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INSIDE MOREHOUSE, MAY 2011 Inside Morehouse is about the people who make up the Morehouse College community. To tell those stories, WE NEED YOU to send us your ideas, comments and thoughts, along with your news, information about your new books or publications and your commentary for sections like My Word. To send us your information, contact Inside Morehouse Editor Add Seymour Jr. at aseymour@morehouse.edu For more up-to-the minute information about academic departments, adminsitra- tion, athletics, registration, financial aid, as well as the people and activities at Morehouse College, go to www.morehouse.edu Inside MOREHOUSE Director of Public Relations Toni O'Neal Mosley tmosley@morehouse.edu Executive Editor Vickie G. Hampton vhampton@morehouse.edu Editor Add Seymour Jr. aseymour@morehouse.edu Calendar Editor Julie Pinkney Tongue jtongue@morehouse.edu Photographers Philip McCullom Add Seymour Jr. Graphic Design Glennon Design Web Services Vince Baskerville Hana Chelikowsky Kara Walker Administrative Assistant Minnie L. Jackson Inside Morehouse is published during the academic year by Morehouse College, Office of Communications, Office of Institutional Advancement. Opinions expressed in Inside Morehouse are those of the authors, not necessarily of the College. MY WORD RITE OF PASSAGE 'They transform from Men of Morehouse and become Morehouse Men and join the ranks of brothers who completed the journey before them' By DAMON PHILLIPS 96 T here have always been rit uals that signify a transi tion from one stage in life to another. Nearly all societies recognize and often hold cere monies to celebrate this change. These ceremonies help people understand their new roles in society and serve as examples of how people should be treated. These rites of passage contain three main phases: separation, transition, and incorporation. During separation, young people are taken away from their familiar environment and former role, forcing them to adopt a very different, and sometimes foreign, routine they must become familiar with. Here at Morehouse, that phase is represented by our successful New Student Orientation. The transition phase is the time that these budding leaders learn the appropriate behavior for the new stage they are entering. This is the time when they learn and grow and pre pare to be an independent adult in the real world. Each day, our students do this through matriculation. The last phase, incorpora tion, takes place when the par ticipant formally begins their new role. This month, we cele brate this phase with graduation. In our Morehouse commu nity, we further celebrate the transition of our students as they join the ranks of 15,000 living alumni around the world. Students go from being men of Morehouse to Morehouse Men, joining the ranks of brothers who com pleted the journey before them. Fittingly, the College’s com memoration of this point in their lives is our Rite of Passage - the culmination of hours, dollars and wisdom invested by family, friends, alumni and staff, all focused on the success of the student. The Rite of Passage is the introduction to the world of a new Morehouse alumnus who is ready to embrace all the rights, responsibilities, expecta tions and privileges that accompany such a title. On that day, the institution cele brates the maturation of young men who are now charged with changing the classrooms, courtrooms, churches and communities around them. Howard Thurman, valedic torian of the Morehouse class of 1923, once said, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive.” The Rite of Passage cele brates new Morehouse Men coming alive. ■ Damon Phillips ’96 is the associ ate director of Alumni Relations, Annual Giving Programs and Special Events. 'It is never just about us, it is bigger than us' By LYDIA A. WOODS I stood in Hurt Park five years ago, nervous and excited. It was my first 5K road race, the Downtown Dash for Diabetes. I was new to running. But I have type II diabetes and my donation would go to a good cause. You never realize how hilly downtown Atlanta is until you have to run it. I was worn out by the time I reached the top of a hill and turned a corner. In the end, I was discour aged with my performance and time. After the race, my husband asked if I was staying for the awards ceremony. Tired and frustrated, I said, “Why would I stay for some award that I’m not going to win.” He said, I think maybe you may have won something, because I was watching the finish and I didn’t see many women in your age group come across the finish line.” But then I heard the announcer say, “Lydia Woods, third place with a time of 36 minutes.” Shocked, I shook my head. I felt like an ant as I walked back toward my hus band holding my award. Then I heard the small still voice ot the Lord. He said softly to me, “Keep running, do your best, be encour aged, I am with you.” That was March 2006, and by the end of that year, I had won 105 medals, a gold medal at the USA Masters Track & Field Championships and had set an American record in the 4x100 relay with my Atlanta Track Club teammates. In 2010,1 taught two walking/jogging classes at Morehouse and invited my stu dents (and offered extra credit) to partici pate in the 2010 Downtown Dash for Diabetes. Only three students took the offer, yet all three won medals in their age cate gories, as well as myself. As we posed for a photo, I heard the voice of the Lord speak to me again: “You see, this thing is bigger than you.” I then realized that for next year, I would make it a requirement for all my activity classes. So at the beginning of this semester, I told my students we would be competing in the 2011 Downtown Dash for Diabetes 5K as a course requirement. Jonathan Howard stayed after class to tell me that his Spelman sister, Adrienne Bauduit, passed from diabetes in January. I decided my classes would raise money in Adrienne’s memory. We could pos sibly win the team plaque and send it to her mom and raise money for a good cause. How proud I am of the three students in the 20- to 24-year-old age group who won medals by finishing first, second and third place, as well as the student who fin ished second in the 15- to 19-year-old age group. What a special day for my students. We all can be used to make a difference in the lives of others. Adrienne Bauduit has made a difference in my life and many others. As we focus our energies together, we can make a difference in our communities and the world. More than 100 of my students donated $2,105 to the Diabetes Association of Atlanta in Adrienne’s memory. What will Morehouse students be able to accomplish next year? March 19 was a proud day for me at Hurt Park as I saw so many Morehouse students preparing to run that 5K. I reflected on my first race as we posed for the picture that I would send to Adrienne’s mom. It is never just about us, it is bigger than us. I could not have foreseen this future from that day in 2006. ■ Lydia Woods is an assistant professor in the department of Kinesiology, Sports Studies and Physical Education. Lydia Woods (sixth from right) with Morehouse physical education students at the 2011 Downtown Dash for Diabetes