OPINION/ FORUM
Chronicle
Ernest H. Pitt Publisher/Co-Founder
ELAINE Pitt Business Manager
Michael A. Pitt Marketing
T. Kevin Walker Managing Editor
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NMtonal NMraiMow
PuOWuft AMOcianon
Critics target
another WSSU
chancellor
Winston-Salem State University Chancellor Donald
Reaves is under attack from the worst kind of enemies - ones
without faces, names or spines to stand-up and speak their
minds and voice their concerns.
If there are valid concerns that some have about the chan
cellor's leadership thus far in his short reign at the campus,
then they should be brought up the way that grown folks are
supposed to address concerns. Reaves has not and should not
respond to Internet Web sites and unsigned letters. That kind
of silly communication may fly in elementary schools, but it
is completely silly when adults engage in it.
It is beneath us as a city and certainly as a community to
express ourselves this way. Detractors should be man or
woman enough to speak their minds freely.
Prior to the appointment of Chancellor Harold Martin,
underground efforts to agitate against WSSU chancellors had
become the norm, so much so that perhaps the UNC system
should warn perspective applicants for the job that they will
likely face knives in their backs as soon as they arrive on the
school's campus.
Martin enjoyed a reprieve from that negativism, allowing
him to accomplish the goals without such distractions. But
others were not as lucky. This covert network of negativism
waged war and won. Granted, Martin is a unique leader, a
man who can get others to not only see his grand vision, but
embrace it wholeheartedly.
Reaves has the ability to be one of WSSU's best leaders
ever. His stated mission has always been to improve the aca
demic standing of all students and the reputation of WSSU.
Are these bad goals? We don't think so.
No one wants to go to a school with low standards and
low expectations. Students tend to live up to what instructors
and mentors expect of them. You don't lower your standards
to accommodate students. High expectations are placed on
students to prepare them to compete in a global society
where jobs are fiercely contested.
There may be some legitimate concerns floating around
out there, but that's what dialogue is all about. If everyone
cared about the university, there wouldn't be a $2 million
shortfall anywhere. WSSU has many graduates who should
want to help. Maybe detractors should be challenging alum
ni to step up. Where are the gifts and endowments? Dr.
Reaves invested $100,000 of his own money in the universi
ty. Who else has done that?
This should not be a fight, rather it should be a "let's
make WSSU the greatest university in the state" open dia
logue.
Now that Dr. Harold Martin is chancellor at N.C. A&T,
we know the standards for that great university are going to
be even higher. We all know that Dr. Martin will take A&T to
greater heights. Should WSSU become a Division I school,
which it should, the rivalry should serve both schools well.
The community needs to stop trying to abort change. We
all need to try to find common ground that best serves the
university and its students.
P.S. The Chronicle invites the blogger who has created
the anti-Reaves Web site to reveal himself or herself. We will
be happy to sit down with the blogger to do a story about his
or her concerns.
MAYBE THINGS ARE
GETTING BITTER..
TENTS
DON'T
COUNT.
Letter to the Editor
Keep kids
on the move
To the Editor:
I just wanted to thank you
for including the article
"Afterschool providers told
to get kids moving" in the
May 7th edition of The
Chronicle because its infor
mation is so important to
readers.
Between schools cutting
physical education and recess
time and the rising popularity
of video games, our children
aren't given the opportunity
to be active and develop
healthy living habits.
The article discussed the
importance of choosing after
school programs where chil
Shawan Gabriel
dren can be active and have
positive role models. Now
that school's almost over, I
think it's important to men
tion that parents should look
for the same aspects in sum
mer day camp. Not only
should children be in a safe
environment, but also one
that challenges them to be
more active, more conscien
tious and more curious about
the world around them.
Whether it's at the YMCA or
elsewhere, 1 hope that parents
will keep this in mind.
And parents shouldn't
forget about their own health,
either. As a parent myself. I
know it's hard to find the
time to take care of our own
needs because we're so busy
providing and caring for our
children. I would like every
one to know that the entire
family is welcome at the
YMCA. We have great pro
grams for kids and adults of
all ages. We have a variety of
fitness classes and even spe
cialized weight-management
programs like Y-Weigh.
However, the YMCA' is about
helping people reach their
God-given potential in spirit,
mind and body. Invest in your
own health, whether it's spir
itual. emotional or physical.
We want to help you succeed.
Come in to try the YMCA for
free or just come in for some
coffee and some good con
versation. Everyone's part of
the family at the YMCA.
Thanks for always sharing
such positive and informative
articles.
Shawan Gabriel.
Executive Director of the
Winston Lake Family YMCA
Powell Fights Back
Ron
Walters
Guest
Columnist
"Face the Nation" was
probably a favored TV venue
on Sunday, May 24 for most
watchers of the Sunday talk
shows.
That's because former
Secretary of State Colin
Powell defended his place in
the Republican Party from
charges by Rush Limbaugh
and former Vice President
Dick Cheney. On the same
show a week earlier, Cheney
said that he preferred
Limbaugh to Powell, who had
left the Republican Party
because he voted for Barack
Obama. Limbaugh said that
Powell did it only because
Obama was Black.
Powell fired back coolly
that neither Cheney nor
Limbaugh were on the mem
bership committee of the
Republican Party and as such
could not decide who was or
was not a Republican.
More important, Powell
reaffirmed his status as a mod
erate Republican like the
recently deceased Jack Kemp.
1 will always remember com
ing back from Japan several
years ago. getting a connect
ing flight in Los Angeles and
because the airline had fouled
our reservation, it gave my
wife and I first class seats.
Our seats happened to be
next to Secretary of Housing
Jack Kemp and he proceeded
to talk both our right arms off,
all the way to Washington.
DC. He seemed not to have a
racially sensitive bone in his
body and was genuinely con
cerned about policies that
would make life better for the
disadvantaged Blacks.
He was excited by his
alliance with Kemi Gray, a
strong public housing activist
whom I knew in Washington.
DC. who was trying to
empower poor public housing
residents.
I was not surprised to see
that he would become a mem
ber of Howard University's
Board of Trustees. Colin
Powell also was a member of
Howard's Board of Trustees,
signaling his own sensitivity
to concerns facing the Black
community.
I attended the 1996 con
vention as a researcher when
Powell gave the keynote
speech, and when he said that
he supported Affirmative
Action, he was loudly booed
by the Right wing of the Party.
However, in his /'Face the
Nation" appearance. Powell
cited several statistics upon
which he concluded that for
the Republican Party to
remain viable it had to be an
inclusive "big tent" party that
would not only make a place
for moderates, but move clos
er toward the moderate posi
tions that define why the
country is now supporting
Democrats. He rejected the
small government view that
Americans wanted effective
government, especially now
that the private sector had run
aground and carried the coun
try with it.
Powell, however, does not
deserve complete absolution
for his role in the administra
tion of George Bush He said
he was briefed (like Nancy
Pelosi) on the fact that the
CIA was considering the use
of Enhanced Interrogation
Techniques like water board
ing. but didn't object, fearing
another 9/11 attack.
But Powell was silent
when he should have been
publicly livid that they put his
considerable integrity at issue.
Perhaps his way of telegraph
ing his displeasure was to vote
for Barack Obama.
Nevertheless. Bush and
Cheney should have been
grateful that Colin Powell has
not done what so jnany Bush
insiders have done, either pub
lish a tell-all book or go on the
stump, burnishing their role -
and their legacy - in the atro
cious decisions made by the
Bush/Cheney team.
I have always felt - and
still feel - that Colin Powell
should be the leader of the
Moderate wing of the
Republican Party, but that
would require him to confront
the Right wing hegemony of
the party in much stronger
terms than anyone has done so
far.
He notes quite rightly that
the base of the party is narrow
and if it continues to shrink,
events will pass it by. Perhaps
this truth should motivate
Michael Steele, the current
RNC Chair, and rather than
feeding the radical Right and
"laying prostrate," as Powell
said, before Rush Limbaugh.
he should help turn the corner.
Yet. his latest statements
suggesting that he would go
after Barack Obama were
crafted in the
Limbaugh/Cheney country
and now govern
Congressional Republican
approaches
The lack of a vigorous
Moderate wing of the
Republican Party keeps it
from joining a rational con
sensus about the needs of the
country and supporting poli
cies that are important to serve
the American people which
have no ideological bent.
Barack Obama has proposed
pragmatic approaches that
need Republican support but
the radical Right has rejected
most of them.
This is a moment of oppor
tunity for both Powell and
Steele that will test the true
courage of their commitment
to their Country, rather than
just to their party
Ronald Walters is the
Distinguished Leadership
Scholar, Director of the
African- American Leadership
Center and Professor of
Government and Politics at
the University of Maryland
College Park. His latest hook
is: The Price of Racial
Reconciliation (Univ. of
Michigan Press)