Newspapers / Elizabeth City State University … / April 26, 1996, edition 1 / Page 4
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4 The Compass Friday, April 26, 1996 Students urged to 'help tackle life' by James L.Perry "I came to recruit students to join the team that helps tackle life," de clared the Honorable Jerrauld Jones during the Honors Convocation, held April 18 in Moore Hall. "If you look around it is not difficult to find areas where you're needed." In his speech Jones, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, focused on America's social ills and the need for students to get more involved in helping to relieve them. "The struggle for equal opportunity and equal justice continues and indeed has never seemed more necessary than it does today," said Jones. He ad dressed problems like homelessness, poverty, unemployment, and the rise in the amount of prison inmates. " These ugly disparities must stop," said Jones. "Tl\ey represent a growing nightmare and not an expanding dream. "The winds of hostility, hate, hvirt, and violence are still blowing across our land. We can not forget the Mark Furman tapes or the Rodney King video, even 33 years after Martin Luther King marched on Washington." Jones told the students that they rep resent the future of the nation. "I believe that you are the force of positive change in this country," he said. "We need you and we need you now. What kind of world do you want to live in—a world where genocide is still practiced, where thousands of your fellow citizens are homeless and children have to be fingerprinted in case they disappear?" Jones urged his listeners to have con fidence in themselves and their possi bilities as well as in their schools, churches and people around them. "You have confidence deep down within you. It might not always seem so but believe nr»e it is there. Because confidence allows us to do what we dream to do and be what we dream to be.' It allows us to be more than aver- age. Jones recalled his mother saying, "Being average is just as close to the bottom as it is to the top." He stressed the importance of establishing goals and having convictions, and urged his listeners to understand that their suc cesses as well as their failures build confidence. "Our successes convince us that it is possible to succeed in the future. Our Photo by Jamie JonlfiH Stacey L. Baker (right) presents the E.M. Spellman Award to Latlsha Edwards during the Honors Convocation, held April 18. Edwards, a senior English/ News Media major, received the award for her accomplishments as news editor of The Compass, ECSU's award-winning student newspaper. failures tell us it is possible to survive and go on. Both are absolutely neces sary in developing that sense of assur ance that in the end, things are going to be okay." Jones also advised students to get in touch with their inner lives. "Listen to the voice inside you," he said. "It usually gives you the best advice. Just have faith in yourself." The Honors Convocation is held each year to honor students who have achieved academic excellence during the year. Seniors Tonya Blair, Helga Brown, NaKeisha Sylver, Kimberly Walston and Roslyn White received the Chancellor's Distinguished Em blem Awards, Scholar's Blazer. Certificates of merit were presented to 56 students in the Honors Program. Students also received awards from individual departments and campus clubs and organizations. Awards were presented by Dr. Rachel W. Gragson, chairperson of the Honors Coimcil, Dr. Carol C. Jones, director of the Honors Program, and Stacey Baker, a sophomore in the Hon ors Program. Dr. Helen M. Caldwell, vice chancellor of academic affairs, pre sided. The University Choir performed "Sweet Home," Tonekia Stephens, so loist. White student crosses over amid jeers; 'In my heart I know I am a S.G. Rho' by Yushawnda Thomas The crowd stirred restlessly as the spring '% line of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. approached their blue and gold plot to introduce themselves to the ECSU campus. However, this probate show-an an nual Greek tradition on the yard— wasn't a typical event. Number four on the line was Dana Wood, a white honor student at ECSU. "There was a guy directly in front of me while we were doing our probate show saying, "You need to getdt to gether,'" recalled Wood. "He said, Tou don't know what you're doing. What are you doing out here? You look stu pid.' But I just kept on doing my stuff. What he said pumj)ed me up even more." The night Wood crossed over, she became the first white member of the Delta Tau chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho. Black sororities and fraternities were established because blacks were un welcome in white Greek-letter organi zations. Since then, black Greek orga nizations have established themselves nationally and created a lasting legacy. "f don look at people based on the color of their skin" Dana Wood It is a tradition in which few white students participate. Many black Greeks say their oi^ani- zations should be reserved for black p>eople only. "It's not right for Caucasians to join what we strived so hard and worked hard for to obtain on our own after being turned away from them," said Christie L. Kearney, a member of Zeta Phi Beta. "We need to keep something whole to ourselves, " said Andrae Brown, a member of Omega Psi Phi. "My goal is to help black men better them selves." 'Tor so long blacks haven't really had anything to call their own," said Stacia McFadden, a Delta. "I don't think that whites should try to break into our tradition." Wood, however, defended the sorority's willingness to admit her as a member. "I realize that black sororities were founded to promote and encourage the black woman to be a better j)er- son," she said, "but I feel I can educate the black woman on the white woman. If I want to be enriched and leam from you, why not give me the opportu nity? And why not take the opportu nity to leam from me? "I hope to bring something more to my sorority," continued Wood. "I don't look at people based on the color of their skin." Members of black sororities and frats insist that they are not canying on a racist tradition by excluding whites, but promoting black unity and leader ship. If black Greeks freely admitted whites and other minorities they say some of their valuable traditions would be lost. "I respect the fact that blacks want to hold on to their sororities and fra ternities because they want something pure to pass on for generations to come," said Wood. "However, you are passing on a prejudiced px)int of view." Some Greeks are ambivalent about admitting white members in histori cally black Greek-letter organizations. "I have two views," said Omar Marks, a member of Phi Beta Sigma. "I don't think they (whites) should be in black fraternities or sororities be cause of the basis those fraternities or sororities were founded on. But to some degree we should open up the doors to them because then maybe they will understand us more as people." One Greek said she had no prob lems with whites joining her organi zation. "I don't think we're going to get any where if we keep saying this is black and this is white," said this member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. "Things are not going to be resolved." (See GREEK, Page 5)
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April 26, 1996, edition 1
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