Newspaper Page Text
APRIL 10. 1995
The Panther P3
University Plaza
Nursery’s Future
At CAU Unclear
By Wendy Isom
Features editor
In Part II: Administration
responds to why the nursery has
to move, and parents comment
on the issue of the 30-year-old
daycare service inside E.L.
Simon Courts at 635 Fair St.
which is being forced to uproot
businesses and babies..
Clark Atlanta University plans
to call a time-out on June 30 for
the University Plaza Nursery
School’s future on its campus.
“We [University Plaza
Nursery School] can’t be here
unless the school allows us to be
here,” said Ernestine Wright,
director of the nursery.
Jane Mosley, a University
Plaza parent and coalition mem
ber, asked CAU President Dr.
Thomas Cole Jr. if the university
could designate a space for them
in the new Student Center that is
expected to be completed by
1996. According to Mosley, the
plan is clear to move the
University Plaza Nursery and
that as of now, the nursery has
nowhere to go.
But Dr. Cole said it’s not as
simple as A-B-C.
l! It's not just as simple as hav
ing a room,” Dr. Cole said. “We
have to meet city and state codes.
We would have to have every
thing [scaled to] size for chil
dren’s safety. You’ve got to
have a cafeteria and a self-con
tained play area. We don’t have
space.”
However, Mosley’s senti
ments were, “As far as the parent
coalition member is concerned,
the daycare is academic space.”
According to Fred Poellnitz,
CAU’s vice president of finance,
the university is trying to main
tain the space they already have.
Mosley said she checked into
the property behind E. L. Simon
Courts bound by Northside Drive
and that it’s earmarked for the
school.
Dr. Cole said, however, “We
don’t have any immediate plans
for the space [E. L. Simon
Courts]. We won’t tear them
down until we have some place
for the students to go.
“I thought it was hypocritical
that CAU says, ‘Save black busi
nesses’ and they are knocking
this one out,” said Sonya Herd.
University Plaza Nursery teacher
since 1991.
Poellnitz responded,
“We’re supportive of all
black businesses — period.
(Photo by Christian Gooden)
Ernestine Wright, director of the University Plaza Nursery School, gives a weather
lesson to pre-schoolers who attend the institution slated to close by June.
That’s part of our mission.”
“If they’re planning on helping us move,
how?" asked Wright. “We cannot confirm.
Nothing has been shown.”
According to the director of the nursery,
CAU’s support is "unclear.” She doesn’t know
if the school is going to be verbally supportive
of her purchasing a space or if it is going to
financially help her purchase a space.
“They [CAU] should be more concerned
with children’s futures instead of economics,”
said University Plaza Nursery parent Allyn
Shorts, who is a CAU junior and math major.
“Too many times children are misplaced
because of economics.”
In Part III: Nursery parents continue to
respond about the future of the University Plaza
Nursery school. The Administration also
attempts to answer and clear up concerns. Since
the last series, University Plaza Nursery' par
ents and coalition members scheduled a meet
ing with Cole in April.
Date Rape: Prevalent But Preventable On College Campuses
By Catrina D. Harvey
Staff Writer
Date rape is most prevalent
on college campuses, that
according to Denise Duke, an
educator at the DeKalb Rape
Crisis Center.
“Eighty percent of date rape
cases happen on college cam
puses by someone the victims
knows,” Duke noted.
Luckily for the campus of
Clark Atlanta University, there
is not a high percentage of cases
— according Gregory C. Harris,
chief of Public Safety at Clark
Atlanta University.
“There is not a high percent
age of date rape on the campus.
In the last 30 days, there has
been only one incident of date
rape and the victim has pressed
charges against her attacker,” he
said.
Harris said the incident hap
pened during the week of Spring
Break, adding if the attacker is
convicted of rape, he will be
expelled through a process con
ducted by Student Affairs.
Students cannot
be suspended or
expelled, howev
er, unless a
crime is commit
ted to ensure that
students receive
due process of
the law.
Meanwhile,
Duke said date
rape has
increased over
the past three
years, and noted
more people are
coming forward
and talking about it more.
DeKalb County statistics in
1992 and 1993 reported date
rape went down 10 percent, but
the DeKalb Rape Crisis Center’s
statistics have increased.
“1 met my attacker at a party
and we dated once after that,”
recalled one college graduate
who was a victim of date rape.
“He seemed innocent enough
because he talked about how
involved he was in the church.
He seemed like a really nice
guy-”
In the beginning, the victim
said she blamed herself. “I was
shocked for four days and
believed that I had totally forgot
ten my morals.”
However,
Duke said, “A
lot of victims
have not been
able to define
rape for them
selves because
they feel so out
of control. It is
not uncommon
for many vic
tims to blame
themselves for
getting raped.
Continuing
she said, “A lot
of date rape
happens at fraternity parties
where the victims were drinking
and don't want to come forward.
Many often fear that no one is
going to believe them.”
Duke added that rape in gen
eral is not reported, with only
one in 10 victims coming for
ward.
Although the mentioned vic
tim reported her rape and filed
charges against her attacker, the
judge ruled that no crime had
been committed.
“The only people who said it
was my fault was the court sys
tem,” the young woman said.
“Men will be mean and say you
asked for it.” She added. “It’s
very degrading because I had to
give the details of my rape.
Since my rape, it has opened up
so many inequalities about men
and women that I wasn’t aware
of before.”
Duke added, “It’s the whole
culture. It’s okay for women to
be degraded. Men are taught to
be aggressive and women are
taught to be passive and submis
sive. It’s all double standard.”
Meanwhile, Shirley Boone, a
counselor with Clark Atlanta
Continued P8
xx It's the whole culture, It's okay for
women to be degraded. Men are
taught to be aggressive and women
are taught to be passive and submis
sive. It's all double standard. 7/
-Denise Duke
Educator at Dekalb Rape Crisis Center