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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1981
BENNETT COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N. C.
VOL. XLIIl, NO. 3
Lowery, Whitted excel
The women who made the Evening of Public Spealing so splendid. (Left
to right) Rhonda Whitted, Shelly Boyd, Jeanette Hatch, Nedra Kyna McGee,
Lisa Murray and Melinda Lowery. (Photo by Shelly Coston)
by Evelyn Glenn
Melinda Lowery and Rhon
da Whitted won awards at the
seventh annual Evening of
Public Speaking on Sept. 29
in the Science Assembly Hall.
The program is one of the
most popular occurrences on
campus, combining intellect
ual stimulation and excep
tional entertainment.
The competition is a stu
dent-organized event spon
sored by the Interdisciplinary
Studies Program (ISP) and
the SGA. There were perfor
mances in two categories—
dramatic interpretation and
original oratory.
Lowery, a sophomore from
Sumter, S. C., excelled in both
areas. She interpreted the
Langston Hughes’ poem “The
Mitchell eyes security
by Wanda Edwards
The college has taken an
important step toward solving
increasing security problems
with the recent acquisition of
trouble-shooter Thessie L.
Mitchell, an expert in campus
protection.
The newcomer is a sergeant
investigator on the Duke Uni
versity security staff, and he
has been “loaned” to Bennett
to upgrade its force.
Mitchell is a graduate of
North CaroHna Central Uni
versity in Durham. He re
ceived his degree in criminal
justice. He has attended
various specialized schools
involving campus police.
Mitchell is here under a
Duke program that sends
trained officers to smaller
colleges to help them restore
or rebuild their security de
partments. Mitchell stated
that President Miller and Mr.
Browning are behind him
100% because they can see
that Bennett’s security de
partment needs improvement.
Mitchell’s duties include es
tablishing a training program
for the security staff, prepar
ing long-range plans for traf
fic, fire and safety control,
establishing effective commu
nications between security
staff and the student body
and preparing a manual
which the staff will follow.
Mitchell has worked at
Duke six years. He says that
the problems there are the
same as the difficulties here,
but they exist on a larger
scale. A time limit has not
been set for how long Mitchell
will be here. He hopes to stay
as long as it takes to see some
improvements. Mitchell wants
to talk individually with some
of the students to see just
what their complaints are
against the security depart
ment. He hopes the student
body will see the security
staff as protectors. “They are
here for you,” he says.
The training program will
educate the officers in what
they need to know to run a
campus effectively. Well-
informed, thoroughly profes
sional officers can make the
student body more aware of
crime. The lines of communi
cation between guards and
students must be open for this
program to be a success. Mr.
Mitchell asks all young ladies
to report any suspicious activ
ities to the security depart
ment. Measures will be taken
to solve the problems.
Mitchell is staying in the
basement of Player Hall. He
is available 24 hours for emer
gencies. The security depart
ment has been moved from
the basement of Jones Hall to
the old Counseling Center. If
anyone is not familiar with
this building, it’s the white
house sitting on the edge of
campus, near Washington St.
Mitchell would like to add
that if any young ladies have
had improper advances made
to them by the security offi
cers and feel that these inci
dents should not happen
again, please inform him at
once. This is a crucial part
of opening up the lines of
communication.
The combination of a well-
trained security force and an
alert student body can form
a powerful deterrent to both
crime and the nuisance of
harassment.
It’s important that Belles
extend the trust and help that
Mitchell needs to streamline
security services.
Forum features Baldwin
by Arlene McNeil
James Baldwin, whose 19
books have had a profound
impact on American thought,
will conclude a two-day visit
to Bennett with an appear
ance at the Nov. 3 Faculty
Forum.
The program, sponsored by
the humanities division and
supported by the Mellon
Grant, will feature Baldwin’s
answering a structured set of
questions from the faculty.
Starting at 7:00 p.m. in Pfeif
fer Chapel, the event is open
to teachers, students and the
public.
The author’s work begins
on Monday, Nov. 2, when
Baldwin will chair a panel at
a 7:30 faculty meeting in the
Science Assembly Hall. He
will be joined by two col
leagues from Bowling Green
State University, Dr. Ernest
A. Champion and Dr. Robert
L. Perry. By the visitors’ re
quest, the evening will be
confined to the faculty.
The Monday night presen
tation “will consist of the
showing of a video-tape of
James Baldwin and Chinua
Achebe (a celebrated Nige
rian novelist) discussing the
topic ‘The Black Aesthetic: Is
There One?’” explains Dr.
Ruth Lucier, chairperson of
the Mellon Grant Committee.
“Afterwards, Baldwin and his
two colleagues, who specialize
in Baldwin’s and Achebe’s
works, will talk about the dia
logue, and then the session
will be open to faculty dis
cussion.” Achebe’s most high
ly acclaimed books are
“Things Fall Apart” and “A
Man of the People.”
Baldwin has been a power
ful presence in American lit
erature ever since the publica
tion of his first novel, “Go
Tell It on the Mountain”
(1952). He did not, however,
receive the intense glare of
the international literary
spotlight until the appearance
of his books of essays, “Notes
of a Native Son” and “No
body Knows My Name.”
Among Baldwin’s most fam
ous works are “The Fire Next
Time” (1963), regarded as
one of the most brilliant es
says in the history of Black
protest, the play “The Amen
Corner” (1968), and his most
recent novels “If Beale Street
Could Talk” and “Just Above
My Head” (1979).
Baldwin was born in Har
lem, the son of a preacher and
the first of nine children. A
graduate of DeWitt Clinton
High School, the gifted young
man, who had served for a
time as a preacher in his
father’s church, pursued a
career as a writer—a calling
for which he had possessed an
early aptitude. Influenced and
aided by the great novelist
Richard Wright, Baldwin
moved for a while to Paris—
the first of many trips
throughout the world.
Now living in France, he
(See Page 3)
Negro Mother” and presented
her own composition “Mom
ma.” Lowery commented: “I
was astounded by winning. I
felt that ... it was a start
(toward future success).”
Whitted, a sophomore from
Fayetteville, distinguished
herself in original oratory. In
a speech titled “Divorce,” she
stressed that people should
consider the seriousness of
marriage before they go to
the altar, especially since so
many weddings end in di
vorces. At the end of her
powerful argument, she said:
“Take marriage as serious as
you take your life, for after
you say ‘I will,’ marriage will
iae your life.” Whitted could
not be reached for comment.
Lowery and Whitted re
ceived trophies for their work.
Other contestants in the
realm of dramatic interpreta
tion included Jeanette Hatch
(as Ntozake Shange’s charac
ter “The Woman in Red”) ;
Nedra Kyna McGee (T. S.
Eliot’s “McCavity: the Mys
tery Cat) ; Shelly Boyd
(James Weldon Johnson’s
“The Creations” and Ruby
Dee’s “Calling All Sisters”).
The other entries in original
oratory were Angela Pickett’s
“Harriet Tubman and Sojour
ner Truth: Pioneering Black
Women Liberators” and Lisa
Murray’s “Knowledge and its
Importance.”
Judges for the competition
were: Dean of Student Af
fairs Phyllis Forte Ethridge;
senior Lisa Manley; instruc
tor Anne C. Gillespie; associ
ate professor Mary Hopkins;
and Dr. Lynn Sadler.
Dr. Ruth Lucier, who as
sisted in the planning for the
event, was excited by the per-
foi’mances : “To have the pow
er to work and make society
better, you have to have the
ability to communicate to an
audience. The Evening of
Public Speaking encourages
and helps students to gain the
ability to communicate well.”
Lucier was also strongly
impressed by the response of
the crowd. “I thought the stu
dents present reacted in a
very sophisticated and sup
portive way to the speakers,”
she observed. “I think it was
gratifying to have many of
the faculty attend the
program.”
Sadler was also very
pleased by the success of the
evening, stating that “It con
tinues to be one of the best-
attended occasions at Bennett,
and this year’s program can
only help to perpetuate that
tradition.”
Revived NAACP chapter needs aid
by Kathy Lewis
Since 1978, the Bennett
chapter of the NAACP has
been silent.
The members all seem to
have disappeared. That is,
until one student started ask
ing questions. Valerie Brown,
a junior transfer from How
ard University, wanted to
know why we had no NAACP
on our campus. After being
active with the organization
at Howard University as a
Man of letters James Baldwin will
bring his unique vision to Bennett
Nov. 2-3. His most recent novel,
“Just Above My Head,” is both a
best-seller and a critical success.
(Photo by Jerry Bauer)
voter registration recruiter,
Valerie wanted to continue
her work.
She consulted Diane Small,
who is the president of the
state youth conference for the
NAACP. Small informed Val
erie that the charter was still
registered for the organiza
tion, but no active members
existed since Vanessa Bartley,
president of the Bennett chap
ter, graduated in 1979. Small
also told Valerie that if the
chapter was to function, it
would need at least 25 mem
bers, an adviser and elected
officers.
Valerie went to Jacqueline
Jeffers of the career place
ment center because of her
active participation in the
NAACP. Jeffers agreed to be
the adviser. Valerie then
talked to Carolyn Coleman,
director of the state field
house in Greensboro. Cole
man informed Valerie of the
activities scheduled for the
year and urged her to recruit
for the organization.
The NAACP stresses the
purpose of bringing people
together to help solve prob
lems in the community. Some
basic problems are unemploy
ment, political dilemmas and
civil rights issues. The pur
pose of the college chapters is
to cultivate good leaders.
Valerie has definitely got
ten a strong start in recruit
ing, but, although two meet
ings have been held, not
enough people have paid the
dues and become members.
The chapter needs to be in
volved in upcoming events,
but, if it doesn’t have enough
members, it cannot function.
Valerie says: “The NAACP
needs people in numbers who
are dedicated. The more peo
ple we have, the less time-
consuming it will be.”