PAGE TWO
THE NEWS ARGUS
MARCH, 1972
♦. editorial,.
Recently a problem developed in the Sociology Department when
students walked out of a class refosing to take a scheduled examination.
The rebuttal from this incident stirred quite a bit of controversy and
The News Argus staff felt that the issue would benefit the student body.
The class, Contemporary Social Movements, had a scheduled test
on February 25, but the majority of the class voted that the test be
given the following Monday (assumingly because of the CIAA tourna
ment). It was understood by the class that the test would cover the
material assigned out of one book and three of these books were placed
on reserve in the library on February 11. The problem reached its
climax on Monday (February 28, the day of the exam) when the
majority of the class walked out on the grounds that they did not have
ample time nor the opportunity to read the assigned material.
However, this complaint on behalf of the students was not supported
by the records obtained from the library. The records clearly showed
the heaviest request for the books came two days prior to the examina
tion. The records further revealed there were days when the books were
not used at all. As a result of these facts the head of the Sociology
Department passed down the decision that a make-up examination
for those students who walked out on the original exam was not in
order and therefore would not be given.
This problem could have been easily avoided if the students had
assumed their responsibility as college students. It seems ironic first
of all that the students would request that an examination be delayed
on the grounds of a basketball tournament. There are things known as
priorities and how well you establish these priorities will many times
determine your success in any venture.
Some of the students who walked out stated they had read the
assigned material but their classmates had not, and therefore they
walked out in support of these classmates. The students who remained
and took the test were later labeled “oreos.” This act of immaturity
was over played. In challenging a true friendship it is vital that an
individual respect the goals of the friend in question. There seems to be
very little genuine concern in any individual who would request that a
friend jeopardize his academic standing because of his negligence. A
true friend would have stood firm on his actions by confirming the fact
that he or she simply didn’t read and as a result would suffer the con
sequences.
It seems ridiculous that the students who took the exam would have
to undergo such immature responses. As college students you have a
contract to abide by. You owe it to yourselves and to those responsible
for your being here to acquire the best education available. When you
disregard this contract, it seems absurd that you would request your
fellow Black Sisters and Brothers to do the same thing. The role of a
college student is not one where you try to “beat the system” by going
every easy route possible. It is your obligation to accept the challenge
of a good education.
As students we should keep in mind our reason for being here. If you
have in your mind that this will simply be four years of partying,
going to CIAA tournaments (etc.), then Brothers you have the wrong
conception of an education. Sure you can have a good time here
but as previously stated, the establishment of priorities is vital.
In the future. Black people, let us keep in mind our purpose for
coming to Winston-Salem State University and problems such as the one
which developed in the Sociology Department can be avoided. Keep
in mind the fact that a good education is a demanding thing.
Joseph Johnson
Managing Editor
NIXON: Sheer Politics
m
EDITOR Marilyn Roseboro
MANAGING EDITOR Joseph Johnson
NEWS EDITOR Melvyn Brown
SPORTS EDITOR John Martin
BUSINESS MANAGER Rosalyn Rivers
CIRCULATION MANAGER Gilbert Cooley
PHOTOGRAPHER John Martin
SECRETARY Valerie Merritt
REPORTERS Shelia Bailey, Artimus Graves, Donna Ingram,
Terry Howard, Karen McCoy, Ronnie Wingate
THE NEWS ARGUS is a student publication of Winston-
Salem State University, the contents of which are the sole
responsibility of its students.
Marie Denning, Advisor
By Terry Howard
Staff Reporter
President Nixon’s televised
speech on Thursday, March 16,
confirms my argument and the
argument of many, that he is in
deed the greatest politician in
recent history. Nixon, as do
all successful politicians, possesses
certain uncanny abilities which
make him so successful.
In order for an individual to be
successful in the “dog eat dog”
world of politics, he must be able
to properly synthesize situations
and human motives, and by this,
determine what and what not to
say at given times. This same prin
ciple must be applied to the politi
cian’s movements among human
beings both on the national and
international fronts as well. Not
only must he know “when,” to
move, but also “where” to move.
So in the final analysis a success
ful politician knows how to “time”
himself in such a way that positive
results will always prevail. This,
Nixon has done very, very well.
For many months American peo
ple concerned by the confusion cre
ated by busing to achieve racial
integration, have demanded that
Nixon take a stand on busing.
Until Thursday, March 16, the
President had mysteriously refused
to do so. Why? Simply because any
statement on the issue would have
been ill-timed. His anti-busing
statement on that Thursday Night
assured his serving as president
of the United States for the next
four years. I shall attempt to ex
plain my reasoning.
First, anti-war proponents in the
past few years have demanded an
immediate withdrawal from Viet
Nam and Indo-China. As expected,
Nixon refused to bend. At least
right away. Instead, our president
set up a somewhat successful
“gradual withdrawal” plan which
resulted in complacency for some
and appeasement for many. As a
result, the war in Indo-China is no
longer a major public concern. It
now ranks among everyday minor
concerns: pollution, racial strife,
poverty, etc.
Nixon began making prepa
ration for his return to office by
carefully timing himself and his
actions early during “Election
Year ’72”. His trip to China a few
weeks ago appealed to many Amer
icans concerned about the threat
of Communism and world war. Na
tional coverage of his shaking
hands with Chou and Mao as
sured many people that “things
will be O.K.” in the future. There
will be no Communist invasions,
world wars and other “horrid”
things to come in the near future.
Good. Smart move Nixon.
The Florida presidential primary
moved our Chief Executive even
closer to a return to the White
House. Quoting Ed Muskie,
“Tlie demagogue” of the South,
George Wallace, exercised his po
litical muscles with an impressive
victory in Florida. His victorious
slogan was, incidentally, basically
that concerning anti-busing. A few
days later, on March 16, 1972 to be
exact, Nixon appeared on na-
(tional television and announced
that he was against busing to
achieve integration and would
exercise his power to put a
halt to it. As a result, white faces
throughout the nation lit up. White
faces which make up the major
part of this country’s populace and
voting power. Smart move Nixon.
Not many people realize the im
plications of Wallace’s victory in
Florida, especially where Nixon
is concerned. Wallace’s chances
of being nominated as Democratic
candidate at the July convention in
Miami, are admittedly very un
likely. But the important thing
is that his power and support
will undoubtedly provide a success
ful bloc of other Democratic can
didates. As divided as it now
stands, the Democratic party at
this point cannot possibly survive
any successful bloc of candidates.
This Nixon knows and has
known. Smart move Nixon.
On May 22, 1972, Richard
Milhouse Nixon will once again
go abroad in the role as world
peace maker. This time to the
United Soviet Socialist Republic.
Some call it Russia. So once again
we will have the opportunity to
watch our brave leader spread
peace and tranquility throughout
an “uncivilized world’’ on the
road back to the White House.
Meanwhile poverty persists. The
war continues. Black people con
tinue to fight for justice. And the
buses keep rolling on.
EDUCATION PROBLEM SPREADING
By Terry Howard
Staff Reporter
SGA president Terry Howard
sees a resemblance between our
position in the restructuring of
Higher Education and the school
merger situation in Grambling, La.
As a result, he asked The News
Argus to print the Grambling ar
ticle along with Howard’s own ar
ticle.
Does anyone recall “Black Mon
day?” Yes, that was the day we,
students of the state’s five pre
dominately Black State Universi
ties, went to Raleigh to protest
the state bill to restructure
higher education. Our showing in
Raleigh indicated our concern for
the preservation of our schools as
well as all problems facing Black
people in America today.
Even though the bill was passed,
our efforts showed people through
out the state and nation that Black
college students can unite around
issues which directly affect us.
Regarding the bill, this Student
Government Association, and hope
fully SGA’s in years to come, will
closely watch the state’s implemen
tation of the bill and will act on
any facet of it that we feel is det
rimental to us and our schools.
Thus, if necessary, we must pre
pare ourselves for many “Black
Mondays” in the future.
Recently member schools of the
Southwestern Athletic Conference
have made known to us and all
Black schools their problems re
garding possible mergers with pre
dominately white schools. Schools
like Texas Southern, Alcorn A&M,
Jackson State, etc. comprising the
conference, have joined together in
a manner analygous to our own
here in North Carolina in an at
tempt to avoid such mergers. What
they are appealing for is nation
wide support in their efforts to save
their schools.
The Southwestern Athletic Con
ference is faced with a very un
usual problem: The NAACP, our
“Leaders” are making efforts to
bring potential mergers even closer
to SAC schools. Thus, our brother
and sister Black schools are not
only faced with individual state
Boards of Education threatening
them but also our “Black leaders”
in the NAACP.
In a recent letter to this office
(SGA office), Brother Howell
Humphrey, SGA President at
Grambling College, asked for our
support in an all out protest against
the merger of the predominantly
Black institutions with that of pre
dominantly white institutions.
Their plan is simply to set a
date during the month of March
in which all students in Black col
leges will not attend classes and to
set up programs of interest that
will deal with Black awareness
and Black relevance. Personally,
I would like to see all of us support
such an effort. What better way is
there to show our interest in our
selves and our brothers and sisters
throughout the nation than to suo-
port such an effort? Announcement
of the proposed protest date will be
made known to all students upon
receipt of the date from the SAC.
Black Profile
Kwame Nkrumah was born in
Nzima (Nkroful) in 1909. He was
educated in Ghana and later taught
school there prior to journeying to
America. In 1935 Nkrumah came
to the United States where he ac
quired two Masters degrees, one in
philosophy and the other in Inter
mediate Education. Kwame Nkru
mah was very concerned about the
conditions of his homeland the Gold
Coast, (known today as Ghana).
When he returned home in 1942,
Nkrumah began the struggle which
ended on March 6, 1957, the
day Ghana gained its independence
from Great Britain. The fight for
Ghana's independence was not an
easy one especially for Nkrumah.
He was constantly jailed and har-
rassed by the British officials who
were occupying his homeland. This
intimidation however, simply in
creased Nkrumah’s determination
and support. When the first election
was held in Ghana, although he
was in jail (on a scapegoat
charge), Nkrumah won the office
in his district without even cam
paigning. The British officials then
recognized that this man Kwame
Nkrumah was indeed the spokes
man for a “New Ghana.”
Today Kwame Nkrumah is in
political exile. In 1966 while he was
out of the country a military coup
overthrew his government. Some
supporters of Nkrumah believe that
this coup was foreign supported
and planned. Others, however, con
tend that Nkrumah's outside activi
ties (mainly the United African
Federation) occupied too much of
his time and as a result of this he
began to neglect his home govern
ment.
There is however a sizeable num
ber of Nkrumah supporters in
Ghana and it will be interesting to
see if Kwame Nkrumah can return
to head the country of Ghana. If
he is successful in regaining the
reigns of power, then not only
England but the entire world will
recognize the fact that Kwame
Nkrumah is indeed the voice of a
“New Ghana.”
Joseph D. Johnson
Managing Editor
RECENT SCHOOL MERGER
BIT BY GRAMBLING SGA
World Ruston Bureau
GRAMBLING — Saying that
blacks will “turn this country out
with any means possible to save
and expand our culture as a Black
man in the United States of Amer
ica,” the Grambling Student Gov
ernment Association Wednesday
issued a statement critical of a
recent merger of a black school
with one predominately white, and,
at the same time, vowed to oppose
“any person or organization” at
tempting other such mergers.
The statement, signed bv
Grambling SGA President Howell
T. Humphrey and Business Man
ager Calvin W. Allen Jr., offered
sharp criticism of “so-called inte
gration policies”, and what it has
done “to our grammar and high
schools”.
“It has fired teachers and admin
istration members and turned those
left into janitors and assistant to
non-functional positions.
“Now with the problem of start
ing a merger of a Sister Black
school, namely Arkansas AM & N,
which is being directly assailed in
every part of this non-abolitionist
social system, we declare that we
are strongly against any and all
types of mergers,” the statement
read.
Describing mergers as the “most
implicit problem that the predomi
nantly black schools have today.”
the release resolved that mergers
were “totally harsh, selfish, and
have strong tones of a reinaction
of slavery.”
Allen said that Grambling had
combined with the SGA’s of Texas
Southern, Southern, Mississippi
Valley, Alcorn A & M, Jackson
State, Arkansas AM&N and Prairie
View - all except the Arkansas-
school being members of the South
west Athletic Conference (SWAC)-
to oppose mergers with white in
stitutions.