Page Two
THE COMPASS
For Students and Alumni
Published by
STATE COLLEGE NEWSPAPER STAFF
Elizabeth City, N. C.
Members; Columbia Scholastic Press Association
xEditor-In-Chief Charlotte A. Riddickg
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jijSecretary Jeroline White;;';:
xTreasurer Flora Rookso:
vSports Editor Thaxton Etheridgeij:
Exchange Editor Rosa Riddick;:-:
^Feature Editor Lillian Riggs:-j:
;:-Reporter Patricia Eckles:|;j
X Production Selena Baker;:-;
Evangelin Turner;::
ijiCirculation Shirley Smith;:;:
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Mr. Emanuel Di Pasqualej:'
:j:j Opinions expressed in articles are not necessar-S
ily those of COMPASS or the College. ;:•:
'The Role Of Black Power In
Securing Equality For The
Negro Race" By BILLY KIRKPATRICK
January 1968
Who...? Where...?
Perhaps the most fore
front issue in the minds
of the Negro college stu
dents of today is that of
the Black Man’s position
in the American society.
What forces have imped
ed the Negro’s social
growth in this country?
And, when can we, or our
children of tomorrow,
look back and say that
“the ‘dark age’ that ex
isted for the Negro
throughout the 17th, 18th,
19th, and 20th centuries
has ended?”
This has been the con
cern of the Black Power
advocates as well as the
advocates as well as the
conservative leaders of
the Black Movement in
America. The chief dif
ference of the two advo
cates is that of "how”
to attain equality for the
Negro population in A-
in erica. Here opinions
have varied.
The leaders of the Black
Power Movement have
presented their “de
mands” to the white man
and, in turn, has “de
manded” the white man to
honor his wishes.
“He has been mili
tant” says the news me
dia. Well, we must agree
that men like Brown and
Carmichael have been
quite demanding. They
have threatened to “burn,
to shoot, and to bomb.”
For such threats they
have been branded by the
white man as militant,
and as usual, the Negro,
being so indoctrinated by
the white man’s propa
ganda machine, accepts
this viewpoint. Well, as
far as I am concerned,
a crime is a crime on
ly when it has been com
mitted. Perhaps to the
white man’s regret, Car-
inichael and Brown have
not taken out their mat
ches, cocked their pis
tols, or planted their
bombs. They have only
talked of such actions.
l o be sure the Negro
of America not only needs
people like Dr. King and
the Honorable Roy Wil
kins but also they need
people like Brown and
Carmichael. Why? Well,
we all understand the Ne
gro’s level of education
in this country. Many are
poor and others are poor
er and, therefore, una
ware of the injustice that
has been done to their
race. In Alabama, Geor
gia, South Carolina and
practically all Southern
States there are large
numbers of Negroes who
barely scratch out a liv
ing and accept his bur
dens as simply his un
fortunate heritage. He
tells them that God will
fortunate heritage. He
tells his children to be
satisfied with what they
have. He tells them that
God will make a way. He
believes that the white
man is superior and con
sequently honors this fal
sified superiority.
Does Dr. King reach
these people? Does the
poverty stricken Negro
understand the white
man’s legislative ap
proach to solving his
problem? No. If he did,
then, I am sure that he
would not be complacent
with his position in so
ciety.
On the other hand, he
understands the meaning
of struggle-for his life
has been filled with strug
gles for survival. Thus he
has relied heavily upon
his physical strength
throughout his life- And
so when this segm ent of
our people hear the terms
such as “we will take, we
will hit, we will drag,
etc.” which are used by
the Black Power advo
cates, they are reached
and they feel the essence
of the power that they can
exert into the racial is
sue. This is clearly what
the Black Power advo
cates are doing-they are
reaching the poverty
stricken Negro. They are
establishing unity among
the black race as to what
the black men want in
this country.
Thus, the black man's
dreams lie in the pres
sure that he exerts upon
the leaders of this country
whether it be expressed
through factual or fiction
al tones.
THE COMPASS
Beta Bet.I Beta
Inducts
The Society began the
year with their mem
bers Jannie R. Ellis and
Leon McNeil working
very hard screening pro
spects. On December 11,
1968, they proudly wel
comed Lacy McLaurin
and Angenette Ruffin to
full membership. Also
Josephine Grant and Ha
zel Battle were welcom
ed as provisional mem
bers.
Jannie R. Ellis is pres
ident, Leo McNeil is
secretary with Dr. Seken-
der Khan as advisor.
Biology
Department
Two students received
grants from the Academy
of Science. Angenette
Ruffin and Leo McNeil
who are biology majors
have received grants to
further or start research
in some aspect of biology.
Leo McNeil, a senior,
has done research on the
diatoms for over a year.
Angenette is a junior.
These same two stu
dents accompanied five
other majors as well as
their Department Head,
Dr. Sekender Khan, on a
trip to Virginia State Col
lege at Petersburg on
January 6.
Upon arrival the stu
dents were greeted by Dr.
B. R. Woodson, Profes
sor of Biology at the col
lege. He showed the stu
dents the equipment and
materials that they had
and he also show=d them
the projects they had un
der research. After a tour
of State’s campus, the E
SCS Biology majors re
turned to a laboratory
that had been set aside
for their use.
The purpose of the trip
was to classify algae that
had been found in Pas
quotank County. Samples
of algae of different spe
cies were taken on the
trip.
Others included in the
group besides those al
ready mentioned were:
Dorothy Warren, Hazel
Battle, Floyd Felton,Lacy
McLaurin and Flora
Rooks.
Rena Says
...Bias Hall Is
On The Ball
The girls in Bias Hall
have improved a great
deal In the last few
months. They have elect
ed officers, counselors,
and committee members
for the dormitory. They
have also, decided upon
showing their Christmas
spirit by decorations and
Christmas sisters.
They seem to be get
ting the hang of things
since they have received
their deficiencies and now
they know that they have
to really buckle down and
study. The deficiencies
will help some in that
it will make them study
more. It will hurt others,
whereas, they will give
up hope and say “I
can’t make anything else
but a “D”..But, the best
thing to do is do your
best. Always strive to do
(Continued on Page 4)
What...?
Izola Young, ’67, En
glish Major, is teaching
at Darden High School in
Wilson.
Charles Keyes,’67, So
cial Science Major, is
teaching at Belhaven High
School in Belhaven.
Leroy Brickhouse, '67,
Elementary Education
Major is teaching at
Springfield High School in
Lucama.
James Powell, ’67, In
dustrial Arts major, is
teaching at Washington
County Union High School
in Roper.
Earl Tyson, '67, En
glish major, is teaching
at Mary Bethune High
School in South Boston,
Virginia.
Clarence Thomas, ’67,
Art major, is teaching
at Harriet B. Davis High
(ACP)—“A spectre is
haunting America —the
spectre of students. For
the first time in the his
tory of the United States,
university students have
become a source of inter
est for all the nation, a
source of concern for
much of the nation, and
a source of fear for some
of the nation. This is a
phenomenon unique to the
decade of the 1960’s.”
Three years have pass
ed since Clark Kerr
watched the beginnings of
the student revolt at Ber
keley from the vantage
point of the presidency of
the University of Cali
fornia.
In the year following
the riot, the potentiality
of “a Berkeley” hung
heavily over many an ad
ministrator’s head. Most
campuses escaped but
sporadic disturbances
kept the spirit of stu
dent activism alive.
This year students ev
erywhere have come into
their own.
Regarding themselves
as no longer “pawns” of
anyone — College admin
istrators and Washington
bureaucrats included.
They have become what
Kerr said no previous
student generation man
aged to become — “a
potential force in his
tory.”
The specific banner on
campus is “student
power.” At large, it might
be revised to read “hu
man power.” Both con
cern a desire to direct
one’s own day-to-day life
in a meaningful way, as
free as possible from au
thority and mechaniza
tion.
The mood underlying
the student movement is
difficult to dissect. But
one of its ingredients
must certainly be the a-
lienation that comes from
the bigness and complex
ity of the university, which
makes the student unable
to affect his environment.
Instead, the student
finds his environment —
the university, the Selec
tive Service — control-
School in Cleveland,Ohio.
Marvin Spaulding, ’67,
Elementary Education
major, is teaching at
Crestview Elementary
School in Clarksville,
Virginia.
Bonnie L. Rushing,’67,
English major, is teaching
English and French at
Brawley High School in
Scotland Neck.
Randolph Mitchell, ’67
Elementary Education
major, is teaching at In-
Borden High School in En
field.
Robert T. Graves, ’67,
Social Science major is
teaching in the Public
Schools of the District
of Columbia at Garnet-
Patterson Junior High
School in Washington,
D.C.
ling him, telling him
where he should live, what
hours he should keep,
whom he can or cannot
hear speak on campus,
whether he should go to
war.
Le McEvoy, staff mem
ber of UCLA’s Student
Counseling Service, de
scribed the student’s
frustration in an essay
in the UCLA DAILY
BRUIN:
“One finds that the tele
phone, ‘official’ tran
scripts. registration
cards, and other artifacts
command far more re
spect and immediate re
sponse than do human be
ings. The tyranny of
clocks, schedules, forms,
IBM procedures, regis
tration cards, and calen
dars has become so per
vasive and powerful as to
no longer be within re
proach.”
Like the hippies, stu
dent activists have a feel
ing of powerlessness. Un
like the hippies, the ac
tivists are working with
in the system to try to
force change upon it ra
ther than abandoning the
system as hopeless.
rhe power the students
have claimed for them
selves is exerted in vary
ing degrees of intensity—
from mild demands for
seats on a committee to
strikes virtually shutting
down an entire institution.
The term “student
power” originated at the
National Student Assn.
Congress at College
Park, Md., in August.
As conceived, it was not
meant to convey a desire
for power or control
over every aspect of cam
pus life.
It does, however, have
stark connotations, lead
ing one University of Min
nesota faculty member to
call it a misnomer. Frank
Verbrugge, acting dean of
the Institute of Technol
ogy, said the term “gives
the impression that stu
dents are pitted against
faculty and administra
tors.”
The NSA Congress
(Continued on page 4)
The Spectre
Of Students