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Interest and enthusiasm a must in RA selection
THERESA ANN WILUAMS
Co-Editor
Application forms are presently
available for Resident Assistant (RA)
positions for the 1980-81 academic
school year.
The basic criteria for the positions
include second semester sophomore.
Junior or senior standing, an overall
2.5 quality point average, a sincere in
terest in working with people and en
thusiasm.
Serving as an RA involves a time
commitment of 17 hours per week.
Next fall they will be paid $3.35 per
hour.
Some of the expectations and roles
of resident assistants include helping
freshmen in their transition to col
lege, serving as counselor, educator,
administrator and enforcer in the
dorm. They also serve as resource
personnel for the university and are
expected to have a knowledge of the
university.
Jody Harpster, Acting Associate
Director of University Housing, cited
a special need for more Black resi
dent assistants on campus. He stated,
"the department of university hous
ing recognizes the special needs of
Black students on this campus.
Without Black RA’s it’s almost im
possible to meet these needs.”
Harpster stated that he has a per
sonal committment in increasing
Black involvement in the program.
There are presently 10 Black resident
assistants out of a total of 146. There is
one black assistant resident director
and two Black resident directors.
There will be an applicant orienta
tion meeting on Sunday January 13 at
7 p.m. in 100 Hamilton Hall.
The selection process lasts four
weeks during which three types of in
terviews take place. This includes in
dividual one-on-one inteviews bet
ween a candidate and a present RA;
group process interviews and panel
interviews.
Applicants must also note that they
are applying for the position of RA in
general and not just for any specific
area. Application forms are available
in the resident director’s office of
each dorm, at the Assistant Tower
Manager’s office in Granville Towers,
and at the housing office in Carr
Building.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. on
January 14. Final selections will be
made by February 12.
Harpster urged all qualified Blacks
who are interested in the program to
apply.
Choirs enjoy spreading the gospel in song
BSM Gospel Choir
BEVERLYSHEPARD
Special Project* Editor
‘‘Many people have had some ex
perience but , most just have an in
terest in singing in the choir, making
It the best that it can l)e," Leslie Dula,
president of the BSM Gospel Choir
said.
Since its beginning in 1971 with
Kranclne Cummings as the first presi
dent. the choir has personified
fellowship and cultural unity on
UNC’s campus.
In 1974, the BSM’s participation in
the state-wide Gospel Choir Festival
at Duke University resulted in its be
ing awarde first prize — a trophy
and $500. V e the 42 members of this
year’s choi. lave entered no state
competitions, they anticipate televi
sion appearances and the possibility
of recording an album.
This year the choir has 18 new
members. Tryouts, consist of singing
the scale, singing alone for solo poten
tial, and singing along with the other
members and are conducted at the
beginning of fall semester and again
in the spring, if positions are needed.
Members from the previous year do
not have to try out again. “Once you
try out, you just have to come back
and reaffirm your membership,”
Dula said.
Rehearsals are conducted on Tues
day and Thursday nights from 7:30 to
9:00. After the first twenty minutes of
rehearsals, reserved for the transac
tion of business, practice is open to
the general public.
The choir usually has one per
formance per week at a church or
civic event. The choir’s ability “to
spread the word of God through song
and testimony and to help fulfill the
cultural needs of surrounding areas,”
is enhanced by pianists John Brown,
Marlon West and Renee Ray.
Generally the pianist presents the
particular songs he would like to
teach the choir. Vanessa Garrett,
musician representative, proceeds
from this point to organize rehear
sals, select the director and soloist
and decide which songs will be per
formed in the concert. Directing is
open to all members who display the
ability. Presently there are six prac
ticing directors who meet individually
with Vanessa to insure their use of the
same technique, to diminish personal
styles that could cause confusion for
choir members and to learn each new
song.
Like any other organization, the
BSM Gospel Choir has experienced its
share of ups and downs. It has manag
ed to hold its own without the director
(Continned oo page 9)'
New Generation Singers
PARCEASTA DORSETTE
“Love, the love of singing, of serv
ing, and the fear that I might break
their necks” according to Oren M.
Marsh Jr. the director of the New
Generation Singers, are the factors
that hold the group together.
The New Generation Singers, who
were invited by the third floor Ex
ecutive Committee of Hinton James,
performed in the recreation room on
Monday, Nov. 12.
“The audience was somewhat sub
dued” in James. “But some churches
that I’ve been too were like ‘The First
Church of the Frigidaire; therefore
we have to pump ourselves up,” he
said.
“We’re dedicated. We’re from all
over Durham, from various
denominations, but we’re basically
protestants,” he said. “They take a
rest and complain if there’s nowhere
to go to sing.” The members of the
group “stick together,” Marsh said.
“We pray one minute and fight the
next, but my word is gospel, if they do
not want to abide they get the hell
out,” he said. Although, the group re
quires auditions, the decision can be
waved by his overall decision. His on
ly requirements are interest and
pride.
The group has been singing for ten
years and were inspired by The Oral
Roberts World Action Singers, The
Edwin Hawkins Family and The Mar
tin Luther King Operation Bread
Basket Choir.
He said he chose “The New Genera
tion Singers” as the name for the
group because, “I wanted something
that was catchy to young folk and
something you could use in church
and not feel embarrassed.”
Over the past ten years, the group
has had 124 members, they’ve played
at every high school and every Black
church and white church in Durham,
they’ve taken a trip to Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina and visited New York
twice.
The future for the group is “to get
bet^^r.” Marsh said “praise and
fan I’ve had it, I want them to come
tok lowit.”
For fifteen years, he performed
with “The Jamming Jammers.” They
began in some fraternity house on
Cameron Street, but their first per
formance was held in Ehringhaus
Dormitory. “I felt that any in
struments used in a combo (a small
jazz or dance band) could be used in a
choir and I marriaged the two fac
tors,” he said. The New Generation
Singers now have these instruments
in their choir: tambarines, drums, a
piano, guitars and a saxaphone.
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