Newspapers / Fayetteville State University Student … / Sept. 1, 1994, edition 1 / Page 16
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tironoos’Voice Aeplember 1994 Sports CHEER PHI: MUCH EESPECT DUE by Lesli Sample During the first two and one-half weeks of the sennester, I spent an extensive onnount of tinne with some of the nnost intelligent, gifted, and in dustrious females Fayetteville State University has to offer. Whether it was from the week they spent on campus working hard before all the other students moved in, or the as sociation from years past, these young ladies produced an aura of camaraderie and sisterhood that I soon not only felt comfortable with, but also a part of. Often during their long practice ses sions or on trips back and forth to the cafeteria, I would hear one or more of the girls recite what can only be termed os the group's in formal motto. Some days I, too, would join in the chanting of "If you want some, come and get some; if you're bad enough came and take some." It wasn't until I really got to know these young ladies that I re alized they were speaking of hard work, uncommon strength of will, and numerous obstacles. Together, these young women hove an average grade point aver age of 2.79; a few of them are even Chancellor's Scholars. They are studying in a wide variety of fields, including Computer Science, Biol- ogy/Pre-med, Math Engineering, and Physics. One of these young la dies is even a single mother. Two things all of these women have in common are their dedication and endurance. You may be asking yourself, "Why haven't I met any of these outstand ing ladies?" There is no need to ask, because almost everyone knows at least one of them. They ore the Fayetteville State Cheerleaders, known more affectionately as "Cheer Phi." Even if you don't personally know one of these young ladies, you've probably seen them entering or leaving the caf; hot, sweaty, and tired from the long, hard eight to ten hours a week they spend practicing together and individually. Speaking of the caf, I was shocked when one member of Cheer Phi was asked to leave or pay for her meal because she lived off campus. Yes, I am aware tnat there is a policy that states that off-campus students must pay to eat in the dining hall, but on this particular occasion, the cafeteria staff was either being neg ligent or just plain discriminatory. Before we entered the caf that day, two ex-football players (both of whom now live off campus! entered without paying. The gentlemen were with some other present football players, so no one questioned them. Sure, it was the beginning of a new year with new and unfamiliar faces, but the members of Cheer Phi should have all been familiar to the staff. The entire squad hod been in and out for over a week with no prior trouble. Captain Yolanda Johnson, stated that, if she had to, she'd "get up and walk across tables", bellow ing in protest against the unfair treatment (my kind of sistoh). Be it sexist or not, this type of dis crimination is often what the mem bers of Cheer Phi go through daily; and they receive it from the faculty and staff. An example is that Cheer Phi may not be getting much needed extra uniforms and shoes, even though they were promised them. I guess no one will see Cheer Phi's need until these ladies are sitting out games because uniforms need to be tailored or are just beyond repair. I wonder how many other FSU ath letes have this problem. Another ex ample is 0 judge Ian FSU staff mem ber! who was overheard saying that he/she would only favor the more attractive ladies who recently tried out, whether they could cheer or not. The members of Cheer Phi also face discrimination from students; male and female. Is it because they ore women that male students and ath letes, don't take what they do seri ously, see cheering as a sport, be lieve these ladies wor^ hard, or give them the recognition they deserve? Or is the discrimination present be cause cheerleaders hove for a long time been seen as promiscuous and enticing distractions, who were in capable of, forming complete thoughts? If the answer to either or both of these questions is yes, then many people (alumni, fans, and members of the university family! are being very hypocritical. They are being hypocritical each time they cheer on or give "props" to other organiza tions, while thumbing their noses at the cheerleaders. In the past, members of certain other organizations at Fayetteville State have been charged with physi cal harassment of other students, brought before the judiciary board for the possession and use of alco holic beverages, and received grade point averages of less than 1.0. What's worse is that today, some of these same students re main active in their organiza tions. FHow- ever, Mrs. Iris Hunt-Smith, Di rector of Resi dence Life, stated that no cheerleader has ever been brought before the board dur ing her time here at FSU. The members of Cheer Phi also hove to maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average, and most of these young ladies' GPAs exceed the requirement. Cheer Phi also con sists of an SGA senator, a commu nity assistant at New Residence Hall, and a member of the Math tutorial program. So not only ore these la dies doing a lot of that "Bronco Lean ing", but they are also doing "a lot of pushing the pencils" as one mem ber so eagerly stated. I mentioned before that Cheer Phi received a great deal of discrimina tion from students. While spending time with the cheerleaders, I noticed that many females on campus have deep resentment toward Cheer Phi. I could only think of two reasons why. The first would have to be the relationship that the ladies of Cheer Phi share with the football players, and in turn the amount of attention the players and other males give the cheerleaders. I have only this to soy to the young ladies who resent the cheerleaders land I sincerely believe I speak for Cheer Phi os well): Grow up and stop being so insecure. Any sensible adult knows you can't ex pect any athletic team not to have strong ties to its biggest supporters. One, also, cannot expect people to be in the lime light and not get at tention. The second reason for such deep resentment would have to be jeal ousy. Why else would such a won derful group of women be labeled os promiscuous (or more commonly, as "hos"! when the majority of them are devoted to either one very spe cial man or one very close family? Why else would people scoff at a workout equivalent to ten hours of high power aerobic exercise and gymnastics as if it were only a pro verbial "walk in the park"? Last, and in no way least, why else would people who engage in little or no ex tracurricular activities, but hove less than 3.0 or 4.0 grade point aver ages, waste valuable time bad- mouthing such an active group of young women? These are women who not only volunteer free time to cheer, but also tutor, counsel, rep resent their respective dorms at university functions, moke the Chancellor's list, maintain above av erage grade point averages, and still find time to pile in cars for late night raids on Wendy's or crashing a good party. I have to admit, my respect for the Fayetteville State cheerleaders is "brand new". These ladies do so much, and they do it with heart. It is a shame that Cheer Phi volunteers time that so many students con ill afford to give up at one of the only universities that does not offer scholarships for doing so, yet it clearly represents how devoted these young women are to what they do. I would also like to commend Bobby Hostler and Jarrell Joyner, the two male cheerleaders. Not only do these young men cheer, but they also run cross country while main taining above overage grade point averages. So, if you wont some (the sister hood, camaraderie, and closeness that is Cheer Phi! come and get some by getting to know these young women better. If you're bod enough, that is, if you have the tal ent, endurance, and mentality it takes to be Cheer Phi, then come and take some by taking the initia tive and showing the courage to try out for 0 position as an FSU cheer leader. Cliecr Phi practices their moves.
Fayetteville State University Student Newspaper
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Sept. 1, 1994, edition 1
16
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