Newspaper Page Text
January 11, 1985/The Maroon Tiger/Page 19
F
Mi
Class of 1985-Senior Calender
Monday, January 21
Monday, February 5
Tuesday, April 9
Wednesday, April 17
Tuesday, April 23
Thursday, April 25
Friday, April 26
Thursday, May 2-
Friday, May 3
Monday, May 13
Thursday, May 16
Saturday, May 18
Sunday, May 19
Last day to register and to add classes for the Second Semester
Last day to drop classes
Last day for removing “I” grades for First Semester, 1984-85 Academic Year
Last day for paying graduation fee ($50.00) and all college bills. Graduation
fee includes cost for cap and gown, hood, diploma and other expenses
related to graduation.
Begin picking up requests for “Clearance for Graduation" form. Formsare
available for pick-up in the Registrar’s Office.
Senior Day
Last day for filing application for graduation for work to be complete in
May, 1985
Final Examinations for Seniors
Pick up cap and gown from the Registrar’s Office. NO CAPS AND GOWNS
WILL BE ISSUED ON SATURDAY, MAY 18.
Last day for processing request for "Clearance for Graduation" form
Baccalaureate Exercises
Commencement Exercises
Note:
Near the end of April, 1985, the Vice President for Academic Affairs will
issue a memorandum to graduating seniors outlining the schedule for
baccalaureate and commencement activities.
Blacks in the ...
(Continued from Page 11)
thirds percent of the space in the
daily paper — the more ads the
more space for editorial content.
Doesn’t it appear logical, then,
that when a newspaper is domi
nant in demographic ratings
some alert and enterprising
advertiser will get on the case
and extract your hard-earned
loot. Look at some major firms
like Coca Cola, Seven-Up,
Southland Corporation, Edison
Electric Institute, American Gas
Association, Walt Disney
Productions, and R.J. Reynolds
Industries, and an ever growing
list of other corporations who
are being persuaded to adopt
“fair-share” policies to keep
30,000,000 blacks plus the other
minority American population
patronizing their products.
I believe that too few of us
understand the significance of
the newspaper marketing role
and its direct relationship to the
allocation of space for news and
other information. If no one
bought products advertised in
the newspaper or if no one read
us, we’d have to close shop.
I can’t think of any successful
newspaper that isn’t aware of the
marketplace and its
demographics. Most of the print
and broadcast media rely on
research data and trends that are
constantly updated to keep in
tune with all segments of society.
Nearly all large companies
receive daily data on your spen
ding potential and importance,
your lifestyle and your beliefs.
The corporate world is fully
committed to winning your
dollars, small or large, and this
date is used to do that. Your
color doesn’t matter, as long as
your money is green.
I'm stongly suggesting to you if
it appears that any of the media
top brass, editorial or manage
ment, are giving you the cold
shoulder, andarenotsensitiveto
your complaints, then you must
communicate this message
through the marketplaces where
you shop and buy. You must
send your message via the adver
tisers who use the medium that is
ignoring you.
In some cases you don’t have
to be militant, you don’t have to
threaten with boycott. It truly is
time to stop wasting so much
energy on "off-the-wall”
rhetoric and non-negotiable
demands. Intelligent corporate
leaders are selfishly concerned
enough to be open to new ideas
for getting your bucks.
Now some of you might argue
that we should say to hell with
the "establishment” media and
come forward with our own. In
other words, buy your own
newspaper, TV or radio station.
In 194**, an observation was
made by Gunnar Myrdal in his
work, AN AMERICAN DILEM
MA, "The news of blacks would
continue to have relatively low
news value for whites.” And in
1985 the remark may appear to
still be valid.
The current conservative
climate reinforces the notion
suggested by other sociologists
and historians that the establish
ment press is inherently aligned
with the majority population and
cannot be responsive to other
constituencies. Recognizing this
dilemma forces us to consider a
stand or approach more “prac
tical” in using the equipment we
now have to go into battle. Not
owning "your” own medium
doesn’t mean that you can’t
influence how you are treated.
The marketplace is structured to
accept and deal with all
segments of the public. The real
case is that we have not com
municated loudly enough to the
seller of the goods.
For a lot of reasons, including
the whole big economics up
heaval of stagnation and infla
tion, it is most difficult for
minorities to gain a firm foothold
in a major firm or industry.
During today’s hard times, it may
be better to consider bargaining
with major firms to share their
profits with "fair-share” policies
— and developing meaningful
affirmative action programs that
more truly reflect our 30,000,000
people. This does not mean
retrenchment in our major agen
da of buying and controlling the
corporation. Wejusthave to wait
a little longer for the “correct”
order of social change here in
the United States, and the ever
stronger emergency of Third
World concerns on the inter
national scene. To recognize the
effect of our buying power of
$150,000,000,000 is to recognize
the clout we possess to improve
economic and social positions.
The corporate establishment has
long used their clout to in
fluence social order and change,
and we too must learn to effec
tively use our economic clout if
we are to gain equal access to the
"system.”
We can no longer spend all of
our fighting energies crying
about how bad the “system” is.
Rather we must realistically
move forward with the weapons
that we have. A group of twenty-
one members of the Con
gressional Black Caucus doesn’t
have the numerical clout of, say
fifty members in dealing with the
total 535 member Congressional
Body. But its unified force is a
strong factor this present
J
legislative session has to deal
with. Now we know also of the
vigorous efforts of Ebony, JET,
Essence, The National Leader,
all quality publications that are
filling a large gap in the com
munications lines among black
people in this country, while the
difficulties of declining circula
tion and an eroding advertising
oase are faced by most black
newspaper publishers. This
dramatizes support gaps that
need to be filled if we are going
to succeed in developing com
munication bases for assuring
our positive mission among the
media agendas. As in many
professions that dominate the
"system,” most of our talented
and inspiring young blacks today
are associated with the “es
tablishment” corporations.
Therefore, we have to evaluate
and address this situation so that
we all can participate in the
attack against the inequities of
racism on all fronts.
V
Working Together
Is Working Wonders.
—United Way