The News Argus Page 2
EDITORIALLY SPEAKING
We Must Save Our Historically Black Colleges And Universities
By ALVIN CATES
Guest Writer
Greetings to my fellow Rams
and I hope that the Spring ‘93
semester is off to a great start. This
is the first article in a column
entitled “V.P.’s Viewpoint!” I would
like to take this opportunity to thank
the Editor of the News Argus, Tonya
Woods, for assisting me with the
implementation of this idea and for
allowing me to be a free-lance
columnist.
This month, 1 have chosen to
express my love for Winston-Salem
State University and the other
Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs) throughout
the country.
During the summer of 1992, the
U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the
state of Mississippi had to
desegregate its public institutes of
higher learning. The court stated
that Mississippi had to adequately
fund all of its existing colleges
which includes eight HBCUs. The
high court went on to offer the idea
that if Mississippi deemed it to be
infeasible to adequately fund the
current number of colleges then the
state should examine the possibility
of closing or merging some of these
institutions.
The state of Mississippi, under
the leadership of Governor Kirk
Fordice, has proposed the closing or
possible merger of historically Black
Mississippi Valley State University
with predominately White Delta
State University. This flagrant act
causes reason for concern. If the
United States of America was void
of racism then this proposal could be
justified as “down-sizing” which
would cut the bottom line of the
state’s education budget. But, we are
not operating in a vacuum; racism is
real and regrettably doing well today.
Some may be wondering how
does this effect WSSU. The answer
is simple; what is happening in
Mississippi could happen in North
Carolina. An organization called the
North Carolina Association of Black
Student Governments (NCABSG) is
addressing this issue and other
concerns of the HBCUs in North
Carolina. I have the privilege and
honor to serve as Interim President
“Adversity is the verifier of
faith ”
—Alvin Cates
for this organization which is
comprised of the 11 HBCUs in this
state. The annual Black College Day
which is held in Raleigh on the state
capital grounds is sponsored by the
NCABSG.
The Winston-Salem State
University Student Government
Association hosted the December 6,
1992 meeting of the NCABSG. The
NCABSG passed a resolution (which
will be printed in the next issue of
The News Argus) and presented it at
a press conference. It is expected
that the resolution will be ratified by
the 11 constituent institutions of the
NCABSG. After ratification, the
A Black Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
resolution will be apart of a mailing
that will be sent to other HBCUs
throughout the country and to local,
state, and national elected officials.
We must act locally while
thinking globally as we address the
needs and concerns of the HBCUs in
our microcosm which is North
Carolina and throughout the country.
For us to become combatants against
any force that threatens the
sovereignty of our HBCUs, you and
I must realize the benefits of
bringing together our individual
talents and skills. I believe that the
HBCUs in North Carolina will serve
as a catalyst to organize and
mobilize HBCUs in other states.
I plan to end each article with an
inspiring quote. I would like to
share with you a quote that I feel was
given to me by God. So, as we
move to secure the future of our
HBCUs always remember that
“adversity is the verifier of faith and
as long as we have this belief we will
never breathe the last breath of
hope!”
By IRVIN PAYNE
Staff Writer
The first rule of journalism to
any reporter is to never write about
yourself, but I am going to throw
the rule out of the window. When I
enrolled in WSSU in August 1988,
I always thought it would be smooth
sailing and I would graduate in four
years. NOT!!
Although I have encountered
many pitfalls and setbacks in the last
five years; I have become a better
person. There are many reasons
why I wanted to attend college but
the bottom-line is that I’ve always
wanted to learn new things because I
never want to be considered one
dimensional. Education gives you
many options: financial, learning,
social and sometimes if you are
continued on page 3
really lucky a good job option.
“Non traditional” students have
several reasons for wanting to return
to school. Many expressed interest
in becoming teachers and educators
because they’re tired of the younger
generation following the path of self
The Iletus flrgus
Editorial Staff
Tonya Woods - Editor
Tamara Puddy - Nevv^s Editor
Kelley Goodman - Sports Editor
Nhy Smith - Entertainment Editor
Staff Writers:
Connell Cuthbertson Marcella Henderson
Irvin Payne Afrika Perry
Rodrick Murray Chiffonda RufBn
Ryan Young
Advisor:
Dr. Valerie S. Saddler
Interim Department Chairman:
Dr. Brian Blount
student newspaper at Winston-Salem State
shonlH ^ News-Argus encourages letters to the editor. Letters
must no niore than 200 words in length. The writer
number and classification, major, telephone
be requested ThT content of the letter, proof of identity may
taste anH ^^^erves the right to edit for grammar,
Patterson R ^ih ^ News-Argus office is located in 318 Hall-
atterson Building, telephone 750-2327.