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6 The News Argus November 2005 Read on Number of men in college lags behind number of women Attitude: A powerful thing Americans losing faith in Bush OPINIO Where have all the young men gone': 7 By Rochelle Riley KRT WIRE SERVICE The irony was overwhelming. Newspaper reports heralding a drug that could extend the lives of women suffering from breast cancer competed for attention with reports expressing concern that the number of men attending college continues to decline below the number of women. At a time when women are finally making some headway in a society that has treated them as instruments for male superiority; at a time when women are in positions to ensure that medical research more effectively extends to women's illnesses; at a time when a woman is the U.S. presi dent's secretary of state and could possibly mount a viable cam paign for president in three years — there is an outcry that per haps the nation has done too much for women, that we may have gone too far. What struck me in the news reports was the obvious opti mism about possibly saving women's lives and the panic in some ana lysts' com- "We actually did a little affirmative action. If we had a tie [between a male and a female], we gave it to a boy." Jim McCorkell, founder of a college-preparatory program for low-income kids panic that has been nearly nonex istent in discussions about women and minorities. About 57.4 percent of col lege enrollees eligible for fed eral student aid two years ago were women; 42.6 percent were men. The gender imbal ance has some college adminis trators, accord ing to USA Today, wringing their hands as ments about the plight of boys, a they figure out what to do. Initially, this felt like so much overreaction, until I read the words of Jim McCorkell, founder of a college-preparatory program for low-income kids in St. Paul, Minn., who was concerned that only 30 percent of his clients were boys last year. "We actually did a little affirma tive action," he told USA Today. "If we had a tie [between a male and a female], we gave it to a boy." Only in America. Or Iraq. Analysts are concerned about the future of boys, whose careers were made in blue-collar jobs. Those have dried up in the dust of technological advancements that require college experience for many jobs that once didn't have such a learning curve. McCorkell wondered why there isn't more of an outcry. Perhaps, it is because there is nothing wrong. Perhaps, instead of concentrat ing on the differences between boys and girls and whether more girls are going to college, we could concentrate more on chil dren in elementary school. One college professor suggested that, if the gap persists, preferences should be given to men. Such ill-advised action might help a few boys. But it also might harm the future career of the woman who discovers a cure for breast cancer. And that would set America back by quite a few decades. FfOtn the Your attitude is not dependent on how someone else behaves Editor: Homecoming, a special time at WSSU By Lisa R. Boone EDITOR-IN-CHIEF "H-O-M-E-C-O-M-I-N-G! If s home- commg y'all," a chant that could be heard through out the halls of buildings all over campus Boone during the week of homecoming. Homecoming at WSSU is a time when alumni from all comers of the Earth — and that includes Iraq, where one alum who is a serving as an Army doctor — return "home" to celebrate, social ize and reminisce. Historically black colleges and universities seem to cel ebrate homecoming in ways that range from the flam boyant to the spiritual. LaToya McConnell, a senior nursing major, perhaps put it best: "It is a time for all to just be who they are." "Our tradition is real. Black people keep it real. We go out and do what we do best and that is enjoy each other's company. Homecoming was great this year. I loved it. Homecoming is a time for alumni and students to enjoy each other and reflect on how far we've come. By Evelyn Robinson ARGUS CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST It's late on campus, and you're sitting in your car, waiting for a friend to meet you. Traffic is at a standstill, the nearby parking lot is empty, and you've put on the haz ard lights of your car, while wait ing. Suddenly, a campus police car pulls up behind you, with flashing lights. An officer approaches you, taps on the window and says. angrily, "you need to move your car. There are enough parking spaces, so get in one. You are block ing traffic." The officer rolls his eyes, gets into the vehicle, flashes his lights, honks his horn and waits until you move your vehicle. OK, it*s wrong to double-park, even if it was just for a moment and for convenience. But consider another scenario: The officer approaches the car and states, calm ly, "Good evening, I need for you to move your vehicle because your vehicle seems to be blocking traffic. Can you please do so in a timely manner?" Is this too hard to do? Attitude is everything, and one's true character is revealed by his or her attitude. Some students play a part in upsetting officers on cam pus. Other times, it's officers pro voking students with their bad atti tudes. There's blame enough for both sides. Students as well as officers should practice The Golden Rule, which is treat people the way that you want to be treated. If The Golden Rule becomes a part of everyday attitudes, then a lot of tensions on campus would dissi pate. Students should not break rules and, if they do, accept the con sequences. Officers should realize that some students don't know the rules or need a reminder of the rules. Whatever the situation, just remember that attitude is every thing, and it's often the window to one's soul. Ebony magazine founder, John H. Johnson, was a visionary who would not give up on his dream By Tamika Green ARGUS CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST The first issue of Ebony magazine was published this month 60 years ago. With $500 borrowed on his moth er's furniture to finance the first publication, John H. Johnson launched what would become the catalyst for a communications empire — magazines, book publishing and cosmetics. Ebony has been the largest black-owned magazine every year since its creation in 1945. Each year, the publica tion continues to provide the black community with an exceptional reflection of African-American culture. Johnson was born to Leroy Johnson and Gertrude Jenkins Johnson in Arkansas City, Ark. on Jan. 19,1918. Even during his youth, he was faced with the task of overcoming life's adversities — poverty and, at age 8, the death of his father in a sawmill accident. Despite being advised against attempting to enter the publishing business by civil rights leader Roy Wilkins, Johnson decided to pursue his vision. In 1942, just after the end of World War II, he founded Johnson Publishing Co. It was a time of segregation and prejudice. Dr. Mae Rodney, director of the O'Kelly Library, recalled Ebony's value in the days before full rights of citi zenship were extended to African Americans. "It was just nice to know that you could see your image," Rodney said. "It was really looked forward to, and it was an unusual experience to see your own image, the image of people who looked just like you." Rodney believes that Ebony has played a very important historical role in African-American publish ing and culture. She said she appreciates the struggles that Johnson endured and has also been very impressed with how the Johnson family has changed the image of the magazine to reflect the times, keeping it of interest to the present generation. Johnson died August 8 at the age of 87 at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after an extended illness. During his long hfe, he earned many awards and titles, including Publisher of the Year by the Magazine Publishers Association, Most Outstanding Black Publisher in History by the National Newspaper Publishers Association and The Greatest Minority Entrepreneur in U.S. History by Baylor University. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, from President Bill Clinton, who said Johnson gave "African- Americans a voice and a Photo courtesy of KRT Wire Service John Johnson borrowed $500 against his mother’s fur niture to finance the first issue of the largest black- owned magazine in the country, Ebony. face, in his words, 'a new sense.' " Howard University named its communications school the John H. Johnson School of Communications. Johnson's legacy is beyond measure. His life tells the story of a real American dream, and provides others with the inspiration to rise above hardships and reach for success; U.S. To 5ToCKP\Le VAc:ci^ie To PRorecr 2.0 ^A(ut.fON ^1 Bush is losing, not gaining faith A6AIM5T eO^CAt CUHIC wesTSu il 1: PlRD Flu shots Nt^AVAMBLE By Jane Eisner KRT WIRE SERVICE One year ago the headlines read. "Emboldened by a solid election victory. President Bush heads into his second term with an ambitious agenda to change America and the world." Bush promised to use his "political capital" to get stuff done in a national capital that was all but draped in the official colors of his party. He was going to set Iraq on the road to democracy, defeat global terrorism, and send a wave of freedom across the Middle East. At home, he planned to extend his tax cuts to future generations, revamp the legal system and the tax code, and bring about dramatic changes in Social Security. Well, how did he do, folks? Do you feel safer than a year ago? Is our government working more efficiently and ethically? OK, I'm not being fair. The president is going through a bit of a rough patch, what with the U.S. death toll in Iraq climbing to new, heartbreaking numbers, the withdrawal of a Supreme Court nominee his enemies did n't much like and his friends hated, and the indictment of the top aide and alter ego to the most powerful vice president in American his tory. Like a growing number of Americans I have lost faith in this administration's ability to prosecute the war in Iraq, a war that it is now clear they were hell-bent on pursuing no mat ter the evidence or the risks. After the Katrina debacle,I have little faith that the first administration run by a Harvard Business School grad knows how to manage in a crisis. Yeah, I'm a worrier. They say there is progress in Iraq, even if it's hard to discem on the nightly news. The economy is growing at a decent clip, even if that's news to the poor. But in case my worries are realized, I hope the hapless opposition in Washington spends some time crafting sensible, exciting alterna tives to the currrent policies. Three years sud denly seems like an awfully long time.
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