Homecoming Edition
n^fie Campus ‘Ccfio
N()n-I‘ri>fii
 >n:(in 1:11/ion
i>Ain
I'cniiii A'".
Diirintni. N.C.
The official student newspaper of North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC 2 7707
November 5, 1982
Speaking on women writers
Maya Angelou
to appear Nov. 11
By Linda D. Powell
Noted author Maya Angelou will speak on “ Women Writers of the
Harlem Renaissance” and read from her works Nov. 11 in B.N. Duke
Auditorium at 8 p.m.
A woman of many talents, Angelou has been a singer, dancer, writer,
actress, historian, lecturer, producer, editor, songwriter, educator, and
playwright, which she accomplished with only a high school education.
Dr.Patsy Perry, NCCU English Department chairman, is excited
about Angelou’s appearance. “She uses the experiences of her life
beautifully in her works. Her coming here should be an inspiration to
both students and faculty,” she said. Her appearances on university
campuses and before private organizations have made her one of today’s
most sought after personalities.
Maya Angelou made her her first professional performance in 1954 as
a singer in a club. From there she went on to roles in plays as a singer and
dancer, travelling in Europe and Africa.
Angelou’s writing career began when she was associate editor of The
Arab Observer in Cario, Egypt. She also wrote free-lance articles and
was features editor of The African Review.
Angelou has had five books published by Random House Publishing.
Her novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the most well-known of
See MAYA ANGELOU, page 7
Richmond defends policies
in midst of student complaints
By Lori Grier
Twenty-seven business majors, some fearful that their graduation may be
delayed, presented complaints about the Business School curriculum,
course scheduling and enrollment policies to officers of the Student Govern
ment Association at an Oct. 19 meeting in B.N. Duke Auditorium.
The business majors who attended the meeting are disgruntled because
they believe that course prerequisites in the business curriculum, which re
quire them to take Decision Science 3300 before they take Operations
Management 4750 followed by Business Policy 4740, may delay graduation
for some.
In the past business majors commonly took two of these courses in one
semester, but strict enforcement of the prerequisites policy has prevented
that this semester.
According to the students, scheduling these courses is also made difficult
because some of them are now offered only once a year.
Business school enrollment policies were another source of controversy,
aired at the meeting.
Several students complained that six or seven weeks after enrolling, some
business majors were told to withdraw from required courses by Dean
Tyronza Richmond and their instructors.
Such scheduling and enrollment problems may delay the graduation of
approximately 20 business majors who must return next fall to take only
one course, and others have been forced to change their majors in order to
graduate on time, the students said.
“I’ve been forced to change my major from computer to management. It
was unfair for them to cancel us from our classes in the middle of the
semester because we didn’t have our prerequisite (managerial economics),”
said Cynthia Brothers, 21, a senior from Edenton.
Claudette Hester, 21, a senior from Bladenboro, who said she too had
been forced to change her major from computer to management, put the
blame on Dean Richmond and faculty who “they let us sign up for Decision
Science and its prerequisite (Managerial Economics) at the same time,” she
said.
Some said they felt caught up in an impersonal bureaucrary and thought
the Business School ought to reorder its priorities. “Dean Richmond should
have more concern for the students than the School of Business being ac
credited,” said Olivia Evans, 21, a senior from Maxton.
Commenting on this issue, Richmond said, “1 will hold our business
curiculum against any other school’s. We have a curriculum that's highly
constructed, because we have built on our courses. My goal is to get the
NCCU school of Business accredited; then I will have made my contribu
tion.”
According to Richmond, the enrollment controversy developed because
“some students are not following the curriculum.” He noted that “35 of 65
business students violated the prerequisites this semester.” However, he ad
ded that most of the juniors are following the prescribed program.
Continued on page 3
State Republicans play Reagan ‘ace ’
but lose big election night hand
By Edwin Horsley
To most people “ace in the hole” is a phrase that means that one has a
last resort plan of action, a secret weapon or option that gives one a winning
edge.
Bill Cobey, Jack Marin and their unsuccessful Republican ticket-mates
found out this week that sometimes an ace in the hole isn’t enough, and in
fact, it may be the wrong card to play.
Republican Congressional Club candidates in this state played their
“ace,” President Ronald Reagan, Oct. 26 in Raleigh. They had hoped that
Reagan’s North Carolina campaign tour would win some undecided votes,
would be the capstone to a powerful media campaign.
Although Republican popularity has increased in the last two years.
North Carolina has remained a Democratic state, at least as far as voter
registration is concerned. So even a strong Republican candidate can expect
a tough race in North Carolina.
Foreseeing a number of close races, the Congressional Club called on the
president to save the day. Republican candidates hoped that Reagan might
be able to work some of the same magic that put him in office two years
Black College Day: A failure
By Marion McKinney
Crossed signals and bad weather
plagued the Oct. 25 Black College
Day rally in Raleigh, which this year
attracted only 150 students from the
13 predominantly black colleges and
universities in the state.
Black College Day was organized
three years ago as a national day of
demonstration to bring attention to
issues important to the survival of
black colleges. Last year’s
demonstration in Raleigh drew
more than a thousand marchers.
Weather was certainly a factor in
the poor turn out. A cold October
rain and gusting wind kept most of
the rally’s participants huddled
under the porch of the Capitol
Building.
The event had originally been
scheduled for September 22, but
organizational delays forced a
postponement.
Duane Howell, N.C. Central
University student government
president, blames the North
Carolina Association of Black Stu
dent Governments (NCASB) rather
the rainy weather for what he term
ed a “underplanned and chaotic
Black College Day.”
Because of a communication
breakdown, NCCU’s participation
in the march and rally was severely
curtailed, Howell said.
First there was confusion about
the rally staging area. While some
schools gathered in the auditorium
on the St. Augustine’s College cam
pus, tne group from Central was
sent to the student union, Howell
said.
By the time a St. Augustine’s
school van was finally arranged to
take them to the march site, most of
the Central students had missed the
start of the march.
In fact, only one Central student,
Lori Grier, who as Miss NCCU had
been slated to speak at the rally,
managed to make the march to the
Capitol.
“Pam Young (Miss Johnson C.
Smith) and I were at McDonald’s
when we saw the marchers lining
up,” said Miss Grier. “We ran out
and joined the march.”
Only five were able to attend
other rally events. Most of the
NCCU students were left waiting at
the march site.
Why the confusion?
According to Howell, the fact
that Black College Day had to be
postponed from September to Oc
tober was an indication of the
NCABSG’s inability to coordinate
the event competently.
Howell said that “the nonchalant
attitudes of the NCABSG” were
one reason Black College Day was a
failure but that with “the restructur
ing of communications, this will
never happen again.”
Breakdowns in communications
were not the only complaint express
ed by NCCU student leaders. James
Webb, student government vice-
president, criticized the keynote
lege Day,” Webb added.
Although Webb said that he was
determined to see that next year’s
rally is a success, he commented that
this year, “I saw no other purpose
for the gathering except as a ritual.”
Though disappointed with the
number of Central students who did
come, Howell said those who did go
“should be commended for their
patience and endurance.”
speaker of the event, Terry Bellamy,
a magistrate and local political
figure from Charlotte.
Webb said that Bellamy was the
wrong choice as speaker and that his
speech, a general attack on the
policies of the Reagan administra
tion, did not stress specifically the
survival of black colleges. ,
“His selection was the result of
the communication problem, we
have had in organizing Black Col-
Miss Homecoming ’82
to be crowned at game
By Regina Hayes
For five N C Central University women, this Saturday, seems years away.
Saturday, during halftime of the football game, one of them will be
crowned Miss Homecoming.
The candidates, Virginia Hargrove, Cynthia Jordan, Kathy Sharraine
Lockhart, Makita Long and Gwen Spain had to confront 50 students, Sun
day, Nov. 1, in B.N. Duke Auditorium, for a ‘rap session’.
Only three questions were asked and one of the most interesting was for
the candidates to explain the qualities they enhanced for Miss Homecom
ing.
Hargrove, 21, a senior business education major from Gaston, feels that
“Being devoted, always there in a time of need for NCCU,” are her at
tributes.
Jordan, 21, a senior business administration major from Burgaw, says
she possesses “supportiveness, dedication, dependability friendliness, free
heartedness, and consideration.”
Lockhart, 21, a senior English major from Lexington, said, “ Integrity,
academic achievement, to go beyond in distance and degrees is what a queen
is all about.”
A senior language arts major from Newport News, Va., Long, 21, called
her strengths ’’leadership, responsibility, and being myself.”
See MISS HOMECOMING, pag®.7
ago.
But Reagan’s magic failed for two major reasons.
First, he did not address issues that were of significance to North Caroli
nians, and second, he ignored the black vote.
He did not say \yhat the state’s Republican hopefuls would do to improve
the economic conditions of its citizens.
Farmers wanted to hear what the Republicans would do for them at the
state and federal levels. Farmers have complained bitterly about their low
personal incomes, drastic drops in the market value of their products and
their powerlessness in deciding agricultural policies.
Reagan chose to overlook these points and to discuss North CarOlinia’s
problems only in the most general terms.
He repeatedly stated his administration’s national aims. “We are chang
ing the course to put you the people back in charge of your country,” he
said. He also noted that he intended to keep up the struggle agaisnt abortion
and for prayer in schools.
His speech was the gospel according to Jesse Helms, but it was largely ir-
relevent in many local races.
Undecided voters may have wondered if the Republican hopefuls would
remember to keep local issues in mind if elected. Reagan did not address
them, and his appearance shifted the focus of the campaign from the per
sonal qualifications of the Republican candidates to the Congressional
Club’s slate of national issues.
There is no denying that the Republican campaigns picked up a lot of
energy after the president’s appearance. Local television and radio stations
covered the visit well and the Republican campaign advertising began to
feature pictures of a smiling candidate alongside a beaming president. All
must have seemed well in the Republican camps.
But on election night, it was clear that all was not well.
Minority voters ignored
Besides ignoring local concerns, Reagan and the Republicans made
another tactical blunder: they ignored the state’s minority voters.
True, Republicans have not traditionally sought the support of blacks
and other minority voters, who usually vote a straight Democratic ticket.
But this election campaign was not traditional.
Democrats had internal problems that threatened their hold on several
congressional seats.
Rep. Ike Andrews, the 4th District incumbent, hurt the Democrats as well
as his own re-election chances when he was arrested and found guilty of
drunk driving.
Democrats in the 2nd Congressional District were split between Tim
Valentine, who won the right to run, and Mickey Michaux, the black
favorite who won 15 percent of the vote in an unofficial write-in campaign.
In the 3rd District incumbent Charley Whitley faced a strong challenge
from Republican Red McDaniel. Age was also a factor against Whitley.
But even in the face of these factors which hindered many blacks from
unconditionally endorsing Democrats, the Republicans simply treated the
undecided black votes as if they did not count.
President Reagan did not once mention minorities or any minority con
cerns in his 45-minute speech. This not-so-benign neglect might have been
the decisive blunder, because the minority vote could have sent several
Republican candidates into office.
When blacks in this state don’t vote, the odds are about even between the
two major parties. When blacks do vote, the way that they vote has many
times proven to be the winning edge for one party or the other.
Blacks traditionally vote Democratic because that party recognizes and
respects the power of the minority vote. The Republicans also recognize
black voting power, but they refuse to respect it.
In sum, though flashy, Reagan’s visit did not contribute much to the
North Carolina Republican effort. Perhaps state Republicans should have
reflected that an ace in the whole does not do you much good if you are try
ing to draw to a pair of deuces.