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Student Government
In a popular song, Dave Mathews asks the
rhetorical question, "Could I have been anyone other
than me?" That question is one that is very
important to us as young women who live in a
society that is very eager to define our gender.
Think about it: In every element of society, your
life has a definition. The question you need to ask
yourself is what is your definition of yourself?
Buddhism is a philosophy that stresses "satori",
or "the awakened state of mind". Followers spend
their lifetimes meditating on who they really are.
However, just a few minutes spent in self-
analyzation can yield amazing results. We are all
at points in our lives when we are making big
decisions about what directions our lives will take.
It is so crucial to make sure that you are choosing
your own life. After all, it's yours. It is up to you
where you want to go with it, and with whom you
wish to share it.
Right now, society is trying to label you:
"Generation X", "slacker", "beauty","Southern",
"naive". Chances are, that when you think about
you and what you want to represent, it is unlikely
that any of these words spring immediately to
mind. It is more probable that you think of your
first day of kindergarten, your eleventh birthday
party, your first date, when your grandmother died
in the middle of your fourteenth winter. In other
words, the definitive events and people who have
directly influenced who you are spring to mind.
At the Martin Luther King, Jr. Chapel, we
remembered an icon of tumultuous times. But we
did not focus on the fact that he was Southern, or
had a Phd., or even that he went to jail for what he
believed in. Instead, we celebrated his ideals:
peace, equality, and justice for everyone. This was
who King really was.
Recently, Dr. Bauso spoke on the risks of being
an intelligent woman in our society. Certainly,
intelligence and the ability to contribute to the
community are goals for many of us. But what
comes along with that? Do you get labeled a
"bitch" by coworkers because you are assertive,
and go after what you deserve? Do you get called
a "snob" because you participate in the
philanthropic efforts of the Junior Women's
League? For all of your efforts, you will pay a
price with all of the labels that you will receive.
However, if you truly know yourself, you will have
the strength to rise above them.
The most important thing you can know about
yourself is what it is that makes you happy.
Happiness comes from within. It is something that
no one should be able to take away from you. It is
also one of the many components that makes you
who you are.
So, could you have been anyone other than you?
The answer to that question is no, because you
choose who you are. By choosing what defines
you, you choose what makes you similar and
different from anyone else. Just keep in mind that
who you are is just fine , whomever you choose to
be.
Elections for the 1995-1996
I
Student Government Associatic
are just around the comer..
Right now, the Nominations
Committee is in the thick of
deciding who will run for the
offices.
At Saint Mary's, the Student
Government Association
includes every student, not just
the officers. It is up to each one
of us to make a difference
though this organization. Onee
the most important ways in
which we do this is by carefully
deciding on whom to vote for.
The candidates will be asked
to come before the student body
and to address them in some
way. Some will do a great skif
others will make speeches.
Listen carefully to what these
young women have to say.
Chances are, that they have
given a lot of thought to their
presentations.
After you have examined all
of the facts, make the choice fof
the candidate whom you feel
best represents your ideals.
The BeUes of Saint Mary's
Harper Best, Editor
Jocelyn fulkT^ Assistant Editor
Sarah Barbee, Technical Editor
Jennifer Zahren, Photography Editor
Staff Writers:
Josie Allen
Sara McClure
Lee Posey
Cee Sidler
The New Multi-Cultural Heritage
My father grew up in a town with a
section of the newspaper headed with the
title "News of interest to Colored people".
My great-grandfather was one of the few
white doctors in Winston Salem that treated
blacks. In high school, my father's law partner
played basketball in a jersey discarded by the
city's white high school.
My parents and the rest of their generation
never had a lab partner with skin a different
color than their own. They sat in a history, or
English, or math class amid a group that was
one race. In these classes, they studied about
George Washington and Ben Franklin from
their history books. Curiously, the chapter on
George Washington Carver was missing from
these books. As were the chapters on
Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglas.
1 am of a different generation. One of my
favorite pictures from my childhood was
taken during a trip to the beach. In it, my four
best friends and I are playing in the sand.
Among the tangle of arms and legs, are skin
colors that range from porcelain to mahogany.
It was unacceptable not to tolerate people of
every color in my house. My parents' idols
were all people who had worked for equality
and justice. They instilled in me an inherent
respect for anyone, regardless of color,
made a positive contribution to society.
I realize my background is unique,
bii'
what is not unique is that I have to functioi'
in
a multicultural society. Ignorance
acceptable, even preferred by members
older gefierations. Our generation has
partners that could be one of as many races
there are chairs in a classroom-
generation sits in History classes that do ^
contain just one color of skin. We cannot
le»^
just the lighter side of our collective his
while ignoring the work of people sucl'
Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King- , j
While my history book differs somo^
from my father's, it includes a paragrap^*^^
the underground railroad and a page oO
civil rights movement, the history taugl^j^j^
school is still largely the realm of dead ^
men. Therefore, there is the need for a sp|
month to celebrate the contributions iria
de'
our society by Blacks.
Black History month gives our
of
an option that members of our parents
had. We are not separated by school of jj
r»i TT- . ..
only by ignorance. Black History jf
more than learning about skin color-
learning to see beyond it.