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THE PANTHER- APRIL,197? Page2
LETTER FROM
THE EDITOR
Dear Clarkites:
For some time there
has been a need for a news
service designed especial
ly for Clark College in
terested in increasing
school, community, natio
nal and international co
verage and non-local fea
tures. The PANTHER is now
involved in an all out cam
paign to become that news
service, being relevant in
terms of the materials we
publish.
In general, our news is of
Clark and the community,
But I feel that there is a
need to expand our coverage
to those issues not so often
reported, the grass roots is
sues. These issues are al
ways alive in our communi
ty--welfare, the prisons,
independent Black politics,
drugs, police brutality and
liberation movements and
nation- building in Africa
and the Third World.
Emphasizing quality and
variety with a massive and
consistant direction. I hope
this effort can be success
ful and am requesting your
help in two ways. First,
you can help by supplying
us with much of the imoor-
tant news of the school and
community ordinarily unre
ported. And econdly, you
might want to even submit
poems, pictures, jokes,
features, and many other
materials that would help
the PANTHER in becoming
more constructive and
Clark more unified.
There is also still a need
of having a more consis
tant staff, so anyone wish
ing to become a member
please contact myself or
any of th$ members im
mediately. ,
Yours in the Struggle,
Frank W. Johnson Jr.,
Editor Clark College
PANTHER
CONTINUED PROBLEMS
IN LIBRARY
The social gathering of
students has continued in
Clark’s library. Students
are, constantly eating, talk
ing, and lounging in the li
brary. The opening of the
recreation center, plead
ing of Mrs. Barnes, and
President Henderson have
not ceased the misuage of
the library by students.
Students should learn to
utilize their time and the
facilities in the library.
Instead of socializing, each
student should discover vis
ual room, which is located
downstairs in the library,
has numerous new addi
tions. Cassettes, maps, mi
crofilms, records, regu
lar tapes, and slides are
some of the new materials.
Purchase of these new ma
terials were made possible
through government grants.
The large microfilm collec
tion, however, was a gift
from the Schomburg collec
tion in New York. All of
these materials pertain to
the black race. The usage
of some funds, also, aided
in the purchase of a 16mm
movie projector filmstrip
projector, and two record
players.
Students will not have a
problem in understanding
how to use these materials,
because an individual will be
working in the audio visual
area. The responsibility of
this person is to aid those
seeking help, and care for
the materials. Some stu
dents have not noticed the
many new books the library
has acquired, also. The Ne
gro Collection has benefit
ed the most contributions
of new books.
Mrs. Barnes, the libra
rian, is excited about the
additions to the audio vis
ual room. “Some students
and other library borrow
ers have found this collec
tion to be most valuable,
to them. It is the hope of
the library staff that stu
dents, and the faculty staff
will avail themselves of the
materials in this collec
tion,” she said.
New materials are con
stantly being added to the
library for. the benefit of
students and others. Every
student should explore and
realize these materials that
are educational to them.
With the utilization of the
audio visual room, the new
books to the library, in the
library can be terminated.
Clark C
Editor
THE PANTHER —
ollege Atlanta, Georgia
Frank W. Johnson, Jr.
Asst. Editor.
Cartoonist. .
Advisor ■ • ■
Betty McNair, Peggy Durah, A. Hawk
Staff Bill Grant, Tethal White, Barbara Massenburg,
Ronald Haynes
Photo g-wher
Ronald Haynes
WAS TRINITY AT FAULT?
We believe Marc Law
son’s assessment at Clark’s
student government asso
ciation is quite accurate.
Recently the developer of
our Trinity government re
vealed to us that his unpre
cedented structure is a
“failure.”
There is a basic reason
why Trinity is a “failure.”
Contrary to what many of
us have been told, we don’t
completely believe Trinity
was developed because our
present leaders recognized
the existence of a social
problem - - apathy, and felt
that the only way to affect
a change was through sudden
radical innovation.
Basically, we think Marc
nutured a desired to change
many things at Clark as a
letter of students. But we
don’t believe our other
leaders held such strong
views pretaining to effect
ing change at Clark as Marc
did.
Trinity is Marc Lawson’s
plan. He designed it in such
a way that he could fulfill
a dream that he has reli
shed for a long time--gett
ing rid of the apathy on cam
pus by becoming Clark’s
student government head.
Marc developed a program
so that he could play a ma
jor role in government at
Clark, even though certain
circumstances work
ed against him.
Marc’s plan was to at
tach two kinds of individuals
to his program-Bruce Mer
chant, a charismatic junior
psychology major, and Ro
nald Jones, an unknown yet
straight - forward senior
business major. With such
individuals beside him,
Marc believed that he could
still do what he wanted to
do even though he had to
share power.
The major flaw in Marc’s
thinking was he overes
timated students. Undoubte
dly, he believed that because
of his painstaking planning,
and Trinity’s win over their
conservative opponent last
spring, that students would
readily respond to the Tri
nity. Marc overlooked the
people he was doing with
students whose attitudes
toward participation is ne
gative.
Marc hadn’t realized that
the individuals he thought
that he could depend upon
feared that the Trinity plan
would not work. Thus fear
became a deterrent to those
who, convinced of the ne
cessity for a big change in
our government last spring,
shunned the responsibility
of promoting Trinity with
the rationalization, “It won’t
work.”
The point being made in
this editorial pertains to a
real fact that students here
have been plaqued by lea
ders who in one instance
wanted to fulfill a dream
and in another wanted the
so-called prestige of being
referred to as a leader in
Clark’s student govern
ment.
Such a situation is piti
ful, and The Panther urges
Clarkites to seriously ana
lyze the motives of future
candidates before casting
vote for them.
PENETRATING
APATHY ON
CAMPUS
Bill Grant
We seem to be a sepa
rate people here, not only
in the supposedly U. S. A.
but within this institution.
Why?
Because we all have
throught to ourselves, no-
one cares about anything’
so we sit back and watch
each other, wondering why
doesn’t somebody contri
bute something to get things
rolling so to speak.
I fell into that bag at the
beginning of the first se
mester, (becoming apathe
tic) and I realized I was
wrong. So I want to relay
the message to you brothers
and sisters on and around
the campus.
The real answer to bore
dom and not becoming apa
thetic is to get involved
and do your thing as far as
the educational process of
learning is concerned here.
Introduce your discoveries
to others and if by chance
some students become in
terested, then it becomes
that much more fascinating
to learn about the things
in which you would like.
Incidentally, I have in
terviewed quite a few priso
ners at Beauford Prison in
Atlanta, (actually about 50
miles outside the city and
if any studnets are interest
ed in hearing the tape, I
would be more than glad to
accommodate you by allow
ing you to do so.
I must say, the prison
ers were overwhelmed to
relate to someone from the
free world, as they des
cribe it and so ol’ve de
cided to organize a group
“Rap” session within this
institution to show them
that someone from the free
world really cares.
RESIGNATION
As Editor of the Pan
ther I am submitting my
letter of resignation
which will go to into ef
fect as of April 15.
Reasons are because
of the general lack of
cooperation from the
Student Body and a lack
of support. I deeply re
gret having to resign, be
cause of this reason but
I can no longer write,
edite, and publish a
paper with no support
whatsoever. However, I
wish to thank everyone
who has helped me put
together this issue and
previous issues.
Sincerely,
Frank W. Johnson, Jr.
SUGGESTIONS
THE PANTHER staff
would like to encourage all
Panther readers to feel
■free to comment on the news
paper, and make sugges
tions concerning campus
situations. Suggestion boxes
will be placed, in the library,
student lounge, and THE
PANTHER’S DEN (barter-
known as the EEC').
Multi-Million
Dollar Campaign
A capital campaign for
Clark College appears to be
a good thing. We hope that
the decisions, connections
and commitments college
officials have made and will
make won’t affect the col
lege’s “historic mission of
educating black men and wo
men for careers in leader
ship.”
We think college officials
made a wise move in es
tablishing a top priority to
expand three programs
where highly qualified black
men and women are vitally
needed to help increase the
present small numbers of
blacks who help perform the
important functions in the
health professions, mass
communications and public
pol cy in this nation.
Besides this, there is an
increasing national need
for more individuals in all
of these areas, simply be
cause people and the factors
contributing to peace and
happiness are becoming
more technical and compli
cated things to deal with
everyday.
The Panther staff sym
pathizes with students; who
have loudly voiced their
wishes for the college to
build additional dormito
ries and other convenient
facilities for students. But
we hope our mature black
brothers and sisters can
readily see the advantages
of implementing and ex
panding programs which
are badly needed by our peo
ple and this nation.