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THE BENNETT BANNER
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1973
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK . . .
STUDEHT LAG IS OBVIOUS!
Some of the problems on Bennett’s campus are caused by
the lack of communication among students-to-students, students-
to-faculty, students-to-staff, students-to-administration, facul-
ty-to-faculty, administration-to-faculty, faculty-to-staff, and
administration-to-administration. In fact, no one communicates
with anyone.
Recently a group of students and alumnae exprssed their
concern on the matter. They concluded that most Bennett stu
dents are going through their college experience without ever
having developed their leadership potential or creative talents.
They live in a vacuum and never become involved in campus
activities nor community projects.
This problem has already been analyzed, so no more studies
neei to be taken. What is needed? Most feel that a dynamic
Co-Currlcular Office will break the barrier that is going up
steadily. Sa many students don’t know what the opportunities
are, so we cannot justify their actions by saying “Well, they
have this already, but don’t take advantage of it.” We must
continue to search for the programs that the students are in
terested in and dig just a little deeper for the necessary ele
ments to make them feasible. Each day should be spent m
helping students realize their opportunities, not in telling them
what can be done or how it has been done in the past.
For the most part, the majority of the student body never
go to the offices of Student Affairs. In fact, they are the most
dull offices on campus when they should be the center of stu
dent activity. Students who do frequent them often find the
atmosphere loaded with personal hostiUties among the person
nel.
Bennett College once bore the reputation of being an insti
tution where women excelled in scholastics and were very ac
tive in co-curricular activities. Students were encouraged to
participate from the first day they arrived to the campus.
Everyone was made to become a member of the Bennett family.
Each cared for her fellow student and rights of others were
carefully honored. The Student Government was truly the voice
of the populace. The leaders were very capable and well-
spoken. They led in academic achievement and felt that they
must set the example for the students. They were respected by
the students and the administration. When they spoke, people
listened and had faith in their judgment because they reasoned
out all the possibilities. They knew what was going on in the
community and were called upon to play active roles.
Now, where are these qualified leaders? It is now time for
student Sections. In the past three years, it has become in
creasingly hard to find qualified people to run. Why? Have the
offices become so meaningless? Have the students and admini
stration lost respect for our student leaders? Only the Bennett
students can answer these questions. Some hings we must do
on our own.
Such achievements are placed on the academic records also,
because future employers are looking for the leaders, as well
as the scholars.
The underclassmen are faced with a challenge for they are
the potential leaders and the future students. It is very import
ant to do more than sleep, party, and go to class. To make it in
today’s world, one needs to be -well-rounded. A recent grad
uate made the following observation:
“After I graduated and went to several job interviews I
was asked repeatedly about my co-curricular involevment in
high school and college. I was quite relieved that I did have
something to submit. I would advise anyone to take an active
role in campus activities. Make yourself known to those who
count. Let the community know who you are. Get involved out
there, also. That’s why students like Connie Hammond found
it so easy to get placed.”
There is indeed a lock of communication on campus. But
we are small enough to overcome it. Just like the example dis
played by some students who met informally with some faculty
and alumnae last week. They met off campus to discuss things
and came back with a better understanding of the college and
its people. But it’s going to take more students and faculty-
staff persons to make this work. Whenever and wherever people
are involved in such a community, it’s going to take just a
little more effort on the parts of all. Student Affairs must get
with it or out of it! We must move on toward better things!
In the coming student elections, a new breed of leadership
must be sought. The most important thing to consider is the
ability of the candidate, not her status in the dormitory, not her
ability to rap in ghetto slang, not her ability to crack on the
administration, and not what sorority or club she represents.
We must be concerned with the total picture of the college. We
must select those people who can tell us what we need to know.
We must select those who can conununicate intelligently and
lead rationally. We must select those who have maintained
scholarly achievement throughout their college experience and
who realize what a college is about.
CAMPUS ELECTIONS
COMING SOON!
ARE YOU DOING
Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can
At all the times you can
To all the people you can
As long as ever you can
—John Wesley
Service to mankind is one
of the most expensive gifts
one may surrender to his fel
low man. Have we become
so self-centered and thought
less that we tend to forget
the needs of our brothers and
sisters in the Community?
Sure, we are quick to talk a
lot about “the man’s oppres
sion of the masses” and the
problems of the inner-city.
But we are a little slow in
doing something about it.
Not so long ago, Bennett
College was the center of
community action. Faculty
and students were actively
engaged in the voter registra
tion drives of the early fif
ties. The Home Making In
stitute assisted blacks in
making their lives more prof
itable and their homes more
livable. Annually the entire
student body walked to a lo
cal nursing home to make
the dull lives of its patients
just a little more bearable.
Community parties were
sponsored for the children in
the surrounding area. Even
classroom projects centered
on community involvement.
It was not necessary for the
Sociolpgy students to leave
the campus to undertake field
studies. She was able to or
ganize projects which brought
the community to the cam
pus.
Where is such humility and
volunteering spirit in today’s
Bennett student? Are we so
Thoughts
To Ponder
90% of the enrollment re
ceive financial aid.
. Tuition only meets a frac
tion of the cost of education.
As the cost of a college edu
cation goes up, more and
more financial aid should be
based on proven scholastic
achievement.
More students than ever
cannot construct an accepta
ble written paragraph nor
speak a complete sentence
without making a gramma
tical error.
More students say they are
studying; however, larger
percentages are cheating on
exams.
Over $5,000 worth of bad
checks were received in the
Business Office.
Some students feel that they
don’t have to pay their bills
while you must bear the load
of their college expenses.
The campus might look
better if we stop parking
cars on the grass.
.Private institutions are not
operated on tuition alone. A
very large percentage of the
money comes from outside
sources.
It is better to bear with
disciplinary codes now. Those
imposed on the outside and
even at home are worse.
. Beware of professors bear
ing gifts, these are the one’s
who are stabbing you in the
back.
Sororities are service or
ganizations. Who are they
serving?
WHAT YOU CAN?
self-centered that we are con
tent to justify our lack of
concern ,wih the over-used
excuse “I have a lot of study
ing to do”?
Let’s be honest with our
selves! The average commun
ity volunteer spends less than
two hours a week in serving
the community. We spend
nearly one hour a day criti
cizing those who are doing.
The sad truth about the
matter is that we are happy
to be doing nothing. We do
not care that only several of
our Bennett Sisters are carry
ing the burden of Bennett
Community Involvement. And
what makes it just a little
more pitiful is the fact that
so few of our faculty and
staff members are involved.
Bennett College is about
the business of educating
strong black women who vdll
be called upon to play var
ious roles in the community,
whether it be wife, mother,
civic leader, or professional.
However in any case humil
ity and humanitarianism are
basic elements of success in
all.
There are numerous prob
lems out there to be solved.
By merely recognizing the
problem gets us nowhere. We
must get out there and fight
it.
Question: Is there a drug
problem on the Bennett cam
pus?
“No, there’s no evidence to
prove one exists!!”
Annie Ward ’75
Lilesville, N. C.
“No! Looking at the prob
lems on other campuses, I
don’t see it. There hasn’t
been any proof.”
Sandra Johnson ’75
Wilmington, N. C.
“Really, I don’t know! But
if there are drugs on campus,
I would not consider it a
problem. The problem de
pends on percentages.”
Juliet Smith ”74
Goldsboro, N. C.
“I don’t think there is a
drug problem on campus.
But then that depends on
what the administration de
fines as a drug problem. Yes,
there is some usage. How
ever, there are no crises of
having addicts and stone ad
dicts selling dope and using
it all over campus, as on
some campuses where every
one wants to know where “to
cop” or where the student
union is the commodity
store.
Ruth Dennis ’73
Richmond, Va.
Co-op Students
On Assignment
The Cooperative Education
Forgram enables its partici
pants to benefit from added
educational experiences gain
ed from a semester away
from the campus. The know
ledge gained on these Co-op
encounters helps to enhance
the total college experience
for these girls. Those that
have accepted the challenge
and gone out on Co-op as
signments this semester are:
Annette Barnes, Sopho
more — U. S. Department of
Commerce, Bureau of Stand
ards, Washington, D. C.
Mary Ashe, Junior and
Brenda Wilson, Junior —
Office of Equal Opportunity,
Washington, D. C.
Cynthia McCaskiel, Senior
— Grumman Aerospace, Long
Island, New York
Effie Y. Jones, Senior —
Interreligious Foundation for
Community Organization, Or
ganization, Washington, D. C.
Elaine Jones, Senior —
North Carolina General As
sembly, House of Representa
tives
Evelyn Cohens, Junior;
Deborah Herbin, Sophomore;
and Dorothy Kelly, Sopho
more—Department of Health
Education and Welfare, Pub
lic Health Services, Rockville,
Maryland.
“I don’t believe that a drug
problem exists. If students
are taking them, then the
problem lies in the reasons
why they are taking them,
not in the fact that they are
doing so.
Abigail Flanders ’73
Charlotte, N. C.
“In my opinion, there is no
problem. It must be so small
that it can’t be seen if there
is one.
Gloria McIntosh ’76
Philadelphia, Pa.
“I feel that there is no
real drug problem here on
Bennett’s campus compared
to many other college cam-
pusus.”
Fernaundra Ferguson’ 76
Sumter, S. C.
“If smoking reefer is what
Bennett College considers a
drug problem then I think
they should consider them
selves lucky. As far as I am
concerned, there is no drug
problem on this campus. The
only problem I can see is the
lack of the administration to
communicate, relate and lis
ten to the needs of the stu
dents.”
Yvonne McFadden ’76
Sumter, S. C.
THE BENNETT
BANNER STAFF
1972-1973
Editor
Myra McCoy
Managing Editor
Elizabeth Hemingway
Sports Editor
Denise A. Johnson
Renee Simpson
Circulation Editor
L. Diane Williams
Artist
Carolyn D. Johnson
Copy Editor
Valerie Tillman
Advisor
Miss Myra Davis
Reporters: Patricia McCoy, Sandra Neely, Cathy Duckett,
Bcbetta Jones, D9risenia Thompson, Paula Peterson,
and Lealer Kuig
THE ROVING REPORTER