Newspaper Page Text
February 20, 1995
The Panther P3
Students Interview Candidates For Administrative Position
By Ytasha L. Womack
Staff Writer
A committee of Clark Atlanta
students who are members of
chartered campus organizations,
will assist in the selection of a
new vice president of academic
affairs.
According to Student
Government Association Vice
President Samuel Bell Jr., the
Department of Alumni Affairs
requested that several students
conduct interviews for the
upcoming administrative candi
date.
Bell said low score of incom
ing freshman, overseeing public
safety and the monies allocated
for student life and activities
will be among the concerns
addressed in the interviews.
“I think it is essential to the
entire hiring and screening
process for students to have an
opportunity to meet with indi
viduals and to have it (their
input) valued by the administra
tion as a whole,” Peggy
Hampton, associate dean of
Student Life, said.
However, administrative
interviews conducted by stu
dents aren't new.
“This process was also used
in selecting the financial direc
tor as well as the public safety
director,” Bell said.
“It is an excellent process. It
gave me an idea of what stu
dents are concerned about,”
newly selected Public Safety
Director Jackie Patterson said.
“The reason we’re here is
because of the students,” he
said.
Patterson said the students in
the interviewing process asked
several questions including how
he would handle a riot similar to
the Rodney King incident on
CAU’s campus in 1992.
“I thought I would just meet
with the president and deans of
departments,” said Patterson. “1
was pleasantly surprised.”
Seminar Highlights
Egyptian Civilization
By Kendra Story
Contributing Writer
Through the creation of the pyramids and the analysis of the ankh
symbol, Egyptology was introduced to Atlanta University Center
students as only one of the several functions designed to familiarize
them with the culture of ancient Egyptian civilization.
Bobby Hemmit and Jarrod Grant, key speakers for the seminar,
used the Egyptian expression Ashe’ to begin the seminar on
Egyptology. The saying means power, energy, or light and is stated
after one’s ancestor is named during the libation ceremony.
Grant and Hemmit will conduct seminars on Clark Atlanta
University’s campus throughout February.
“Not until I reached college did I realize that there was a histo
ry,” said Grant who teaches history in middle school. He is current
ly working on his thesis in political science at CAU and attended
Wilberforce University in Ohio. Hemmit is a former CAU student
and alumnus of Benedict College in South Carolina.
Grant and Hemmit said there has been a destruction of black civi
lization.
According to the two historians, after a destruction comes, there
is sometimes a light or a new beginning. Grant questioned what has
happened to the historical culture of black people. “We once had
abilities that we can’t fathom today,” Grant said.
The meaning of the ankh, the oldest symbol of Egyptian civiliza
tion, was another major focus of the discussion.
Hemmit explained that the top half of the ankh represented the
spiritual being while the bottom half stood for the physical being.
He added that the Europeans converted the lower half of the ankh
into a cross and excluded the spiritual half.
“It is important to touch on things on a more spiritual level,”
Hemmit said. Hemmit wants students to explore the importance of
understanding their ancestry.
Library Grants Continued From PI
Collection in the fall.”
The processing of the collections will
be done by four archivists and three
library school graduate students, two of
whom are Atlanta University Center grad
uates. The processors do broad inventory
and organization of all materials while
preserving the documents in their original
condition.
Fragile documents are placed in acid-
free folders and boxes. The acid-free
paper has a life expectancy of approxi
mately 300 years without deterioration,
according to Flemister.
The grants have also made it possible
to store and process these original collec
tions in a climate and humidity-controlled
environment. The temperature never
exceeds or falls below 60 degrees
Fahrenheit.
The materials in the collection will be
made available to students and the general
public through the Finder’s Guide in the
Robert Woodruff Library.
CAU Celebrates:
“Honor Black Women Week”
By Sherri Day
Staff Writer
“Honor Black Women Week," Feb.
19-25 at Clark Atlanta University, will
feature daily activities in which black
men make special efforts to honor
black women.
The upcoming event is the brainchild
of Student Government Association
Undergraduate Vice President, Samuel
Bell Jr.
Bell was inspired by poet Maya
Angelou during a speech she gave
about black women and honor when he
attended Kansas State University. Bell
and other Kansas State students initiat
ed the first “Honor Black Women
Week.”
After transferring to CAU two years
ago, Bell continued to observe this tra
dition. Bell said over the course of
those two years, “the week has been
well received.”
The celebration will consist of the
following activities:
•Sunday, Feb. 19, “Escort Day:”
Young men are to escort a young
woman to chapel service, brunch and a
movie screening.
•Monday, Feb. 20, “History Day:”
New York City College’s Dr. Leonard
Jeffries, who has been dubbed “Baby
Farrakhan” because of his black pride
oriented messages, is scheduled to
address the topic of the importance of
black women to black men.
•Tuesday, Feb. 21. “Gift Day:” Dr.
A. Shabazz will be speaking about
Malcolm X and black women. Young
men are expected to present a gift to a
black woman as a token of his appreci
ation for her existence.
•Wednesday, Feb. 22, “Cater Day:”
Black men are scheduled to cater to the
whims of black women. One sugges
tion is for the young men to carry the
books of the young women to class.
• Thursday, Feb. 23, “Media Day:”
Black women in the media will be hon
ored and a round table lecture will fea
ture a discussion with women from the
world of radio and television will be
held.
• Friday, Feb. 24, young men are
encouraged to treat a black woman to
the movies.
The week ends on Saturday, Feb. 25,
with “Friendship Day.” On this day
black men are requested to strengthen
the bonds of friendship with women
they know. Also young men should
introduce themselves to a woman they
are not acquainted with in hopes of
establishing a strong platonic friend
ship.
Since flyers have been put up and
news of the week to honor black
women has been floating around cam
pus, students’ reaction to the week has
been mixed.
While some students, both male and
female, feel the concept of CAU’s
male population honoring black
women is a good one, they also fear
that most male students won’t partici
pate. However, there are those stu
dents who plan to make sure that apa
thetic attitudes will not keep them from
participating in the event.
“There is a lack of respect for men
and women in society,” sociology
major Stuart Shine said. “I think it’s
(Honor Black Women Week) original,
needed and productive. I plan to partic
ipate fully,” Shine said.
Senior business administration major
Jerome Bates said, “Every day should
be 'treat black women well' day. Black
women are very special and have come
a long way. Hopefully, the week may
spark a fire and make men realize they
need to be nice to women everyday.”