UNC-G Special Services Project
Tutors, Counselors Help Students Progress
The joys and frustrations of x»llege
\\ere again a reality for 19 Model
Neighborhood residents attending the
University of North Carolina at
Greensboro this year on a Model
Cities Special Services scholarship
program.
Sixteen of these students — six of
whom are returning from the program
which began last January — have just
completed their first semester work
and are already into semester two of
the academic year.
In this Special Services opportunity,
Model Cities and the University team
up to pay a maximum — all — of the
$950 a semester to cover expenses
for going to college. This amount in
cludes tuition, room, board, books,
and personal spending.
All of the students from the Model
Cities area were accepted on an open
admissions policy by the state-sup
ported school. Open admissions means
that normal entrance requirements
were waived for these students, none
of whom could afford college other
wise.
By the end of the first semester,
three of the 19 dropped out. One did
so on account of illness, and two got
married. With the beginning of sec
ond semester, one of the remaining
slots has been filled so the program
has 17 enrolled.
Ernest Griffin, coordinator for UNC-
G Special Services, is pleased with
the performance of this year’s group.
He and James Harrington, a counselor
in the program, work with the stu
dents individually in solving problems
that arise during the year.
While hallucinogens — like the drug
LSD — are not habit-forming, they
can still be very dangerous and can
cause a person to think he is losing
his mind.
Hallucinogens get their name from
the hallucinations — a state of the
mind which loses touch with reality,
a “trip” — produced by taking the
drug. Just how LSD works on the
body is not known, but it seems to
affect the chemicals of the brain, and
brings about change in the brains
activity.
Physical reactions to taking the
drug, or “dropping acid,” are nausea,
lowered body temperature, goose
bumps, and rapid heart beat.
What happens to the mind, how
ever, is more severe. The effects dif
fer from person to person, depend
ing a lot upon his emotional state
before taking the drug. Users may
lose all normal feelings of sight and
sound, and the relationship between
body and space. Sometimes they may
feel they can fly, and deaths have
occurred as a result.
When a person is on a “trip,” his
sense of reality is distorted, along
with his sense of color, movement,
time, touch, and the relationship be
tween him and objects around him.
Because of his lack of sound judg-
SHIRLEY WALL
“Some of the problems facing these
students are magnified because of
their economic background,” says
Harrington. “Some have experienced
family problems, and others have
trouble managing their finances.”
For this reason. Special Services has
helped most of the students set up
personal bank accounts to teach them
better money management.
In addition, the students meet reg
ularly together to discuss problems
and share experiences. All have at
least one upperclassman tutor to help
them in weak subjects.
Many of the students need con
stant encouragement and reinforce
ment, which Harrington and Griffin
try to provide, as well.
A reading and writing lab is avail-
ment the user of LSD can be most
dangerous to himself.
Some users feel that LSD can
heighten their senses and make them
more creative. However, the psycho
logical effects of the drug during and
long after it is taken have been
proven negative, rather than an aid, in
productivity.
One of the most lasting effects ex
pressed by LSD users is anxiety and
depression, and the feeling that they
are going mad. Fears stemming from
a “bad trip” have even been known
to cause suicide.
Any time the mind is altered, as
it is by LSD, the user risks long and
serious mental problems, including the
fear of going insane. It is true that
doctors are studying the use of LSD
in treatment of mentally ill patients,
but the results are not yet sound.
Parents or friends who think they
know of someone who is taking LSD
should try to get help for them,
particularly if the suspected user is
young.
High Point’s Drug Day Program,
a M^el Cities project operated by
the Drug Action Council, is there to
give such help. It is located at 803
E. Green Drive. Phone 882-2125. All
cases are kept confidential.
able to those who need remedial work
in those areas.
The six who began last January are
all now classified as sophomores. They
are Reva McKinnon, Artis Belton,
Garland Ellison, Preston Russell, Gene
Cole, and James Gates.
Three of this year’s freshmen are
Shirley Wall of 809 Willow Street,
Rhonda Holmes of 1226 Hoover Ave
nue, and Cassandra Scott of 411 Cedar
Street.
Ms. Wall worked as a secretary for
the Model Cities staff since it was
organized in 1969, following a year
of business school. Last fall she re
signed from her job to attend UNC-G
full-time.
NO REGRETS
“I’ve not regretted it at all,” she
says. “I enjoy it very much. This se
mester I did okay, but I hope to do
better. I miss Model Cities and the
people there, especially at first, but
I’m glad I came.”
Shirley plans to major in business
administration.
Ms. Holmes says her chances of
coming to college had been “slim”
before the Model Cities scholarship
program was made available. She and
Ms. Scott both participated in last
summer’s Upward Bound college
readiness program, so their transition
was not difficult once they got to
school.
“I like the campus and I like be
ing a part of the school,” says Rhon
da. “A lot is being oflFered through
Model Cities. I’d recommend this to
my friends.”
Cassandra says that like all of the
students in the program, she enjoys
dormitory life. “I don’t think it would
mean as much to me if 1 were off
campus,” she says.
CASSANDRA SCOTT
MODEL CITY COMMISSION
609 S. Main Street
High Point, North Carolina 27260
FREE: Not To Be Sold
Getting The Dope on Drugs
Turn-On’ Drugs A Bad Trip
She is majoring in vocal music,
while Rhonda is “thinking about” a
major in speech pathology.
RHONDA HOLMES
Know Your Rights
You say that water bills sometimes run
as high as $300 when there is a leak in
the plumbing in my house? But I have
always thought that water was really cheap.
Water is not cheap. The average person
spends $60 or more a year for water and
sewer service at his home. A factory may
pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars
a month for the water they use.
When I get my monthly bill from the
city, how do I tell which part of it is
for water?
The important thing to remember is that
water and sewer charges are always the
same amount. So, to compute your “water
bill,” you must add the figure under “WA”
to the figure under “SW.” If water is $3,
then sewer will also be $3, for a total
“water bill” of $6.
In the last column you talked about how
people get high water bills. Once I’ve
gotten one, what can I do about it?
What you can do depends upon whether
the leak is hidden or not. The City Code
says that if a person has a hidden leak,
they can get a statement from the plumber
who fixes the leak that the leak was hidden.
Almost all plumbers in town know how
to prepare this statement and will do so.
You should take the statement to the bill
ing department at City Hall.
The billing office will then drop one-half
of the excess water charge, and the entire
excess sewer charge. Thus, if your bill for
water and sewer was usually $6, and you
get one for $100 (which would be $50 for
water and $50 for sewer), they would re
duce the water bill to about $28 and the
sewer bill to $3, for a total water and
sewer bill of about $31. As you can see,
this is quite a savings.
Bulk Rate
U. S. POSTAGE
PAID
High Point, N. C.
Permit No. 217
JJOOT. 0-11 ■ 03V