Friday, April 28, 1989
THE BENNETT BANNER
PAGE THREE
Sororities create successful bonds
by Cherry 1 Floyd
You hear an odd call and sud
denly a sleeve — pink and green,
blue and wihite or red and white
extends into the air. The hand
at the end of the sleeve waves in
the direction of the odd call, and
perhaps you hear a similar odd
call in response.
You realize that you have wit
nessed a sisterly greeting between
niembers of one of the campus’
sororities: Zeta Phi Beta Soror
ity Inc., Delta Sigma Tlieta Soror
ity Inc., or Alpha Kappa Sorority
Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
Inc., or Alpha Kappa Alpha
Soority Inc.
Such a sisterly bond has en
hanced the lives of two of the
sororities’ presidents, Katherine
Lynne Miarshall (Delta Sigma
Theta), Emdly Rogers (Alpha
Kappa Alpha), and of Debra Dil-
wortih, vice-president of Zeta Phi
Beta and president of the Inter-
Greek Council.
“I am an only child. Being a
member of a sorority and pledg
ing with 27 other people has given
me 27 sisters that I might not
otherwise have had,” says
Marshall.
Rogers, from Saudi Arabia, has
brought her personal exeriences
to her sorority and feels she has
a more international outlook.
Dilworth says that her sorority
has helped her want to become
involved in different clubs or
activities.
“I want to be a student who
has not gone through four years
as just another student. I want to
leave my footprints,” she says.
Outside of the leadership roles
that they have on campus, what
manner of women are these?
The Lynne that Bennett doesn’t
see is very silly and is a big kid
at heart, according to Marshall.
The Debra that Bennett doesn’t
see is a confidante. “You can talk
to me about anything and be as
sured that it will go no further
than you and me. I want all my
friends to feel at ease around
me,” Dilworth says.
Rogers likes to travel. Her
favorite places that she’s been to
are Bermuda, Hong Kong and the
Soviet Union, and she would like
to share her traveling experiences
with students more often.
“A lot of my life experiences
have been unique and I know
people realize it, but I wish they’d
ask me more questions,” Rogers
says.
Dilworth and Marshall feel that
they have changed since becoming
involved in their sororities.
“If you didn’t change in some
way after you pledged a sorority,
then you didn’t pledge,” says
Marshall.
She says that the essence of
getting into a sorority is to find
out your-, weaknesses and
strengths, what you’re capable of,
what you’re not capable of and
finding talents that you never
even knew you had.
“I’ve become more aggressive,
more attentive to little things and
more dedicated to responsibilities
and commitments,” Marshall adds.
Dilworth recalls that her friends
cheered her on as she became
more involved in campus life and
more aware of the things that
are constantly going on in her
community.
Rogers feels that shei did not
change. “I grew in different ways,
but I never changed. If my friends
Seniors are bequeathing
wisdom to their sisters
by Joycelynne Hodges
Bidding their final fare
wells before venturing out in
to the real world, some seniors
give their bequeaths in addi
tion to some friendly advice.
Ava Martien, from Flor
ence, S.C., wishes aU of her
Bennett sisters the best of
luck. She said, “I would like
to see more sisterhood shown
on this campus, but most of
all I’d like to see the end of
the ‘Belle System.’ ”
Karen Jones, from Plain
field, N.J., said, “I want
everyone to remember to be
persistent and to keep follow
ing your dreams.”
Nancy Leath, from Bur
lington, gives motherly ad
vice. She said, “Remember to
take full advantage of the
opportunities offered to you
here at Bennett. Don’t wait
until the last minute to pre
pare for the world and what
you want to do. Most of all,
remember to have faith.”
Carolyn Lewis, from Wash
ington, D.C., said, “I bequeath
my smiles and good times to
all of my Bennett sisters. Use
your time wisely because
time will fly.”
Kim Eatmon, from Capitol
Heights, Md., said, “I’d like
the underclassmen to ‘stay on
it’ as far as what they have
to encounter. Prepare for the
future; don’t wait till the end.
Some great philosopher said,
‘Shoot for the moon because
if you miss, you’ll still be
among the stars.’ ”
Tish Richmond, from In
dianapolis, Ind., said, “Ben
nett showed me my heritage.
I didn’t have one before. Most
importantly, I’ve learned that
if you love and accept your
self just as you are, it doesn’t
matter if others do or not.
What matters is that you
accept others just as they are.
With that, you’ll make it. I
hope my Bennett sisters
remember that.”
Yvette Austin, from
Orangeburg, S.C., said, “I
encourage all the women of
Bennett College to grab hold
of the things that belong to
them and to break down the
negatives that have stereo
typed us for so long. Gain
control over ourselves and
make positive statements to
the Bennett community, the
larger community and the
world as a whole. I pledge
that the true essence of
women be exemplified in the
Bennett woman.”
There are some seniors who
left personal bequeaths di
rected to specific persons
here.
LaShawn Barber, from
Upper Marlboro, Md., said, “I
bequeath my pleasing perso
nality to the juniors because
they really need it. I give my
will to survive to the sopho
mores and my ambition to
the freshmen. Most of all, I
bequeath 300 hugs and kisses
to Denise White, but save a
few for Diane.”
Carolyn Riddick, from Wil
son, said, “I leave to my little
sisters all of my old humani
ties and French tests.”
Liane Bennett, from Hart
ford, Conn., had a lot to leave
behind to her Bennett sisters.
She said, “To my little sister,
Dionne Warwick, I leave my
ability to sing and the best
of luck in whatever she sets
forth to do; to Jocelyn Isom,
my much funnier sense of
humor; to Towanna Foye, a
tiny bit of my little bit of
weight; to Rhonda Fisher, the
words to ‘Self Destruction’;
to Norita Phillips, Memory
Brock, Tina Gray, Rhonda
Scholfield and Tauye Sim
mons, all of the house music
and blenders in the world; to
Tramell Henson, my not so
squeaky voice and to Tujuan
Wood, my back rest and the
good Samaritan award.”
Yenetta Bell, from Colum
bus, 0., said, “Being of sound
mind and body, I bequeath to
the Zeta Xi Chapter of the
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority,
Incorporated, the continued
ability to do good and to hold
their heads up high like the
sophisticated ladies they are;
to Kim Eatmon and all of my
pals, my crazy sense of
humor; Ms. Harrison, my
gratitude because without you
this could not have been pos
sible; to the underclassmen, a
renewed sense of yourself so
that you can make Bennett
best.”
Miriam Whitehead, the
senior class president, said,
“I bequeath to Bennett
College to always keep a door
open for women to learn, grow
and succeed in life and con
tinue to prepare strong, black
women leaders who are to
motivate and to change the
world; Merner Hall, to show
the world that academics can
be a part of one’s life and
that intelligent women living
and sharing together can
bring harmony and peace to
the world; Bennett Scholars,
to bring wisdom and under
standing to the world and
never be ashamed of your
God-given talents and use
them to the best of your abi
lities; Sonia Cloud, Paula
Johnson, De’Lisa Hill anc
Annette Moore, to remember
that friendship can be pain,
but the price is worth it when
there are those who care anc
share your dreams and aspira
tions.”
Busk-from page 1
May 14, in the campus qua
drangle.
Reverend Willie Barrow,
president of Operation PUSH,
will be the Baccalareate
speaker on Saturday, May 13.
Study hard
for finals
Victims of shooting were all black
(From page 1)
the suspects involved in the
shootings were white and all
victims in the cases were
black. He said, however, that
this did not make the shoot
ings a racial incident.
Daughtry also said that the
Greensboi'o Police Department
expected to make at least two
more arrests within the next
few weeks.
Daughtry made suggestions
for ensuring safety.
“Use the buddy system and
don’t go anywhere alone,” he
said.
view me differently, it’s in a
positive way,” she says.
These women care about what
people think of them as sorority
members, since they all wish to
maintain a positive image. Ddl-
worth and Marshall realize,
though, that there is a communi
cation gap between sororities and
the student body.
“Freshmen come in with these
notions of what a Greek is, and
some Greeks have the notion ‘I’ve
got it and you don’t’ — not to
mention the fact that the movie
‘School Daze’ did us no good,”
says Marshall, believing that the
gap is caused by Greeks and non-
Greeks.
Rogers does not believe there
is a communication gap. “Because
we are an organized and struc
tured group of women, of course,
we’re gonna be different and stick
out. We do a lot of things that
other groups don’t do so I’m sure
the student body views us dif
ferently, but it’s not a negative
thing. It’s positive,” she says.
Regardless of a communication
gap, perpetrators (those who have
not gone through the pledge pro
cess, yet still imitate the sorority
NAACP agenda
calls or wear paraphernalia) are
offensive to these women. They
feel that it shows a lack of res
pect and that perpetrators do calls
and do not know what they mean.
Advice that Rogers, Dilworth
and Marshall wish to give to
anyone considering joining a
sorority is to do research. They
all feel that it should be an indi
vidual’s own decision and not in
fluenced by friends, since it is
a lifetime commitment.
The purpose of a sorority is to
help women develop their talents,
to have lifelong friends and to
become aware of the different
types of problems that are oc
curring in the community and
feel compelled to want to do
something about this, according to
Dilworth.
Each of these women also feels
that her particular sorority makes
a statement which explains why
she is an active part of it:
Rogers: Service to all mankind
and high scholastics.
Marshall: We are a sisterhood
pledged to be successful.
Dilwortli: Zeta is about sister
hood and working together.
Group is busy
by Cherryl Floyd
NAACP president Tracy
Lett says that her greatest
challenge has been motivat
ing students.
“We have about 40 mem
bers, but not very many who
participate. It’s all about
motivation and priorities.
People are missing out on a
lot when they don’t get in
volved,” she said.
Lett also believes that be
ing an active member of the
NAACP helps prepare stu
dents for the real world.
“In the real world, every
thing is political. When you
are bom, the first thing you
get is a birth certificate, then
a social security number,”
C Vl Ci C Q 1 H
Founded in 1909, the
NAACP, Lett believes, has
been — if not the — one of
the most advanced institu
tions in helping “our people.”
It is continually trying to
empower African-Americans.
The Bennett chapter has
been busy this year. Last
semester, the organization
sponsored a visit by Tony
Brown, writer of the contro
versial film “White Girl.”
During NAACP week this
semester, the chapter held a
“Free South Africa” Day.
Students fasted from noon
until 5:30 p.m. and wore com
memorative armbands on Feb.
28. There was a ceremony
before the fast was broken
during which students sang
“Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”
and “We Are The World,” and
they prayed.
Lett believes that the fast
was significant.
“It was a spiritual move
ment. A fast brings God’s
eyes on the situation. We have
sisters and brothers in Africa
who never eat,” she said.
Debbie Bryant and Barry
Ray were winners of a speech
contest held during this week.
There was also a “Win, Lose,
or Draw” game featuring
black trivia, an all-night
movie fest and a speech by
the Rev. Tyrone Crider pre
sented in conjunction with
the Lyceum Committee.
Lett believes the NAACP
has helped her learn how to
interact with people, and her
experiences with the organi
zation have helped her be
lieve in the following philo
sophy: “We the willing led
by the unknowing are doing
the impossible for the un
grateful. We have done so
much for so long with so little,
we are now qualified to do
anything with nothing.”
Conference stimulates spring fever
opmion
by Taundra Woodard
For weeks, palm trees, white
sand, and warm ocean breezes
were at the center of my thoughts.
As Jan. 25 approached, my
anxiety had reached an unbear
able level. Although my trip was
centered around a model United
Nations seminar to be held at
Bethune-Cookman College (BC-C)
in Daytona Beach, Fla., I rarely
concentrated on that aspect of the
trip. The work was merely some
thing to tolerate between running
along the beach and mingling with
students from 18 other institu
tions.
1 had no cares about complet
ing work for classcs before the
4 a.m. departure time or worries
about the pile that would be
waiting for mo once I returned.
It was very clear that I had
become possessed by the “I don’t
care about anything but getting
away for a few days” monster.
Now, I realize that my attitude
was not consistent with my pur
pose for the trip and I regret that
I may have missed out on a
valuable experience.
As the van left Greensboro, the
air was cold and harsh, but as
we sped down the highway, the
air took on a salty odor and the
breezes turned warm. I no longer
saw people in heavy winter coats,
car muffs, gloves and hats. The
winter garb was replaced by tank-
tops, shorts, sunglasses and swim
suits. As we cruised along the
strip to the hotel, I wondered
what sort of accommodations the
college had supplied. When we
reached the Clarendon Plaza, I
could hardly believe my eyes. The
plaza was a high rise consisting
of 15 floors of beautifully carpeted
and colorfully decorated rooms.
We were placed on the fifth floor,
just the right amount of space
between the bottom and the top
of the hotel to really enjoy the
excellent view of the ocean.
(See page 4)