Page 5
Clark Atlanta University Panther
November 16, 1990
Student Volunteers
Work With Youth
PHOTO BY DOUGLAS COE
A construction worker does his part in the rennovation of University Homes.
City Rennovates Projects
By STEPHEN N. THOMAS
Contributing Writer
Many students from Clark
Atlanta University, the other
schools in the Atlanta Univer
sity Center, and schools all over
Atlanta have been involved in a
volunteer Youth Enrichment
Program sponsored by the
First Congregational Church
in downtown Atlanta, accord
ing to Gloria Joseph, Health
Careers Counselor at CAU.
“The program is designed to
provide experiences and
activities to a selected youth
that will contribute to their
development,” said Ms.
Joseph. “It will contribute to
their self-esteem and feeling of
self-worth. The youth involved
are boys from Techwood
Homes ages 8 to 13, and school
aged children who are residents
at the Cascade Shelter,” she
added.
Barbara Coble, a CAU
graduate, contacted Ms.
Joseph to find students who
would be interested in helping
with the program. Ms. Coble is
heading the program.
The program ran each
Saturday from Sept. 8 through
Nov. 3. “I am really pleased
with the participation of the
students in the program. Ten
students including senior Carla
Spears; juniors Angela Banks
and Genola McKay; sopho
mores Clarence Bostic, Kirsten
Hubler, and Lori Paschal; and
freshmen Donyelle Lacy,
Lamont Moore, Dwight
Mosby, Douglas Rantin, and
Paul Thomas were involved,”
said Ms. Joseph.
Lamont Moore, one of the
students, said, “I went down
with Paul Thomas Sept. 22. We
acted as counselors for the kids.
The church presented a history
event in which the students saw
African art and talked to the
artists. They heard about the
history of Blacks in Africa and
in this country, and they visited
a Black history museum. Paul
and 1, the only students from
CAU, and a young man from
Morehouse were the only
students from the AUC there.”
Ms. Joseph said, “We need
all of the people in the
community to assist these
youths. If programs like this
are not intiated, then the
statistics of Blacks in jail, on
drugs, and killing one another
will only increase."
“These kids really don’t have
a strong male figure in their
lives. They just needed to see
that someone cares. They were
very active, and they needed
some guidance, someone to
talk to, and just someone to
laugh with. These kids are very
smart. One child could play the
piano well. It is important to
just sit down, talk to them, and
find out what is on their mind,"
explained Moore.
Bostic, who volunteered in
September along with Ms.
Hubler and Ms. Paschal, said,
“I participated in small group
activities. We helped some 12-
and 13-year old boys build
model cars. The experience was
really good beecause I saw that
young men could interact
together under positive
instruction. It lets me see that
everything will be alright if
people can talk to these kids
and give them positive input."
Spears, who volunteered for
four consecutive Saturdays,
said, ”1 assisted in the
workshops that the Youth
Committee of the church set up
such as Blacks in the Bible,
learning about children in
other countries such as
Botswana and South Africa,
and arts and crafts such as
building model cars and
making figures out of soup by
carving them into shape. We
had to keep the sanity among
the crowd seeing that there
were 15 to 35 active kids,
mostly boys, present every
Saturday.
“Sometimes I assisted in
setting up breakfast and lunch
for the kids, but, most of the
time, I was just a buddy for
them. 1 feel the kids gained
pleasure in knowing that
someone cared enough to come
down and spend eight Satur
days from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. just
for them.”
The students helped throw a
small party to celebrate the
conclusion of the program last
week. Many of the students
who had gone at various times
throughout the eight weeks
were present.
By EVITA L. ELLIS
Contributing Writer
Everything old is new again!
The oldest renovated Univer
sity Center Homes located
between Northside drive and
Mitchell Street are in the
process of recieving a $15.6
million “facelift.” The thought
had been in progress for four
years. The funding for this
renovation came from the
department of Housing and
Urban Development.
The historic homes opened
in 1937 as the nation’s first
public housing community for
blacks. They are still standing.
After 53 years, the interior has
had only minor repairs as
opposed to the major repairs of
its exterior. The roofing and
siding have been repaired and
there have been units added on.
Construction began on the
University Homes back in the
early spring of 1990, comple
tion is expected in December
1991. The Atlanta Housing
Authority will be overseeing
the living conditions rents,
facilities and maintenance of
the finished homes. Once
completed there will be
efficiencies and 1-, 2-, 3-, and
4-bedrooms.
According to reports, the
past residents of the homes
have been predominantly
African American with less
than 1 percent White.
The residents who moved
out in the spring of 1990 were
moved with the assistance of a
relocation specialist said
Carolyn Diamond, project
manager for University
Homes. The Atlanta Housing
Authorities paid for the
moving expenses of all
residents. When residents move
back in, the first to be accepted
will be those who had lived
there previously and wish to
move back.
Next, consideration will be
given those who want to move
from one housing location to
another. The last group to be
considered will be those who
have gone through the formal
application process which
includes a written application
and an oral screening. These
applicants must also be in good
standing with their previous
landlords, said Ms. Diamond.
“The University homes
provides housing for displaced
and low income families,”
explained Ms. Diamond. The
southwest housing office,
located across from the
University Homes, acknowl
edges that the area in which the
homes are being built is
considered a high crime area
and some of the past residents
will not be returning.
As a result, they are targeting
responsible applicants who are
willing to live in an unpredicta
ble environment but also take
care of the newly renovated
facilities, Ms. Diamond
pointed out.
The housing area was
dubbed “University Homes”
because of its proximity to the
surrounding Atlanta Univer
sity Center schools. “It in not
way indicates ownership of the
area by the school,” explained
Ms. Diamond.
Some students have walked
by each day in hopes of the
homes being finished so that
they can apply but this is not
the case, unfortunately this will
not be the case, said Ms.
Diamond.
CA U Receives Engineering Grant
By NANNETTE L. WILSON
Editorial Page Editor
Clark Atlanta University and Peter Kiewit
Son’s, Inc., one of the nation’s largest
construction contractors, recently announced
plans for a program that will provide $5,000
annual scholarships for 10 minority students
pursuing degrees in egineering.
Under this program, the students will
complete their first two years of undergraduate
study at CAU before transferring to one of four
cooperating school for advanced engineering
studies. The schools are: Georgia Institute of
Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology,
Auburn University and Boston University.
Kiewit, head quartered in Omaha, Neb. has
sponsored a similar scholarship program at the
University of Nebraska since 1972.
“These scholarships will tremendously
enhance the University’s commitment to
increase the visibility of minorities, specifically
African Americans in crucial technical areas,”
said Dr. Thomas W. Cole, Jr., president of
CAU.
Scholarship recipients will also have the
opportunity to participate in summer work
internships at Kiewit’s various construction
sites.
Charlie Campbell,president of Kiewit’s
Construction Group said, “Students will have
the opportunity to work directly in the
construction industry, earn money and apply
what they’re learning to real life situation. We
have been very pleased with the success of our
longstanding internship programs and look
forward to working with CAU.”
The next issue of the Panther
will be published Nov. 30.
This issue will contain a
special section on campus
security. HAPPY THANKS
GIVING from the Panther
staff.
