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Page A4-The Chronicle, Thursday, July 19, 1984 Winston-Salem Chronicle /V 74 ERNEST H. PITT, NDUftlSI KOEMONYK ALLEN JOHNSON < > t -unth ' ^ tnndir Ai/ifii' lULINI L. Pin MICHAEL Pin JOHN SLADE (H'im Wwiwki'' ( iWw'k"! Wwtwtf 4wnltftll hii4"' The chancellor Chancellor H. Douglas Covington, an often-maligned, i - mucn-misunaerstood man who leaves behind him new buildings, new corporate allies and a new direction at Winston-Salem State University, will leave soon to become president of Alabama A&M University ? where new problems and challenges await. As for the old problems, Covington had his share. Though he worked tirelessly at his job, Covington was a cloak of tact and decorum. He could choose his words so carefully during interviews that he often appeared to dictate his answers and more than one associate has said that you could never get close to the man ? that he usually said what was the right thing to say, not what he necessarily meant. Then again, given the nature of the job and the myriad pressures that come with it, perhaps such a cloak is needed. Others criticized Covington for such trivial matters as how he wore his hair (We pray for his sake that the next chancellor, if he is a man, is bald). Some also say Covington seemed too intent on bringing white students to WSSU. Many faculty members voiced displeasure with the glaring inconsistencies in salaries. Alumni were displeased with other policies and met with University of North Carolina system President William Fri day to discuss them. Still other critics felt that Covington, whom many termed a "development man," was more concerned with the glass and briek of new buildings than the human beings who taught and learned within them. To make matters worse, salt was rubbed into the administrative wounds when the school, and -the media, discovered that Social Science Department Chairman Michael Montgomery, a favorite of Covington's, had faked most of his academic degrees. Some of those complaints are justified; others are not. It is no easy job to be the chancellor of a predominantly black, state-supported school. Ask A&T's Edward Fort. Moreover, Covington made an indelible mark during his tenure at WSSU. He had the foresight to recognize that^as the society around it changes, so must WSSU. Thus, during his time at the helm, WSSU has added new majors in accounting, chemistry, commercial music and Tko i ? ?- _-? vviupuiwi jviviiwi i lit stuuvji lid) dlSU lllll UUUCCU SL fTlCQlCBl technology program, which, in tandem with the other new offerings, has made WSSU more attractive to a shrinking pool of potential students. There also are impressive new business and nursing buildings on campus and Covington spearheaded the school's first capital gifts campaign, which was an unqualified success. In short, Winston-Salem State University is better off after Covington's departure than when he arrived. We wish him well in his new endeavor and hope he'll repeat his triumphs and learn from his mistakes. Crosswlnds d 1 ? Durgtx anu prisons From The Carolina Times. While we agree that America must reform its prisons, we think what Chief Justice Warren Burger proposes stops far short of attacking the real crime problem in this country. Justice Burger's proposal to turn America's state and , ? fedfsrsrf7 pffs?nr und He simply wants to expand the existing programs and lift : federal and state bans against selling prisoner-made pro: ducts on the open market. That could produce quite a bit of revenue. If the nation's nearly 450,000 inmates were producing profit at the rate of $2 per week per inmate, the total annual profit would be $46.8 million. Certainly, that could provide a new source of financing ; tor prison operations, and maybe even prison construction. But we doubt if it will rehabilitate criminals the way Justice i Burger apparently believes it will. Rehabilitating criminals goes a lot further than providing them with skills training, a job and money. By definition, rehabilitate means to restore to a condition of health, or [ useful and constructive activity. In essence, that is a matter of attitude. Thus, the criminal mind is developed by an attitude that either denies or ig^ nores most boundaries of human behavior. To truly rehabilitate an individual, one must alter the i person's attitude. Unfortunately, the final process cannot ; be accomplished by someone else. The individuals must choose to walk in a new direction, develop a new lifestyle, r* Please see page A5 TELL N\? SofAETrtlNfe 3AcK<ioK/ fcV&M BE A CAMD\DATE... WELL... 1 SofAETttl' <av Jab mi; - -f ' II * mi Farrakha By CLIFTON GRAVES Chronicle Columnist (Author's Note: Just when vdu thought you had seen or heard the last of me .../ By the time you read this article, the 1984 Democratic National Convention will be history. More than likely, Walter Mondale will be the party's nominee for president of these, as James Baldwin writes, "yet-to-be United States" and progressiveminded Democrats, independents and some Republicans will be gearing up to enthusiastically support the pfecedent-setting duo of 4'Fritz and Gen" ("Gen," of course, being Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman nominated by a "major" party to run for vice president). Further, by the time you read these words, the Rev. Jesse Jackson may have decided whether (or how much) he plans to campaign for the aforementioned party ticket, a decision that will ultimately rest upon how much the Democratic Party leadership fairly and effectively addresses Vis sues such as the notorious second primary system, military WW7"l > t. rrnai sa By JOHN JACOB Syndicated Columnist I'm old enough to remember when the term "special interest" referred to a narrow group supporting measures for its own private gain. But in recent years the pollution of the language has extended to include a distortion of the phrase -- instead of referring to private greed it has been applied to those advocating the public good. The^perversion of the term's traditional meaning and its transformation into a means ? -Ihni wmilA ^ the total society is not something to be shrugged off, for it reflects a way of thinking that could frustrate efforts to improve our society. At the turn of the century, "special interests" was used to describe monopolists. Today it is used to describe ? and to condemn ? groups working to make our nation a better place for all. Just pinning a label like "special interest" on those working for the public good replaces thinking. Instead of projecting a vision of a better V,v. t , /vV.- U., m| ft W ("t t WOULD \T WEREM VPE^DENTlAt THM HE'S Bi Jy4 feu. MC WOULD RoWAiC M&~ PRE^DEMT \F I n, Jesse am ?| m -JO \HL ^ _ a*>a ^Jl ft^a mm * m JHHr Clifton Gravoo spending,- Central America, ties to South Africa and political and economic empowerment for America's "locked out." Clearly, how the party leadership deals with Jesse will determine how Jesse deals with the party. We'll await the signal. But irrespective of what deals, compromises or peace offerings are made in San Francisco -- indeed, irrespective of what transpires in the critical November elections -the fact remains that the impact of the movement spearheaded by Jesse Jackson will be felt for years to come, not only within the Democratic Party, but within 4specialinte America from a different standpoint, the demagogues just pin the "special interest" label on whatever they oppose. The civil rights movement, for example, was never perceived as a 4'special interest," for it was recognized that measures to assure the constitutional rights of all and to bring the large black "The civil rights movemen perceived as a "special inter that measures to assure the and to bring the large bla< mainstream are in in the na Mtmrtry nitty; jntb tbe interest. Sure, the policies it advocates would primarily benefit blacks, minorities and all of the poor. But they would also put America well on the road to being a nation of peace and prosperity for all. That's not a special interest but a national interest. How can it possibly be described by n I 1 - - ? a iciiu uiai uscu 10 dc reserved for a handful of speculators trying to ram through some legislation that would benefit them alone? Organized labor is another ^ : i * V !<? '* v' VV.'. " j j rj\ ' ^ "kP't T , ! "4 'Nfc j| J|jM v ff vvu/ti tpc ' \ Foe 1 HE FACT A(X? ? > REAMVJ BE HE WEREN'T WHITE7 ^ 1 the Jews America itself. Obviously, Brother Jesse has raised the controversial issues, from the second primary to South Africa -issues which have been, and . will continue to be, thorns of hypocrisy in the American body politic, and issues which will not and not go away until they are rectified. But, if there is one issue -one concern, one relationship -- which justifiably has been put on the table, discussed, debated, criticized and confronted as a result of Jesse's movement, that is the issue of African-American/JewishAmerican relations, which have been historically strong, yet are presently strained. Now, I realize that most of you are probably sick of being inundated with stories about Jesse's "Hymie" remarks and his continuing relationship with Minister Louis . Farrakhan, the brilliant Muslim leader whom 1 have known of and respected for more than a decade. Furthermore, given Jackson's recent condemnation of brother Farrakhan's alleged commentary implying that Judaism is a "gutter" religion (an inaccurate accusaPlease see page A5 irest' ? group stigmatized by the special interest label. But unions represent over 20 million working people and advocate positions like full employment and wage and labor standards that benefit all working people. In the context of national policy, you can't fairly label such a mass organization of t, for example, was never est, "for it was recognized constitutional rights of all ck majority fully into the \tional interest." that advocates of civil rights, better working conditions and other social reforms are spokespcople for narrow viewpoints at odds with the general good. You might oppose some or all of the things such groups stand tor, but to refuse to take their ideas as serious debating points and to try to smear ( them with the brush of "special interests" is unfair, unprincipled and untrue. The new, distorted meaning Please see page A7 I / 6S&KT, MS 1 f 0. i ' Letters NAACP youth need support To The Kdilor: Recently, several young, bright black studenrs were let down by not being able to attend the NAACP National Convention due to the lack of funds. Neither black nor white companies gave a little of themselves for the benefit of others. Not only the companies but also people in general were unwilling to give. To fly to Kansas City, Kan., and stay from Juty 2^ through? July 6 would have cost an average of $800 per person. This is a small price to pay for America's future. After all, youth are America's future. The lack of funds isn't the only problem the NAACP Youth face. There is apathy among young people to get involved with an organization as useful as the NAACP Youth, which canlielp them to better themselves not only now but in the future. All the blame doesn't go to the youth but also to the parents who don't encourage their children to get involved in our organization to help improve the situation young blacks are in today. We, as the NAACP Youth, cannot get anvthine done without the help of younger and older people. If an NAACP Youth member knocks at your door or -you hear of an NAACP Youth function, please contribute in anyway you can. A little can go a long way. Thank you very much. Othello Hines Jr. Vice-president, NAACP Youth Winston-Salem Where's my poem? To The Editor: Around the first of June, I sent you three of my poems to be put in your poetry section. Will you please write me and let me know why you haven't printed them yet They were sent straight to you. Why does your paper say we can send poems to be printed, and, when I do send them, you don't print them ! hope to see my poems soon in your paper -- if you will print them. Thank you for your understanding. James L. Galloway Mocks ville Editor's note: We're sorrv, but we seem to be the victims of good fortune. Our "Poetry Corner" feature has been so pupittor rkut we've xwer tMl'tr . * MJMUL, .Qf. ,nQiinx, frjtMu. aurTrZ readers that haven't been published yet. Rest assured, however, that thev will be published as time and soace nermit A En uw plan to expand the feature soon so that we can run more poems each issue. Thanks for your interest and patience. Congratulations To The Editor: I am hanpy to add my congratulations to you and your staff for the honors awarded Please see page A5 k., pm* lp Kit T tcwaT rHP TPPt < ' ;A ^ \ i;
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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July 19, 1984, edition 1
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