Newspapers / Bennett College Student Newspaper / Feb. 5, 1988, edition 1 / Page 3
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1988 THE BENNETT BANNER PAGE THREE Dorm improvements are a major concern by Yvette N. Freeman A number of students and residence hall directors feel that the living conditions of the residence halls need con siderable improvement. The problems of the resi dence halls range from the overactive heating system to the upgrading of the furni ture in the parlor areas. Dana Fluellen, a sophomore who stays in Player Hall, says, “I wish they’d regulate the heat.” Senior Tracy Durant, the assistant residence director of Jones Hall, says, “The heat ing system is terrible,” and that “every room should be equipped with a fan.” Durant also expressed the need for more electrical out lets in the students’ rooms as well as reliable washers. Other suggestions from the students in the residence halls include the addition of cur tains and new carpeting and furniture in the parlors plus an overall improvement in the maintenance services. “The parlor areas all need improvement in the furni ture,” says JoAnna Alston, a junior in Reynolds Hall. Sophomore Adrai Fuller of Cone Hall says that she would like to see “new curtains and carpeting in the parlors.” As for the maintenance ser vices, Iris Becton, a sopho more in Cone Hall, says, “When we need something re paired, the service should be immediate. We shouldn’t have to wait for weeks at a time.” One student even expressed a desire to have telephones furnished by the school in the students’ rooms. Senior Sherry Law, also of Cone Hall, says, “We should have telephones in each of the rooms. It should be a part of the tuition.” Meanwhile, Miss Peanella Hughes, the residence director of Barge Hall, has her own suggestions. She says, “They (the residence halls) need better lighting, and most of them need the furniture up graded. They need better bathroom facilities. They also need more areas designated for studying.” Ms. Geraldine Johnson, the residence director of Cone Hall, suggested that the over all maintenance of the build ings should be better, which would entail “the cooperation of the students in the resi dence halls.” The suggestions also in cluded the improvement of the plumbing and paging systems in the residence halls, as well as the addition of appliances in the kitchen areas. Sophomore Shirley Gibbs of Reynolds Hall says, “They should do something to pre vent people in the showers from getting scorched with hot water when others use the bathrooms.” Charlcie Pettway, a sopho more of Cone Hall, says, “Player is the only dorm that has an intercom system that can page directly in the rooms and I feel that is not fair be cause we all pay the same price to go to school. Why should they be more privileged than the rest of the Bennett Belles?” “I think we need a micro wave and a television in the parlor,” says freshman Pat rice Laird of Jones Hall. Dawn Mallard, a freshman in Memer Hall, says, “We need a working refrigerator that everybody can use.” In response to some of the suggestions of the students, Mrs. Ouida Hodnett, the director of Residence Life, says, “There are major im provements scheduled that are contingent on funding. In Pfeiffer, the first major im provement is the electricity.” Hodnett says that improve ments in the residence halls will be done in phases, one step at a time. Improving the residence halls takes money, so Hodnett says, “It depends on the funding.” Hodnett also says, “It’s a possibility,” of having micro waves and televisions pro vided in the residence halls. She says, “That could be a gift from the residence halls.” However, if microwaves and televisions were obtained for the residence halls, keeping them would be a problem. Hodnett says, “We would have to find some way to anchor them. We’ve had tv’s before that have walked out!” Students who are concerned that additional fees will be added to their tuition to pay for the improvements needn’t worry. Hodnett says that “The housing fee goes toward the upkeep of the buildings.” Therefore, the students don’t have to pay for the improve ments. However, students may be charged for those improve ments which are a result of vandalism by the students in their residence halls. Each time vandalism occurs on campus, money has to be re spent in order to pay for the cost of improving what may have been improved earlier. United Arts Council Black Arts Festival February 5-26 Counseling Center plans series on growing by Tish Richmond In cselebration of Black History Month, the Counseling Center will focus on “Personal Growth and Development as it Relates to Student Success And Life Goals.” This one-week program is de signed to stress the present assets and talents within us and provide a means to enhance these talents through self-actualization, self- worth and personal growth. The week will include two speakers, special group sessions and an informational “Peanuts” Booth in the Student Union. The events start Feb. 16 with a chapel program featuring Dr. Sammie L. Campbell, associate superinten dent for educational programs for Greensboro Public schools. Camp bell is responsible for planning, monitoring and evaluating the overall educational program of the Greensboro district. Campbell has an extensive re cord in coordination, implementa tion, and leadership in a variety of educational and psychological settings, including programs for the gifted and handicapped, edu cational programs in schools K through 12th grade and coordina tion with divisions of the school system and the community. Camp bell is a member of the American Association of School Administra tors, a past chapter president of Delta Kappa Gamma Society In ternational, an honor society for women educators, and is a member of other professional organizations. On Feb. 18, Bennett will fea ture in its chapel program Dr. Karen D. Wells, a staff psycholo gist at CPC Mental Health Ser vices of New Jersey. Wells will stress the importance of self- worth among black women. In her practice, she provides ser vices to children and their fami lies, conducts psychological as sessments and performs com munity education services. She also has an extensive background in youth services, psychiatric diagnosis, education and treat ment programs and family ther apy. Wells also provides community education whidh addresses alco holism, adolesoerut and family issues. Wells was honored as an Outstanding Young Woman of America (1981). She will conduct two Personal Growth/Group/Q u e s t i o n and Answer sessions, one on Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. in Player Hall, and the other on Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. in the Counseling Center. It is hoped students will take advantage of these opportundties for personal growth aind develop ment. A strong, stable mind and body are necessary for success. The program is designed to arm students with knowledge for the 90’s. Letters Cornrows controversial at work by Charlcie Pettway If you are considering wearing cornrows or braids, you should be aware of the consequences that may follow if you are in or enter ing the work force. Cherly Tatum, a 37-year-old divorced mother, gained nation wide attention when in 1986 she was ordered to remove her corn rows by the Hyatt Regency Crystal City Hotel, her former place of emplo3rment in Arlington, Va. She filed a racial discrimination com plaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the Hyatt Hotel Corporation. Are African-American women discriminated against because of their hairstyles? Are cornrows ac ceptable in the work force? What are the feelings about braids on campus? The reaction to these questions varied. However, the majority of the Belles interviewed believed braids should be accept able in the work force. One Belle that believes braids are not acceptable in the work force is sophomore Thelma Singleton. “No, they are strictly for the social life, not the work force,” she stated. She continued, “Some of the braids look nice, but some are not neat and are not kept up. People may abuse the braid and go to extreme measures (dreadlocks, whoppies).” Singleton gave this example; “I know this man that made his secretary take out her braids because they were entirely too long and sloppy. She was the first person that clients saw as they entered the office. Braids were not the business look or image he wanted to portray. If she didn’t take the braids out, she would have been fired.” Singleton feels that black wom en have many obstacles to over come and why should they add to the problem? “As black women, we are al ready discriminated against, so why add pressure with braids? All we have to do is curl our hair in order to lessen discrimi nation,” she said. Singleton is not the only one that feels this way. In an article written on cornrows by E. R. Shipp in the February issue of Essence, Yvonne M. Simmons, business-education teacher at Vir ginia Union University, stated, “You either look professional or you don’t. There is no in-be tween.” Simmons also said she sees no difference between punk cuts, loudly colored hair and braids; “They are all extreme hairstyles that don’t belong to the office.” According to sophomore Tammy Davis, braids should be accepted in the work force. She believes that braids should be kept neat and presentable at all times. “When they start looking rough that is when she (the worker) should be told to remove them or go fix your hair. This should be done with any hairstyles,” ex plained Davis. “I don’t see anything wrong with braids. I used to wear them when I was younger,” said sopho more Cheryl Clark. She added, “Yes, I believe that braids are suitable for the work force be cause we should be able to show our heritage and our uniqueness as black women.” Tonya McCrea, a sophomore, agreed with Clark. “1 think braids save time. Like me, I am a busi ness management major with swimming this semester. I have to concentrate on my classes,” said McCrea. She stated that she doesn’t have time to curl her hair and study. When asked if she has exper ienced any discrimination because of her braids, McCrea said, “If any discrimination, it is probably by my fellow Bennett sisters. For example, if someone said, ‘If she had hair she’d be dangerous,’ and I said, ‘it is my hair and I paid for it,’ so those ladies should keep their comments to themselves,” said McCrea. Other Belles feel as if it is their right to wear their hair any way they wish. “I feel like this; as long as the braids are kept nice, it is acceptable in the work force. This new thing is just a subtle form of discrimination against blacks in the working world,” said sophomore Patricia Moody. Moody said that denying a woman the right to wear braids is like denying Jewish people the right to wear their caps. “It is a i>art of their heritage as braids is a part of ours,” said Moody. She believes it is nice for girls to wear braids. “To each her or his own. However, I did find when I wore braids that white i>eople looked at me differently than they do now,” stated Moody. Moody also said she was upset when Bo Derek came out with braids because white people ac cepted the style with “open arms.” But when Cicely Tyson presented cornrows to the world she did not receive as much publicity as Derek did. “Many people think Derek in troduced the cornrow trend to America, but they are dead wrong. Cicely Tyson and other blacks had worn braids years before Derek did!” explained Moody. According to Shipp, legal afairs reporter for The New York Times, grooming standards in many em ployee handbooks often prohibit “extreme” or “unusual” hairstyles. “Some employers include braids in this category. Others specifically prohibit cornrows or ‘multi braided’ styles,” wrote Shipp. For example, American Airlines does not believe in cornrows, accord ing to Essence, feeling cornrows do not reflect a “businesslike, fresh, clean image.” Marriott Cor poration feels very much the same, but the matter is left up to the department supervisor’s judgment. Cornrow wearers should be ware; your jobs could be on the line. BLACK HISTORY MONTH KNOW YOUR HISTORY KNOW YOUR HERITAGE Hayes bids adieu To the editor and the Bennett Family; The last 16' months of my life have been spent on this campus as the Director of Public Relations. Those months have been such a challenging and rewarding exper ience, I wanted to take this time to say thank you! Thank you for the young women that are Bennett “Belles,” the very reason I came to Bennett. For those “Belles” of old who lived a life of integrity and ex cellence that still exists today. Thank you for the women and men who are the Faculty and Staff; some of the most dedicated people I have ever encountered in my work experiences. Thank you for the hours of toil and the moments of laughter, inspiration and joy. Bennett College has, is, and al ways will be a stellar institution. It exists to satisfy a need of young women, who strive for kniowledge and accomplishment. The very nature of the “Bennett Family” made my 16 months here a trea sure to experience. I will remem ber you and beseech God’s bless ings upon each and every one ol you! Kindest Regards, Sallie A. Hayes Praise given To the editor; Although registration was fru strating this year, I must say that it was not as frustrating as usual. The move of the financial aid, records, and business offices to the gym was a smart one. I have to compliment the person res ponsible for this idea. There was so much more space in the gym, and this alleviated the frustration to some extent. This was a step in the right direction. Perhaps re gistration will become a com pletely painless process in the near future. Crystal Sadler
Bennett College Student Newspaper
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Feb. 5, 1988, edition 1
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