Page Two
THE BENNETT BANNER
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1978
Take pride and register to VOTE!
Suffrage. What does it mean to the majority of us at Ben
nett? There are only two answers to this question. There are
either those who are registered to vote and participate in elec
tions either here or in their respective hometowns through ab
sentee votes, or there are those who couldn’t care less about
voting.
As members of the four groups that were previously disen
franchised—blacks, females, those without property, and those
under 21 years of age—we should take pride in being registered
to vote.
The slow but steady expansion of suffrage is one of the more
fascinating political developments that has spanned the two-
century history of our country. In the series of democratic re
form movements that have developed throughout our history,
restrictions have gradually lifted, enfranchising first one group
and then another.
Since the end of the Civil War, the U. S. Constitution has
added four amendments and the Supreme Court passed an im
portant decision regarding voting. Congress passed the Four
teenth and Fifteenth Amendments which guaranteed the right
to vote to newly emancipated slaves and which outlawed denial
of the vote on grounds of race, color or previous condition of
servitude. With the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in
1920, women were given the vote. In 1970, the Supreme Court
ruled against payment of taxes and ownership of property as
requirements for voting in local election. And in 1971, Congress
passed the Twenty-Sixth Amendment lowering the national
voting age to eighteen years of age.
Since our ancestors and maybe parents went through so
much trouble to fight for suffrage and since Congress and the
Supreme Court both spent endless months and even years try
ing to settle the suffrage question, why is it that we do not take
advantage of this well-deserved right ?
It is too late to register for the forthcoming election on No
vember 7, but we encourage all Belles and subscribers not to let
another election pass without registering to vote.
We agree with the Rev. Jesse Jackson in his graduation
address to the A&T class of 1978, “No person should be allowed
to graduate from college unless he has the tools to succeed in
one hand and a voter registration card in the other.”
Exercise your right. VOTE.
Adviser’s Note
There seems to be a growing passion for anonymity on
this campus which has resulted in an increase in the num
ber of anonymous letters being received by the “Banner.”
This is a regrettable trend which would seem to indicate
one of three things: a lack of conviction on the part of the
writer, a sense of shame at being associated with the con
tents of the letter or a fear of reprisal of some kind. A
letter writer who sincerely believes what he or she has to
say and has exercised his or her right to carefully-thought-
out and responsible criticism should not be afraid to stand
up for his or her beliefs. There is little reason to fear re
prisal in such circumstances. Therefore, the “Banner” will
no longer accept for publication letters which the writer
will not proudly acknowledge as his or her own, whether the
letter comes from a faculty member, a staff member or a
student.
For Belles Onl
y
Birtk Control: K now tke facts
by Dotty Brown
As one female-aimed commer
cial states, “There’s never been a
better time to be a woman.” I
agree, especially when I think of
our ancestral mothers and their
mythical methods of contracep
tion.
Some peoples of ancient Africa
believed that the position of the
stars and planets indicated when
it was safe for a woman to have
sex without the possibility of con
ception. Still others believed that
a small sack of a particular herb
worn around the neck would pre
vent pregnancy.
Luckily for us there are meth
ods of contraception today that
are a lot more reliable than those
used by our fore-mothers. Al
though medical researchers are
still searching for the single meth
od that is 100% effective for all
women, current methods and de
vices allow alternatives and
choices in planning parenthood.
I have compiled a list of con
traceptive methods used most
often by young, career-conscious
women. Although there are more
methods than I have listed, these
are believed to be the five most
effective and preferred methods
of contraception among women
today.
The latest innovation in birth
control is the “Suppository.” It
contains a spermicide which kills
sperm cells, thus reducing the
chances of conception. The sup-
(Continued on Page 4)
1978-79
Editor-in-Chief
Associate Editor
Debbie Hodges
Adviser
Dr. Virginia Tucker
Layout Editor
Circulation Manager
Janis Badson
Cartoonist
S. Marie Brown
Photographers Myra Davis, Bernetta Hamilton, Pam Paschall
Staff
Beverly Bernard
Joanne Joyner
Andrletta Brown
Terry Lewis
Betty Brown
Donna Meacham
Dorothy Brown
Debra Perkins
Bernetta Hamilton
Hattie Purnell
Carolyn Hazel
Romona Reid
Marion Johnson
Beverly Rumley
Barbara Jones
Donna Jones
Anita Spady
collegiate
camouflage
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Can you find the hidden novelists?
BALZAC
BENNETT
BRONTE
CAPOTE
CERVANTES
CRANE
DEFOE
DOSTOYEVSKY
FAULKNER
GOETHE
GORKI
HUXLEY
KEROUAC
MALAMUD
ORWELL
SAROYAN
SOLZHENITSYN
STEINBECK
STEVENSON
TARKINGTON
THACKERAY
TOLSTOY
TWAIN
VERNE
VONNEGUT
WAUGH
WOOLF
ZOLA
Tom
tke SGA
Upcoming events to involve entire student Lody
by Debra Perkins
For those of you who are dedi
cated to keeping the spirit alive
at Bennett, the SGA has listed
several upcoming events which
will involve the whole student
body.
To promote unity among fac
ulty, staff and students the
“Adopt-a-Family” program was
organized. The main purpose of
this program is the realization of
some of the common goals of the
Bennett family, namely, together
ness and devotion, which may
also spread into and aid the com
munity.
One such project under ‘Adopt’
is a Thanksgiving basket drive
sponsored by each dorm and its
“family” and presented to a needy
family in the community.
Another SGA project for this
semester is a “Fall Fair Extrava
ganza,” The proceeds from this
gala event will be donated to
UNCF and UNICEF,
In the area of academics, an
InterCollegiate Quiz Bowl is be
ing organized. This event will be
a competition between students
in all disciplines from all the col
leges in the “University City,”
Deborah Tillman, chairperson
of the Constitution Revision Com
mittee is anxiously waiting for the
committee volunteers to see her
so that they can begin this im
portant project. The SGA is also
in the process of revising the stu
dent handbook. The last revision
was done in 1974.
The handbook will be compiled
by students and can only be com
pleted with student help. Please
aid any of the various committees
in gathering, updating, and com
piling any information needed to
complete the projects.
A handbook of answers to ques
tions asked by students when they
first arrive in Greensboro will also
be compiled. Included in the book
will be church listings, banks, the
aters—live and cinema, cultural
centers, museums, good places to
eat and shopping malls, to name a
few. If you have anything you
think would be a valuable contri
bution, please submit it to any
SGA office or committee chair
person immediately.
Letters to tke editor
The SGA has its office hours
posted on the SGA door, second
floor of the Student Union, Please
feel free to stop by during those
hours or visit your officers in
their rooms.
The SGA works for you and
with you, but cannot operate with
out you.
Facultv: Apatliv or commitment?
STAFF MEETING
TUESDAY
OCT. 31,6:30 P.M.
BLACK 109
acuity: /^patny
Dear Editor:
I salute the efforts of the Stu
dent Government leadership to
evoke a sense of support from
college faculty and staff, I am
quite sure that it has been the
source of some debate, indignation
and agreement,
I, too, have shared feelings on
the subject, I admit that once
some staff workers and faculty
put in their “designated sched
ules” they feel that is enough, BYit
to these people I quote Bennett’s
former president, David D, Jones;
“True democracy is conditioned
by the v.'ay in which individuals
accept responsibilities for the lit
tle tasks which go unrewarded and
unnoticed,”
Then, there may be new faculty,
who are not familiar with “the
little extras” that go along with
working at a small institution.
Therefore, it is up to division
heads to orientate them to the tra
ditional special events and to the
occasional need to “put in an ap
pearance.”
However, all college faculty
should be indoctrinated to “ex
pected” participation in Founders’
Day Convocations, Commence
ment, Honors Convocations and
Senior Day, These events imply
unspoken “required attendance,”
It is generally expected that col
lege administrators and faculty
will be participants, whether their
names are on the program or not.
It is inconceivable that college
deans, division directors and de
partment heads would plan other
engagements, knowing the impor
tance of these two events to col
lege tradition. There were too
many vacant seats in the faculty
section this year.
On the other hand, students
should notice that faculty and
staff have their own families who
also demand their time. They will
not always be able to attend every
campus activity.
Students must also realize that
on no college campus will every
faculty and staff member be ex
pected to attend every event. At
tendance is usually dependent
upon interest, career involvement
and related responsibilities. There
fore, it may help to identify seg
ments of the college community
who might have an interest in
particular events and make an ef
fort to extend special invitations.
Timing is also an important fac
tor. Most adults operate on sched
ules to insure that they make the
most of the day. Their lives are
divided into home hours, work
hours, family hours and “my
time.” Therefore, if a student ac
tivity is planned for 8 p,m,, adults
expect it to get started at 8 p,m.
Too often, students are careless in
their respect for punctuality.
Another effective means of fac-
ulty-staff involvement is to in
clude them in the initial planning.
Invite their suggestions for stu
dent sponsored activities or ask
them to join your committees.
To take another quote from
David D, Jones: “Effective living
in a democracy is conditioned by
the ability of each individual to
participate in group activity.”
Myra Davis