Newspaper Page Text
18 MAY, 1968
The Panther
Tuskegee Students Move On Up That Time Again
(ANS) April 15, 1968—On
April 7th, Tuskegee students
captured and held 11 members
of their Board of Trustees along
with Tuskegee President Luther
Foster in the campus guest
house, Dorothy Hall, until the
campus was threatened with
violence from the Alabama Na
tional Guard. The threat was
delivered by colored sheriff,
Lucius Amerson.
Within the past months, Tus
kegee Institute, the citadel of
Booker T. Washingtonism has
been the scene of student pro
test. The action has attempted
to increase academic freedom
for black students along with
making the university program
more meaningful to black stu
dents in the liberation struggle.
As is characteristic of most
black universities, controlled by
uninterested white trustees and
their “tom” administrators, the
cries of reform from the stu
dents have gone unheeded while
student repression and intimi
dation has gained momentum.
Last February, the admin
istration, acting against the re
quest of students, allowed the
U.S. State Dept, to appear on
campus. To protest this action,
students covered their heads
with brown paper bags, came
into the auditorium and pelted
the State Dept, officials with
eggs. A single student, Michael
Wright, was singled out as the
culprit and was threatened with
expulsion. Student support of
Brother Michael, however, re
duced his sentence to social
probation.
Less than 2 weeks later, the
school administration cracked
down again. Acting on a rumor
that Rap Brown was asked by
several students to speak at the
university, the school quickly
passed a school speaker policy,
which required administrative
approval and notification at
least 2 weeks before a speaker
was scheduled. They then used
this new rule to charge the five
students whom they singled out
as responsible for Rap’s’ invita
tion with breach of university
policy. These students were
placed on social and disciplin
ary probate.
As a result of the obvious
frame-up a rally was held on
Tuskegee’s campus which pre
sented a 12-point mandate from
the students. Issues in the man
date ranged from abolishing
compulsory ROTC to longer
curfew hours.
While all this was going on
at the liberal arts level, the stu
dents in the Engineering school
were getting themselves to
gether. Grievances against cur
riculum and faculty in this
school had become so great
that students needed to take
drastic action to relieve their
situation. So they did. Two hun
dred-fifty strong, they captured
the entire school of engineering
in early April, threw out all of
the faculty, locked up the build
ing and rewired it so that the
school couldn’t cut off the elec
trical power and held the build
ing until April 7th.
When the Trustees came to
Tuskegee, the campus was a
hot bed of discontent. Protest
after protest had failed to
yield anything but punishment
from the administration. A
measure of student frustration
is given by the fact that nearly
every member of Tuskegee’s
student body supported the ac
tion around the Trustees.
The reason for detaining
them was clear. Trustees are
official policy makers of the
university. They are responsible
for curriculum and administra
tive changes in the university,
given the lack of responsibility
among the college administra
tion. Students had made their
grievances known to the ad
ministration and had been ig
nored. This time they weren’t
going to be put off. A 22 page
paper was prepared for the
Trustees and presented to
them by a 20-member steering
committee. They were asked to
make a decision on student
proposals within 4 hours. When
the Trustees said they wouldn’t
have enough time to consider
the entire proposal, the stu
dents made time for them by
locking them in the guest
house. Now they wouldn’t be
disturbed and could take as
much time as they needed to
consider the student proposals.
It was at this time that Pres.
Foster declared law and order
out of hand and closed the
school. He also appealed for
help from Sheriff Amerson. The
order for mobilization of the
National Guard was issued
from Lurleen’s office. As the
National Guard rolled in with
in one mile of the campus, the
students, fearing a mass out
break of violence from the
hunkies, agreed to let the
Trustees go, provided Pres.
Foster promised to keep the
Guard off campus. Foster
agreed and the Trustees were
freed. The students vacated
Dorothy Hall just before the
National Guard appeared. Ac
cording to sources, the Presi
dent tried to keep the soldiers
off the campus but they ignor
ed his request and moved on
the campus. They searched
Dorothy Hall and the School
of Engineering. They wanted to
search the dormitories and re
move the students but the Pres
ident persuaded the mto “cool
it.” The Guard remained on
campus for two hours before it
was finally withdrawn.
The next day Pres. Foster
announced that all students
would have to individually ap
ply for re-admission to the
school. This move meant the
axe to all students considered
militant by the school admin
istration.
On the 11 th of April sev
eral Tuskegee students dubbed
as radicals receive notice from
the school that they were per-
sonna non grata — no longer
part of Tuskegee. In other
words they were kicked out,
without redress.
Warrants have been issued
for the arrest of several mili
tant students, how many is at
this time undetermined. It is
known that two students, Mike
Wright and Leon Kennedy
were arrested on Thursday
night and charged with dis
turbing the peace. They were
tricked into their arrest by
Sheriff Amerson who spoke to
them on the phone and told
them to come immediately to
the jail. He did not inform
them that warrants for their
arrest had been issued until
they appeared at the jail. Then
he captured them and threw
them in jail. They were finally
released on bond Saturday.
April 13th.
Eight Hours Sleep In Three Hours
By Omega Gail Tucker
Several research teams across
the country are currently prob
ing the effects of electrosleep
on volunteers and medical pa
tients. But a calm, restful slum
ber is not the only benefit cited
for the instrument. Iron Cur
tain countries have used it as a
medical tool for almost five
years.
Electrosleep, they claim, can
condense eight hours of restful
sleep into two hours or less.
If this is true, days of wakeful
ness could be added to a per
son’s week, years to a lifetime.
There have been hints that the
Russian cosmonauts employed
electrosleep to get a refreshing
nap while orbiting.
The sleep machine, as it is
sometimes called, is a simple
instrument from which wires
lead to a rubber mask that is
placed on the head. Gauze
pads soaked in salt water carry
the small current of electrcity
from the electrodes in the mask
to the back of the head and
eyelids, thus, causing complete
release of tension and relaxa
tion. They further report the
machine can aid or cure pa
tients of some mental disorders,
rheumatism, asthma, and in
somnia. Many patients stricken
with cerebral palsy, multiple
sclerosis, and paraplegia were
said to have improved greatly,
their muscle spasms being elim
inated or reduced.
Extensive research with the
instrument has been carried
out by Dr. Bernard Post, a
specialist in physical rehabilita
tion who has used it on over
300 people, many plagued with
muscle tension and spasticity.
Dr. Charles Short of Baylor
University's medical school, re
ports he has used the electro
sleep machine to anesthetize
horses and cows deeply enough
for kindney transplant surgery.
At New York Medical College,
Dr. Bernard Straus treated 34
chronic insomniacs with the
electrosleep machine. An as
sistant stated flatly that the in
strument was as effective as
phenobarbital in putting the
volunteers to sleep. More cau
tiously, Dr. Straus states that
the instrument had efficiency in
inducing sleep, but said more
research is needed. The Na
tional Aeronautics and Space
Administration is funding elec
trosleep research.
OFF CAMPUS
STUDENTS!
Pick Up Your |
$ Campus Packs s
| in Mr. Hakeem's X
\ Office. I
By Ronald Coleman
Yes, fellow Clarkites, it’s that time again. Old sol is readily
in bloom, nights are warmer, days are longer and everyone is
getting ready.
Why? For combat. Spring fever is most contagious now and
everyone is most susceptible to contracting it this time of year.
Many will and are dropping like flies.
The clues are quite evident, just look about you. People carrous-
ing about lazily, looming in and about doorways “wrapping and
punching”, books put aside in a neat but steep pile for later
night’s action, but most evident are the after-dinner Romeos and
Juliets. For those guys and gals who have not been bitten yet, you
will be, especially in respect to the post—cuisine cassanovas. Get
something together one way or another before the bug hits be
cause “Sue Mae” is really latching.
For the guys who decide to suddenly wine and dine Sue Mae ,
you had better hurry and do so and take care of business because
this is also the prime time of JODIE, who will politely flutter in
like a butterfly and sting like a bee, putting the kill on your Sue
Mae”.
But while making your moves, people, be cool about it. The
word is also out that many minds are running swiftly on the
thoughts of a new love, due to some major phase of the moon
these past warm nights. Conversations are running down on the
characteristics of their “new loves”. The fever has caused many
to confess, however, that no one is altogether lovable.
A love that is worth talking about must include forbearance,
tolerance, and forgiveness.
One underclassman believes her relationship did not ripen until
two “bears” entered her dormitory: “to forbear each other in
love and to forbear one another’s faults”. She said, “they needed
this forbearance because of the imperfections between themselves.
With that, they could realize that love was miraculous rather than
magical”.
As you can readily see, the “raps and philosophies” are starting,
so if you plan to take any defensive immunization shots, now is
the time to prepare; for it’s that time again.
ABOUT US
By Ronald Coleman
These past few weeks, 1 have encountered several situations
which have enriched my thoughts and dire concerns. This has
made me very proud of the new black man and of his heritage.
Our new black man can now be trusted, and he can be relied
upon to deliver both the goods and quality service in a given
situation. He now makes a mockery of the age-old image of the
distrusted Negro. Even though his background is the same, his
actions are altogether opposite.
I feel that this is a positive sign of his definite personal change.
Yes, a change has most definitely taken place. A change which
can not and will not be overlooked by anyone. This is his trans
formation of character.
It has caused the misinformed whiteman to see still another
side of the blackman and has given him additional material upon
which he can attempt to “rap”. The only saddening thing about
this change is that it is one change that some of us may not be able
to cope with, so, since we all cannot possibly hang, we all will
not make it.
However, we are not at fault. The Negro that the whiteman
created to his personal liking has taunted him. This is his own
fault. It was his idea to deprive us both socially and economically.
With such deprivation, it took such a strong people, as ourselves,
to endure. Yet somehow, through all of this, some of us were still
taught the value of character.
It cannot be disputed that surely our environments would, and
could afford us the character building influence needed. Now that
we have begun a definite change of attitude and character, we
can project our new image. The New Blackman will be a man who
is both respected and looked upon as a man of trust.
That is why I feel this strong conviction that from this time
henceforth, the whiteman, and anyone else, will have to look else
where for his traditional scapegoat. From now on, in every oppor
tunity that arises, I feel we will show the fruits of our new character
and thereby illuminate the prowess of the new blackman.
With this, the world will know the quality that effervesces in the
blood of us — the Negro people. So brothers and sisters . . . Stay
soulful.
And Then You Came
Once my life was full of grief
And then you came bringing blistful relief
Once my thoughts were only of heartbreak and pain
And then you came bringing sunshine again
Once I only had empty arms
And then you came with loving arms
Once my heart was in search for love
And then you came straight from heaven above!
Once my whole world was sad and gray
And then you came bringing happiness for each day.
By Desdimonia M. Jones