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JANUAY 23,1992" Tha Voice~ of the Studients of Florida~A&M\- Univesiy Tilhase, la " Vol. 5 - No. 2 Troops re-unite for highway's 50th anniversary I' by Tresha Lindo FAMUAN Staff Writer %-\ Ten thousand troops, including five battalions from the Army Corps of Black Engineers, accomplished what had been called an impossible feat in 1942. Through sub-zero temperatures, unmapped wilderness, food shortages and isolation the troops built the 1,522 mile long Alcan Highway in Alaska. The highway, currently named the Alaskan Highway, stretched from Dawson Creek, British Colombia to Fairbanks, Alaska and was used to transport tanks and supplies and to defend naval bases from Japanese attacks. Building the highway was considered an, "impossible feat likened to the building of the Panama Canal," James Eaton said. Eaton is the curator of Florida A&MN University's Black Archives Research Center and Museum. At a reunion held for the black troops last Saturday at FAMU the veterans recalled their experiences in Alaska. Company Commander of the 97th regiment, Walter H. Parsons Jr. said, PcobyWyona LyFAMUAN "There wasn't enough to eat, no mail came in, and the temperature often was Troops re-unite to share memories of their days working on the Alcan Highway in Alaska. 40 below zero." For eight months the two worked to mentioned, the black units who0 the head arrived, but it dropped to 58 below, so Reginald Beverly, bring the soldiers back together and repre-ented one-third of the troops,s, regimental surveyor of the 95th we were gradually broken in,"Beverly said. honor them. according to Eaton. Engineering Corps gave up his job as a There are over 2,000 different high school math teacher when he was Eaton and Lael Morgan, a professor celebrations the army needed at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, to commemorate the S eV trn /pg drafted in 1941, because highway's 50th anniversity but none of S eV trn!pg men with mathematical skills. began planning for the reunion two years them honored, and most hardly "It was very' cold, 30 below when we a go. Science courses bring pain for students Alliniece Taylor Subrahmanyam said. FAMUAN Staff Writer Some students complained tha'at many instructors don't speak English ';. Many Florida A&M University well and they could not understand them students are apprehensive about taking or the lesson. science courses because of their difficulty "The instructors spoke too fast and it and high failure rates. was hard to understand." said John According to C. B. Subrahmanyam, Reynolds, a business administration professor and chairman of the biology senior referring to the class, Elements of department, over 50 percent of the Physics. students taking science courses fail Subrahmanyarn recognized that some including those majoring in science. instructors do have foreign accents so he As a result the biology department is supplied all instructors with making efforts to decrease the level of transparencies for visual understanding. difficulty. He said these transparencies are taken According to Subrahmanyam, the from pictures in the book and when book now used for APB 1150 (basic students review the subject later, they biology) is less difficult than some of correlate the transparencies with that those he reviewed for Florida high section in the book. schools. Outside class, studcnts can get help This year the books are new and in problem areas. more condensed with less reading Graduate and senior students assist material, he said. undergraduates in tutoring sessions. Ten 'Ten years ago, the material was at hours of tutoring are offered each week o: Ayora Lyncn FAMUAN least twice as hard and twice as much, an award from President Humphries for and now a lot of our courses are nothing See Biology! page 2 Col. Bernard Hendricks receives high school courses," his participation in Civil Rights era. more than I NS D E ------------- I Albam:a's Black ~By The Time I Get FAMU Talent Int Colleges earn to Arizona" gets moves on to orts set to stardom begin flack G vG cE oyPA3 L___PAGE4 PAGE 8 2 The Famuan I January 23, 1992 Biology/from page 1 Veterans/ from page 1 "It was the hardest case I've ever done, we just couldn't do it without excel in the university program. According to Morgan it seemed it Students complained that instructors would be impossible "trying to think of FAMU and the help of the Black material Since the department conducted some Archives,"Morgan said. only skim over the biology it a strategy, to find out where to start, so it. of its own studies on failing rates, "Giving specific honor was the without thoroughly covering between abscence and he took the South and I the North." the course (APB found a connection purpose of the celebration,, giving Subrahmanyam said performance. Eaton called the soldiers, "A lost 1150) is designed to give only general page in history." recognition that is due," Eaton said. "If you do not come to class, you are The veterans appreciated the information. yourself. do not go in-depth, we give a hurting recognition and the reunion. "We "Those who cut more than three general 'bird's-eye view'. Biology is "It's very nice to be "It'svery nice to be recognized, it's a inherently difficult," he said. classes, invariably, they did not make recognized, a continuation of history,"said Sgt. Frank as good grades," he said. Brehon from the 388th regiment. Subrahmanyam said skills such "Also If they come here relaxed, they continuation of logical induction and analysis are needed "We should have more reunions in can do better. Do not come with history." order to record information, a lot of black to do well in all science courses. notions or a self-defeating is preconceived Sgt. Frank Brehon history hasn't been published,"said R. L. "Mastering the terminology attitude," Subrahmanyam said. unique to biology, since many of the Williams, a political science professor. tapes and pictures from the terms come from Latin or Greek. Even and hours are posted on the second floor The will travel across the U.S to our own majors have problems," bulletin board in Jones Hall. They found 75 veterans from the celebration said. Subrahmanyam said practice labs and 93rd, 94th, 95th, 97th and 388th show the role of the black troops before Subrahmanyam a permanent exhibit in Subrahmanyam said lack of exposure test reviews are also available before each battalions. Thirteen of them joined in the finally becoming the Black Archives. and preparation at the high school level assigned test. celebration held last Saturday. are other reasons why students do not FAMU seeks new design for tag' 3' by Amaura Harris The new design must first be but to display the school's commitment However, there will be some need based FAMUAN Staff Writer approved by the FAMU license tag to academic excellence. scholarships. committee which is made' up of Martin said he believes most FAMU The remaining 20 percent is used for and promotions in local A new design is being planned for the administrators, faculty, art instructors, alumni will keep their centennial tags as marketing publications, and Florida A&M University collegiate tags. students, alumni and community leaders. mementos of 100 years of education and churches, alumni According to Ozell Martin Jr., the "Members are chosen through the excellence. magazines. information/publications service pool of the president," Martin said. Student ideas for the new design Student response to the impending coordinator for FAMU, the Florida Board Martin suggests to President should be sent to Rm. 410 in Foote- change is generally positive. are a of Regents presents an opportunity every Humphries the names of people whom Hilyer Administration Building. "The colors (of the present tags) five years to change the tags. he feels would be beneficial to the Eighty percent of the funds will be little too light. They should be brighter. Five years ago the newly-formed committee. distributed by President Humphries for You can see FSU tags far away," said FAMU license tag committee designed a Current members include: Keith student scholarships. According to Kent Victor Holmes. centennial collegiate tag with the logo, Miles, Director of Alumni Affairs; Taylor in University Relations, there are Sofronia Timmons agrees and said "A Legacy to Preserve-- A Future to Tommy Mitchell, president of the local no specifically designated scholarships that "a rattler emblem would make it a Design." alumni chapter; Amos Lewis, art teacher but most of them are academically based. little more decorative." Student Government Association at FAMU High; Leatrice Y. Tucker, President Daryl Parks said he looked Professor of Visual Arts; Daryl Parks, forward to the change because the current president of SGA and an SGA student tags are too generic and need brighter delegate; retirees, and regular citizens. colors. The committee consists of people The tag committee has already looked who, administration thinks have the over some designs but has not yet chosen ability to choose an appropriate design. one for the new tag and welcomes student "You wouldn't put a baseball coach in input. this position; you'd put in an art The committee has decided to use the teacher." Martin said. official FAMU rattler in 3 1/2 inch diameter but has not decided how FAMU The new design must go to FAMU should look at the bottom of the tags President Frederick S. Humphries, the or.what color placement will be used. BOR and the Florida Legislature. Martin estimates that it will be 1 1/2 According to administrators, such years before the tags can be made massive input is needed to make sure available for purchase due to planning, FAMU tags adhere to their original BOR approval, and production.

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