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Campus Echo
Cafeteria Goes Under
New Management
By Willa Curry
"What's for lunch?” "Same
old stuff.” "What'sfor dinner?”
“Same old stuff. " These
sentences represent only a few
among the many familiar
comments usually made by
students about the food served
in Central’s cafeteria. When
will “change" come to
Central’s rescue?
The cafeteria of NCCU has
made the first step in change.
Catering Management, the
former management of the
cafeteria, has sold its contract
in its entirety to ARA. ARA has
bought the contract just as it is,
meaning that there will be no
changes in menus, the meal
card system, or personnel for
the remainder of this school
term. "The reason for the
sell-out,” says Smith, "is
because Catering Management
could not survive under
inflation.” Smith also feels very
confident that this
management is able to supply
the students with the changes
that they must surely want. To
bring about improvements or
changes in menus, the meal
card system, and the food
service in general, students
must make it known, not only
in the sense of just talking
about it but actually taking
action to see that these
changes are made.
Mr. Smith sympathizes with
Vol.I, No.VI North Carolina Central University Durham, NC
Harvey and Around About Time
ROBERT HARVEY
By Sandy Callender
I am sure many of you
remember the radio program
“Around About Time.” which
was aired on our local station
WAFR. Unfortunately the radio
station has temporarily
discontinued its operation,
therefore, naturally, the
program also has ceased to
exist. The host of this program
was NCCU professor Robert L.
Harvey. He teaches Black
History and M.A.S.S.
Harvey is from Burlington,
North Carolina. He attended
undergraduate and graduate
school at North Carolina
Central and has been an
instructor here for the past
three years.
The format of "Around About
Time " was focused on "talking
to different people in Durham
and the surrotindings areas
about life and about the black
experience. It was about living,
about people and about
suffering. The program was
backed by WAFR itself. For
each program, a particular
individual was interviewed.
Harvey would set up a series of
questions that he would ask
the interviewee in reference to
his or her position or expertise.
Each was prerecorded on tape.
There were only six programs
aired before the station and
thus, the program folded.
Harvey presented such guests
as Ed Stuart of UDi arid John
Edwards,
Harvey states tbat he
planned taping a show on six
blacks who fought in the
Vietnam War. He was
interested in getting their views
on how they felt about the war
and the military in general. Also
planned were shows focusing
on black ministers and black
political prisoners.
Professor Harvey feels that
his program went over very
well and that response from the
people was very favorable. The
reason that WAFR has
discontinued air is due to lack
of funds. It has been operating
as a man-commercial station
which depended on the people
for their contributions.
Harvey states that he would
like to see the students of
NCCU backing WAFR and
organizing fund raising
activities. He feels that the
black people of this community
have and can benefit from this
station. "It is the peoples
radio. ” He asks that all blacks
support WAFR. He also
suggests that the churches,
other institutions and
organizations in the Durham
community do their part on
contributing. "If everybody
would even contribute one
dollar a piece for a mohth or
even a year, this would help it
on the air.”
When asked why he chose to
remain at Central to teach.
Professor Harvey sincerely
replies: “I want to upgrade the
minds of black students. " He
feels that it is important for the
black student to know his past
history. He states that he has
sacrificed larger salary offers
to teach here. Professor Harvey
further says, "My home is with
my people. I want to help them
out first.' He also says that he
has a feeling of nostalgia
toward Central and that it is the
best school there is. Harvey is a
strong believer in the
philosophy that honesty is the
best policy. He believes in
"telling it the way it is.
the students concerning the
present meal system now in
existence. He admits that it is
an elementary plan and most
definitely needs to be
improved. However, Smith
contends that the food service
is no excuse for students
leaving trays on tables.
Leaving trays on tables has
not only captured the eyes of
Smith and other workers, along
with some students, but has
caused sanitarians to stare.
The unsanitary conditions
caused by students leaving
trays, on the tables are
receiving unsatisfactory
comments from sanatarians.
"Whether the students know it
or not, " says Smith, "they are
being talked about behind their
backs by students of other
schools.”
It is time for students to take
the second most important
step in changing the cafeteria
service. Why are students
reluctant to take this quite
small and painless step? Why
do they continue to leave their
trays on the tables? Is it some
symbol representing
unity—most surely, not
progress. For progress would
/r?H-f175
February 21, 1975
not demoralize fellow students
and personnel who have the
dreadful task of picking up the
trays after each meal. Progress
would certainly not prevent
students from enjoying their
meals, which leaving trays on
tables does. Progress would
not abolish the atmosphere
that the architects have
designed to make the cafeteria
a pleasant place in which to
eat—certainly, these measures
cannot be progress.
Smith also says ‘If we were,
to charge a dollar to every
person that left their trays on
the table, they (the students)
would say that were being
mean. I am somewhat at a dead
end street. . . I don't know how
to deal with the problem. "
Students want changes and
improvements made in the
cafeteria. ARA is quite willing
and ready to give the students
these changes, but students
must put their feet down, state
their desires, and pick up their
trays off the tables. They must
began participating in a
different type of unity for a
different type of progress.
Students need to help
themselves before anyone else
can even attempt to help them.
Professor Picks Up Trays
By Jacqueline Marshall
Clash! This is the noise
that a man hears as he picks
up the trays which students
do not remove from the
table. Seeing a middle-aged
man walking around
picking up trays and
smoking his cigarette is not
an unusual sight if one goes
to the cafeteria for dinner.
He often just sits among the
students and smokes his
cigarette. This man is Mr.
Joshua Romao. He is
originally from Quyena,
South America.
He came to the United
States to further his studies
in the area of History. After
attending the University of
London where he received
his Undergraduate degree,
he entered the University of
Illinois where he received
his Masters Degree in
History.
Mr. Romao was a
professor at Livingstone
College in Salisbury, North
Carolina. He stopped his
teaching career in 1961
when he entered Harvard
University so that he might
work toward his Doctorate
Degree. He did not
complete his studies here.
Four years ago he entered
the North Carolina Central
University Law School
where he remained for one
year.
He works in the cafeteria
part-time and has been
doing so for a month. When
Mr. Romao is not working in
the cafeteria, he is reading
books concerning history. If
he is not reading books, he
turns to his hobby of
walking. Mr. Romao finds
that the people here are
very nice and friendly. He
has no relatives and does
not feel that he is lonely.
When asked why he is
working in Central’s
cafeteria, he replies, "I
came to the cafeteria
because I like it.”
MR. JOSHUA ROMAO