Page 6
Minorities seeking careers
in health field now have aid
Beamon, MHCO president: “We’d love to help.” Staff photo by
James Parker.
FUTURES
CC: a year without crisis
By DEBRA PARKER
Staff Writer
Want to be a doctor or a nurse? No?
Well then, what about a dental
assistant or a physical therapist?
Sounds good? Yes, a health career
could be just that. So, now you’re
wondering just what it takes to be a
doctor or a nurse.
If you really want to know, then the
Minority Health Careers
Organization (MHCO) is the place for
you. Ronnie Beamon, president,
Thomas Hunter, vice-president, and
their fellow members would like to
help you. Beamon cites that the main
objective of the organization is to aid
Black students at UNC who are in
terested in a health career but don’t
know how to prepare themselves for
one
Beamon says, “Blacks on campus
need to be more aware of the help and
opportunities available to them in a
health careers program.” Because of
the lack of interest on this campus in
providing services for minority
students, MHCO feels that it has a
thorough and beneficial service to
offer Black students.
Unlike the Alpha Epsilon Delta
Association for pre-med and pre-dent
students only, MHCO will provide aid
to any student interested in a health
career Plans are underway for a
series of lectures by prominent
Blacks in health career fields.
Currently, the organization is plan
ning a joint venture with North
Carolina Central University in
Durham, to provide a broader range
of services.
Unlike other organizations, MHCO
has no formal requirements-
monetary or otherwise. “The only
requirements,” says Beamon, “are
that the students be interested in a
health career and be serious about
their goals.” With the good response
that the organization has been
receiving from students and with the
support of Deans Wallace and Ren-
wick and Mr. Moses Carey, head of
Minority Affairs in the department of
pharmacy and advisor to the
organization, MHCO has potential to
be solid. Beamon reiterates the goal
of the group. “Everyone is welcome
to join. Students don’t have to make
the journey alone. We’d love to help.
We have quiz files, information about
professors and courses, and all types
of services for minority students.”
Time and place of meetings, lec
tures, and other information about
MHCO will be found in later editions
of Black Ink and in notices in dorms
and the Carolina Union.
Workshops and seminars are
designed to prepare students for
perhaps the most important step in
job hunting—the interview. As
Galloway put it, “The real benefit (of
CP&P) will be to stimulate people.
We don’t place anybody, we facilitate
placement through our service. In the
final analysis, the student must sell
himself in the interview. We facilitate
getting students ready and in the
right frame of mind for the in
terview.”
By EDNA BROWN
Staff Writer
Four Central Committee members
tell about the Black Student
Movement of 1977 and how they see
the organization in the future. Each
feels that unity within the BSM is
important. The Central Committee,
according to the BSM constitution, is
the Planning Board of the
organization. Byron Horton, Chair
person.
“I think the biggest problem that
we as leaders had to face for the BSM
last year was to reorientate the Black
students. We had to change the BSM
from a defensive organization to an
offensive one.
As a defensive organization, the
BSM was often being attacked. It had
to defend itself. Last semester, the
BSM eliminated some of this. We
became able and strong enough to do
some attacking ourselves. We didn’t
just fight to keep what we had. We
fought and we gained.
In the future, we plan further to
unite the Black community. We want
to include the Black alumni and all
other areas of the Black community.
So far, our plans are going well and
have been quite successful.”
Phyllis Pickett, Vice Chairperson
“I hope to see a new direction and a
new focus for the BSM. I don’t mean
this as a cliche. We need to switch
over from the old stuff such as
protests and rouses. They keep us in
the newspapers, but really don’t help
us in the long run.
“We’ve got departments at this
university with no Black professors,
and I feel this is a shame. This is only
one of the types of problems that the
BSM should be trying to solve. For
example, the School of Journalism
doesn’t have any Black professors or
any courses on the Black Press.
Martha Flowers is doing a wonderful
job in the Music Department, but we
need more people like her.
“The BSM has a responsibility. It
has made lots of improvements, but it
needs to do more in the future.”
. .Nina Ford. James Represctttative
“Last semester, we had to get the
students to realize that they had to
make time for the BSM. Making time
for the BSM is very important. It’s
just like making time for working and
studying.
“There are so many things a Black
student could do for the BSM and
there are so many things that need to
be done. This takes time.
“I enjoyed working for the BSM last
semester. I think for the future, the
BSM will specifically try to unite the
Black community on campus.”
Ike Cummings, North Campus
Representative
“This past year, the BSM has been
an advocate. It has been more or less
a mediator, someone to go to if you
had problems.
“liie BSM is a special interest
group whose main interest is the
welfare of Black folks.
“Although I didn’t realize how
difficult it was being a north campus
representative, I have been trying to
create a unity among all Blacks on
north campus—sort of a family. I’ve
made some progress, but not as much
as I had hoped to make.”
Local Reaction
(Continued from page 2)
senior Spurgeon Fields, ‘ ‘he would have
been going against the system that had
sentenced them. “I didn’t really expect
the Ten’s pardon anyway."
Among other concerns expressed was
Jonetta'Barr’s: “If Hunt could reduce
sentences, he could have pardoned
them.” To which junior Judi Dobbins
added, “Why didn’t he commute Ben
CJhavis’ sentence as much as the rest?
Is that saying (Thavis was more guilty,
or that Hunt didn’t like Chavis as
much? What’s the thing behind
(Thavis?”
Other student comments were
equally blunt
“There is reasonable doubt in my
mind concerning the case,” said soph-
more Denise Phillips. “The law says
jQu have to ^ proven guilty beyond a
shadow of dniibt I have doiibt.”
JAC
Challenge stimulates action
By BEVERLY WELLS
Managing Editor
What began as an issuance of a challenge turned out to be the begiiming of
something worthwhile and progressive—the James Action Committee—
better known as JAC. It was founded in 1976 and headed by Lonza Hardy,
Hinton James dorm representative for the Black Student Movement.
Lonza Hardy formed JAC to supply students in James with information
relating to the BSM and its activities. It was mostly made up of floor
distributors of the Weekly and Black Inks, but broadened to include other
interested students, including Sam Tucker, a resident of Morrison at the
time.
When asked why he joined JAC, Sam stated, “I became a member of JAC
with a dual purpose. I figured I could help JAC as much as it could help me. I
wanted to be active ... not apathetic, and I figured JAC would be the first
step and it was. I viewed JAC as a lower body of the Central Committee
which I later joined.”
JAC was largely responsible for many activities for Black students, in
cluding a Get-to-Know-You night and a Christmas Talent Show. JAC and
Black Ink co-sponsored an awards banquet last spring.
Succeeding Lonza as James representative were Harold Woodard and
Nina Ford. Both served as floor distributors and JAC members while Lonza
was dorm representative and were quite anxious to see that JAC did not die.
“I feel that eventhough JAC has not been as active this year as it could
have been,” said Nina, “the activities that we did sponsor were successful.
We have several others planned for this semester that we hope will be en
joyable.”
Sam Tucker now serves as Morrison representative. He calls his
organization BIG MAC. When asked if his work with JAC prompted his
initial work with BIG MAC he replied, "Yes. I enjoyed working with JAC
and I decided to get something similar started with Morrison. Un
fortunately, the residents of Morrison aren’t responding too well. We’ve had
several activities, including a jam, a raffle, and a Get-to-Know-You night,
but the turnouts were never go^. Morrison has the potential to be as good or
better than JAC, but it’s going to take a great deal of work.”
An action committee has also been formed at Ehringhaus. Whether the
challenge Lonza Hardy fti the fall^of ir76 was r^popsible for the
formation of the other dortn 'fcdmmittees is* xiebataribfe, -bat it-is-highly
possible.