Clark Atlanta PANTHER University Volume II Number IX Atlanta, Georgia December 4, 1990 Dr. Cole Awarded $100,000 Greeks Hold Conference By TONYA LATIMER By TONYA LA TIMER News Editor News Editor Clark Atlanta University president Thomas There will no longer be any more shaved heads, line W.Cole Jr., was awarded 100,000 this week by formation, dress identity, boots, greetings, etc. assciated with the Knight Foundation for strong leadership in Black fraternity and sorority pledging. liberal arts education for “special populations.” The National Teleconference, “Black Fraternities and Dr. Cole was one of the five United States Sororities: A Glorious Past, The Road Ahead,’’was shown live college presidents to receive this honor and one via satellite at Georgia State Univerity’s Urban Life of two among the group recognized for service to Auditorium Wednesday. The first part of the program was the African American students. The Miamibased showing of the actual video. The second part consisted of a live foundation announced the awards on Monday, panel discussion by representatives of each Black Greek saying it rewarded small, private, liberal art organization. The video dealt with fraternities and sororities in institutions. general and the live panel discussion specifically addressed the When asked he felt about receiving the award, new intake program (new pledge rules). Dr. Cole replied,“I feel good. 1 only wish it was According to the video, the 1900s gave rise to Black my own personal money.” fraternities and sororities. They promoted unity to African As of now Cole has not exactly decided on American college students. They were especially important for how he is going to spend the award. However, he early Black collegiates because they were often isolated on did state that he had a long list of possibilities, college campuses and had to struggle for economic and social among which is to pay for some of the new success. Furthermore, they were desperately needed on White caspuses because African Americans were excluded from the security measures. Other colleges which received the award were input on preodminately White colleges. California Lutheran University in Thousands “This group of Blacks found themselves together for their Oaks,Calif; Johnson C. Smith University in own protection and also for social interaction. But they also Charlotte, N.C.; Ohio Dominican College in believed that a fraternity should be more than a social group. It Columbus, Ohio; and Sinte Gleska College in should be an organization that binds men of culture together,” Rosebud, S.D. said Dr. Henry Ponder, Alpha Phi Alpha’s general president. The Knight Foundation president, Creed Another spokesperson said that in early years, the Black, said, “The grants are an investment in the individuals who were part of the organization began to look quality of presidential leadership at these around the campus to select people who were similar in their schools, and also an affirmation of the direction ideas. However, some students today feel this act is no longer Dr. THOMAS COLE JR. practiced by sororities and fraternities. that liberal arts education has taken at these president of the Clark College in 1988. When the institutions.” He added that he think these One Clark Atlanta Univeristy senior stated, “There use to be two institutions consolidated in 1989 he assumed a time when they would go out and seek girls who could benefit colleges are on the upswing. the presidency and has guided it through a Dr. Cole, a former chemistry professor and from the organization, but today they don’t seek girls at all and difficult period. administrator at Atlanta University, became the only accept those who are ‘fly.’ ” The group kept reiterating how Black fraternities and sorities have gotten away from traditions. Ponder said, “It is AIDS Increases Among Students good to have friends. It is good to have fun, and we thought that was important. However, it is more important to become By NANNETTE L. WILSON students in the sample (78 percent) were white. educated and be able to do something like contribute Editorial Page Editor Thirty specimens were positive for HIV It was a message from Surgeon General C. antibodies. Ten schools had no positive something to society.” Everett Koop that first aroused people about the specimens, and only one school had a rate of Ulysses McBride, grand polemarch. Kappa Alpha Psi, said AIDS virus. seroprevalence of more than 0.6 percent. that to be a good Greek one must be less focused on socializing For years it had been kept under lock and key, Seroprevalence increased with age, from 0.08 and individual pursuits, and more focused on social awareness but no more. Little did anyone suspect that percent among students from 18 to 24 years old and uplift. about one in every 500 U.S. college students to 1.0 percent among those 40 or older. Results The national president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority said would be infected with the AIDS virus and for White, African American and Hispanic that the present pledging procedures are definitely out of hand. further, the disesase would spread if students did students did not differ significantly, but the She added that the new intake program is definitely needed to not change their sex habits. number of African American and Hispanic take the sororities and fraternités to their roots. Although each Risk factors associated with human immune students were too small to provide meaningful fraternity and sorority is unique in its diversity, every defiency (HIV) infection, such as sex with a estimates of seroprevalence according to race representative of each Greek organization agreed with Yvonne number of partners, clearly exist among those on and ethnic group. Students who were over the Kennedy that the new intake program was the best solution to university campuses. But it was jarred from the age of 24 and male were, respectively, 6.5 and 25 . the hazing problem. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that sexually times more likely to be seropositive than those According to Flora B. Devine, GSU’s attorney-Legal transmitted diseases are an important cause of who were 24 or younger and female. Affairs, “Hazing is any activity endangering or likely to morbidity on many campuses, and unwanted Among the universities that took part, 76 endanger one’s health preconditioned to joining an pregnancies continues to occur despite the percent of students were undergraduates and 75 organization.” She reminded the audience that hazing is not availability of reliable contraceptive methods. percent were state residents. The age and racial always physical, but can be mental as well. Information from university health centers or ethnic distribution of the overall student body Upon hearing Devine’s definition of hazing, Georgia Tech suggested that intravneous drug use was not and the samples from the health centers were Omega Psi Phi Fraternity member, “Chili-Dog” questioned prevalent among students, but other drugs that similar. Hopwever, since young women use the what shaved heads, boots, dressing alike and lines have to do can impair decision-making about sexual health services more frequently than young men, with hazing. He stated that none of these things ever hurt choices and behavior is frequent. There were few the proportion of women in the sample was anyone before and questioned why there had to be an data about HIV infection on the Atlanta larger than the proportion in schools overall. immediate change as opposed to a gradual process. In response University Center campuses, however. Using the age, sex, and racial or ethnic to his questions, the panel agreed that the process was not A total of 16,863 specimens were collected and distribution of the students at the 19 schools in immediate and said that it has been in the making for some tested from 19 universities (17 public and 2 the sample and at all U.S. universities, the CDC time. private) however, none of which were from the calculated seroprevalence rates that were Students mentioned that since there was already a no-hazing AUC. standardized to those populations, the rate of policy and that didn’t work, what makes them so sure that this The median age of the students in the sample seroprevalence would increase to 0.25 percent if policy is going to be successful? Robert Willis, Alpha Phi was 21 ySars (range, 13 to 73). Female students the proportion of male students in the 19 schools Alpha, said that everyone knows that there is no no-hazing predominated, composing 64.5 percent of the altogether or in all U.S. universities . policy because it is being broken “day by day by day.” He sample. All but one of the schools provided Standardization according to age or sex did Continued On Page 2 information on race and ethnicity. Most not change the rate of seroprevalence. Page 2 December 4,1990 Clark A tlanta University Panther (African American History To Be Offered! APEX Museum To Expand By PA ULETTE V. WALKER BY STEPHANIE F. JACKSON Editor-in-Chief Contributing Writer Many students who attend historically Black Susan Taylor, editor-in-chief of Essence magazine, began colleges and universities do so to learn more the official kick off of‘Friends Of The APEX’ with a speech at about their culture and heritage. Spelman College earlier this month.. “1 came to Clark because 1 thought 1 would The African American Panoramic Experience (APEX) is learn so much about my rich African heritage,” launching a project referred to as Phase 2 which will be an said Natasha Sims, a sophomore at Clark. “1 addition to the APEX Museum now located on Auburn was a little disappointed at how few African Avenue.