Newspapers / North Carolina School of … / Jan. 1, 1992, edition 1 / Page 4
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OPINION WAME'S ORNER ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE Kwame ManIey opinion coiumnist As the end of first semester ap proaches, we seniors at Science and Math are finalizing our college applications and beginning the long, unwelcomed wait for acceptance. Concerns about getting into our first-choice colleges or receiving that full four year scholarship became an everyday thought. Yet, there is also a significant concern among the African- American population which is unfamiliar to a majority of students. Whether to attend a predominantly white or a predominantly black institution is a serious dilemma facing many African- American students here. There are obviously many differences historically between black and white colleges, but one of extreme importance is the atmosphere of the institution. After academic excellence, I immediately look to the intellectual and social environment of the school, because a school’s environ ment can either hinder or advance a desire to learn. No matter how intelligent or self- confident a person is, the surroundings will still significantly influence their .learning potential. Many of my own college friends continued their education after high school at predominantly white institu tions. It was not surprising to find out that many of these intelligent friends of mine dropped out or transferred to historically black colleges. Some of my white friends assumed these “drop-outs” were not hard working or couldn’t handle the courses. Yet such an assumption became ridicu lous when I informed them that these “drop-outs” were valedictorians. After transferring to predominantly black universities, their grades rose remarkably. Even though there were other influences at historically black institutions, the environment was still more comfortable. From visits to predominantly white colleges, participation in college pro grams, and discussions with other African-American college students, I find a common trend of unhappiness, low self esteem, and, as a result, poor academic performance. This is not to say that all African-Americans perform poorly at predominantly white institutions, for that is absurd. However, it is clear that African-Americans at these institutions must indeed have a strong self- and cultural awareness, and be willing to encounter many frustrating and undesir able circumstances. When one of my white friends questioned me about minority scholar ships and I informed him that he was eligible for minority grants at predomi nantly black colleges, he immediately ;said, “But Kwame, I couldn’t survive at a black college!” Steve ChRisriAN I quickly responded, “How easy do you think it is for African-Americans to survive at predominantly white colleges?” Of course, he didn’t know. In addition to the issue of atmo spheres at predominantly white and black institutions, African-Americans are faced with yet another problem. Society teaches us that it is unreasonable for intelligent black students to attend historically black universities. “Why should you attend an unchallenging institution which will not take you anywhere in the future,” is one of many questions often posed to me. “Kwame, why would you want to attend Howard (#I producer of black physicians)yf^ or North Carolina A&T (#1 producer of black engineers) when you could go to Duke (NOT ranked in the top ten produc ers of black doctors) or Georgia Tech (NOT ranked in the top producers of black engineers) ? Isn’t it ironic that the majority of black professionals graduated from historically black colleges? Does it seem strange that major corporations gear their minority recruitment toward predominantly black institutions? Regardless of my opinion on pre dominantly white and black colleges, the final decision must be made by the individual student. Just as white colleges are not for everyone, historically black colleges are not either. By presenting a few aspects of this complicated issue, I hope to not only inform the majority, but also to drive those African-Americans who refuse to deal with such a problem to do so before it eventually deals with them. staff writer It’s surprising how much fun one can have with the Bryan elevators. Since nearly everyone u^es them sometime during the day, it is easy to make a lot of impatient people mad by slowing down the elevators. For example, I find it amusing to push the call buttons in order to make sure the elevator stops on that floor, and then walk away. This works on most floors, but it is especially effective on the first floor, where nobody usually gets off anyway; it makes people that come down from fourth have to stop on every floor. I just wish I could see them roll their eyes and glance at their watches on every floor. Another way I like to slow up the works is to push every button as I leave the elevator, just before class lets out. I do this at the bottom so that the elevator will go up one floor at a time, opening its doors to suckers who will think it is going down, only to find that they will have to go all the way up in order to come back down. My favorite method of annoying elevator riders is to get on and then go down only one floor (administrators aren’t the only ones who do this). In order to delight myself to the fullest, I try to get on a full elevator on second, by myself, and then go down to first. This way, I can stop the elevator on two floors it wouldn’t otherwise have stopped on - and I can also see people’s dirty looks and hear them mutter, “Lazy bastard...” as the doors close behind me. Serves them right - if those turkeys were smart, they would take the stairs. on an Elevator Curfew Sign-Ins Result In Unworthy Levels PAvid YouNq staff writer Levels are pretty serious things. Ones are bad and twos are worse. They result from things such as vandalisms, inappro priate public displays of affection, disrespectful attitudes towards the staff, etc. Unfortunately for some people, they also are issued after missing a few curfew sign-ins. A Level One is the result of forgetting to sign in a couple times and a Level Two is awarded for missing check five times. The check-in procedure this year is different than last year. To make curfew last year, all you had to do was be on your hall and make sure the DAs knew you were there. Even if the DAs did not see you, bringing proof that you were there on the hall sometimes cleared the offense. This year, check-in requires that you sign the check sheet in the five minutes before curfew. If you don’t, you risk getting one of the above mentioned levels. Changes in the checjt procedure and reprimands for missing check, although reasonable, leave much to be desired. They do not allow for different punish ments for being on the hall and forgetting check and simply not being on the hall. It is much more serious to arrive twenty minutes late than it is to realize it’s 8:20 when a DA comes to remind you. Also, it is bothersome to drop everything to line up to sign the check-in sheet. The penalties of missing check are also more severe than those of last year. This year, all records are kept on file in the computer. As such, if you miss curfew twice, you’ll automatically receive a level. Last year, missing curfew a few times would give you a few warnings at worst. This year, if you miss check occasionally, your offenses are easily looked up in the computer and you are given the levels. ’Thus, more people get stricter penalties for these smaller faults. Sometimes RAs simply count up offenses and give levels not considering the kind of offense. These new check-in procedures have their advantages; however, they can still be improved. Students don’t like levels and RAs don’t like giving them. Last year, RAs had less reason to give them because of a looser policy. This year’s policy, however, not only mandates the check-in procedure, but also the giving of levels for too many offenses.
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Student Newspaper
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Jan. 1, 1992, edition 1
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