Page 2
Editorials
SGA President Bids Advice
Knowledge The Light Of
The World
Dear Students,
As we bring this year to a close, I feel that
we can mark it as a successful one. We had
an enjoyable Homecoming, an event filled
Black History Month and we also had a
festive, educational experience during the
Inauguration of our Chancellor, Dr. Cleon
F. Thompson, Jr. I hope the success of the
university continues.
We have also had a few trying times,
which included violations of the Co-Ed
ViSttation and Alcohol Beverage policies.
This is where we, as the students of the
uniiversity, must accept responsibility for
their actions. We must also make sure that
we know what is going on around us ad
ministratively. Get the facts straight then
pursue the answers to any questions that we
have. You would be surprised to know the
people on campus who are for the rights of
the students.
This is a great university and we are for
tunate to be associated with it. Take pride in
YOURSELF and this community, and then
the community-at-large can only feel that
pride radiates throughout.
It has been an educational and rewarding
experience being your Student Government
Association President this year. 1 have
gained many new friends and acquain
tances. I will always cherish the memories.
I can leave this institution with pride and
say “I am a graduate of Winston-Salem
State University.”
I wish you the best that life has to offer!
May God Bless You.
Hanna “Joy” Bridges
Student Government Association
President 1985-86
Trustees Vote For Fee Increase
To Support Athletes
by Carolyn Hooper
The day after the WSSU Board of
Trustees met on March 6, 1986, an article
entitled “WSSU Trustees Vote to Increase
Athletic Fees” appeared in the Winston-
Salem Journal.
Many WSSU students who read the story
were very upset upon reading that, beginn
ing this fall, each student at WSSU will be
paying an additional $20 each semester to
provide “scholarship” money for athletes
who can not, will not, or forget to, apply for
financial aid (as every other student is re
quired to do if he/she hopes to receive any).
Several students were discussing the arti
cle at the beginning of class when our in
structor told us that the Journal story was
not factual. I decided to seek the truth for
the News Argus, so I attempted to contact
the trustees and get the facts from them.
Surprise! The ones I was able to reach
refused to discuss the meeting or tell me
what had transpired. Supposedly, the
meetings are open to the public and I feel
sure that, if students were aware of when
the meetings were being held, the student
body would have a few attendees. In view of
the fact that these are open meetings, it
seemed unreasonable to me that I was
unable to get any information; therefore, I
feel we can only rely on the Journal
reporter’s version of what happened.
According to the Journal article, scouting
coaches promise prospective athletes finan
cial aid to induct: them to attend WSSU;
when the athletes do not seek this aid in the
usual manner, the Athletic Department
simply gives the athletes money from
school funds. Mr. Willie E. Grissom, In
terim Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs,
reportedly said that $160,800 was spent last
year on football and basketball scholar
ships. There are 150 to 175 athletes of which
only 5 to 10 fail to complete the financial aid
forms or miss the deadlines. Does this mean
that 7.5 to 17.5 athletes received $9,189 to
$21,440 each for attending WSSU to play
basketball or football?
With this $20 increase, each student will
be paying $100, instead of the current $80,
for athletic fees, adding another $42,000 or
so (bringing the total to over $2,000,000) to
the fund to pay athletes to come here to play
ball.
The Journal reported that only two
trustees voted against the increase.
Trustee Raymond Means was quoted as
saying, “I do not see why we should sub
sidize them when it’s their fault,” in not ap
plying for aid.
Trustee James Mack reportedly said the
university’s priority should be educa
tion—not football. “Our main purpose here
is to educate these kids.”
It comes to the basic question: “What is
the purpose of this university—football or
education?” The answer appears to be clear
when that much money is available for
athletics and little or no money is available
for academic scholarships—although two
new scholarships will be awarded to incom
ing traditional freshmen. It would seem that
priorities here are in need of rethinking.
Other factors to be considered are the
facts that the majority of students at WSSU
are females, and one-third of the students
are non-traditional, or adult students. How
many of these receive athletic scholar
ships? None. How many could care less
about football or basketball? Also, most of
the non-traditional students are taxpayers
We are all aware that football and basket
ball are big business, and that the alumni
tend to give more money to the school if it
has a winning team, but that does not ap
pear to be an important consideration here.
The issue seems to me to be: What is
meant by “the tradition of excellence”? Is it
academic excellence? Or is it athletic ex
cellence? One would think that the concern
would be to make a degree from WSSU
respected in the marketplace and to im
prove the image of the university. It is a
shame that when so many dedicated, gifted
jDeople are giving their all to provide us with
a quality education that what we hear about
our school is, “Those black boys sure can
play ball!”
The true meaning of fraternities and
sororities are hidden behind a veil of
allegorical symbols. A symbol is that which
stands for, or suggests something by reason
of association. This veil causes many people
to associate the wisdom of African-
American fraternal orders with the ig
norant Greeks. We help to perpetuate this
ignorance during the pledge period when
foolish stunts take precedence to the study
of African History. In this situation we have
the blind leading the blind. The blind big
brother or big sister does not possess the
light or lamp of knowledge to lead the
pledge to enlightment; therefore they both
wander aimlessly in the dark cave of ig
norance.
Of course many readers are saying “I’m
not no African, so what are you talking
about.” According to psychologist Na’im
Akbar you know you are a Greek because
you’re an aka, Kappa, Delta, Alpha, Zeta
Sigma or an Omega, and you know it until
the day you die. Even though many fraterni
ty and sorority people know less about
Greece than Africa they still profess to be
Greeks. We always prefer to be other than
ourselves.
The symbols and signs of many frater
nities and sororities are of African origin. A
brief example of this, is as follows:
—The Delta is the marshy land located at
the mouth of the Nile in Africa.
—Green is the African color of fertility
and new life.
—The fertile Crescent located in Africa is
the seat of civilization.
—The Scroll-er made from the papyrus is
the first paper made by African along the
Nile.
—The pyramid was a temple of
knowledge, as well as a royal burial
chamber.
—The Sphinx is located in Africa. The
land was once called Al-ke-bulan by the in
habitants.
—The president of some organizations is
called Basileus-the Ethiopian word for
leader.
by Carter Cue
—The lamp or torch symbolized
knowledge to the priest of the Mystery
System.
—The African color of royalty was purple.
The symbols of African-American
organizations can not be attributed to the
Greeks because they had not seen the lamp
of knowledge when African genius was giv
ing the world medicine, religion,
mathematics, philosophy, agriculture and
other disciplines. These disciplines were
learned in the first fraternities-the Mystery
System of Africa. This is explained in
George G.M. James’ book The Stolen
Legacy.
The first Greek fraternities were com
prised of men who used brawn over brain.
They wasted their time running around nak
ed, and competing in the Olympics. The
women were not allowed in athletic clubs,
so they formed sisterhoods on the island of
Lesbos, which is in the Aegean Sea. The in
habitants were called lesbians. Maybe this
information will cause fraternities and
sororities to celebrate Pan-African week in
stead of Greek week.
At the end of the pledge period, new in
itiates participate in a slow walk around
campus called a Death March. What is dy
ing? Is the body dying? The mind of the in
dividual can’t be dying; that’s already
dead. Some people in the organization say
this march symbolizes Jesus on his way to
calvary; while others believe it means the
end of pledging. Anyone that believes these
ridiculous stories is dead also. According to
Albert Churchward’s book, Signs and Sym
bols of Primordial Man, the neophyte of the
African Mysteries was led through a dark
maze of obstacles which he had to over
come. These obstacles were not PHYSICAL
abuse, nor MENTAL abuse. The reaching of
a lighted exit symbolized the leaving behind
of ignorance, and coming into widsom or
Light.
Study in Spain for
A Semester
The Department of Foreign Languages
and Literatures at North Carolina State
University is sponsoring a semester of
study in Spain for next fall.
Anyone who has completed four
semesters of college Spanish or the
equivalent may particpate in the program,
being offered for the second time at the
University of Santander on the northern
coast of Spain. Students may enroll for up to
15 credit hours in subjects that include
grammar, literature, history, art and
geography.
The program is co-sponsored by NCSU,
the University of North Carolina at
Charlotte and the University of Santander.
In addition to course work, there will be
several field trips and a three-day excursion
to Madrid. Participants will stay in a
residence hail at the university.
Applications will be reviewed on the first
of May and June. For more information
contact the NCSU Department of Foreign
Languages and Literatures at (919 ) 737-2475
or the Study Abroad Office at (919) 737-2087,