THE SCORPION

VOL, I—NO. |

Editorial: |
Racism and TheTiger Paper

In a racist Society like America, Guilt is the privilege of the oppressor.
We mean guilt about the mass murder of the indigenous people of this
land: the so-called “Indians.”’ Guilt about the criminal Commerce that
forcefully transplanted Africa’s children to this inhuman society. Guilt
about the daily rape of the poor of this land.

The most hurtful type of guilt occurs when the oppressors guilt is
an expression of pity, contempt and fear of the oppressed. At BMCC,
this type of guilty feeling gave birth to a cabal of self proclaimed rev-
olutionaries, bleeding heart liberals who try to pacify their consciences
by engaging in all sorts of mock battles on behalf of the Third World.
It also brought into being the Tiger Paper, an insidious tear-sheet whose
stocks in trade are misinformation and confusion. What these “editors/
revolutionaries” fail to understand is that the oppressed of this land,
who hurt daily from the cancerous wounds inflicted by this racist society,
resent the oppressors show of guilt because it is often dishonest and
patronizing. It reminds the oppressed of the master-slave relationship
that underlies this guilt.

Racism

We deeply resent the blatant racism the Tiger Paper has displayed.
Its editors have constantly attacked, for the most trivial reasons, black
faculty and administrators in this College. Their vicims are denied the
right of a reply. It is quite significant that no issue of the Tiger has
addressed itself to the crucial question of employing more minority
Faculty and Staff in this College. The Editors of the Tiger have also
encouraged to the dismay of the Black Community a group of Black
students — so-called T.W.C. “revolutionaries” to remain in a two year
college for almost seven years in pursuit of the “Revolution.” This is a
disservice to the Black Community.

Last year the editors of the Tiger helped initiate the plan to wreck
the Black Studies Program, This year as the Program was engaged in
serious lobbying: and negotiations the Tiger published an article claiming,
again without supporting evidence, that Black and Puerto Rican Studies
signed to undermine the autonomy drive.

Dishonesty

The Tiger Paper is also dishonest. It looked the other way when
the former Student Government engaged in shameful corrupt practices,
living high on money collected. from poor students. Tiger Raitors who
served as Faculty advisors to T.W.C. now blame the corruption on out-
siders. Who were these outsiders who ran the Student Government for
three years?

Disregard For Our Students Future.

We charge the Editors of the Tiger with blatant disregard for the
future of the students in this College. Any ee that encourages strikes,
walkouts, thuggery and closing down this College for every trivial reason
must be, perhaps unwittingly, on the side of the Nixons, Wallaces, Mad-
doxes and the other accursed racists in this country who see danger
in an educated Black and Puerto Rican constituency.

Undoubtedly this College has failed in many important areas but our
responsibility as a Community of Scholars and Students is to suggest and
implement positive changes. This is precisely what the Scorpion intends
to do. It will criticize; it will sting many of the reactionaries, racists and
phony: revolutionaries in this College. Blt above all it will make positive
suggestions to insure that this politicized College lives up to its primary
responsibilities as an educational institution.

We count on your support. Send your articles, poems, book reviews
and criticism. All Correspondence should be sent to the Scorpion Hole,
Student Government Association Office. A 319.

Center for African and African-American Studies

Borough of Manhattan Commufinity College
The City University of New York

Summer (1974) Seminar & Field Work in West Africa

The Center for African and African-American Studies, Borough
of Manhattan Community College in cooperation with the Institute
of African Studies University of Ghana Accra, will conduct a Summer
Institute July 29-August 29, 1974, at the University of Ghana. The
Program will combine ‘classroom instruction with carefully planned
field trips. Participants who complete the program satisfactorily will
receive three B.M.C.C. Social Science or elective credits.

The Summer Institute is open to all students registered in the
College. However, those who intend to compete for B.M.C.C. Asso-
ciation Travel Grants will have to meet requirements to be established
by a Student/Faculty Committee of the Faculty Council.

Application forms are available in the Center for African and
African-American Studies (Black Studies Program) Room D. 311,
Ext. 2224 and the Student Government Office, Room A, 319, Ext.
3522/3524.

MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

SB 232

APRIL, 3, 1974

SBG ACCOUNT OF OUR STEWARDSHIP

“Power should be used effectively
but quietly”
Malcolm X

Since last May 1973, when we
were elected into office we have
obeyed that wise advice. We have
studiously investigated into the is-
sues that have created problems in
this College since 1970. We have, as
a result, taken action to resolve some
of these problems. Our activities
have been in these areas: ;

(1) We had to set up a real Stu-
dent Government since none existed
earlier except in name. We did this
without help. Moreover, the former
Government carried away every-
thing: Typewriters, cameras, tape
recorders, files, etc. They also left
us a debt of over $31,000. The City
of New York Audit Department and
the Faculty Council are investigat-
ing this shameless act.

(2) Finances:

We have established a fool proof
financial procedure. Nobody can
steal Students funds without being
caught.

(3) Clubs:

There are fifty one chartered
Clubs at the College. All have active
members. The Club Budget which is
in the same amount as last year was

i i the Clubs.

= y distributed to. ALL
Sens NEHA buted te was done in the
past. :

(4) Lounges:

We expanded the lounges, bought
new chairs and equipment. We also
rented the gymnasium of Brandeis
High School for Intramural Activi-
ties. We equipped a new games
room. Additional recreational space
will be acquired when the library
moves to the Uris Building.

(5) Library:

An entire floor will be given to
the Library in the Uris Building.
Meantime, more books have come in
and of course more space was added
this year. .

Buses: We now have two mini-
buses providing free transportation
between the up and downtown cam-
pus. More buses will be added soon.
Those notorious cars purchased by
T.W.C. for their private use have
been sold. Of course they set one on
fire rather than surrender it to the
B.M.C.C. Association.

All Classes Downtown: Next year
all classes will be held downtown.

Day Care Center: The Day Care
Center was moved to the “M” Build-
ing because of the dangerous and
unhealthy state of the former “C”’
Building. We invested over $5,000
in physical repairs at the “M” Build-
ing. The children are safer over there
and they have a park to playin. We
now have teachers and not baby-
sitters. Incidentally the annual bud-
get for the Center is $25,000.

Autonomy for Black and Puerto
Rican Studies: Both programs have
now been given full autonomous
status. A special task force took
care of the lobbying and legal work.
We will be meeting with the Dean
of Faculty and President Draper for
more lines in the two Departments.

Es ee

Mr, Lloyd Land, President Student Gov-
ernment Association (SBG) He fought to
restore cuts in dnancial aid. Students
for Better Government (SBG) has also
made available the sum of $16,000.00 for
emergency loans and financial assistance
to BMCC Students,

Registration: This exercise ran
smoothly last January. We will con-
tinue to work with the Registrars
office for improvements.

Study Abroad: There will be Sum-
mer Institutes in West Africa, Italy,
Israel and Latin America. A special
Student Faculty Committee of the
Faculty will conduct the screening
to insure fair selection procedure.
It will be open to all the Students.
We organized a fund raising dance
for trips abroad but failed in this

- exercise. We learned from our mis-

take and will do better next time.

Financial Aid: As you know fin-
ancial aid was reduced by the cor-
rupt Nixon Administration. We have
been making representations for res-
toration of these cuts. Meantime, we
have voted funds out of the B.M.C.C.
Association Budget to reduce the
hardship created by the Nixon cuts.
Our assignments for the Semester
include:

(a) Improving Remediation

(b) Consolidating classes around
the Downtown area

(c) A Job Placement Center

(4) Recruitment of more Minor-
ity Faculty plus other related prob-
lems.

With your usual support and sug-
gestions we can accomplish all these

goals.
L. Land

S.G.A. (SBG) President

SUPPORT
STUDENTS FOR
BETTER

GOVERNMENT
(SBG)



Page 2

THE SCORPION

April 3, 1974

A Tale of “Revolutionaries” and Dividers

What do you know about BMCC? Were you here when it was a
bastion of lily-white-minded business middle class America? Well it
once was. Then the revolving doors were opened dramatically by the
BHE when it established a Liberal Arts community college and more im-
portly, when Black students broke down the gates through insisting on

. Open Admissions. If our future as students and workers in City Univer-
sity is to be maintained today, and tomorrow on the planned new campus
downtown, we have to be together. Can the leadership for today and
for tomorrow come from the descendants of the slavers? Our answer is
a resounding Yes.

Labels that are created by the descendants of the slavers are used
to further his cause of gross destructiveness in the world. You might
think that the new labels he uses don’t have anything to do with the
labels he used yesterday, to keep Black folk separated from each other.
However, I want to show that they are in reality new words for old
games. First, these labels were invented by the labeler to maintain con-
trol of Blacks in non-Black hands. The slaver functions largely through
verbal control. He believed that since you could not read, you could not
understand his words. However, he overlooked the fact that you could
understand far more than what is printed on a page of paper. Even
today, he overlooks and refuses to acknowledge these gifts of understand-
ing you have.

Field Blacks were called niggers. Now they are called “the masses.”
Yard Blacks were called negroes. Now they are called lower middle-class
Blacks. House Blacks were called uppity folks. Now they are called
bourgeois Blacks. Further the slavers attempted to divide the nation of
blacks by mixing the. bloodlines, teaching reading but withholding money.
This kept you going to his stores and markets. He taught each “class”
to hate the other. And finally he refuses to accept your culture, your
African heritage which he thought he had completely destroyed.

The slave master descendants still believe that. labels can be used
to contribute to the destruction of the Black nation. However, his will can
only be done through maintaining ignorance. He néeds ignorance of the
‘so-called master’s trick bag, and your ignorance of the means to develop-
‘ing political, social and economic power. Ignorance of the world situation
is another card in the game of games he depends on. Finally, Black
people’s ignorance of our nuerotic problems which stem from our former
‘physical enslavement, satisfies his incessant craving’to maintain control.

Having thrown off the metal chains of bondage, we must now
overthrow the mental chains of bondage. However, the so-called master
has studied our attitudes and codified this trickery into his science.
‘Foremost of these is the division ofthe field, house, and yard niggers
‘from each other. We think of each other as éssentially different (of un-
‘like mind). While at the same time, the so-called master is always of
like mind. That is why he can print his face on the penny,
nickle,. dime, dollar, thousand, and milliori dollar bills. A Black
face will never appear. He knows when Blacks see their brown-yellow-
‘black faces as one-designéd by nature to walk together unified in the
sun, we will be well on the way to rocking this earth’s foundation.

Here at BMCC he is doing his best to do what he has always done.
He desires to create hatred, divisiveness, lies, deceits, treacheries, and
destructive machinations in order to stop Black folk’s progress. His trick
‘bag is full of many weapons. Will we play into them? Brother Malcolm

- said “Go into the closet and work out your differences.” Don’t let the
trick-bak worker have a sword of dissension hanging over your head.
If we are ignorant of this truth, we will probably rémain ignorant of
the other main weapons he usés on us. One of the principle’s one is
DIVIDE AND CONQUER.

To deal with your opponent, you must know him. If the Board
of Higher Education appoints the President, then who is largely responsi-
ble for his actions? What are the links between the White so-called
radicals and the BHE? Check it out. If you want to See true change
are you going to carry out their atta¢ks against the Presidént or go to
the true source of the racism? The BMCC leadership is trying, in the
face of tremendous obstacles, to create a united force of educators; who
are not just Black but also white. The opposition is threatened ‘by this
collective force and attempts to label, divide, propagandize wih lies
and to disunite these educators. 4

What are the real issues? What about’ the Financial Aid Dept. poli-
cies; the lack of Black representation in the Business Dept. ‘

What departments do the “revolutionaries” teach in? Is it in the
Social Science (two Blacks) or English (three Blacks) or the Business
Dept. (2 Blacks)? Why don’t the “revolutionaries” come out into the
open. Why don’t they show their faces? Is it because the mask they
wear is the same one the white racist usually hides behind? He will
smile and say ... “Let Me Help You”... but he never intends to help
you to the bread at thetable-/He consumes bread stolen for 400 years
from our table. Prepared by Black hands, he consumes our bread greedily
and voraciously because he is afraid if we were to prepare our own
table (the world) we would not starve to death. It is Concéivable that
starvation is his ultimate weapon. But “give me a fish and I’ll eat
for a day .. . teach me to fish and I’ll eat for a lifetime .. .”

Here at BMCC, although problems linger on which badly need re-
solving, the Black Faculty and students have worked together for mutual
progress. ‘Through affirmative action we brought eminently qualified
blacks to teach in the College. We worked to established the African
summer trip. We worked to insure the Black Studies Dept. survival which
is now autonomous. Dr. Elisworth Janifer built Black awareness into the
Music and Art Dept. They have developed the Janifer Scholar-
ship and loan award as well as participated in helping countless
Brothers and Sisters deal with firings and discrimination work-
ing within the system. Dedicated Black Faculty members of the
Student Life Counseling Department have led community service
programs; community work projects and counseled thousands of Black
Students to success. The revolutionaries now claim these achievements.
Currently they are engaged in the old tactic of divide ‘and Tule. They
hope to succéed in dividing Students from Staff, Staff from Faculty and
Administration from everyone. Why don’t the “revolutionaries” attack
the policies of the Financial Aid Department; and the fact that there
are very few minority faculty and staf in the College.

THE SBG STORY

SBG — Students for Better Gov-
ernment — was formed last Spring
1974, by Students who were dissatis-
fied with the sorry condition of this
College; the endless crises, picket-
ing, striking high dropout rate of
students, cuts in financial aid Above
all we were unhappy about the ex-
istence of a very corrupt T.W.C.
government that was never duly
elected by the Students. They cov-
ered their corruption with talks of
revolution. So we (SBG) struck out
and ran a successful campaign. No-
body gave us a chance except the
large body of Students. The Ad-
ministration which was sure T.W.C.
would win, treated us like orphans,
While T.W.C. used Student Activi-
ties fees and the SGA Newspaper
for their campaign we had to rely
on stencils most of which we bought
ourselves. However, you all shared
our concern and voted for us. With
no help from T.W.C. which was
anxious to destroy us and the Col-
lege Administration which was sus-
picious of our plans, SBG started
working to implement our platform.
Several SBG members had their lives
threatened. The former Editor of
the B.M.C.C, Press was physically
attacked. Nevertheless we did not
quit. Therefore, everything we did
was a learning experience; those
things we did not do also provided
experience. Overall, we have done a
great job; we have provided mature,
intelligent leadership so far.

We moved the child care center
from the rat trap to the “M” Build-
ing. The child care center is now one
of the largest in the city and does
not violate any codes set by either
the city or sate of N.Y. The center
has met all of the requirements of

the Board of Health. Most of the “keep

le who called us crazy for mak-
nee move did not understand the
urgency for moving the center, nor
did they know the difficulty SBG
had in doing so.
“SGA ‘sponsored a play, Madam
Odum, for B.M-C.C. Students at the

start of the Fall Semester which to
some extent was a success. Many
students attended and enjoyed the
play.
We tried to raise money for é¢du-
cational trips abroad by sponsoring,
Maceo & The Macks at Manhattan
Center. We had plenty of help, how-
ever, this venture was a failure. We
learned our lessons.

SBG in conjunction with the Bet-
ances sponsored a trip to D.C. for
the purpose of protesting and to
demand freedom for Carlos Feleci-
ano and other political prisoners. We
realize this U.S. Government Sys-
tem is corrupt, unjust and vicious
and should not have the authority
to pass judgement on anyone.

Students for Better Government
had its Kwanza celebration in De-
cember. This was a complete suc-
cess. Hundreds of B.M.C.C. Students
filled the “A” Lounge to see Jitu
Weusi & The Kuumba Dancers.
Fruits, nuts and dates were given to
all students as is the tradition of
such a celebraion. This was the most_
successful program I have ever seen
at this school. Everywhere, I saw
complete unity among students. —

The Student Government Associa-
tion (SBG) has a variety of well-
rounded activities for B.M-C.C. Stu-
dents for the Spring Semester:

The SGA has also started an in-
tramural program which will be held
at Brandeis High School on 65th
Street. Professor Lennis Braxton of
the Department of Health Educa-
tion is the Coordinator. This pro-
gram is designed to service at least
10,000 B.M:C.C. Students a week.
One of the purposes it will serve is
to give our students a certain
amount of physical exercise, and to
“students out of
lounges. . ;

SGA has gone a stép further and
has started a game room in the “B”
Building which has pool and ping
pong tables, also designed to keep
our students out of the lounges and

(Continued on Page 4)

FRANTZ FANON said: :
every generation

must discover its mission
& either fulfil or betray it.

FREDERICK DOUGLASS ‘said:

power concedes nothing
without a demand.

Thosé who want to be
free must strike the blow.

DAVID WALKER said:

when you start make sure

you doa thorough job.

MELVIN B. TOLSON said:

=hbecause théy won’t Spate you.
== don’t spare anyone

it doesn’t matter
how many rivers you cross
if you fail to cross the Rubicon.

one more river.
will flow.

make it THEIRS.
If you think

NOT

Brother

YOU have a dream!
Victory starts
when WE say:

I AM a disposable part
in a cause larger than myself.

And/ACT.

what) the Brothers are saynig.

re-ACT with REAL ACTION
organize
think how
preacher. prostitute. pimp & Faggot
nigger. colored folk. negro/Tom
servant or savant/

BLACK!

you're on

: behind the same

: barricades
REMEMBER NAT TURNER!

/the ‘deluge

WE SHALL WIN WITHOUT DOUBT!



April 3, 1974

THE SCORPION

Page 3

oiiiiteiis sina “ 2 sestainaaaeiaiie a dintiiinin heidi

A photograph of the new campus of Manhattan Community College, City Uni-
versity of New York which will be ready for use at the end of 1976.

This new campus will be located near the Wall Street area—the Headquarters
of Western Capitalism. What impact will the new location have on the (Student Body?
Will there be open admission? Will the College deliver quality education to the Stu-

The Bleeding Heart Liberals
and the Tiger Paper

The Tiger Paper which operates on the theory of the Big Lie — has
done it again. In a recent issue, March 1974, it alleged that the last
Student Government Election was rigged. This allegation is quite mis-
chievous and | ing both to Students who voted and the Honest
Ballot. Association which conducted the election. To begin with, T.W.C.
established the ground rules for the election and its representatives were
present at the counting. The results were accepted without protest.

If any group nad the Support of the Administration it was T.W.C.
They controlled the funds of the B.M.C.C. Association, the services of the
SGA Newspapers and did intimidate some members of the administra-
tion, who gave SBG no chance, into supporting their ticket. T.W-C. Elec-
tion Campaign was conducted by the Editorial Staff of the Tiger Paper
and a group of so-called radical faculty — bleeding heart liberals.

iy T.W.C. Collapsed

If T.W:C. Collapsed the reasons should be found in a nurhber of ‘de-
velopments that were visible as early as 1970.

In May 1971, less than 10% of the Students voted for T.W.C. This
was also true of the elections held in 1972 when only 250 students voted
for that group. However, a deal Was made with the Administration, the
bylaws Were waived and T.W.C. formed an unrepresentative govern-
ment, Incidentallly, no other group or party opposed T.W.C. during the
elections. So that as early as the Fall Semester of 1970, T.W:C. as a
party was dying on its feet. HOwever, it remained a paper — Tiger in-
timidating both students and faculty and of course enjoying our money.
This corruption reached a crises point last year when they bought cars
for their private use and 6verspent the budget by $32;000. The Faculty
Council and the City of New York. — Audit Department are still investi-
gating this shameless rip off of students funds.

0 Not Be Deceived Brothers and Sisters

Let nobody be deceived by the Tiger Paper which complains about
roaches, bad buildings but does nothing about them. SBG Uptown Task
Force worked diligently not only to close down the “B” Building but
to make sure that the College will not rent buildings elsewhere except
around the “A” & “B” Buildings. SBG worked to buy new furniture for
the lounges, to paint the buildings every semester. SBG fought to estab-
lish free bus services between “L” “M” and “A” & “B” Buildings. More
buses will be added to the fleet. The most important fact is that we will
not need buses next year because all the classes will meet downtown.
Did T.W.C. care about the suffering studénts who paid about $7 a week
commuting? If so why did they buy private cars instead of buses with
our money? SBG is working to move the library to an entire floor of the
Uris Building. We are also working to improve the quality of instruction
in the College.

Day Care Center

SBG moved the Day Care Center out of a seedy firetap to the
“M” Building. We saved the Assosiation $15,000 by moving, we also
avoided going to court for Health Violations. It was criminal to have
left our children, as T.W.C. did, trapped in a rat infested slum. To add
insult to injury, T.W.C. was made to pay $15,000 to Slumlords for the
benefit of a health hazard. We invite you to see the new Day Care
Center. It is beautiful, it is near a park where our children play freely.
We now have teachers not babysitters.

Black and Puerto Rican Studies

The Tiger Paper has been making noise about Black Puerto Rican
Studies Programs. But Tigers that growl without biting do not win auton-
omy for these programs. They are like the circus tigers: beasts of enter-

dents? Will there be free tuition and financial aid to the Students? Will more minority
faculty and staff be employed?

The Students for Better Government (SBG) consider these questions as crucial.
Let us all struggle together to keep the doors of the new College open to our brothers
and@ sisters. Support your Student Government?! Support Students for Beter Govern-
ment (SBG)!!

tainment. These two Programs are now autonomous. It took lobbying, a lot
of legal work and real pressure to obtain the change of status. SBG
did not just talk, it fought to win. We are proud and humble about this.
Minority Employment

By the way, when will the Tiger address itself to the question of
minority employment in this College that is 809% Black and Puerto
Rican? All the Editors of the Tigers belong to two Departments ‘that
have refused to employ more Blacks and Puerto Ricans. Is there any
reason why they have kept this fact silent? Are they attacking minor
issues to divert our attention from this serious problem? ~ ;

‘Cuts In Financial Aid

You do not restore financial aid by noisemaking. It takes actions,
effective lobbying to bring back money taken away by the corrupt Nixon
Administration, SBG, has done a lot to restore cuts. We have also pro-
vided direct financial aid to needy students out of B.M.C.C. Association
Funds. T.W.C. never did this and the Tiger Paper which condones cor-
ruption never raised any objection to the wholesale embezzlement of stu-
dents funds.

Clubs and Money

More than 51 clubs are now chartered at B.M.C.C. Funds wefe
distributed equitably to all. The current Club budget matches penn, for
penny what T.W.C. spent for clubs last year. The difference today is that
all the clubs are chartered, they have registered members. There are
no clubs, as was the case during T.W.C. rule with one member enjoying
a budget of $5,000 used for private apartments and high-living.

Beware Soul Brothers and Sister

Every other minority group has used the educational services of City
University to advance. It is now the turn of African-Americans, Puerto
Ricans and other oppressed working class groups. We should not allow
the bleeding heart liberals ‘who hang the nigger from a low tree,” $25,000
a year ‘liberal’ professors — we refer to the editors of the Tiger —
to deny us this opportunity. We will not destroy this Colleg e— this is
what the Nixons and Rockefellers want. The Tiger might well be the
agents of monopoly capital in this College. The man works: in mysterious
ays. SBG will continue to fight to improve this College and this we
ill do without the control of those Liberals who want to lead Blacks
and Puerto Ricans.

Ww:
Ww
By SBG Publicity Task Force

Famine & Death In
West Afrirn

After five disastrous ‘years of de-
clining rainfall that culminated in
drought, desolation and death, the
tragedy of the sun-scorched region
of former French West Africa has
come to public attention. It is
a tragedy that could have been
avoided.

The region is losing its struggle
against the environment to maintain
self-sufficiency. Its fragile ecological
balance is being devastated by the
encroaching Sahara Desert at tho
Yate of thirty miles per year; the
livestock, on which the economy is
based, are dead or dying, and un-
known thousands of people have died

of starvation or diseases resulting
from malnutrition.

About 25 million people live in the
drought area, which covers six of
the world’s poorest and perhaps
least-known countries—Chad, ~Maii,
Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Up-
per Volta. Together they cover an
area in a semiarid zone south of the
Sahara the size of the continental
United States.

Large-scale death was averted in
1973. But the crisis demonstrated
that there was no _ international
mechanism for effectively respond-
ing to natural disasters when simple

(Continued on Page 4)


Page 4

THE SCORPION

April 3, 1974

Famine In W. Africa

(Continued from Page 3)
humanitarian considerations were
more immediate than those of po-
litical advantage.

Indeed, the international response
to the region’s needs offers a dis-
tressing example of the low premium
placed on life in black Africa, the
slowness of the United Nations in
mobilizing itself to respond to a
natural disaster and Washington’s
stinginess when there is no im-
mediate political gain in giving
sustenance to the “humanitarian”
aspects of United States foreign pol-
icy. Uncertainty now remains wheth-
er the international community will
find the political will to deal with
the region’s long-range rehabilita-
tion problems.

Unlike a flood or earthquake,
drought does not immediately cap-
ture the attention. Much of the pub-
lic awareness about he West African
crisis dissipated last fall when news-
papers reported that the crisis had
passed its peak with the monsoons’
arrival. Nothing could be further
from the truth. In October the sum-
mer rains ceased. What rain fell was
late and totally inadequate to over-
come the drought’s effect on crops
and cattle. Despite desperate at-
tempts to spare the crops, they with-
ered, necessitating a continued
emergency relief operation in 1974.

How extensive was the threat to
human life? Statistics are hard to
come by in such a desperately poor
region. Last month there were re-
ports that the drought took 50,000
lives in nearby Ethiopia. The coun-
tries. of West Africa said that six
million people faced starvation last
summer, but some aid experts said
that the figure was inflated. Shortly
afterward, the League of Red Cross
Societies estimated that perhaps 10
million nomads and farmers. could
starve in the near future.

As the drought came to public at-

tention, there were charges in Wash-
ington that the. affected countries
had not heeded disaster warnings
and had been slow in reacting. When
the governments recognized the
gravity of the situation, they did
seek outside help. Diplomats repre-
senting the affected counries in
Washington have said that the
United States was approached for
aid as early as September, 1972.
They were displeased by the recep-
tion given to their requests and then
by the size of aid shipments that
started arriving in early 1973.

However, the African’s major ap-
peal was to France, since they are
former French colonies, and the Eu-
ropean Economic Community, which
is tied economically to West Africa
through the Yaounde Convention, a
commercial treaty.

The United Nations assumed re-
sponsibility for coordinating the
global response to the drought. But
its Food and Agriculture Organiza-
tion did not treat the disaster as an
emergency until it was well-ad-
vanced, and it failed to marshal in-
ternational support at an early stage.

The F.A.O. was a poor choice to
coordinate the emergency relief be-
cause it had had little experience in
dealing with émergency operations.
Headquartered in Rome and primar-
ily a technical agency, it does not
have the managerial expertise neces-
sary for such an operation.

The organization had been work-
ing in West Africa since the brief
rainfalls in the late nineteen-sixties.
Yet when its own early-warning sys-
tem reported “‘an acute emergency”
in September, 1972, nothing signifi-
cant was done to mobilize the inter-
national community until February,

Ms. H. Calvert, Vice President, Student
Government Association (SBG) and Edi-
tor-in-Chief of the B.M.C.C, Press. She
has restored balance and dignity to the
College Newspaper,

1973. And a major appeal was not
made until May!

By the time of the appeal, the
United Nations agency’s mishandl-
ing of relief perations had so alien-
ated the major donors, especially
the United States and France, that
for_all practical purposes, the ap-
peal was an embarrassing failure.
The agency asked for $15 million in
a month; only $.6 million was
pledged.

Lacking confidence in the F.A.0.,
the major donors chose to give their
aid bilaterally — France via the
Common Market, and the United
States through the Agency for In-
ternational Development.

That agency, which usually sup-
plies 70 per cent of the world’s food
assistance under the Food for Peace
program, provided only about 42
per cent of the emergency food con-
tribution. By midsummer, the most
severe period of the famine, the
United States had contributed only.
156,000 metric tons of grain, and by.
October, 100,000 more metric tons
had been delivered, out of a total
625,000 donated by the international
community.

In addition, over $38.5 million was
given in cash and services by the
world community, of which the
United States share was $4.6 mil-
lion.

Could the United States have done
more? Last year, Washington gave
black Africa $307.5 million in aid, of
which West Africa received $11.9
million, mostly in food. The emerg-
ency drought-relief funds came from
a separate source, an Agency for
International Development contin-
gency fund that covers catastro-
phies. But in fiscal 1973 only half of
the fund was spent on disaster re-
lief. Among its grants were $10 mil-
lion for livestock research in the
Bahamas.

Under political pressure in the last
quarter of the fiscal year, the Agen-
ey for International Development
shipped $2 million from $10 million
in funds that had been set aside for
Nicaraguan relief and found another
$2.6 million in reserves for West
Africa.

In Congress, the black legislator
Charles C. Diggs Jr. argued that if
the United States committted $318
million to fight famine in Bangla-
desh, no less could be done to assist
26 million black Africans.

Last month, Mr. Diggs, working
with Senators Edward M. Kennedy
and Hubert H. Humphrey, won his
point. The new foreign aid bill con-
tains $25 million for continued emer-
gency relif and a $50-million sup-
plemental grant for a medium-term
recovery program.

IQ TESTS FOR BLACKS DEVELOPED
AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

The “BITCH” test (Black Intel-
ligence Test of Cultural Homogen-
eity), a 100-item multiple choice
vocabulary test on which blacks con-

~ sistently score higher than whites,

has been developed by Robert L.
Williams of the Washington Univer-
sity (St. Louis) Black Studies Pro-
gram. According to Williams, the
BITCH test is distinguished from
“culture fair” tests by being “cul-
ture specific,” ie., rigged for a par-
ticular cultural experience — urban
black American culture. Williams
comments about the test,

“Tt can be used to rule out persons

who haye been determined to be

mentally retarded or low IQ. Thus

a high score on the BITCH con-

tradicts a low score on the WISC

and the Benet . . . High scores

(above 80) indicate that if the

individual has the ability to learn

in his native environment, he can
learn in another. Another use of
the BITCH is as a measure of sen-
sitivity of whites to the black ex-
perience. Low-scoring whites show
very littleawareness and sensi-
tivity to the black experience.

These scores suggest that this

group of whites should not work

with black clients until they are
better exposed and more sensitive.

High scores. for whites indicate

that they have had some intimate

contact with blacks, most likely
but always in a_ nonexploitive
manner.

‘The BITCH presents a word or
phrase followed by four possible
synonyms. The student is to choose
the one most like the first word
listed. Five examples follow:

Alley apple: a) brick, b) piece of
fruit, c) dog, d) horse

Black draught: a) winter’s cold
wind, b) laxative, c) black soldier,
d) dark beer

Blood: a) a-vampire, b) a depend-
ent individual, ¢) an injured person,
d) a brother of color

Boogie jugie: a) tired, b) worth-
less, c) old, d) well put together

Boot: a) cotton farmer, b) black,
c) Indian, d) Vietnamese

The BITCH is offered with two
other tests: “Themes Concerning
Blacks,” a thematic projective test
of 15 pictures similar to the The-
matic Apperception Test (TAT) and
intended to elicit racial feelings; and
the “Williams Awareness Sentence
Completion” test, a 40-item test in-

SBG Story...

(Continued from Page 2)
give them a certain amount of re-
laxation. I know I can’t afford to
pay $2.00 an hour at pool rooms
around tin pan alley. Can you?

Speaking of money, SGA is also
exploring avenues of getting more
money for B.M.C.C. Students. We
are desperately trying to get on the
floor of the New York State Senate.
I is our hope that certain congress
persons whose names we cannot dis-
close at this time will schedule some
members of SGA to testify. The
congress persons will hopefully in-
troduce legislation that will get more
financial aid for our students. Hope-
fully congress will pass the legisla-
tion.

We now have free transportation
between up and Downtown Build-
ings. More buses will soon be added.
The “M” Building will close at the
end of the Semester and all classes
will be held downtown.

With your suggestions and sup-
port we can do more.

Thank you.

tended to reveal feelings of black
hate or pride by a semi-projective
technique similar to the Rotter Sen-
tence Completion test. The BITCH
is available for $10 per pack of 20
tests, the TCB for $20 per set of 15
cards, and the WASC for $3 per
pack of 20 tests from Dr. Robert L.
Williams, 7201 Creveling Dr., St.
Louis, Missouri 63130.

TIME FOR NEW DEAN

As the title suggests, the office
of the Dean of Student Life has spe-
cial and solemn responsibilities for
fighting for improvements in all
areas of the College that affect Stu-
dents. In a College like B.M.C.C.,
scattered all over mid-town Manhat-
tan, housed in sleezy slum buildings
and composed mostly of America’s
enslaved minority groups, this job
acquires a lot of significance. The
fact, however, is that the record of
this College in this sensitive and
highly paid position, has been less
than glorious. As a matter of fact,
the College has failed all of us on
this matter. In the past four years
we have had three Deans of Student.
One left abruply in 1972. His suc-
cessor resigned at the height of the
Spring 1973 offensive.

Search Committee

A Searih Committee was therefore
appointed by the President. Assign-
ment: get the College the best Dean
of Studen Life in he U.S.A. Profes-
sor H. Van Siikle was appointed
Chairperson of this Search Commit-
tee. It did not take long before she
was made acting Dean of Students,
It is almost one year since he Com-
mittee started searching. These
questions naturally arise:.For how
long will it take the Search Com-
mittee to find a Dean? We under-
stand thai over 200 applied for this
job. For how long will the Students
wait for their Dean? Do we have te
demonstrate, and strike to get ac-
tion?

2

America Your

EN.
Country?
America Your Country?

Your country? How. came _ it
yours? Before the Pilgrims landed
we were here. Here we have brought
our three gifts and mingled them
with yours: a gift of story and song
—soft, stirring melody in an_ill-
harmonized and unmelodious land;
the gift of sweat and brawn. to beat
back the wilderness, conquer the soil
and lay the foundations of this vast
economic empire .. . (and) a gift
of the Spirit. Around us the history
of the land has centered for thrice
hundred years.

... Actively we have woven our-
selves with the very warp and woof
of this nation—we have fought their
battles, shared their sorrow, mingled
our blood with theirs, and generation
after generations have pleaded with
a headstrong, careless people to de-
spise not Justice, Mercy and Truth,
lest the nation be smitten with a
curse. ... Would America have been
America without her Negro people?

—W. E. B. DuBois

THE SCORPION
134 West. 5Ist Street
New York, N.Y. 10020
Editors:
L.LAND H. CALVERT V. SANDY

J. BRANTLEY R. CHARLES
The Scorpion is published by the
Information Task Force of the Student
Government Association - Students for
Better Government (SBG).