Governor's veto closes door on troubl
By Durie C. Lewl
S"'D Reporter
DETROIT - A program
hich motiv te problem stu­
den to return to school ith
a 90 percent uccess rate, j
threatened with extinction be­
cause of a lack of funding.
Cal led the Learning
Ac demy for Acheivement,
and opera ted by the
Metropolitan Detroit Youth
Foundation, 600 high cbool
age youth passed through the
program ince it inception in
October of last year.
Micbigan Governor James
Slancbard vetoed Senate Bill
820 hich ould have
provided one miUion dollars
for the program to continue.
Without this money the pro­
gram will end this October,
according to Yo.uth Founda­
tion Executive Director Den­
nis Gib on.
Gib on stated tbe veto as
. for the wrong reason. He
aid Blanchard was under .the
imp res ion the program onl y
erved 300 youth, and dupli­
cated a similar progra. called
Operation Graduate.
GIBSO SAID THIS is
not the case, and Operation
Graduate erve children still
in school, while the Learning
Academy serves youth who
were suspended from chool.
The program entails a co t
of $1200 per student, accord­
ing to Gibson. He said
Blanchard has built over
twenty prisons; where it cost
$23,000 a year to incarcerate
an inmate. Gibson indicated, .
"The priorities are all mixed­
up and wrong."
Gibson said the program
was so successful last year,
Wayne County Executive Ed­
ard McNamara awarded the
project $400,000 to expand
into out-county high schools
and middle schools.
When a school principle is
considering suspending a stu­
dent whom he feels has some
type of potential, a meeting
will be convened between the
pnnciple, the student, and the
parents recommending the
center.
There are six learning
centers located in Detroit,
operated by a staff of 25 coun­
elors and teachers.
FIFTY TO SIXTY stu­
dents attend each center for a
ten' wee period, and are then
returned to their respective
cbools.
The center staff helps to
motivate the students and
teache them self-esteem.
Gibson noted motivation and
self-esteem are not taught in
the public schools.
Center staff members go to
the public schools to obtain
t in suspension.
Gibson sai it is important,
youngsters ali kept in school,
specifically Back youngsters.
He said the I rge number of
Blac s out of school i
suicidal. "No ne is up in arms
.about it," said ibson, "To kilJ
this program i only adding to
t e suicidal d privation of the
students."
I GIBSON AID he and 'hi
staff have in tiated a letter­
�riling campa gn, and will try
to contact st te offici I to
rectify th situation.
Detroit grads earn engineering schol rsh ps
By Derrick C. Le I
SIII// Reporter
DETROIT - Amid all the
cloudy publicity Detroit youth
have received, two students
shine thru like a beacon of
light.
During : a luncheon al
Wayne State Unive it
Thursday, September 6, Mon­
santo Chemical Company and
Detroi t Urban League repre­
sentatives announced the win-
ners of � the 1990
Monsanto/Detroit Urban
League Scholarship for
Detroit-area minority en­
gineering students.
Lynnelle Harp, 18, and
Sharron Hunt, 18, are the
recipient of a $40,000 grant.
made available by Monsanto
Fund, which is the
philanthropic branch of the
company. The scholarship
entails mentors for the stu­
dent , provided by Urban
. League staff
Monsanto will also provide
summer employment to the
, tudents, ·so they can apply
knowledge acquired in the
cl room to actual engineer­
ing applications.
THE STUDE TS ILL
attend Wayne State
Univer ity's College of En­
gineering. on anto chose
Way State for the program
becau of "its olid commit­
ment to minority tudents ..
bo compri e 22 percent of
the tudent body, and strong
guidance counseling pro­
gram."
Wayne St re Pre ident
David Adamany said.
"Programs such as tbis one
that addre promi tng stu-
area
dents personal and profes­
sional growth, as well a their
financial concerns, can be a
positive influence."
The program is now in i is
econd year. Katrina Harris,
19, of Detroit, d Dwi ht
Jenning , 23: of In ter were
me scholarship recipients last
year. Both ere in attendance
at tbe luncheon, and are repor­
tedly doing very ell at
Wayne.
"Not only have I gained ex­
posure to the corporate world
and experience 'in engineer­
ing, my m ntor and intern su­
pervisor have helped me out
personally, li e giving me ad-
vice onho to work with -
people tbat come from back­
grounds different from my
own; aid Harri .
The studen ere selected
for the scholarship b ed on
cademic achievement, finan­
cial need, character, and
leadership abilities.
t create P mising con­
tr butors to 0 troit indu try.
wile also nu turing re pon-
. ible, futur community
leaders. We' very plea ed
to be involved ith the Detroit
yrban Leagu and Wa�ne
SU Up'v
can pa I divi n to.
today's youth, local rndu try,
and the co muni ty a a
whole," aid on nto Fund
President John Mason. '
Harp plans n becomi ng an
indu trial engi eer. She is a
graduate of edford High
School, where he was a mem­
ber of the N tional Honor
Society, and worked on
Redford's ne paper staff
and commencement commit­
tee.
Harp al 0 worked as a e­
search apprenuce at the
icbigan ca er Foundation.
Her participation in the
Detroit Pre-COllege Manufac­
turing Engineering Program at
the University of Michigan,
Dearborn; lead her to pursue
an engineering' career.
A)) she could say about the
scholarship wa that sh ap­
preciated Monsanto, the
Urban League, nd Wayne
State for it.
Hunt, who wa not in uen­
dance at the luncheon,
graduated from Renaissance
High School, and ha been �t­
tending ·Wayne State ince
January 1990. She i chemi­
cal engineering major, �ith
int rests in journalism, dance,
and music. She ha received
award from the Mich g n
Youth .ArU Festival for ri­
ing, and the Michigan SchOOl
Band and Orche tra A oci­
tion.
MICHIGA
pAG J
National Vo er Registration
Week, Septern er 21-28, 1990,
is the focus 0 the League of
Women VOl r . Local
Leagues throughout the
country have targeted Satur­
day, September 22, as N tiona I
Voter Registration Day aiming
to register many of the 50 mil­
lion eligible citizens who
remain unregistered..
The nonpartisan vot r
registration campaign coor­
dinated by the League is up­
ported by public offici Is,
many government organiz -
tion , and busines e : i.e. a-
tional Retail Federation.
S f:way, and ai-Mart store
•• _ Pr I ation pr claim-
ing Michigan Voter Rcgi tr -
lion Week ha b en igned v
Gov rnor Jame Blanchard a
reque led by the Le gu 0
Worn n Voter of Michigan.
Local Leagues will provide
nonparti an Voter Guide
o U ing on local candidate
and local i tie. The ta te
candidates ecking tate nd
Uni ted State offices.
VOT R GUIDE WI L
be available in public librarie ,
and in local government and
to n hip of ice . Some Vot r
Guide' will be pUbti hed in
local new paper.
For further information on
how and where to regi ter to
vote call th ta te League of­
fice of the League .of Women
Voters of Michigan at 1-800-
292-5823.
AACP
Radiothon set
The Yp iJanti-Willow Run
Branch and the Univer i ty 0
Michigan Chapter of th
NAACP will conduct it an­
nual Radiothon Memb r hi p
Drive, S turday, Septernb r
22,.)2 noon to p.m., W.C.M.
990 on the a.m. dial, at ) 7
orth Huron Yp i lanti.
The program wi II consi I I
interview, entertainment and
eel briues. aid r a m z c r
R ymond G. Mullin.
. Call (3J3)48 -75�5 or In­
formation or -to join lh
NAACP.
