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Friday, October 12, 1984
BENNETT COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N. 0.
VoL XLVI, No. 2
Family unity: Junior Amanda D. Smith is joined by iier mottier, Mrs. Helen Smith, a homemaker, and father,
Mr. Archie Smith, a mail carrier, during last Parents’ Weekend. (photo by Myra Davis)
Harris expresses concern for students on probation
by Alaina Cloud
About one of every five
Belles is on academic proba
tion. How did 107 students
get there?
According to Dr. Dorothy
Harris, associate dean for
academic support programs,
“The major reason, is that
they really have not taken
college as seriously as they
should.” Harris also thinks
that the students bring com
placent attitudes from high
school and have not success
fully matured.
Last year’s freshman class
included 39 students in scho
lastic trouble. Many of the
freshmen attended summer
school to improve their over
all averages.
Harris also feels careless
ness by students contributes
to weak performances in the
classroom. Failure to attend
classes regularly and resist
ance to tutorial programs in
crease the names on academic
probation.
A stud-^nt receives academ
ic probation and possible dis
missal if she fails to meet
these grade-point averages—
for freshmen, 1.65 at the end
of first semester and 1.75
after the second; for sonho-
mores, 1.9 at the end of first
semester and 2.0 after the
second; for juniors and sen
iors, 2.0 at the end of each
semester.
A new developmental pro
gram was introduced this fall.
Many new students are tak
ing reduced course loads and
attending required tutorial
sessions.
“Both the load and the
courses have been revised,”
says Harris. “It is anticipated
by the end of this academic
year that the probation list
will be cut by at least 50 per
c^^nt. She adds, “I’m really
pleased that we are address
ing the issue of low academic
performance of our students
through the new implemented
developmental studies pro
gram for all of our students.”
Harris refuses to accent
the negative, pointing out
that manv Belles are excell
ing. “While we do have a
large number on academic
probation, there is an in
creased number of students
who are achieving at a com
mendable academic level of
performance,” she stresses.
The spring Honors Convo
cation cited 51 students for
academic excellence. Twenty-
seven were freshmen, and
four of them had perfect
cumulative averages of 4.0.
The spring Dean’s List con
sisted of 52 students, includ
ing 18 freshmen who achieved
averages of 3.0 or better.
Evening of Public Speaking
Belles impress audience
with rhetorical excellence
by Avanti Allen
Three Belles won trophies
during the 10th annual Eve
ning of Public Speaking Sept.
18.
Ellen Latrice Graves, Kar
en R. Taylor and Kathy
Howell distinguished them
selves during the presenta
tion, which is one of the most
crowd-pleasing events on the
college calendar.
Judges and spectators
found the competition espe
cially strong this year. “In all,
I think each contestant did
an excellent job,” said student
judge Tanya Mills. “Their
selections were indeed inspir
ing and motivating.”
Graves, a senior ISP drama
major, gave a dynamic in
terpretation of the poem
“Crime.” She has long been
one of the college’s leading
actresses.
Taylor presented a hilari
ous short story about a night
mare during which her room
mate is transformed into a
cockroach. “I am proud of
myself,” she said. “My com-
pstitors were very good.”
Howell, a junior majoring
in pre-medicine, was honored
for her speech to convince or
persuade, “Victory—A Chal
lenge to Black America.”
The overflow crowd was
impressed by the presenta
tions. “The program was ex
cellent because it gave stu
dents a chance to show their
talents,” said junior Wendo-
lyn I. Abel.
“The speeches were more
competitive than those of last
year’s program,” observed
sophomore Tracey Townsend.
“They were really well
organized.”
Other judges included Dr.
Phyllis Ethridge, dean of stu
dent affairs, and Dr. Flossie
McIntyre, chairperson of the
communications department.
All of the participants re
ceived roses.
Other contestants were
Digna Hester in the category
of dramatic interpretation,
Elizabeth Appiah, Patricia
Mfula and Yvonne Breece in
interpretation of original
poetry or prose and Jacque
line Ponder in a speech to
convince or persuade.
The event was sponsored
by the Debate Society, the
SGA and the Interdiscipli
nary Studies Program.
Parents arriving
by Bernice Scott
Parents and Founder’s
Weekend, beginning Friday,
Oct. 12 and ending Sunday,
Oct. 14, will include various
parent and daughter activi
ties, with Saturday as the
busiest day.
Mr. James Burt, coordina
tor of the event, said the col
lege’s goal is to encourage the
relationship between the par
ents and the college to con
tinue, because the parents as
well as the students and staff,
are a “total part of the
institution.”
Saturday’s activities will
begin at 8 a.m. with registra
tion and fellowship, followed
by a general assembly of par
ents at 9. The parents will be
involved at 9 :30 in workshops
including two programs titled
“Financing Your Daughter’s
Education” and “The Devel-
onmental Studies Program.”
There will also be a college-
stvle luncheon and an open
house at the residence halls.
The afternoon features a
conference between parents
and facultv. This session will
occur in the Student Union
from 1:30 to 3 :30.
The day will end with a
reception and banquet at the
Sheraton Hotel. The speaker
will be Dr. Prezell R. Robin-
From politics to peace
son, president of St. Augus
tine’s College in Raleigh.
There will also be a Par
ents, Faculty, and Staff Tal
ent Show Friday at 8 p.m. in
the Little Theater. This per
formance generally attracts a
packed house. Songs, skits
and comedy routines reveal
the hidden talents of man.'
professors, administrator;
and support personnel. The
theme of the show tradition
ally involves support for the
United Negro College Fund.
The presentation, especially
strong the last two years, has
frequently gotten rave
reviews.
This year. Founder’s Day,
one of the most important
ceremonies on the college cal
endar, coincides with the last
day of Parents’ Weekend. On
Sunday, there will be a Foun
der’s Day service at 10 a.m.
in Annie Merner Pfeiffer
Chapel.
Of all the events, one of the
most crucial is the visit be
tween faculty and parents,
which usually generates a
good turnout. The two-hour
period allows parents to dis
cuss their daughters’ prog
ress with teachers as well as
to engage in family-style
fellowship.
The college encourages
parents to meet the faculty.
Ferraro in town
by Dee Evans
The prospective vice pres
ident’s message was fiery and
urgent.
“The time is now. The time
is now to register new voters;
the time is now to clean up
the environment; the time is
now to send Robin Britt back
to Con^>'ress; the time is now
to send Jim Hunt to the Sen
ate and the time is now to
elect Fritz and Ferraro,”
Democratic candidate Geral
dine Ferraro told ecstatic
supporters Oct. 1 in the Gov
ernmental Plaza.
“We’re going to clean house
in November,” she promised,
describing the reforms her
ticket will implement if it
wins in November. “We’re
going to make changes if you
send Fritz-Ferraro to the
White House and Reagan
back to the ranch,” said
Ferraro.
Emphatically, Ferraro said
she was sure the people of
North Carolina don’t want
leaders who interpret the
Constitution inaccurately.
“Leadership is not telling
people what they want to
hear, but what they need to
hear. The people want a Pres
ident who will protect per
sonal rights,” she stressed.
The candidate indicted the
Reagan administration for
numerous sins, including in
sensitivity to the unemployed;
failure to back the ERA
amendment; disregard of so
cial security; the escalation
of the national deficit; cuts
in funds for education; per
petuation of the nuclear arms
race; and indifference to the
rights of veterans.
“We want a government
that doesn’t just want veter
ans for their service in times
of war, but stands by them in
time of peace,” she insisted.
The congresswoman gave
a definition of peacetime
patriotism.
“Patriotism ultimately is
great during the times of
war, but patriotism doesn’t
take a holiday during peace
... A patriotic act is when
we stop the arms race. When
we can keep peace and young
men don’t die—that is a pa
triotic act. When we open
the doors for young people—
that is a patriotic act,” she
said.
Ferraro attacked the ad
ministration for unsympa
thetically apportioning funds:
“The Republicans make mon
ey the old-fashioned way —
they print it. Social security
is a contract, and the elderly
have a right to live in
dignity.”
Ferraro recounted a con
versation with Vice President
George Bush, stressing the
Republicans’ alleged belief
that elections are bought. “I
asked George what wins an
election. He took out his wal
let and said, ‘It’s who puts
monev into it and who puts
it out.’ Of course, we [Demo
crats! care about money, but
people must realize this is an
election, not an auction. It’s
not UP to the highest bidder
to determine a winner,” she
said.
The self-assured Ferraro
traveled into the future with
h^r objectives. “When I take
office for a second term, I
will uphold the Constitution
and the Equal Rights Amend
ment,” she said, predicting
passage of this key piece of
legislation.