page 6 The Pen, March 1997
Alisea McLeod
Students asked to think!
By LMichelle Fox
Alisea McLeod asks one
thing of her students, she asks
them to think.
The Detroit native is
bright and engaging, and her
voice is pleasant and enthusi
astic as she leads them into a
lively discussion of “Who are
we and where are we going,”
McLeod has a bachelor of
arts degree in English and
Communications from
Stillman College in Alabama,
she also holds a master’s
degree in English Composi
tion and Research from the
University of Miami in Ohio;
and she is a Ph.D. candidate
at the University of Michigan.
One gets the distinct
impression that the English
professor knows how to kick
back and have fun.
But she gets her blues too,
when she sits down in the
lobby of the Boyer Building.
She is quick to say, “I am
concerned about the black
condition. But when people
talk of killing white babies
because they will eventually
kill ours, I come to a halt. I
am concerned about us as a
people, but I am also con
cerned about the world and
white people are in the
world.”
Concern and care make
her voice quiver, her lips
tremble as she asks young
people to change their
thinking.
She does not care whether
her students read every book.
She wants them to critique
and criticize everything they
do so that when they have
completed her course, the
work is a part of them,'she
says with a weary sigh that
makes her seem far older than
her 31 years,
McLeod’s greatest
accomplishment has been
“coming to my own knowl
edge,” “I know that my
writing skills were good,"
says McLeod, who began
writing at the age of four.
“But I don’t think I was great.
I guess my grandfather saw a
lot of potential in me because
he gave me, the youngest of
four children, a wooden chest.
My grandfather’s brother
brought me nice paper to
write on. Now tell me what
they must have seen in me.”
Despite her writing
abilities, McLeod, by choice,
has had only four articles
published. “I wrote for
scholarly publications. But
they (the editors/publishers)
don’t allow you to explain
why you are writing the
paper. They edit. So what you
see is really not what it ought
to be and a person needs to be
allowed to write in his or her
way.”
In the meantime, McLeod
spends most of her time with
her husband. Carter, her 20-
month-old daughter and her
twin infant sons, Clifford and
Carl. When she is not busy,
she paints abandoned build
ings. “I can’t say from which
Photo by Michelle Fox
THOUGHTFUL SPEECH- Alisea Mcleod, a professor in the
English dept., orates some literary style to students, during her
English seminar class.
point I started loving writing
but I can say from day one I
loved to draw, I wanted to go
into painting but no one in
my community valued
painting as a career, although
they thought it was a good
idea to paint,”
McLeod’s first love is
serving and helping others.
She vows to make St,
Augustine’s College her
community service. This is
her first time teaching a
majority black school. She
taught in majority white
schools where she obtained
her degrees.
“It’s amazing what you
learn. It (the mood) feels
better. You feel like you
know people and they know
you and that you come from a
common ground and you
don’t have to translate.
“My St. Aug students
have reminded me that I
cannot take for granted that
they feel they share a com
mon ground with me. That
when I say black that means
the same thing to them as it
means to me, I am challenged
with that everyday here at St,
Aug,”
She admits that her
consciousness was not raised
until her senior year at
Stillman College, "A
professor asked the class what
we thought the key problem
in the world or country was.
Everyone sat with their
mouths open. She demon
strates, “I said that the speed
limit was increasing to
65mph. The instructor
looked at me like ‘ What are
you talking about’?”
“It was not until I spent
time at a summer program at
Northwestern University that
my eyes began to open. One
day the professor came back
with our assignments. She
criticized them. She said you
all just don’t get it. Then she
held up my paper and said
this is what I expected. I was
surprised because I still didn’t
have a clue. I was just going
through the system. I had
learned the system. I was not
attached to any work I did.”
She pauses for a moment.
‘That’s why it is important to
get young people to think.
You must show them the
value of black history. Show
them black history in their
lives everyday. When Black
History month comes, they do
not feel like this has nothing
to do with their lives,”
Despite her soft appear
ance, McLeod is stronger
than she looks, maybe even
stronger than she knows. She
is in good hands—her own.
“If you are on a path and not
doing it for yourself, you will
wonder why you are there.
Sometimes you may have to
do the first degree for your
family. But, hey, make sure
everything else is for your
self."
Food manager plans
menu to woo diners
By Anishka McKenzie
“The customer is always right. Our aim is to please.
Friendly with a smile,” James H. Cotten Jr., a native of
Durham employed at St. Aug since February 5, firmly believes
in the adages as assistant food service director and production
manager of the cafeteria.
Before coming to the Aug, Cotten worked at the Marriot
Corporation, UNC Chapel Hill for five years as production
supervisor. Lack of managment opportunities ultimately
resulted in his taking a job at St. Aug.
Cotten admits that he enjoys his job at the Aug tremen
dously. It is obvious in the way he takes time to talk to students
asking whether they enjoy their meals or changes they would
like to see in the cafeteria’s menu.
Initially, Cotten wanted to be a coach. He received his
undergraduate degree from Eastern Illinois University in
physical education. After learning he would not be able to
coach without teaching, he went on to pursue a cooking degree
at Johnson and Wales in South Carolina.
He admits that he has no regrets since entering the food and
beverage profession. Food and beverage have always been a
part of his life. His father has been a chef for more than 40
years, and now Cotten follows in those footsteps with more
than ten years experience already logged in the field.
Even though no major changes have been made in the
service or food in the cafeteria since Cotten’s arrival, a wide
variety of new vegetarian entrees like the spinach cheese
calzone are in the cafe because of him. Cotten feels that it is
the cafe’s duty to cater to the food needs of all students.
Cotten has big plans for the Aug’s cafeteria. By spring,
students eating in the cafe can expect to see Belgium waffles
machines at breakfast time. Students will be allowed to make
their own waffles, Cotten is also looking into setting up an
omelet bar to provide more variety and to enhance the present
breakfast menu.
For the next semester, Cotten is hoping to eliminate the Fast
Food Fare which offers students foods like hot dogs, chips,
pizza, cheeseburgers, and tacos and replace it with a Sub-Fare,
The Sub-Fare will allow students to actually put in orders for
the sub sandwich of their choice.
A GREAT CELEBRATION - St. Aug's fans and cheerleaders had a lot to cheer about
during the basketball season. For the first time the Falcons captured the CIAA conference
title.