Letters to Editor SGA President Speaks RAMS RAP Fellow Rams, I come to you again with greetings of peace, power and love. I hope that this year is bringing you success. Perhaps many of you are fed up with these “SGA letters, but this is the only way to reach all of you. I am disturbed over a few things, I hope that you can help me out. First of all, you elected me to do a job, but somehow you won’t let me do it. My most important duty to you is that of a trouble shooter. I am here to go to the bat for you. If you don’t send me, nothing will get done. The power of this office is at your disposal. If you refuse to use it adequately, you are very powerless. I understand that the President of the SGA should be aware of the problems on the campus, but you cannot expect him to be a mindreader. It is possible for me to know all of the problems. I cannot be expected to handle that which I do not know. I want to do all I can for you, but unless you come and let me taiow what you need, how can I do it? In a word, my hands are tied unless you help me to do the job. A day or so ago, a very reputable club held a Complaint Day, and it turned out beautifully, but did you know that everyday is a complaint day in this office? That is the main reason we’re here. I want to hear from you. Is it that you don’t trust me? If so I have no choice but to resign and let you select someone that can receive your trust, because trust is a must for this position. I refuse to be an ineffective leader, and if you won’t let me know your needs, I cannot function in this capacity a day longer. I ask you; do you know what the SGA is? Do you know who the SGA is? Do you know the power of the SGA? If you know none of this I will personally get you the information. I just want to do this job the right way. I am begging you for work. Let me know what you want, and I’ll try my damndest to get it for you. I promise no miracles, but I do promise you some concrete things which will be beneficial to you, just give me the chance. Without you I am pwwerless, and I do not feel that you need a leader who is powerless. I leave you with a question: Do you need a Student Government Association or not? Thanks, Mike Conflict? Dear Editor, Heretofor, experience with Homecomings have been cen tered around the fair young lady elected as Miss Homecoming. Strange though it seems as this year’s events are being centered around the throne of Miss WSSU. What are their functions? Is she (Miss Homecoming) neglecting her duties or simply being neglected? It has always given us an overwhelming sense of pride when we’ve visited out of town games and could see our own two queens together showing a unity common in our schools leaving our rivals with a sense of awe of two young ladies so well- balanced in beauty, poise, and personality. It disappoints us to see our queens going in their separate ways. Is there competition between them or simply a lack of com munication? As students, we stand behind both of our queens. Whatever the cause, let it be resolved so that our queens can stand before us. We’re prouder of you than words can say with the two of you working together, this can be a Soulful Spirit of ’76. Eugtna Parker and Vonzella Scales Dear Eugenia and Von, According to Candice Michaux, Miss Winston-Salem State, there are no conflicts between Miss Homecoming and Miss WSSU. “Patsy (Lynch) and I work together beautifully,” Candice said. “I see Homecoming as her day. I’ve worked hard and ac tively for that. I may have in truded on some student’s privacy to make sure she is welcomed and presented in the fashion she should be.” “She deserves the best and it’s been my responsibility to make sure that time is hers.” “As far as the other queens are concerned, they should be happy to be queens to be part of Miss WSSU and Miss Homecoming coronation festivities. I don’t mean to outshine anyone just become involved so we all can shine,” she said. SGA Report The Student Government Association, at this time, reports its progress to the student body. Of the list of objectives established, the following have been undertaken: L Teacher evaluation by students-completed in May of this year and scheduled to begin, second semester. 2. Dormitory comfort-The president has appointed a six member task force that is working toward solutions to dormitory problems. The group, of which the president is a member, is touring all dormitories to see the problems first hand. Colson Hall was first. All interested students are asked to report to the SGA office. 3. Adoption plan: The SGA had plans to adopt a black child this year and provide for him-her through college. This will be an on going project. To date, we are still taking candidates. 4. Professors Assistants-The president has proposed that students be selected in the spring of their junior year to serve as assistants to professors. The students will be either salaried or receive six hours of credit if the proposal passes. 5. There is a plan in effect to keep dormitories open for short holidays such as Thanksgiving. This will provide residency for those students who live too far away to go home. It is the request of the SGA that more students volunteer their services and ideas in order to usher in a progressive mood. We all have an obligation to you. You also have one to yourself. Please help us in this massive undertaking. POTPOURRI To the young man who cracked on Mr. Mason in the Mr. Ram Pageant...my lawyer wants to see you and soon! Co-educational visitation was implemented this year. So far it is working, but it needs help. The main question is... “Do students really want co-ed visitation?” The SGA will conduct a survey on co-ed visitation in December. We need to know about it. If we keep it, it must work. Respectfully submitted WSSU Student Government Association EDITOR- MANAGING EDI'l OR— BUSINESS MANAGER - REPORTERS . Mickey Flowers Ron Jordan Eugenia Parker TYPISTS. CIRCULATION- ADVISOR Althea Bailey, Beverly Blackwell, Barbara Evans, Martha Hampton, Jackial Herring, Jimmi McEactaem, Barbara O’Neal, Gloria Ross, Sharon Samuels, Vonzella Scales, Johnny Wilson, Nell Smith, Byron Murrain, Charles Young Janet Brower, Wanda Brown, Linda Bmnson, Jennifer Harris, Terry Hayes, Debra Johnson, Gwendolyn Moore Devola Davis, Della Wiggins Charisse Cannady The NEWS ARGUS is a student publication of Winston-Salem State University, the contents are the sole responsibility of its students. WSSU’s role as a Bicentennial Campus will automatically throw many students on this campus into participating in Bicentennial celebrations. However, many civil rights activists say blacks should have nothing to do with the celebrations. Should black people celebrate the Bicentennial? Fred Gibson, soph., Salisbury, N.C. No. Black people don’t have anything to celebrate the Bicentennial for because the Bicentennial shows freedom, liberty and justice. Black people don’t have freedom, they don’t have liberty and they sure don’t have any justice. Jessica Lennon, senior, Whiteville, N.C. agreed. “There is nothing to celebrate. We are still struggling to be free. Although there isn’t slavery, we still have racial discrimination, high rate of unemployment among blacks.” Robert Barrier, junior. Con cord, N.C. said, “I think we should be patriotic in the celebration of the Bicen tennial because this is our country and America has done a lot for us even though we look at some of things it hasn’t done-it really has done a lot for black people.” Calvin Banks, senior, Winston- Salem, N.C. “I think we should celebrate it., We should bring out the fact that there are many blacks that have contributed to the country other than Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver and all those other well-known blacks. Within the 200 years we’ve been in America, black Americans have the respon sibility of pointing out to this country that we have not sat idly by and watched progress made— we’ve been a part of it, too. Michael Brown, freshman, Philadelphia, Pa. No. The Bicentennial is a representation of white history and black people were left out. I think to honor the Bicentennial we would be prejudice against ourselves, as far as history is concerned. Clayton Scott, senior, Statesville, N.C. I personally feel that the Bicentennial is defined as 200 years of freedom. And to look back over the past the Black man has never been ableto say that he is completely free. “All men are created equal,” is one of the greatest lies ever been printed in the American Constitution. For the Indians, Blacks, and other minorities there is not a Bicentennial celebration. Bicentennial Qiallenge We have the opportunity to live through a part of history which happens to be the Bicentennial Celebration of the Declaration of Independence. The noble ideals of equality and justice embodied within this document, however, have not been fully realized in this country. Within America, we the Black race are still fighting to make the noble ideals manifest. There are those among this race who feel that we as a people have nothing to celebrate at this time. They feel that there is no reason for our participation in this celebration. Maybe the word celebration has something to do with it.; However, every year Black people celebrate the Fourth of July. The Bicentennial is only a blown up version of the Fourth of July. If we are thinking in terms of boycotting the Bicentennial, then why haven’t we been boycotting or protesting by not observing tne Fourth of July? The Bicentennial offers Black people an opportunity to measure their progress from 1776 until now. From Crispus Attuck to the death of Martin Luther King, we can trace the accomplishments and downfalls of our race. The Bicentennial has provoked much thought among the Black .conmiunity and on our campus, the Homecoming theme is “The Soulful Spirit of ’76.” In an effort to find out what is the soulful spirit of ’76 and to better understand our place in the Bicentennial celebration, I would like to invite all students interested in writing a Bicentennial essay to enter his or her essay in the Bicentennial Essay Contest. I hope we’ll get some good essays representing many differences of opinion. C.W. Young “We can’t stay on the down beat!”