■4
Finding Our Roots
Revisited
. . Lifestyles/Pages 8,13,14, & 15A
.Ik" " V - s - - - . . .
Radio Days With Our Favorite On- Air DJ's
Entertainment/ Page IB
"J.R." Lockhart: Boxer On Way To World-Class
Sports/ Page IIB
siig
CI)E Cliarlottt Bosft
"The Voice Of The Black Community"
Volume 13, Number 36
THE CHARLOTTE POST - Thursday, February 4, 1988
Price: 50 Cents
Doug WilHaihs Wins !I!
Overcoming the adversities '«rtilch plagued his start in professionai
football, Doug WiUiams becomes the first black quarterback to
lead a team to a Super Bo^ victory and picks up MVP award in the
process.
See stoiy on page SB
Albright A Witness At
Student Loan Hearing
Special To The Post
Secretary of Education Edward
Bennett has proposed new regu
lations which would require that
by 1990, all colleges and univer
sities participating In the Guar
antee Student Loan Program, re
duce their default rates below 20
percent. The schools that do not
reduce their rates below 20 per
cent will face a cut off of all stu
dent aid. Many Historically
Black Colleges, Including John
son C. Smith University, with
higher than 20% default rates,
say the policy Is unfair and un
justly punishes their Institu
tions.
JCSU President, Dr. Robert L.
Albright, says that colleges and
universities do not make guar
anteed student loans nor do
they have the authority to col
lect the loans. Albright believes
that there could be other op
tions and considerations the
federal government could use to
recapture Its funds and not tar
get Historically Black Colleges
and Universities. For most Insti
tutions like Smith, this new pro
posal, If implemented, could
place them In a critical situation
because they enroll many high
risk, low Income students who,
unless aid is made available
would not be able to graduate,
£md therefore, would not be In a
position to have thp resources
to repay the loans.
The Subcommittee on Post
secondary Education, which has
Albright
the responsibility for student fi
nancial aid programs, began
two-days of hearings to explore
the Issue of student loan de
faults. Specifically, the hear
ings focus on the recommenda
tions made by the Belmont Task
Force. Dr. Albright, named by
both the National Association
for Equal Opportunity In Higher
Education and the United Negro
College Fund as an expert In this
area. Is acting in their behalf as
their witness during the hear
ings. The hearings &gan Tues
day, February 2, In the Cannon
Office Building, room 311,
Inside This Week
Editorials Pg. 6A
Entertainment..Pg. 1B
American Industry must contend
with education problems 7A
Lifestyles Pg. 8A
Area colleges celebrate
Black History 8B
Sports Pg. 9B
Success of Loaves & Fishes
depends on volunteers IIA
Church News Pg. 9A
Classifieds Pg.l6B
For Subscription, call 376-0496.
Walton Challenges Critics
By Herb White
Post Staff Writer
District 2 Democrat Bob Wal
ton filed for another term on the
Mecklenburg County Commis
sion Friday and Issued chal
lenges to his critics and his chief
opponent. Naslf Majeed.
Walton took a swipe at critics
who said his effectiveness has
been weakened by a 1986 zissault
conviction.
'You should look at the record
and not listen to persons who
say I'm not effective," he said.
Walton said 20 motions were
seconded by commissioners last
year, which proves he has the re
spect of the board.
"If they didn't respect me, why
did they second my motions ?"
he asked. "I have been able to
gain their respect. People respect
experience and knowledge."
Walton challenged Majeed to
debate the Issues throughout
District 2.
"I have called for debates In the
district with my opponent," he
said. "If you're going to run for
office you ought to be willing to
face the voters and the local me
dia. We can start this afternoon
if he wants to."
Walton denied a report pub
lished last week that quoted him
as saying that two Majeed sup
porters, former Charlotte Mayor
Harvey Gantt and former coun
cilman Ron keeper are losers.
"That was taken totally out of
context," Walton said. "What I
was saying was that those who
are supporting me are currently
elected ofllclaJs."
enough money to win the elec
tion.
"Since the media's been so con
cerned with whether I can fi
nance this campaign, do you
think this check will bounce?"
Walton said he Intends to run
strictly on his experience as a
Commissioner. A 10-year vete
ran of the board, Walton Is run
ning for the eighth time. He has
served five two-year terms on
the board.
Protesters
Arrested In
Flag Dispute
Photo By Calvin Fonluaon
Walton shows his record to reporters and says he wants a debate on
the issues.
Walton counts as his support
ers school board members
George Battle and Sarah Steven
son.
The competlon between candi
dates Is good for District 2, Wal
ton maintained and he expects
to win the nomination. The win
ner will face Republican Roose
velt Gardner In the November
general election.
"I'll be very happy If I win by
one vote," Walton said. "Whetlier
you win by one or 100,000,
you're a winner and If you lose
by one or 100,000 you're still a
loser."
Walton talked with supporters
and Joked with elections super
visor Bill Culp while filing for
tne May Democratic primary.
As he paid the $120 filing fee,
Walton Joked about having
Philadelphia Will Host Black Mayors
CHARLOTTE (AP) —The Na
tional Conference of Black
Mayors, which planned to hold
Its annual convention In Char
lotte In April, has decided It will
meet In Philadelphia Instead.
The change
Mayor Goode
black mayor.
In plans came-
after Charlotte
voters ousted
Harvey Gantt,
the city's first
black mayor.
In balloting
Nov. 3. On the
same day,
Philadelphia
reelected Wil
son Goode,
that city's first
'Our decision was based on
that and nothing else." confer
ence President John Smith told
The Charlotte Observer.
Conference members voted at
their 1987 convention to hold
annual meetings only In cities
headed by black mayors.
"Once they discovered one of
their members was not going to
be hosting the meeting, the bid
ding started again," said Smith,
mayor of Prichard, Ala.
As many as 165 mayors and
other officials will meet June
15-19 In Philadelphia, which
beat out Atlanta, Chicago, De
troit and Los Angeles.
Smith said the group will hon
or Gantt In some way at the
meeting.
Mayor Sue Myrlck, a Republi
can who upset Gantt by 995
votes, sought to keep the meeting
In Charlotte.
“I'm sorry they've chosen not
to come here," she said Wednes
day. "Although there's no black
mayor, we are noted for harmo
ny and goodwill among all our
citizens."
The mayors announced Char
lotte's selection In June, before
Ms. Myrlck announced her can
didacy.
Charlotte officials hoped that
the convention would showcase
the city and pump an estimated
$500,000 Into the local econo
my.
"That was a real prominent,
large convention for that time of
year," said Doug Stafford, presi
dent of the Charlotte Conven
tion and Visitors Bureau. "We're
going to work to try to replace
It"
But, Stafford said, city conven
tion planners haven't found an
other meeting of that size.
Blacks Force Change In County Voting
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) --The
Pitt County Board of Commis
sioners on Monday agreed to a
plan to end countywide, or at-
large, voting for commissioners,
thereby Increasing the chances
for blacks to be elected to the
board.
As part of a settlement with
black groups that had sued over
the method of electing the board,
the commissioners approved an
election plan that would In
crease the number of seats on
the board from six to nine and
require candidates to face voters
only in their residential dis
trict. Three of the districts
would have a majority of black
residents, giving blacks a
chance to elect three commis
sioners.
The proposed agreement must
be approved by a federal Judge
and by the U.S. Department of
BTJffirREZVES
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)—
Law officers arrested Alabama
NAACP President Thomas Reed
and 11 other black leaders Tues
day when they tried to climb a
fence around the Capitol to take
down the Confederate battle flag
flying over the dome.
Reed, a state representative
from Tuskegee, led a group of
seversil dozen blacks to a drive
way gate where Reed talked to
state troopers for almost 20
minutes before attempting to
climb the 6-foot high fence.
‘I consider myself not violat
ing the law of this state," Reed
said.
Alter oGVcers fe-raJoVied TUied
the collar cind pulled him down
from the fence, other members
of his group, among them Na
tional NAACP board member
Emmett Burns, attempted to
climb over but were also re
strained.
"We are under arrest," state
Rep. John Rogers of Birming
ham said as he entered the bus.
The charges were not Immedi
ately known.
Earlier, as crowds had gathered
for the march sponsored by the
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People,
local and state law enforcement
officers set up barricades and
confiscated an axe handle.
Reed contends the flag repre
sents racism and oppression
and said that If It was not taken
down voluntarily he planned to
“enter the Capitol grounds and
climb to the top of the state Cap
itol dome and remove the Con
federate battle flag."
He said today the banner Is re
sented by blacks and "better
thinking white people."
The NAACP also Is campaign
ing to bring down the Confeder
ate battle flag at the statehouse
In South Carolina, as well as re
move Confederate flags from the
designs of the Georgia and Mis
sissippi state flags.
State officers said they confis
cated an axe handle from three
youths In a pickup truck during
a search, but made no arrests.
Capitol security police were un
der orders from Gov. Guy Hunt
not to allow anyone to reach the
Capitol, which Is undergoing
renovation and is surrounded by
a locked, chain-link fence.
Bobby Shaner, seated at the en
trance to the Capitol driveway
See Voting on page 2A
See Reed on page 2A
NCCU Head Says Charges Against School Are Racist
DURHAM (AP) — Complaints
leveled at North Carolina Cen
tral University's nursing school
may be racially motivated, the
school's chairwoman charged
last week, a day after reports of
an unacceptably low passing
rate for students on the state
nursing exam.
“When you're traditionally
black (university), you have to
prove that you are Just as good
and even better than everyone
else. I think we may be (under
closer scrutiny) than other nurs
ing departments," said Dr. Joh-
nea Kelly, who has chaired the
department for 10 years.
The 15-member state Board of
Nursing placed the NCCU nurs
ing school on conditional ap
proval after a three-member
panel found nine deficiencies In
the program during an October
Inspection.
The action, taken last week,
was the second blow for NCCU's
nursing program In less than
two weeks. Earlier this month, a
committee of the University of
North Carolina Board of Gov
ernors ordered NCCU to Improve
Its nursing exam scores by the
end of this year or face a ban on
admitting any new students.
Among NCCU's nursing gradu
ates taking the test for the first
time In 1987, 45.8 percent
passed — a drop from the 1986
passing rate of 87.5 percent.
Both the state Board of Nurs
ing, the state's licensing body,
and the UNC Board of Governors
require nursing schools to post
at least a 60 percent passing rate
on the exam In any one year, or
a 70 percent passing rate over a
three-year period.
The state administers the exam
In Februaiy and July.
Dr. Mickey Bumlm, vice chan
cellor for academic affairs, said
the figures released by the nurs
ing panel may be misleading.
"We expect only 15 to 20 stu
dents to take the licensure exam
this year," he told The Durham
Sun.
The small number will affect
the passage rate dramatically,
even If only a few students do
poorly, he said.
Burnlm said he wondered
whether the administrative def-
Iclences cited In the report were
a big factor In the low test re
sults.
"Most of tliem are administra
tive things," he said.
This is the second time NCCU's
nursing program has been
placed under conditional ap
proval. In 1980, the nursing
board cited six deficiencies,
ranging from lack of secretarial
support to poor passing rates on
the nursing exam. That year, 22
percent of the school's nursing
graduates passed the exzun on
their first attempt.
After Bumlm and Chancellor
lyronza Richmond met with
nursing board officials In Octo
ber, Richmond ordered a search
for a new department chairman.
Ms. Kelly said last week she
has been looking for respite
from the rigors of administra
tive duties for about three years.
"I'm tenured and I plan to stay
at Central," she said.