THE MEREDITH
HERALD
^ @meredithherald
@ @Tneredith_heraId
@meredith_herald
J\/^ meredithherald.com
February i6, 2022
Black History Month at Meredith
By Evelyn Summers, Staff Writer
Black Histoty Month is of which were quite difficult, and
an annual celebration of Black I have been very pleased by the
Americans’ achievements and an amount of support that I have re-
opportunity to reflect on their ceived [at Meredith].”
contributions in American history. However, she stated that
According to NPR, Black History while she has felt supported over-
Month’s theme this year is “Black all, there have been a few concern-
Health and Wellness.” This theme ing interactions. “There were a
honors medical providers and few occasions during my first year
scholars as society “enter[s] the of teaching when I was asked by
third year of the COVID-19 pan- campus police to show my ID as I
demic, which has disproportion- was entering or leaving Joyner,”
ately affected minority communi- she explained. Overall, though,
ties and placed unique burdens on Dr. Johnson said her transition to
Black health care professionals.” Meredith was “fairly easy” and she
Carter G. Woodson, also known has “felt respected and appreciated,
as the “Father of Black History,” especially for [her] teaching.”
picked February as Black His- Dr. Johnson said that she
tory Month because it coincides appreciates Meredith’s awareness
with the birthdates of former U.S. “that [the College] could be more
President Abraham Lincoln and inclusive and diverse” and finds that
social reformer Fredrick Douglass, its steps towards accomplishing that
two men who were involved in the are “very encouraging.”
abolition of slavery. However, she said she re-
To gain insight on what mains “concerned that the college
it's like to be a professor of color has not been able to hire and retain
at Meredith, The Herald reached more faculty of color, because one
out to Dr. Alisa Johnson, Associate way to improve the environment for
Professor of English and Assistant faculty of color is to employ more
Dean of Arts and Humanities. faculty of color.” She explained,
“I have spent most of my “The presence of a diverse pool of
life in predominantly white insti- faculty sends the message that an
tutions,” Dr. Johnson said, “some institution is inclusive and accept-
Resources for Career Decision-Making
at Meredith
By Maggie Barnhill, Staff Writer
The Office of Career Plan- said, “Students have the ability to
ning (OCP) is a resource for Mere- customize their preferences and
dith students and alumni available career interests on their Hand-
to them starting their freshman shake profile, meaning the content
year. According to the OOP’s web- they see when they log into Hand-
site, students can receive help in shake is selected just for them.”
“selecting a major, assessing skills Sumner recommends using Hand-
and talents, securing internships shake alongside Linkedin when
and participating in mock inter- job searching and making career
views.” related decisions.
Students can visit the OCP The OOP’s MyMeredith
on the second floor of the Cate page also has a variety of virtual
Center during business hours to resources for students such as
speak with the front desk team or “interactive, self-paced learning
schedule an appointment through modules” and an online copy of
their Handshake account. the Career Planning Workbook.
According to Dana Sum- Meredith Mentors is
ner. Director of the OCP, students another program available to
can participate in “personalized students. This program “serves as
career counseling appointments a professional networking plat-
on a variety of topics including job form specifically for the Meredith
and internship search, interview community,” according to Sum-
prep, salary negotiation, resume ner. This resource is available to
and cover letter reviews, Linkedin current students, alumni, faculty
reviews and more.” Sumner said and staff who want to “connect
students also attend employer with one another for information-
events like the Career Fair, Mock sharing, mentoring and asking
Interview Week and more. Stu- career-related questions.”
dents can register for these events These resources are avail-
through Handshake. able to Meredith students while
Sumner explained that in school and post-graduation.
Handshake “provides students the To contact the OCP, call 919-760-
ability to curate a personalized 8341 or email career(®meredith.
job and internship search.” She edu.
ing of difference.”
Dr. Johnson
said that when she
began working at Mer
edith years ago, there
were “far fewer open
discussions of racism
on campus than there
are today, even though
racist incidents hap
pened.”
“The campus’s
current antiracism ef
forts have created spac
es for more discussion,
and I am impressed by
the number of students and fac
ulty willing to become involved,”
Dr. Johnson said.
“If we follow through
with our efforts to become more
inclusive, we will see change. But
change probably won’t happen as
quickly as we want it to—it never
does.”
While people may cel
ebrate Black Histoiy Month in
February, Dr. Johnson stated that
“for African American scholars,
every month is Black History
Month.”
“I enjoy the public atten-
Photo by Elinor Shelp-Peck
of African Americans during the
month—the number of programs
and events seem to grow each year,
and that fact is very affirming,” Dr.
Johnson said. “I especially love
the attention paid to artists and
their works...The variety of art on
display this month makes my heart
sing.”
“Black History Month is
the perfect occasion to read James
Baldwin,” Dr. Johnson concluded.
“I’d like to include one of my favor
ite Baldwin quotes: ‘Not ever34;hing
that is faced can be changed, but
nothing can be changed until it is
faced.’”
tion given to the contributions
President Allen Advocates for Increase
of Federal Pell Grant
By Shae-Lynn Henderson, Staff Writer
On Jan. 18, President Jo
Allen, ‘80, wrote a piece for The
Hill advocating for the increase in
the Federal Pell Grant. Dr. Al
len discussed the benefits of the
increase for students and their fu
ture in her article while separately
discussing the impact of financial
assistance for Meredith students
and students at other colleges and
universities.
The Federal Pell Grant
is funded by Congress through
the appropriations process. This
process is when the House and
Senate Appropriations Commit
tees hold hearings to look into
budget requests and needs of
federal spending programs. The
Pell Grant is a need-based form
of financial aid that does not need
to be paid back. Students who
have demonstrated financial need
are eligible for the Pell Grant and
are identified when they fill out
the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA).
Dr. Allen said she chose
to write an article for The Hill
because it is an outlet legislators
read, and they’re the ones who
have the power to increase the
Federal Pell Grant. In her ar
ticle, she argues that “Pell Grants
have failed to keep pace with cost
increases” and now cover less than
30 cents on the dollar when they
once covered over half the cost of
college, on average.
In order to fix this problem,
Dr. Allen advocates for doubling
the Pell in her article—this would
increase the maximum award from
$6,500 to $13,000. She cites the
Gender Policy Institute’s research,
which found that doubling the Pell
Grant would cut students’ college
loan debt in half.
Dr. Allen told The Herald
that in addition to the arguments
she makes in her The Hill article,
she is passionate about ensuring
students who choose to attend pri
vate colleges get the same govern
ment aid as students who attend
public universities. Dr. Allen said
that as a “past Chair of the Nation
al Association of Independent Col
leges and Universities (NAICU),
the largest organization engaged
in political advocacy for private
colleges in the U.S.,” she keeps up
to date on legislative matters re
garding education and is currently
focused on the “disproportionate
funding for public versus private
higher education.”
Continued on page 2.