It was Benjamin Mays who best described what Tuskegee meant to me when he said, “A college must be judged not only be excellent teachers, but by the spirit and philosophy which permeate it from top to bottom.”
“The Best College” report on the Internet said that current students at Tuskegee believe that the college is “totally lacking in distractions for students.” Translation: “There is nothing to do on weekends.”
Let me set the record straight. I can say to these students that they are missing the fun which we knew. Those were the days it did not take glitter and night lights to give us pleasure. We pooled our pennies and nickels — few students had dimes, quarters and dollars — and called downtown to order half a barbecued chicken to be delivered to our door for 50 cents. We registered for eighteen to twenty-two units each quarter. We had jobs for four-to-five hours a day on campus. We studied during the required study hours — which began at dark because we were not permitted outside during week nights. We enjoyed the privilege of being on campus, and we thought it was irresponsible and dishonorable not to graduate in four years or less.
On weekends, we rewarded ourselves. Friday evenings, we dated a little. Women played bid whist in their residence halls. We were treated to cultural activities on Saturday evening, usually followed by dancing in the basement of the dining hall. Surreptitiously, we competed to see who was most original in performing the “hully gully,” similar to this generation’s “electric slide.”
