
Meadows, a Roanoke native who
serves as a secretary in the Office
of Student Affairs. “The only thing
I’m concerned with is being benefi
cial to the students.”
Besides her official secretarial
duties. Sherry has coordinated or
helped coordinate Project Uplift,
Black Pre-Orientation, the Black
Student Congress, the National
Achievement Weekend, the Afro-
Am Mini-Festival, and the recent
Tri-State Conference.
During the 1975 Black Stu
dent Congress held in Chapel Hill,
she was elected vice-president in
charge of correspondence.
Sherry, a 1974 graduate of
Durham College, is a political sci
ence major and aspires to attend
graduate school.
Another of the intangible re
wards of her job in Student Affairs
has been Sherry’s association with
Associate Dean of Special Programs
Harold Wallace.
“Dean Wallace has a special
and deep interest in Black students
as a whole and as individuals,”
Sherry says. “I don’t think I would
have been working on this campus
as long as I have without him. He
trusts my judgement.”
College life viewed
ed student to contact next year’s
directors, Tina Nader and Susan
Fowler, for fall assignments.
Getting out into the com
munity is important to Greg
Michaels because he has become a
member of the community through
his httle brother. “Very often,” he
says, “students are so caught up
with things on campus that they be
come disconnected from the com
munity and families.”
Sandra Wilson
Staff Writer
Approximately 250 minority
students, mostly Blacks, attended
Project Uplift from March 31
through April 1 and April 6
through April 8.
These high school juniors were
selected mainly on high academic
achievement in their schools. Selec
ted by guidance counselors, the
two top minority students in their
class received a better understand
ing of college life. These students
must have also qualified to attend
UNC or were those most likely to
be accepted here.
As the on-campus coordinator
for Project Uplift, Pam Dockery
handled the schedules, room assign
ments, and other activities of the
students. Pam felt that Project Up
lift was important because it en
abled high school students to learn
about college. It also allowed many
students to leam that they needed
to begin fulfilling academic require
ments to attend college.
They attended classes, lived in
dorms, and went to parties given by
upperclass students.
Many felt that most of their
questions had been answered.
Pam stated that most of the
students were “very enthusiastic
about the program and said it had
been helpful.” Most of the Project
Uplift students expressed their
enthusiasm even more by wanting
to attend the University of North
Carolina after graduation. The only
problem that arose according to
Pam was that “sometimes guidance
counselors don’t tell them things
they need to know.”
Conosco! - an alternative to tradition
Jackie Forney and
Lillie Love
Staff Writers
CONOSCO! originated in the
fall of 1976 as an “alternative to
standing social and fraternal tradi
tions. We wanted to offer a stable
alternative to social and fraternal
traditions,” said CONOSCO! mem
ber Anthony Greene.
“A lot of service organizations
say they want to serve the com
munity, but we want to be progres
sive—to do things that have never
been done before,” he said.
But what makes CONOSCO!
different from fraternities? “We’re
not restricted by standards. We can
go in whatever direction we want to
go in,” said Greene. “Each member
is a directive force and I don’t think
that’s the case with most frats.”
Many students question CO
NOSCO !’s uniqueness. They point
to what they saw as CONOSCO !’s
pledge line.
“We did not have a line, per
se,” group members are quick to
point out. “We merely welcomed
additions to the group.”
Staton and Greene explained,
“We think of the group as a rock, a
conglomerate, a lot of small parti
cles held together by a common
goal. Whenever a person wants to
join, we like to get to know him
and have him get to know us. This
is what goes on during the three-
week period of Concresence. There
is no abuse or strain and they are
required to do only one thing—a
group community service project.”
New members accepted this
semester had a jam in Upendo to
raise money for their project. With
the money, they bought twenty
Easter baskets filled with fruit,
candy and other foods and deliv
ered them to needy families in
Chapel Hill and Carrboro.
One thing that is unique about
CONOSCO! is its offices. They are:
treasurer, corresponding secretary,
recording secretary and conductor
of business. The last position ro
tates weekly, giving each member
a chance to be leader. “We try to
instill leadership and this is a good
way,” Staton said.
Besides leadership, CONOS
CO! tries to encourage academic
achievement. This semester they
are offering two scholarships—one
for the most improved grade point
average and one for the student
with the highest overall average.
The scholarships probably
won’t be awarded until this sum
mer or next fall, but students who
think they will be eligible should
submit their names to CONOSCO!
Conosco!. blue, and white and an exclamation point
Staff photo by James Parker