PAGE TWO
THE BENNETT BANNER
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1982
Will we take grades seriously?
It is past mid-semester and first semester is almost over now. The freshmen
have gotten settled into the riKors of college life. Many have decided to stay
and then others have decided Bennett is not the place for them.
Midterm grades have made the decision for many. The discovery has been
made that college must be taken seriously. A number of freshmen were shocked
and disappointed when they received their midterm grades. Some upperclassmen
were also appalled at their grades.
These students still have time to improve their grades, but half of them will
not—some because they are too busy making the same mistakes and others
because they are not coming back anyway.
The other half who are trying to improve their grades will be struggling
now until finals. People who have never seen the inside of Holgate Library will
be making first appearances. The week before finals will probably be very hectic
for some. There will be the last minute effort to raise an “F” to a low “C.”
The complaint has been made that a midterm break was greatly needed. The
students have said that this break would have been instrumental in helping them
improve in their classes. A break would give them a chance to catch up on
overdue work. Some wanted a break just to get completely away from school
for a while.
Thanksgiving holidays could be the needed outlet from the stress of studjnng
for some. Maybe when the holidays are over, students will come back in the right
state of mind to buckle down and study. At home, parents could be influential in
persuading their students to try to improve grades before it is too late.
For those who do not succeed in doing better before the end of the semester,
there is always second semester. It is very hard to pull very low averages up,
but with determination it can be done. Hopefully, everyone will learn from the
mistakes made this semester and will not repeat them.
Second semester can be the turning point or the new beginning for many.
But there is always the possibility that there will be those who will make the
second semester an instant replay of the first. (Yolanda T. DuRant)
Dormitories need great improvement
It is deplorable as well as depressing to live in a residence hall where
everything is deteriorating.
Walls and ceilings are peeling and falling; pipes are knocking together at
all hours of the night; sinks are backed up with all kinds of waste material;
and side doors are broken. Residence halls are in need of a great number of
improvements, maintenance-wise.
“Cling, cling, cling, bang, bang, sh” is the sound of the heat coming up in
Jones Hall at six o’clock in the morning. The noise is unbearable. The pipes
sound like cannons in a civil war. It is quite annoying to wake up out of a deep
sleep to a harsh, unpleasant sound.
Parents are paying a total of $4,000 a year for our education and lodging.
The question is: Why are we paying so much tuition while we are living in
unsatisfactory conditions? The situation is unfair and unjust.
It is quite amazing how the maintenance staff mysteriously disappears when
something is broken or just needs a minor repair. These employees’ responsi
bility is to make sure that things are working correctly in the residence halls.
Unfortunately, they are not fulfilling their obligations. This staff seems to have
a “Why should I fix anything?” attitude.
For example:
One of our fellow Belles has a bathroom connected to her room. The plumbing
needed some adjustments. She and her roommate made several complaints to the
residence directors. Maintenance did not come for about two weeks. Finally men
came to fix the pipe under the sink. This turned out to be disastrous. Soon after
maintenance fixed the pipe, the leak was ten times worse than it was before.
The student requested that maintenance come to her room again to fix the
bathroom. This time, they did not return until her mother made a complaint to
Mrs. Scarborough, director of housing.
We, the Belles, should put more pressure on the administration to make
changes in the residence halls. Many of us just sit back and complain that this
is broken and that needs fixing. We should inform the administrators about the
problems in the residence halls. We should keep pressuring them until we get
desired results. (Lisa Murray)
Letters to tlie editor;
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Editor:
After being here for three
months, I feel the students at
Bennett deserve a fall break like
the other colleges in our area.
Personally, I, along with others,
are under a lot of pressure for
such a long period of time before
the Thanksgiving holidays. I find
myself sick and tired of school
work sometimes. Having to keep
your head in a book and not tak
ing a break is a pain in the neck.
I’ve noticed recently that some
of the students’ attitudes have
changed, including mine. It’s a
trip; I found myself going off on
one of my instructors in class be
cause she refused to explain
something to me. She accused me
of falling asleep in class the day
she had gone over that particular
assignment, and I knew that I
had, but I got arrogant anyway.
fine //J8a
nncx
Editor-in-chief Yolanda DuRant
Associate editor Leslie Barr
Adviser Michael Gaspeny
Cartoonists Norman Barbee
Photographers Sheila Foxworth, Lisa Harris
Reporters
Sharon Allen
Kim Anderson
Agnes Brown
Dee Evans
Sheila Foxvi^orth
Leslie Hendricks
Deborah Lewis
Theresa Lipscomb
Melinda Lowery
Kimberly McKnight
Lisa Murray
Tracye Payne
Valarie Reid
Cynthia Spruill
Rhonda Whitted
Connie Williams
Another incident was when I wit
nessed a fight in my dormitory
which occurred over something
silly.
I hope this letter will serve as
an example of how desperately
we are in need of a fall break.
Sheila Foxworth
Editor:
I congratulate Bennett College
on preserving the authentic look
of the past. Through the years,
the maintenance department has
been competent in keeping the
campus beautiful, but I must
bring a problem to mind before
someone is seriously injured.
Everyday while walking to
class. Belles, including me, have
the fear of falling or tripping over
the loose slates and holes in the
sidewalks. When it rains, the dan
ger is increased. It seems as
though the sidewalks flood over
because there is not any type of
irrigation system where the
overflow of water can detour.
The falling of snow only en
hances the possibility of embar
rassing oneself by suddenly trip
ping over a loose slate.
I have confidence that something
will be done to sustain the beauty
of the sidewalks, plus keep them
under repair.
Sharon Allen
Editor:
Bennett College is going to have
to lower its book prices because
they are becoming ridiculous.
One can understand how infla
tion is affecting everyone, but
why must the B'elles suffer these
consequences?
It is fitting for us to question
the prices of our books because
we only get to use them for one
semester and we do not even get
enough usage of the book.
For example, the “Structure
and Meaning” book costs almost
$20, and we only get to use the
book about twenty times. These
twenty times are divided by two
days. In the class one must read
stories, poetry, and plays. Then
there is the discussion of what
one has read.
It is highly impossible for one
to complete a book with 1220
pages in one semester.
The administration should try
to be reasonable in selecting books
which they feel are adequate for
this college and try to lower the
prices of books. Maybe they could
consider renting the books out so
that one can received what one
has paid for.
Agnes C. Brown
Editor:
I would like to comment on the
Bennett College family’s close
ness. With the faculty, student
body, and the administration
working together as they do, I
feel Bennett College is a close-knit
school. The teacher and student
relationship here is important and
encouraging to the student. At
other schools such as North Car
olina A&T and the University of
North Carolina at Greensboro, the
students are just numbers in the
instructors’ classrooms.
They really don’t have that
teacher-student relationship. An
other point about the large uni
versities is no one knows anybody
else too well. But here, everyone
knows everyone and we all try
to help each other. Our teachers
give us special attention and indi
vidual help in our work when it
is needed. The activities and spe
cial events we participate in as
a whole instead of everyone being
out for herself. I would like to
say in the end to the Bennett
College family to continue to stick
together because you are doing a
great job and moving along just
fine!
Tracye E. Payne
Editor:
As a member of The Bennett
Banner and a member of the
Bennett College family I have
been aware of a certain complaint
made by a large number of Belles,
myself included.
The complaint is that there is
nothing to do on Bennett’s cam
pus, nothing to keep us from
being bored. The general gripe is
that all we do is sit in our rooms
after classes.
I’ve come to realize that when
translated this means we don’t
have enough parties or dances to
attend like our counterpart, A&T.
Remember that A&T is a fairly
(See Page 5)