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Speaking For Ourselves
FAYETTEVILLE
STATE
UNIVERSITY
FAYETTEVILLE
N.C. 28301
VOLUME 33. NUMBER 10
MAY, 1979
FSl/’S FOUNDERS DAY
by Fidele Essono
The natural law requires
that any being has to be born
before it can live. This
characteristic is observed
daily. The hypothesis of birth
days can be confirmed by the
joy we express in knowing
how long we have existed.
Founders Day or “FSU’s
Birthday” is not something
endemic to our institution but
an old tradition for honoring
the roots of any institution or
foundation and remembering
its first steps.
On Sunday, April 8, 1979,
FSU commemorated its
founding in a splendid manner
by printing another memorial
in its history and saluting the
glorious past which has been
covered by many ob
structions. “O Master Let Me
Walk With Thee” ... that was
the prelude hymn preceeding
the long procession headed by
the Chancellor, Dr. Charles
“A” Lyons, Jr., followed by
the professional staff who
contributed daily in different
areas to the University and its
students, to finally gatoer in J.
W. Seabrook Auditorium
where they were welcomed by
the FSU Choir’s melodies in a
religious atmosphere
thanking God for his
\j\ess\ngs. Tt\e traditional
invocation was given by Rev.
Chrysostom Manuel, who
implored the “omnipotent” to
watch and secure Uie school.
Mrs. Emaretta Felton, a
Trustee, read the history of
FSU. In the history, it was
pointed out that there were a
lot Of financial difficulties
encountered in the beginning
when this academic in
stitution attempted to provide
“colored” men and wwmen
with full rights and the dignity
afforded others in the
educational system of North
Carolina.
Ironically, in the morning
of the same day HEW’s Dr.
Mary Berry was intereviewed
in the Tony Brown’s Journal.
She was asked, “What’s
better, improving black
campuses’ facilities or
desegregating most of them?”
She replied, “Both whites and
blacks need to have equal
opportunity in financial
Ronald Smith, FSV
Academic Dean, Member
Humanities Committee
Dr. Ronald Smith,
Academic Dean at Fayet
teville State University, is a
member of the North Carolina
Humanities Committee. The
committee is composed of 22
cities from across the state.
A $419,170 matching grant
has been awarded to the North
Carolina Humanities Com
mittee by the National En
dowment for the Humanities.
The grant, the largest in the
Committee’s seven-year
history, is designated to
promote educational
programs in the humanities
W North Carolinian who are
not enrolled in colleges and
universities. The award is for
the calendar year April 1,1979
(Continued on Page 3)
assistance in desegregation
and give the choice to any
student an academic
curriculum he prefers.” That
was FSU’s birth problem, a
handicap that arose from
pigments which had
predominently invaded the
“South” after the civil war
and Fayetteville was not
excluded from that policy.
But, that did not stop Mathew
N. Leary, A. J. Chestnutt,
Robert Simmons, George
Grainger, Thomas Lomax,
Nelson Carter, and David
Bryant, to strive in the
darkness to produce
something better of them
selves and offer a moral
commitment with an un
certain future. The dream
came true when the North
Carolina General Assembly
approved in 1877. The color
that was the identification of
the former FSU names had
been changed by another new
progressive step of the North
Carolina General Assembly.
In revising the Charter in 1959,
the school became then a
constituent of North Carolina
University system and elected
Dr. Charles “A” Lyons, Jr., as
first Chancellor. In his in
troductory speech. Dr. Lyons
greeted the audience and
welcomed everyone witti a
few jokes which provided an
air of gaiety before the guest
speaker, Mr. Julius Morgan,
the FSU National Alumni
President, of Philadelphia.
Mr. Morgan presented
himself as a good speaker in
bringing his actual home
message to FSU’s Founders
Day. With a pleasant mood
which later revealed the
secrets of his thoughts without
ambiquity, he first sent a new
awareness to students that
they don’t have to quit school
because of a lack of funds to
study. He said, “If you
financially feel weak, find a
sponsor to sustain your efforts
instead of giving up.”
Dropping out students just
weaken and rear the black
intellectual potential. He
called for blocking that at
titude which prevents the
blacks improvement through
contemporary education.
About graduates, from FSU
Mr. Morgan accentuated on
the contribution of local major
businesses and industrial
enterprises to open eyes on
black graduates to help them
for jobs. He terminated by
encouraging students to “hold
on” which also was the title of
FSU Choir’s interpretation for
an interlude to give a moment
to the Chancellor to prepare
his presentation to knight
alumnus. Dr. Rudolph Jones,
the former President of FSU
and a host of local and visiting
alumnus and those who were
remarkably concerned about
FSU came expressly to share
the spiritual communion of
the Founders Day. The mood
was symbolized by Ms.
Vertelle Godbolt, who mar
velously sang in Soprano with
an angelic voice “City Called
Heaven” seemed to give a
new hope to FSU for over
coming someday and in
joining the “heaven” of some
other schools that are entirely
cherished and fairly sup
ported in the North Carolina
University System.
The ceremony continued
with a pilgrimage to the
monuments to the Founders
and Dr. E. E. Smith’s to place
flower crowns on each. These
contributions are forever
alive and will in the coming
generations, by saying, that
death steals the body not the
action. Roman Empire and
Julius Caesar had died but the
Coliseum stands in Rome;
Egypt’s pharoahs died but
their pyramids are still there.
In other words, FSU Founders
had died but the stone they
used to build it will not die.
That stone needs care to
survive from present needs to
better University assignment
through its life. This guar-
natees the ongoing program
drafted by the Office of
Development; of Dr. William
Greene inviting all FSU
Alumnus and friends to
financially and morally
support the school. The same
observation was issued by
Chancellor Lyons in the
Founders Day. In concluding
that any kind of right con
tribution works for this in
stitution which is a part of
black people and deserves to
live.
Dr. Larry E. Riddich
Appointed to Position
Chancellor Charles “A”
Lyons of Fayetteville State
University announced the
appointment of Dr. Larry E.
FRiddick as Director of
Planning, Management and
Evaluation (PME) at the
University.
A native of Newport
News, Virginia, Dr. Riddick’s
educational background in
cludes a Doctor of Philosophy
Degree in Education from the
University of California at
Berkley, a Master of Arts
Degree in Sociology from the
University of California at
Berkley as well as a Bachelor
of Science Degree in Music
from Norfolk State College.
He was formerly Director
of Institutional Research at
Delaware State College. He
has also worked at Virginia
State College and Monterey
Unified School District as
Professor at Old Dominion
University and Virginia State
College. He has held the
position of Acting Direct of
Behavioral Research Projects
for the District of Columbia
Public Schools.
As Director of PME, Dr.
Riddick is responsible for
coordinating the development
and maintenance of the
Planning, Management and
Evaluation System here at
FSU. “I feel a great challenge
working in the area of PME,”
states Dr. Riddick, “the
future of this or any university
is tied so directly to its ability
to plan effectively.”
Left to right: Mr. Julius Morgan, Founders Day speaker; his wife
and Chancellor Lyons. (Photo by Spicer)
A Rally To Save
Our Schools
by Michael Shepard
“We are fired up; we want
to save our school. Free at
last, free at last, our black
institutions are being made a
thing of the past.”
These were some of the
chants and signs tliafc were a
part of the scene when the five
black universities, North
Carolina Central, Fayetteville
State, Elizabeth City State
and A & T State came together
on Thursday, April 11, 1979.
The Solidarity Rally was
held in front of the State
Legislature Building in
Raleigh to urge the state
representative to lobby for
more funds to enhance the
predominately black
universities.
Speeches were offered by
FSU’s Anthony Baldwin and
NCCU’s Michael Howard.
Upon invitation, groups
proceeded into the Legislature
Building auditorium where
students stated grievances
concerning the UNC-HEW
Clinical Psychology
Class Tours Dorothea
Dix mental Hospital
by Brenda McNeill, Clinical
Secretary
To enhance class involved
tasks, the clinical psychology
class of Mrs. Hattie B. An
derson toured the Dorothea
Dix Mental Hospital, Raleigh,
North Carolina on March 26,
1979.
The tour was conducted
by Ms. Regina Umstead, a
Fayetteville State University
Alumnus. Prior to the arrival
at the hospital, a program of
three major events for the
class was prepared. “Opening
The Door to Mental Health,” a
film to emphasize the various
theraupeutic treatments
administered at Dorothea Dix
Hospital was shown to
describe the mental health
facilities available to the
general public.
Dr. Moylan, Director of
Psychological Services at
Dorothea Dix Hospitaa,
hosted a question and answer
(Continued on Page 3)
controversy. Representatives
Kenneth Spaulding, Henry
Frye and Frederick
Alexander responded to the
grievances. Representatives
Frye and Spaulding told
students of the resolutions
they had introduced to the
state house concerning the
issue of the black schools. The
students’ petition was also
read and recorded by the
house while in session.
Overall, the rally was a
worthwhile trip and certainly
needed. It allowed the state of
North Carolina to know that
we, as students, would not sit
idly by while the future of our
schools was weighed in the
balance unequally.
The rally brought back
unity which we had now shown
in a while. Our task was
carried out orderly and
deliberately. Recognition goes
to a concerned freshman,
Bobby Cofield, who saw a
need for a rally and alerted
his SGA Representative. Also,
thanks goes to the Student
Government Association and
faculty members who
assist^.
We must continue to
watch this situation. Students
of FSU don’t forget to write
your representative con
cerning this important
matter.
The movement has
only begun
S.O.S.
Save Our Schools
Election
Results
The following persons
were successful in their bid
for office.
SGA President: Robert Atkins
Vice-President: Valorie Perry
Business Manager: Maynard
Smith
Miss Student Center: Shirley
Long
A run off for Miss FSU
was held on April 18,1979. The
results were not available at
press time. The candidates
were Pat Crump, Wanda
Green and Donnie Boseman.