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Friday, October 2, 1987
BENNETT COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N. 0.
Vol. XLIX,, No. 1
Students assess Jackson’s chances
Mover & Shaker; Dawnne O’Neal (left) is the reclpent of the Excellence in Science and Technology award. And with
her is our new President Gloria Dean Randle Scott (right). Photo from the Office of Pubic Relatons)
Bennett moving forward
by Karen Horne
For Bennett’s new presi
dent Dr. Gloria Dean Randle
Scott, things are moving full
speed ahead. She is start
ing to make plans for im
provements and changes.
“It’s been going fast and
there’s a lot of work, chal
lenges and opportunities to
make things move in a dif
ferent way,” said Scott. Scott
mentioned that public support
has been a big help and people
have volunteered to do things
and do what they can to help.
Scott is concerned about
enrollment and retention.
“This summer we sent letters
to students who had planned
on not returning to the college
and asked them how they felt
and to evaluate their plans
and the college,” said Scott.
Scott would like to see en
rollment increase to from 700
to 1000 students in the next
five years, a figure that would
include more non-traditional
students.
“A stable student body
population would stabilize the
budget,” said Scott.
Continuing and expandmg
Bennett’s legacy as a women s
college with a real focus on
women’s education is Scott’s
concern as well.
Scott has started to com
puterize the campus. “We’re
getting the basic offices into
management information sys
tems. What we’ve done is to
install terminals in the Alum
nae Affairs office, Adrnis-
sions office. Office of Institu
tional Advancement and my
office,” said Scott. Scott says
other offices will have per
sonal computers for specific
work. Scott plans to teach
staff members how to use
word-processing to improve
the effectiveness of their
work. Scott would also like
to see a computer literacy
course as a part of each cur
riculum.
Scott is very interested in
increasing student involve
ment with the college.
“I would like to see stu
dents responsible for the ap
pearance of the campus,
seeing the college as an ex
tension of themselves,” said
Scott.
She also wants to see 35
percent of Bennett students
going to graduate school. “I
would like students in all
areas to be scholarly and
those who aren’t solidly
grounded, being their best,”
says Scott.
Scott mentioned that im
proving alumnae relations is
very important.
“Alumnae representatives
are the best advocates any
where. We can utilize them
to help volunteer in recruit
ing. After all, they are pro
ducts of Bennett.”
Scott talked about improv
ing Bennett’s buildings and
what her plans were to get
things started.
“Certainly I would like to
see the physical facilities im
proved. I’ve walked through
the dorms and decided to close
down Pfeiffer while we ap
plied for a loan for refurbish
ing.”
Scott says that the appear
ance of more white students
on campus proves that Ben
nett is capable of educating
any woman of any race and
that students of all races can
benefit from Bennett.
Scott is calling for unity
and rededication from all
members of the Bennett
family. She wants to see
“faculty giving the best they
have, being committed to help
ing students, and staff de
livering good quality service.
We need to think Bennett and
what’s best for Bennett.”
Scott added that she plans
to give all her time and
energy to guarantee that
Bennett honors its legacy and
builds a unique future.
Belle wins science honor
by Sallie A. Hayes
and Catrena Jordan
Dawnne O’Neal, a junior
biology major, has been
honored as one ot ^0 out
standing science, mathema
tics and engineenng students
from a nationwide competi
tion The Columbus, Ohio na
tive received the First Annual
Historically Black College and
University Student Award
for Excellence in Science and
Technology at the White
House, Sept. 24.
O’Neal was taken by sur
prise when she was selected.
“I didn’t even know my
name was sent in until a week
before I received the letter
of invitation,” she said. Her
name was submitted by the
science division.
O’Neal is a member of the
Biology Club, the Bennett
Scholars, Beta Kappa Chi
Scientific Honor Society and
the Peer Advisors. She is
president of the Bennett
College Choir, the Eastern
Region Director of the United
Negro College Fund’s Pre-
Alumnae Council and a Mi
nority Access to Research
Careers (MARC) Honors
student.
During her sophomore
year, she received the Presi
dent’s Excellence Award for
the highest cumulative grade
point average, was the reci-
by Yvette Freeman
A majority of students feel
that Rev. Jesse Jackson will
not be elected as President,
according to an on-campus
survey.
The Bennett Banner asked
15 students to give their opi
nions on Jackson’s entering
the Presidential race. The
majority of students doubt
that Jackson will be elected.
According to Robin Ingram,
a junior, “America is not
ready for a black President.
There’s still a lot of racism.”
Shavaughn Neal, a sopho
more, says, “No, I don’t think
Jackson has a chance at being
President and I don’t think
he believes he has a chance.
He’s just showing the world
that black people are capable
and have knowledge and de
sire.”
Michelle Mackel, a sopho
more, also does not believe
Jackson will be elected. She
says, “He doesn’t have enough
support.”
Sharron Miles, a sopho
more, feels differently. “I
think Jesse Jackson may have
a good chance of being elected
as President because of his
outlook for the future and the
support that people have given
him,” Miles says.
The students were also
asked whether they thought
Jackson would win the pri
maries and become the Demo
cratic front-runner. Although
the majority of students
doubt that Jackson will be
elected President, most do be
lieve that he will be the front-
runner for the Democratic
Party.
Crystal Sadler, a senior,
says, “Yes, because he’s
better known around the
country whereas the others
are in specific areas.”
“There is a possibility if
blacks pull together and sup
port Jesse Jackson,” com
mented Iris Becton, a sopho
more.
One student believes Jack
son’s campaign will determine
his fate. Junior Vicky Lips
comb said, “It all depends on
how well he is projecting him
self to the people, also how
they are responding to him.”
In response to how they
would feel having a black
man as their President, all of
the students expressed their
approval.
“Having a black man for
President would mean a
change in the right direc
tion,” said Adrai Fuller, a
sophomore.
One student expressed fear
for Jackson’s safety. Sopho
more Memory Brock says, “I
believe if Rev. Jackson were
to become President he would
be assassinated within two to
three months. Otherwise I’d
love to have a black man as
President.”
Tauye Simmons, a sopho
more, said, “I would love to
have a black man for Pr^i-
dent. I believe that it is time
for a change and that time
is now. Black men have played
major roles in our society
and I am more than sure that
they can handle the position
of presidency even better
than the white man.”
Rev. Jesse Jackson will
formally announce his candi-
dancy for the Democratic
nomination on Oct. 10 in
Raleigh at the National Con
vention of the Rainbow Coali
tion.
SGA is striving to reach its goals
pient of a Presidential Tui
tion Scholarship and Faculty
Scholarship for the Division
of Sciences. She was a Kenan
science assistant last school
year and spent the summer
of ’86 as a pre-med intern at
Fisk University and Meharry
Medical College in Nashville,
Tenn.
O’Neal is the daughter of
Carlton O’Neal, a U.S. De
partment of Agriculture spe
cialist for Ohio, and Gwen
dolyn Sneed-O’Neal, a 1969
Bennett graduate and an as
sociate professor at Ohio
State University.
Dawnne plans to attend
medical school and become a
surgeon.
by Tammy Reed
The Student Government
Association (SGA) has two
major goals this school year
— to strengthen its involve
ment with Bennett traditions
and to move forward with
new programs.
The SGA’s main effort can
be described as “striving for
a better Student Government
Association,” according to
April Gordon, the new presi
dent, replacing last year’s
head, Victoria Dunn.
Gordon is emphasizing or
ganization, effective manage
ment, and setting and reach
ing realistic goals. She is
working to make her adminis
tration the best in the history
of the college.
“Yes, this is what SGA is
all about — striving to reach
our goals as a challenge and
continue with our traditional
plans as well,” says Gordon.
The president stresses the
importance of duty.
“We are not here for our
own benefit just to put down
on our resumes that we were
members of the SGA, but we
are here to serve our stu
dents,” Gordon says.
The SGA is boosting college
tradition by encouraging
Belles to attend at least 75
percent of all Academic En
richment programs and by
increasing student participa
tion in the Miss Bennett Coro
nation and Parents’ Weekend.
But, says Gordon, “we are
not just sticking to our tra
ditional plans but with future
goals as well,” one of the
most important goals being
to get all student organiza
tions involved in SGA plan
ning.
The SGA will strive for
openness. “We want to create
a atmosphere so students can
feel free to come to us with
their problems, knowing
something will be done about
them,” says Gordon. “We the
SGA cabinet will try to ad
dress as many students’ con
cern as possible.”
Communication will play a
large role in SGA success.
“We are in the process of
getting a newsletter that will
be put in each person’s mail
box to let them know what
is going on campus,” the
president says.
A group will be formed to
deal with one of the campus’
most pressing problems, park
ing. “We are in the process
of getting a parking com
mittee which will include a
representative from SGA who
will be Susan Hairston,” said
Gordon. Hairston is former
SGA vice-president.
“As we look back over last
year’s SGA cabinet, we plan
to learn from their errors
and move toward reaching
our goals,” says Gordon.