FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 1975
BENNETT COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N. 0.
VOL XXXVll, NO. 9
Don Can’t Have Job Back
Thorna Humphries Leads With Presidency
1975-76 SGA Election
Plan for Integration of Classes in
Dorms to Be Offered for Student Vote
sistant treasurer, Montgomery,
Ala.; Donna Dennis, correspond
ing secretary, Stratford, Connecti
cut; Sheree Johnson, parliamentar
ian, East Orange, N. J.; and Gen-
eive McCormick, recording secre
tary, Red Springs, N. C.
Student Union Board officers
are Mary Sneed, president, Bethel,
N. C.; Nicki Woods, vice president,
Philadelphia, Pa.; Sheryl Glowers,
treasurer, Macon, Ga.; Robin
Jones, secretary, Hampton, Va.;
Shawn Humphries, Special Activi
ties Committee Chairman, Ft.
Lauderdale, Fla.; Linda Hill, Sip
N Chat Committee Chairman,
Winston-Salem, N. C.; Sandra
Johnson, Film Committee, Milton,
will be on their honor,” she said.
She concluded that upper class
men need more of a cross-section
of relationships with each other.
However, in-coming freshman will
be assigned to freshman dorms, as
it is believed that they need the
opportunity to get a feel of the
campus and its surrounding to
gether, as opposed to being dump
ed into the main stream of activi
ties right away.
AIDP Funding Approved;
Breathett Named Director
by Cheryl E. Johnson
Former Bennett superviser of
grounds, Donald Webster, wants
his job back. According to Web
ster, he was fired by superintend
ent of buildings and grounds, Zack
Browning, because he was incar
cerated in Dorothea Dix Mental
Hospital.
Webster spent 53 days in Doro
thea Dix because he said, “Some
one slipped me LSD or some other
type drug.” He said that he has
never been a user of drugs.
Webster was arrested in the
Greensboro bus station in Dec.
1974 following an episode where
“he seemed to have some type of
unexplained psychotic reaction
which subsequently lead to his
hospitalization and release at
John Umstead Hospital,” as his
medical discarge summary reads.
His incarceration at Dorothea Dix
was a result of the recurrence of
the condition that lead to his ad
mittance to Umstead Hospital.
He said that Browning told him
that he (Browning) did not think
it would be in the best interest of
the college to rehire him and “that
because of the situation some peo
ple here may be very friendly and
some people may be afraid of
you,” Webster said. Webster feels
that he was an asset to the college
and that he hasn’t been treated
fairly. He says Browning stated
that he was fired because he is
sick but “I’m not sick and I can’t
accept the reason Mr. Browning
has given me.”
During the interview with THE
banner, Webster showed a letter
from Dorothea Dix that suggested
Webster be rehired to full em
ployment and stated, “Mr. Donald
Webster is able to perform all
duties and responsibilities in a
capable and responsible manner.”
Don was employed at Bennett
for approximately three and a
half years. He says that his fu
ture, his life and his reputation
are at stake and that he has to
become re-established with Ben
nett College.
Don says he does not want to
give up his job on the basis of
one man’s decision. He added that
“the main reason I kept in touch
with Bennett was because I want
ed everyone at Bennett to know
that there was nothing wrong with
me and I was under the influ
ence of a drug which I did not
knowingly take.”
“I don’t think he would add
anything constructive to the col
lege by getting his job back,” is the
opinion that Browning expressed.
“I just didn’t think he was the
person I was looking for to do that
particular job at the particular
time,” he continued and, “his posi
tion is filled.”
According to Browning his rec
ords indicate that “the week of
Dec. 3rd he (Webster) was out
without reason.” By without rea
son Browning said he meant “that
before Webster left he didn’t give
indication that he would be out.”
Browning said that two weeks
later on Dec. 17 Webster came
back with what Browning termed,
“a legitimate reason for not being
at work for that length of time,”
and that Don was, “re-instated to
his full position.” Browning said
that after his re-instatement Web
ster’s performance as a worker
slacked off.
Browning said that he did not
talk over his decision to dismiss
Webster with any of his immedi
ate superiors.
He stated: “I am in charge of
personnel for this department so
I have to make the decisions on
the hiring and firing.
“I didn’t go to any other faculty
or staff person and say, what do
you think? In my position you
don’t want to set yourself as a
judge and you try very hard not
to set yourself up as a judge. But
when you talk to a person, de
pending on his past record and
how he talks at the particular
time, you make decisions on what
you think his performance would
be and how it affects the other
people around him.”
Browning says that when he
talks with a percentage of the peo
ple a worker will be associating
with and finds that more than a
majority fear the man, this helps
him to make a decision. He said
that these percentages were not
derived from any point blank in
vestigative questions about Web
ster. Instead he said that one uses,
“other terms of finding out how
people feel. I did go to some facul
ty and staff people and got some
ideas,” about how they feel about
Webster, he concluded.
One idea he got was that 95 per
cent of the faculty and staff wom
en are afraid of Webster. He also
said that 50 per cent of the stu
dents and over-all 75 per cent of
the faculty and staff fear Web
ster. He said that he realizes that
his personal information on Web
ster may not be accurate but,
“from my standpoint this is the
way I feel.”
About the letter that Browning
received from the hospital stating
Webster’s competency to assume
the responsibilities of his job
Browning said, “In essence the
letter said that if a person is
capable of standing trial he is cap
able of performing any other
duty.”
Banner Scores
Again in Southern
Regional Competition
At the 24th Annual Southern
Regional Press Institute, held at
Savannah State College, Savan
nah, Georgia, the Bennett Banner
received a score of 46 out of a pos
sible 50 points in the college news
paper competition.
The Banner received a perfect
score of 10 on its handling of fea
ture material and a score of 9 on
each of the following categories;
layout, content, illustrations, and
overall appearance.
The judges’ comment was:
“Good workmanlike job. Strives to
cover campus news professional
ly.”
After College’s
Leading the slate of recently
elected SGA officers for Bennett
College’s 1975-1976 school year is
Thorna Humphries, who will serve
as President of the Student Sen
ate. She is presently a sophomore
who resides in Ft. Lauderdale,
Florida. Thorna, a Mathematics-
Art major, is also a second-year
Presidential Scholar. She is a
member of Delta Sigma Theta So
rority, president of the Sopho
more Class, and Feature Editor of
the yearbook staff.
Other officers of the Student
Senate are Bertha Scarborough,
vice-president, Lynchburg, S. C.;
Cassandra Jones, treasurer, Mont
gomery, Ala.; Jamelle Felder, as-
A plan to integrate dormitories
was discussed in a recent resi
dence life meeting between Dean
Harold E. Bragg, Mts. Ouida Scar
borough, dormitory directors and
dormitory presidents. Before the
proposal is approved or disap
proved a vote from the student
body will be conducted as input
to determine student consensus.
Mrs. Scarborough, Director of
Residence Life, said one of the
main reasons for implementing
such a plan is to promote sister
hood campus-wide, and maintain
this atmosphere of sisterhood after
each class graduates and in the
remaining class. She said, “What
happened to make us think about
this was the returning of a number
of recent graduates who didn’t
know anybody. When they return
ed to the campus, they felt out of
place although they just grad
uated.”
She thinks the present system
of living in dormitories according
to classification, “archaic” and
feels that this new proposal will
“make for a better family rela
tionship on campus.”
This open housing plan will al
low rising seniors first choice in
selecting a dorm, followed by jun
iors and sophomores. As far as
curfew is concerned, “Students
Bennett College is in the imple
mentation stages of its Advanced
Institutional Development Pro
gram. The $1.5 million grant,
awarded by the U. S. Office of
Education, will strengthen existing
operations and provide new stra
tegies to assist Bennett in achiev
ing its institutional goals.
President Isaac H. Miller an
nounced the appointment of Dr.
George Breathett as Director of
the College’s A.I.D. Program. The
money will not support Bennett’s
total operation, but it will serve
as a stimulus to get several major
components started in planning,
administration, management, and
N. C.; and Jeanette Branch, Pub
licity Committee Chairman, Hen
derson, N. C.
The officers of the Interdormi
tory Council are Patricia Goings,
president, Sumter, S. C.; Sherita
Blackstock, vice-president, Mt,
Vernon, N. Y.; Jozetta Whaley,
treasurer. Charleston, S. C.; Mal-
lika Maniam, secretary, Malaysia;
and Deborah Luttery, assistant
secretary, Atlanta, Ga.
Officers of the Recreational
Council are Lynnette French, pres
ident, Detroit, Michigan; Iris
Vaughn, vice president, Bronx,
N. Y.; Freddie Spencer, treasurer,
Philadelphia, Pa.; Nykki Lodrig,
Dance Committee Chairman, New
Orleans, La.; Kristen Dennard,
Fun Night Chairman, Detroit,
Michigan; and Deborah Beale,
Publicity Chairman, Asheville,
N. C.
President of the Pre-Alumnae
Council is Nancy Dolfinger, a
sophomore from Fishkill, N. Y.
Other officers are Crystal Phifer,
vice-president, Greensboro, N. C.;
Audrey Forrest, secretary. Ninety
Six, S. C.; Joyce Bass, treasurer,
Creedmoor, N. C.; Deborah Lundy,
Program Committee Chairman,
Macon, Ga.; and Rhonda Kittrell,
Publicity Chairman, Greensboro,
N. C.
evaluation; curriculum develop
ment and support; and student
services development.
Bennett is establishing its execu
tive structure on the principle of
the Management Information Sys
tem. Such an organizational struc
ture will result in improved data
assimilation and retrieving for
sound educational planning and
reporting; more rationale in the
allocating of human and material
resources; facilitation of the in
stitution’s evaluation process and
assessment of manpower; and the
organization of personnel man
agement and recruitment.
This sector of institutional de
velopment also includes the in
stituting of three new positions, the
Director of Planning, AID-P, the
Director of Personnel Services, and
Director of the Computer Center.
It provides resources for staff and
administrators to attend instruc
tional conferences and workshops.
The Curriculum Development
and Support Component of A. I. D.
P. places strong emphasis on im
proving communications skills and
expanding curriculum offerings by
instituting a Computer Assisted
Instruction Program to provide for
accelerated, remedial, and inde
pendent study; developing a Wom
en’s Studies Program and Curricu
lum based on appropriate research
and study; instituting of two new
majors in Communications-Me-
dia-Public Relations and Student
(Continued on Page 3)
If Spring is here, can Dog Days be far behind?