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Friday, September 17, 1982
BENNETT COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N. C.
Vol. XLIV, No. 1
Public speaking event
Promises entertainment
by Teresa Lipscomb
The Eighth Annual Eve
ning of Public Speaking will
be held Sept. 28 at 8:00 in
the Science Assembly.
All students are eligible for
participation.
This event is one of the
most popular occurrences on
campus, combining intellect
ual stimulation and entertain
ment. It is a program of
speech presentations, orations
and dramatic interpretation
of poetry or prose given by
Belles to an audience made
up mostly by their peers. The
evening is a project co
sponsored by the Debate So
ciety and The Interdiscipli
nary Studies Program (ISP).
“The purpose of this pro
gram is to promote excellence
in public speaking and to en
able students to share their
ideas and feelings with one
another,” says Associate Pro
fessor Ruth Lucier, one of the
event’s coordinators.
Awards will be given to the
speakers by the panel of
judges.
The Seventh Annual Eve
ning of Public Speaking was
a success. Melinda Lowery
and Rhonda Whitted won
awards. Lowery interpreted
the Langston Hughes poem
“The Negro Mother” and pre
sented her own composition
“Moma.” Whitted distin
guished herself in original
oratory. In a speech titled
“Divorce,” she stressed that
people should consider the
seriousness of marriage be
fore going to altar.
Other contestants in the
realm of dramatic interpreta
tion included Jeanette Hatch
(as Ntozake Shange’s char
acter 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 orig
inal oratory were Angela
Pickett’s “Harriet Tubman
and Sojourner Truth: Pio
neering Black Women Libera
tors” and Lisa Murray’s
“Knowledge and Its Impor
tance.”
Bewitching hour changes
Ceremony of Matriculation: Sharon Allen received a tip of the academic hat
and a handshake of welcome from President Isaac H. Miller, Jr. during
Opening Convocation, Sept. 9. One hundred fifty-five freshmen and new
students signed the college register as a symbolic commitment to excellence,
whose significance was underscored in Miller’s remarks to the College.
(photo by Lisa Harris)
by Leslie Hendricks
“Change, It’s Time for
Change,” sings composer Bar
ry White and change is what
has happened to the curfew
policy.
Classified juniors, seniors
and students that are 21 or
older are now eligible for
self-limiting hours without
the consent of their parents.
Sophomores are also eligi
ble for self-limiting hours
with the consent of their
parents. The once 12:00 a.m.
curfew for freshmen has now
been extended to 1:00 a.m. on
the weekends.
In the past, only students
that were 21 or older were
eligible for self-limiting hours
and still had to have parental
permission. Classified sopho
mores and juniors could not
qualify for self-limiting hours
until they were 21. The re
quest to have the policy
changed came from the stu
dent body.
Students have a mixed re
action to the change. “I do
not feel and think it is fair
because we (sophomores)
had to wait until second
semester before we were eli
gible for extended weekend
curfew,” said Louise Stokes,
sophomore business adminis
tration major from Reidsville.
Teresa Roy, a junior ac
counting major from Wash
ington, D. C., said, “I think
it is a vast improvement from
last year because it gives the
individual time to enjoy
themselves and to accept the
responsibilities of young
adults.”
“I think that it is showing
that things are beginning to
change,” said Sabra Smoot, a
sophomore special education
major from Charlotte.
In other news from Dean
Phyllis Forte Ethridge, the
Student Affairs office will
help any student achieve her
academic goals. There will
also be “special emphasis”
placed on students on aca
demic probation.
Ethridge says she is look
ing forward to the coronation
of Miss Bennett, student per
sonal service day. Faculty
Day Folly and Senior Day
Graduation.
Performers create living Bible
The Bennett College Performing
Arts Company has been well re
ceived by audiences in and out
of Greensboro this summer.
Its production, “Women of the
Bible,” has evoked tears and
handclapping among stunned
audiences as the seven-member
Company gives its interpretation
of the sorrow, joy and hope ex
perienced by women in Biblical
days.
The Company, under the direc
tion of Myra Davis, public rela
tions officer, has presented the
program to church groups at St.
Matthews United Methodist
Church, Trinity A.M.E. Zion
Church, Providence Baptist
Church, Shiloh Baptist Church
and Glen Raven Baptist Church.
Established by the Public Rela
tions Office and Office of Admis
sions to assist in student recruit
ment and church cultivation, the
Performing Arts Company has
become a major public relations
feature. In fact, it received some
support from the United Method
ist Church Black College Fund
Office to help in the BCF fund
raising program among churches.
The group traveled to Springfield,
Ohio to represent the BCF Office
at the Black Methodist Church
Renewal, Inc. Youth Conference,
July 23-24.
Research for “Women of the
Bible” was provided by Kenneth
Wytrch, a former director of the
company. Scripts and dance chor-
eog,raphy were a joint effort of
the students; the music director.
Dr, Charlotte Alston; and chore
ographer, Miss Susan King.
Scenes in the production include
“Women About Moses,” “Lot’s
Wife’” “Naomi and Ruth” and
“Widow of Nain.” Through song,
dance, and acting, the students
give individual and group per
formances.
The first scene, “Virtuous Wom
en” is an adaptation of the prov
erbs of Solomon and presents the
contemporary view of the differ
ent types of women in Bible days.
Th final scene, “Trio,” is a collec
tive presentation which revolves
around the experiences three
women have had with Jesus.
Members of the Company are
Nedra McGee, a junior from Chat
tanooga; Kathy Lewis, a senior
from Chicago; Teresa Morrow,
Hurdle Mills; Phyllis Tillery,
Rocky Mount; Jill White, Colum
bus, Ohio; Kim Witherspoon,
Charlotte; and Susan Smith, War-
minister, Fa. Additional members
will be added during Sept.
The group has begun to accept
engagements for the fall. Inter
ested organizations can contact
the Office of Admissions or Pub
lic Relations Office, 273-4431. The
Company also presents spirituals,
gospel selections, and popular
musical selections for special pro
grams, luncheons, weddings and
church worship services.
Belles bearing ploughshares: Members of the Performing Arts Company, which is busy dramatizing the gospel,
are (front) Susan Smith, Theresa Morrov/ and Jill White; and (second row) Kim Witherspoon, student director Kathy Lewis,
Phyllis Tillery and Nedra McGee. These women are giving new luster to old proverbs. (photo by Keith Miller)