PAGE TWO
THE NEWS ARGUS
NOVEMBER, 1969
''To The Sisters''
I want to apologize to the sisters
of tliis world for the brothers. Yes,
there is an apology needed, and I
want to get it started so some other
brothers will become more aware
of the Beautiful Black Sisters
around the world.
First, I want to talk about wear
ing “naturals.” Sisters are hung
up on whether a brother will dis
own them because they do not
have a “fro,” but this is irrelevant.
A sister can be just as down with
a “fried head” as a sister who
has a dynamite “fro.” From now
on sisters should be weighed on the
values of their minds and not on
their outside appearance. I be
lieve that a sister who knows she
is for the liberation of Black peo
ple doesn’t have to go natural.
All I want these sisters to show
me is that they are true revolu
tionaries in every sense of the
word. So, sisters, you don’t have to
have a natural to be a revolu
tionary, but a brother’s “fried
head” means that he still can re
late to the system.
I have suggested to you that
your hair is important, not to any
necessary extent, but nevertheless,
important. Now I want to tell you
about the power that you have
over brothers who have not gotten
their minds totally together.
You must use your “sex power.”
Force a brother to get his mind
together! Advise him of the fact
that you are now a revolutionary,
and that you can no longer relate
to a brother who is not working at
his utmost for the betterment of
all oppressed people.
Basically, I have said or ex
plained how I feel, but I am only
va brother who has observed only a
bmall aspect of how we can make
tiis world better for future men.
I must not forget to inform you
'sisters that you are not a brother’s
lesser or better half, but his other
half.
Bro. Jerel Fair
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V\/hc\-t HoLppervS G ra d ua-t J c A 7
GETTING TOGETHER
Now that this semester is nearly
over, everybody on campus is com
plaining about one thing or an
other. There seems to be great
mass confusion pertaining to the
gap between the students, faculty,
and the ever-tiresome administra
tion. As I go from class to class
and hear gripe after gripe, I real
ize that absolutely nothing is being
done about these gripes. There is
only great conversation about what
should be done. There is a definite
lack of unity among the students
here at WSSU.
The demands of the student body
are great. They range from the
dismissal of the matron of Colson
Hall to acquiring of a much need
ed Black Studies Program. All of
these problems need to be dealt
with, and can only be dealt with
by the student body. Not the facul
ty, or the administration, but the
STUDENT/BODY! I for one see
the need for some drastic changes
here. I believe that most of my
fellow brothers and sisters feel
the same as I do, but we lack the
one thing we need so desperately
to make this campus move . . .
UNITY! A man once told me, “In
unity there is strength, thus let us
do together what we cannot do
alone.” These are words which I
believe in strongly. I feel as though
we can become one of the better
universities in this state. How
ever, neither the administration,
the faculty, nor even the SGA can
make this possible. Only you and
I can come together and make this
a reality.
BRO. WILLIAM
L. RICHARDSON
Do you remember the nights of
April 15 and 16 of 1969? These were
nights when the student body saw
need for a change and united to
obtain them. Not all of the stu
dents participated. Some found it
an opportunity to party, while
others were just not interested at
all. But the majority of us were
interested and fought for our de
mands. Brothers and sisters, the
fight is not over yet. True, we did
obtain some of the demands which
we were seeking and became re
laxed and unconcerned once more.
Forgetting the total purpose of our
fight, it is now time to pick up the
battle once more to make this
training institution a university. I
appeal to you, the student body,
to UNITE in the fight for Winston-
Salem State University.
THE TEEN-AGER-ADULT
RELATIONSHIP
What is the relationship between
the adult and the teen-ager? Is it
one of rebellion and hostility? Does
the teen-ager on a whole distrust
the adult and feel that he is hy
pocritical and deceitful? Do the
belligerent few malign the major
ity of level-headed young Ameri
cans in the sight of the adult? I
am afraid the answer to each of
these questions is YES.
What can we do about this situa
tion? We can try “understanding,
love, and respect.
As an adult, understand that 1
am young and crave to truly live
life to the fullest degree. I want to
learn through experience the art
of loving, giving and receiving. But
most of all, I want to be an indi
vidual: one who is capable of
standing on his own two feet, both
physically and mentally; one who
is able to make decisions, whether
wise or foolish. I want to find out
who I really am and where I am
going. All I ask of you is a fair
chance, understanding, love, and
respect.
I As a teen-ager, is it too much to
1 ask you to meet me half way,
' Being an adult, I realize somewhat
how you feel because I, too, was
ionce a teen-ager; but there is a
i right and a wrong way of doing
' any and everything. Try consid-
j ering the fact that you are some-
t times wrong and make mistakes,
I then accept this fact. I realize that
il cannot understand all of your
! feelings because times have
j changed but ethnical and common
I values have not. I love you and
t want only the best that life has
to offer for you. But like you, I,
'too, want a fair chance. I also
j want love, respect, and understand
ing.
' Let us give each other this
\ chance and give it all that we
have. We will never know what
j will happen until we give it a try.
Sister Brenda Joyner
Sister Vera Murphy
DEATH OF ENTHUSIASM
During the summer a close
friend of mine asked me if I would
advise him to come to Winston-
Salem State University next year.
This young man is an above ave
rage high school senior and is in
terested in getting a good educa
tion and hopes one day to become
a successful lawyer. I was asked,
“Would I be motivated at Winston-
Salem State in the classroom?”
My reply was, “Yes, to a certain
extent, but if you want an educa
tion outside the classroom, go any
where but Winston-Salem State.”
I am happy to say that this stu
dent has applied and been accepted
to a major college in the midwest,
and I am hopeful that he will find
there what he could not have found
here.
I wouldn’t advise anybody to
come here who is interested in
getting more than a good educa
tion. Why? Because this just sim
ply is not the atmosphere.
I pity any freshman student who
comes to this institution with hopes
of being intellectually motivated
outside the classroom as well as
within.
It wouldn’t be difficult to com
pose a literary piece on motivation
at this university, and make it one
of the best sellers on the New
York Times book review. Perhaps
a potential writer would want to
entitle such a composition, “Death
of Enthusiasm,” which I think is
an appropriate title, if any.
James Baldwin or maybe Ralph
Ellison could come to Winston-Sa
lem State University and compose
a literary masterpiece on such a
topic without much difficulty. All
either would have to do is spend
one evening on our campus and
such a work would be as good as
written.
Have you ever tried to count the
number of students who are dis
satisfied with our university? The
number who are dissatisfied with
the lack of incentive and motiva
tion provided here would surprise
you.
Isn’t education more than just
going to class and copying what’s
on the blackboard and preparing
for the test the next Friday? I
should think so.
Just how many instructors do
you see congregating among the
students on campus and showing
that they are really concerned?
With a few rare exceptions, not
many. Has anyone ever consid
ered that perhaps they just don’t
give a hoot about us as students?
Why are they here? It is just to
pick up that monthly check or just
to keep from sitting home in mu
tual boredom?
Student concern should be the
overall objective of university pro
fessors, and professors should take
students’ interests and opinions'
into consideration, however radical
they may be. For are we not citi
zens of tomorrow — those who will
eventually assimilate into the
mainstream of society, those who
will determine the destiny of Black
people of tomorrow? Think about
it.
I realize that my opinions may
arouse suspicion and cynicism in
the university family, but don’t
you think someone should bring
such a matter as important as
this to the surface?
If there is such a place as a
university which does not and re
fuses to adhere to the needs of
Black students, then our univer
sity is such a place. Why does
Winston-Salem State refuse to pro
vide us with the motivation which
I think should be an academic at
mosphere?
A careful evaluation of our R. J.
Reynolds scholars will verify my
arguments. These students were
awarded these scholarships be
cause of their academic potential,
but isn’t this potential being cut
short when they are cast among
unconcerned, unambitious students
such as we?
Let me take advantage of my
position as co-editor of the Win-
ston-Salem State University News
Argus to expound upon a few
points concerning this education
castration.
Many of us came here with hopes
of getting what can be termed a
“decent education,” and thus far
we have received such to a certain
extent. But we feel that we have
not received motivation to excel in :
what is being taught in the class
room.
I feel that we have been educa
tionally cheated, and think that
this school owes us back pay for
that which we did not get as far
as “outside education” is con
cerned. True, we are learning
about Chaucer, the American Con
stitution and Henry VIII, and I
feel that such knowledge is neces
sary. But the question remains,
“Are we being academically moti
vated to a point where we want
to put this knowledge to use?” My
answer is NO!!
Does anyone remember Mr.
Robert Cummings? Of course we
do. For those of you who have not
had the opportunity to have him
as an instructor, I am here to tell
you that he was one of the better
teachers at this university in get
ting at the needs and interests of
students. Rarely has any student
fallen asleep during his lectures. I
can attest to that. When you
walked out of his class, you felt
that you had learned something,
and that you were better equipped
to do something worthwhile.
There is another such instructor
on this campus, but I will not men
tion his name for his own sake.
Just last week, I witnessed this
teacher and some of our students
sitting in front of Atkins Hall and
talking about student attitudes and
interests.
I am not saying, “Teachers, get
out there and sit and talk with
your students.” I am merely sug
gesting that you show more con
cern for us than you have ex
hibited in the past.
If a professor fails to relate to
the student family in means other
than in the classroom, then that
professor ought not be here. He
should be home getting himself
together, or somewhere taking a
course in contemporary techniques
in teaching college students.
We as students should demand
more of our professors than what
we have been in the past. We
should make them put more em
phasis on relating what they are
teaching to what is relevant to us
today. We should make them do
extra work in our behalf, and with
this in mind, proceed to make our
selves better students, and make
this university a better institution.
I hope most of you will take
heed to what I have said, and fur
thermore, I hope you instructors
will lend a tentative ear whenever
they so desire.
The next time a prospective stu
dent of this university approaches
me with the idea of coming to
Winston-Salem State University, I
hope to be able to say, “By all
means come to our school. We are
a university that teaches more
than English, math, history and
music.”
Bro. Terry Howard