Newspapers / Bennett College Student Newspaper / April 9, 1976, edition 1 / Page 6
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Page Six THE BENNETT BANNER FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 1976 Powder Puff Football Is Used As Senior Specialization by Cheryl E. Johnson As anyone who is an alumna of Bennett can tell you — we don’t have a strong athletics program primarily because we are a col lege for women. And as a part of adding some variety to existing physical edu cation courses that department has initiated a program known as “senior specialization.” In this pro gram senior majors are supposed to “display growth and develop ment as well as impart knowl edge” in a given sport according to Bernetta “Bernie” Sisco. Bernie, ’76 is from Philadelphia and as her senior specialization she has elected to teach powder puff football to some willing and other not so willing cohorts. Her class in “foot ball” meets twice a week and is composed of four education majors and eight physical education majors. Class members who are phys ed majors are; Terri Morris, Pam Jones, Frederica Spencer, Kris Dennard, Freddie Harding, Athavia Jackson, Michelle Jefferson and Yvette Smire. The education powder puff students include Deborah Beale, Sandra Johnson, Suzanne Owens and Pat Lloyd. The reason Bernie decided to or ganize a specialized group of powder puff players is partially because during her student teach ing she became aware of “Title IX” legislation passed by the con gress which makes provisions for equal facilities for both sexes as well as paving the way for co-edu- cational physical education classes. Bernie’s objective is to teach these students to master a form of football “which is a predominate ly male sport” because she thinks this will be more of a challenge for herself as well as her class than teaching a sport that women usually participate in like “field hockey” she said. Powder puff football is the fe male counterpart of “touch foot ball.” She hopes to teach the class “basic skills and fundamentals of the sport and also the official rules that presently exist but are not standardized for the game.” Next time you hear soft femi nine voices cracking as they raise to holler: 36—24—36 don’t look around and expect to see Racquel Welch walking and bragging but rather a few Belles playing a friendly game of foot ball — powder puff that is. Kris makes o great catch while teammates pose for the camera and look more like they are waltzing than blocking. photo by Cheryl E. Johnson Students Not Leaving in Droves But Some Do Transfer Nonetlieless (Continued from Page 1) After staying at Bennett for only seven weeks, an art major from Connecticut decided to leave because she did not like the academic program for herself. She wanted to get right into her ma,ior courses without the worry of taking English, math or so cial science. She plans to attend a fashion designers’ school m Connecticut. Miss Harris not only asks for the student’s response con cerning her withdrawal, but she also asks the parents for their opinion of child’s decision. The mother of the art major from Connecticut had strong views against her daughter’s decision. She wanted her to stay here because of Bennett’s reputation. “Because drug traffic is so heavy in Connecticut, I wanted her to go to a small southern city to get a good post-high school education,” stated the mother. Although she was unable to persuade her daughter to stay, she was very happy to see the concern Miss Harris showed for her daughter’s welfare. While some students withdraw at the end of the fall se mester, there are a few more who plan to withdraw from Ben nett at the close of the school year. Fran Franklin, a psychology major from Ocean City, Mary land, doesn’t think the psychology department is competent. “For the money I am paying to go to Bennett, I think I can get a better education at another school,” said Miss Franklin. “I think Bennett is a good school but I don’t think it rears you for life,” claims Irene Oakley a business major from New Jersey. She doesn’t think Bennett gives you the chance to really accept responsibility because there are too many restrictions placd on the students. She plans to attend a larger school but she hasn’t made up her mind where she would like to go yet. Darlene Souder, a pre-law and Spanish major from Atlanta, is also planning to transfer. “If there were more instructors like Dr. Virginia Tucker and Miss Linda Addo here I would seriously consider returning in the fall,” she said. She is not satisfied so cially or mentally. Bennett does not offer enough courses in her major of Spanish. She would have to go elsewhere in the Greensboro area to take Spanish courses. This summer she plans to go to summer school in Atlanta and in the fall she hopes to go to George Wash ington University Law School. Another student considering transferring is Hattie Purnell, psychology major from Ocean City, Maryland, and president of the freshman class. Her desire is to transfer only if this does not ruin her credits. She has applied to Hood College because she feels it has a better psychology department than Bennett’s. Hat tie is also dissatisfied with the campus atmosphere and the aca demic conditions such as the computers and compulsory class attendance. Many students feel that if some of the conditions at Bennett are not changed, there will be many more students transferring or withdrawing from the college. Mrs. Matthews Loves Ole Bennett And One May Sense This Alston Says Choir Sets Fine Example (Continued from Page 3) While interviewing Mrs. Mat thews, you could sense the pride and love that she continues to hold for Bennett. When asked about her personal feelings on being a “first graduate,” Mrs. Matthews replied, “I always feel deeply honored and grateful that I was able to go to college at all. I enrolled in Ben nett College in 1926, when the Stock Market was about to crash; but, I graduated with an A.B. de gree in 1930. Mrs. Matthews said she came from a poor family. Her father was a minister and her gradua tion from college was a fulfilment of a dream for her family. “One of the greatest things that happened to me while at Bennett was meet ing the David D. Jones’. I grew up with them and their children. After a while, 1 began to feel like an older daughter. With the Jones’ you always had the opportunity to develop leadership ability,” said Mrs. Matthews. Why was the class ot 1930 only composed of four members? “At that time, the college was only four years old. In 1926, the insti tution graduated its last high school class and that fall, it be came a college. The college fresh men class started with 16 mem bers, but for various reasons, the girls began to drop out. President Jones promised that those of us who would stick it out with him, would graduate at the end of four years from an accredited college.” said Mrs. Matthews. EIJRGPE 707 Call 60 day advance payment required ron l,ee 800-325-4867 © UmTravel Charters She said that Bennett became a women’s college mainly because of the women of the Methodist Church. She said, “But a lot of it was due to the Jones’. President and Mrs. Susie Jones were a team and they were genuinely interested in us.” Mrs. Matthews was the first alumna to serve on the Board of Trustees of Bennett College. “1 felt very honored and proud. At that time, I felt that even though I was an alumna, I should contribute a great deal. But I had already be gun our family with one child and we wanted more children, so I resigned from my position on the Board after two years,” said Mrs. Matthews. Mrs. Matthews has served in numerous capacities for several organizations, including the Board of the United Negro College Fund and the Board of Delta Home for Girls. Mrs. Matthews was the former Dean of Women and Dean of Stu dent Life and Development at Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama and has spent most of her life working with students and others. After receiving her Master’s degree from Wayne State University, she worked as a So cial Case Worker in Detroit and served as a volunteer worker in a number of organizations including the YWCA, and the Metropolitan Detroit Child and Welfare Fed eration. She did further graduate work at Wayne State University and Atlanta University. Mrs. Matthews still manages to keep up with the occurrences at Bennett. “I love Bennett College. I was disappointed in the physical appearance of the campus and the conditions of the buildings, but I suppose the maintenance is doing the best that they can,” said Mrs. Matthews. Mrs. Matthews is a very vibrant and enthusiastic person. She holds life memberships in many pro fessional and social organizations including Delta Sigma Theta So rority, NAACP, and the American Personnel and Guidance Associa tion. She is the mother of two sons and the grandmother of three girls. When asked her opinion of to day’s Bennett woman, Mrs. Mat thews said, “I picked up the fact that they are having problems, but there are problems every where. But Bennett girls are an- lyzing and facing their problems. The girls are strong and they have good minds and healthy bodies, and their problems are problems only peculiar to Ben nett it seems,” according to Mrs. Matthews. She said that Bennett women will make of themselves the best, because they have vast opportuni ties offered to them and they can’t help but succeed. WANTED: Student Travel Consultant To Book Rooms for: Quality Inn-American 1055 North Federal Highway Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 33304 Send Letter Indicating Interest In Position (Continued from Page 4) she said. “This understanding keeps them working together for a common cause. Personally, I think they set a very fine ex ample for the college.” She is amazed at how much energy the girls have in addition to going to class. “We do a lot of public relations work but I feel confident in saying that no mat ter what the crisis, I trust the choir will always come through.” Dr. Alston is also a minister of music. She works in the church outside of working here so she receives spiritual satisfaction as well. "1 find my greatest happiness when I am doing meaningful and productive work,” she added. ALA President Talks (Continued from Page 1) She is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta and earned her library science degree at the Uni versity of Michigan. Mrs. Jones was recently the first woman and black ever to be appointed to the Board of Direc tors of the Detroit City National Bank. Danville, Virginia Poet Seeks To Preserve Oral Tradition of Blacks'' Through Poetry Stressing the importance of pre serving the “oral tradition of blacks,” Lena Haden Merritt of Danville, Virginia, read to stu dents from her own poetry in a poetry workshop sponsored by the Department of Communica tions and held in the Little The atre on Tuesday, March 30. Mrs. Merritt opened and closed her program by singing spirituals because she said they represented “poets who are a great heritage for our people in music” She noted that though they were “untrained, perhaps not technically perfect,” yet their songs “contained great depth of thought.” Mrs. Merritt read a selection of her own poems in various forms on various subjects demonstrating a consistently religious approach to her subject matter. She noted that she felt that “poetry always is by divine inspiration” and that “divine guidance is necessary.” Stating that “therapeutic poetry is the most enduring,” Mrs. Mer ritt noted that she felt she had been “chosen to cheer the hearts of people.” Her poetry has been published in booklet form and a recording of her poems is being used in a hospital in Mannheim, Germany. Mrs. Merritt reads some poetry se lections on the Little Theatre stage. photo by Cheryl E. Johnson
Bennett College Student Newspaper
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April 9, 1976, edition 1
6
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