enne
ann^\
Friday, April 28, 1989
BENNETT COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N. C.
Vol. XLX, No. 3
First Lady is commencement speaker
. - _ .. , *1 T 4- C r, >-krt v»4- + Vi V* +-0C!lr QQVG
by Yvette N. Freeman
Mrs. Barbara Bush, wife
of President George Bush,
will visit Bennett May 14 as
the commencement speaker
for the graduating class of
’89.
The First Lady was invited
to speak here primarily for
her interest and work in
education.
“Looking back at the last
First Ladies we’ve had re
cently, she seemed to be the
first one in a long time that
really had an educational
piece as her focal point for
wanting to improve,” says
President Gloria Scott.
Bush is active in promoting
education and removing illi
teracy from society. She re
cently set up a foundation for
illiteracy and asked that a
black organization be the pri
mary spokesperson for the
program, stated Scott.
Scott also said that “a part
of an illiteracy program that
Mrs. Bush is pushing, is the
helping of parent literacy as
well as child literacy.”
Bush is also active in ad
vancing education in the black
community, according to
Scott. She and her husband,
as well as various members
of their family have supported
private black higher education
since 1942. Bush has also
agreed to hostess a session
for The Black Child Develop
ment Institute in Washington,
which would focus on helping
black children, added Scott.
Bennett contacted the First
Lady by sending an invitation
to the White House, along
with information about the
college. Bush’s staff then
called Scott’s office to learn
more about the school.
The confirmation that Bush
would speak at the commence
ment exercises came around
March 30. The White House
informed Bennett privately,
hoping to make the announce
ment itself. However, Scott
says that somehow the infor
mation leaked out to a
Raleigh newspaper, so she
decided to make the announce
ment first.
Scott credits William Trent,
a former Bennett officer of
institutional advancement and
a i)ersonal friend of the
Bushes, as being very instru
mental in persuading the
First Lady to come here.
Trent met Bush at Yale Uni
versity years ago when Trent
was the first executive direc
tor of UNCF. According to
Scott, the two men have re
mained friends over the years.
Scott says that she hopes
Bush’s visit will benefit the
graduating seniors and “give
them certain worldwide visi
bility” in addition to prepar
ing them “to move into those
leadership roles.”
“I would think that some
of the challenge of the fact
that here is a woman who is
First Lady, who’s going to
devote her four years, at least
whatever it is, to an educa
tional task. That is, removing
illiteracy, which we know is
very rampant in the black
community; that there ought
to be, I would hope an inspira
tion or motivation that this
is a part of their task,” says
Scott.
Having Bush speak here
will also serve in possibly
attracting additional funding
for the school as well as more
students. Scott stated that
“everybody would like to see
or be near the President or
the First Lady, so we knew
that that would also attract
people to come to the college
as a PR function. So for those
reasons, we thought that sev
eral goals could be met.”
Bennett has not yet been
notified as to when Bush will
arrive or how long she will
visit the campus. However,
Scott expects at least 2000
people to be present for the
graduation exercises, which
will take place at 10 a.m.,
(See page 3)
Mixed feelings about the Busli visit
by Yvette N. Freeman
Several students have nega
tive feelings towards the up
coming visit by First Lady
Barbara Bush as the com
mencement speaker on May
14.
According to a campus poll,
some students feel that it
would be more appropriate to
have a black speaker for the
commencement exercises.
Natisha Hoskins, a fresh
man, says, “She’s not going
to say anything to students
that’s going to relate to them
as black women.”
Taundra Woodard, a junior,
feels that “Barbara Bush may
be a dynamic speaker, but I
don’t think that she can pro
vide young black women with
a clear and realistic view of
the job market and the
world.”
Senior Valerie Jones also
feels negatively towards the
visit. She comments, “I think
it is unfair to the graduating
seniors to have that white
Republican here, because she
can’t identify with us and we
can’t identify with her.”
One student feels that Bush
is inappropriate not only be
cause of her skin color, but
also her political affiliation.
“I don’t understand why
they would want a white Re
publican to come,” says sop
homore Francine Bramble.
However, some students did
not have negative feelings
towards Bush’s visit.
“I think it would be bene
ficial myself, because it would
bring other people to the
school,” says sophomore
Sheron Randolph.
Freshman Dawn Hayes
says, “I find no problems with
it. But whether or not I have
any negative feelings toward
her, I don’t.”
Dr. Baffour Agyeman-
Duah, director of the division
of social sciences, feels posi
tive about the upcoming
visit. He says, “This will
make it easier for us to
market Bennett as we begin
to embark on our capital cam
paign. Her visit will also af
firm the viability of histori
cally black colleges and
universities.”
All of the students polled
felt that the primary reason
Bush was invited to speak
here was for the media atten
tion Bennett will receive as
well as the possibility of addi
tional funding.
Sabrina Hardy, a freshman,
says, “One reason they pro
bably brought her in is the
publicity.”
Woodard added, “I realize
that Bennett College will re
ceive a large amount of media
attention and Mrs. Bush’s
appearance can also generate
funding for the college. Al
though I agree that Bennett
College needs funds, I think
the graduating seniors are
being deprived of a speaker
with the same or similar ex
periential background.”
New officers prepared
by Shavaughn Neal
As the end of another aca
demic term approaches, stu
dents have faced again the
annual campaign i)osters and
speeches that accompany the
various office elections on
campus. While most of the
Student Government Associa
tion and class officers have
been chosen, there are still a
few vacant positions left to
be filled.
Kathryn Lynn Marshall,
the current Student Govern
ment Association president,
has been re-elected.
Miss Marshall is a rising
senior from Charlotte, major
ing in accounting. When asked
how she felt about being re
elected, she said, “I am happy
to have the opportunity to
serve as president for another
academic year.”
Kathryn, or Lynn as she
prefers to be called, said that
some of the things she plans
to do during her second term
include restructuring the en
tire student government cabi
net.
She said, “I want to include
presidents of organizations
as part of the SGA Senate in
an effort to get all organiza
tions involved in campus acti
vities.” Marshall also said,
“I want to look at the election
process and reorganize it and
start an endowment plan for
the Student Government As
sociation.”
Cherryl Floyd, a junior
English major from Roanoke
Rapids, was elected to the
office of recording secretary
of the Student Government
Association. Floyd said of her
position, “A recording secre
tary operates much the sarne
way as a historian does. It is
that future generations will
know their past. The record
ing secretary is the keeper
of truth.” Floyd went on to
say, “I feel that I will be an
excellent secretary because
I have the skills and above
all I am audacious enough to
think myself a viriter.”
Yvette Williams is the cor
responding secretary for the
coming academic year. Wil
liams said, “I’m looking for
ward to assuming my position
during the next school year.
I plan to make sure that all
students receive accurate in
formation and receive that
information on time.”
Joann Moore, a junior from
Suffolk, Va., majoring in bio
logy, will serve as Student
Government Association trea
surer for the coming acade
mic year. Catherine Netter, a
freshman, holds the office of
parliamentarian. Talia Mc
Cray, a senior from Denver,
Col. and an engineering major,
will represent Bennett in the
capacity of Miss Royal Blue
and White.
On the Student Union
Board, the office of President
will be held by Tamilia Stubbs,
a junior from Dearfield, Fla.,
majoring in English. Lorraine
Patton, a freshman from
Pensacola, Fla. majoring in
Interdisciplinary Studies, will
be the Student Union Board
Secretary.
At deadline time, the posi
tions of SGA vice president
and Miss Bennett College are
still vacant, and on the Stu
dent Union Board the offices
of vice president and trea
surer are still vacant.
Film contest news
BURBANK, Calif. — A major,
new program in the Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences’
(ATAS) ongoing campaign against
substance abuse was announced
today with news that $15,000 will
be awarded by the Academy this
year to ftilltime college or uni
versity students producing the best
four-to^seven-minute film or
videos on anti-substance abuse
messiages, accompanied by related
20 to 30-second public service
announcements.
The new program was an
nounced by ATAS President
Doug Duitsman and Chairman of
the Academy’s Campaign Against
Substance Abuse Steering Co^m-
mittee John J. Agoglia.
First place winner will receive
$7500; second place, $5000; and
(See page 2)
Student shot an route to class
by Cherryl Floyd
Sophomore Akosita Ngaue
was so anxious to get to her
2:30 class that she did not
think about a gun being
pointed from the back seat of
a black Mustang on Feb. 21.
She noticed the car because
she likes Mustangs, but when
she heard a pop, she still kept
walking.
When she reached her dorm
and realized that her leg was
swollen, she knew that she
had been shot. She told one
of her friends, Tonya Wil
liams who lives in Jones Hall.
Williams called the police.
“When the policeman got
here,” Ngaue said, “he said
that the hole was too big to
be a BB gun. He said the
bullet was probably from a
.22 caliber.”
A doctor at Moses Cone
Hospital confirmed that the
weapon used was a BB gun.
Ngaue filed a report with
the policeman and went to
the Trammell Health Center
accompanied by Williams. Mr.
John Brower, chief of Bennett
security, then drove the two
women to Moses Cone Hos
pital.
Ngaue and Williams met
two young girls at the hospi
tal to whom the same thing
had happened.
“While I was waiting to get
an X-ray, two high school
students came in. One had a
bullet hole in her jacket and
the other one had been shot
in her face close to her eye,”
Ngaue recalled.
According to Sgt. Joe Deich,
two others were shot and two
people reported being shot at
through car windows. There
were five cases reported. One
of the victims was shot at
twice.
Deich said that Richard
Bryan Flores, 20, of 1008
Elwell Ave. was arrested in
connection with the shooting
of Kimberly Westbrook, a 15-
year-old whom Ngaue and
Williams saw at the hospital.
Flores was charged with as
sault with a deadly weapon
with serious injury.
Detective Dave Spagnola
said that the driver of the
Mustang was brought in for
questioning but refused to
give any information.
In a safety seminar on Feb.
28, Chief of Police Sylvester
Daughtry Jr. confirmed that
(See page 3)
V
Belle grazed by shot: Akosita Ngaue
didn’t realize what was happening
when a car passed with a gun pro
truding (rom the window. (Photo by
Kimmberly Williams)