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4>Clark College
hP ANTHER
VOL. XXXvn NO. 5 CLARK COLLEGE
FEBRUARY 1974
Henderson 'Roasted’ Wiih Honors At Ceremony
President Henderson holding plaques; shown Imre from
1 to r) is his wife, Anna Henderson; Andrews Stevens,
a Clark senior; and Henderson’s oldest brother, James J.
Henderson.
By CAROLYN M. WADE
Students, faculty mem
bers, and school adminis
trators filled Clark Col
lege’s Davage Auditorium,
Jan. 24, in an effort to show
their love and admiration
for their president, Dr. Vi
vian W. Henderson. “Dr.
Henderson, We Love You
Madly Day,” which moved
the president to a display
of tears, was a great suc
cess through the organiza
tion of the Clark College
Student government As
sociation.
After arriving a little
late, Henderson was given
a standing ovation by the
audience of 600 who came
to witness his “roast” It
was an opportunity for many
of his friends and co-wor
kers to express their feel
ings for him.
Edward Brantley, presi
dent of Knoxville College
and friend of Henderson had
many praises for his collea
gues.
“The characteristic about
Henderson which first im
pressed me was his sincere
and deep appreciation for the
Community Observes
King’s Birthday
BY RONALD HARRIS
Awards, music, and spee
ches set the pace for the
rally commemorat
ing the 45th birthday an
niversary of slain civil rights
leader Rev. Martin Luther
King, Jan. 15 at the Atlanta
Municipal Auditorium.
Congressman Andrew
Young moderated the pro
gram which was sponsored
by the Martin Luther King,
Jr. Center for Social Change.
Such dignitaries as Dr.
Benjamin E. Mays, presi
dent of the Atlanta Board
of Education, Congressman
Julian Bond, and former At
lanta Mayor Allen,pas
sed out various awards and
spoke on the life and aspi
rations of Dr. King.
Speaking to a crowd of
about 5,000, Young challen
ged audience to “do some
thing new, make nonvio
lence a part of you,” which
was also the theme of this
years anniversary celebra
tion.
Music was an integral part
of the community rally. Liz
Spraggins, an Atlanta based
sonstress, the Bill Odum
Band, Morehouse College
Glee Club Quartet, the Thur
mond Specials, and the 45th
Anniversary Celebration-
Concert Band entertained
the audience with a variety
of music forms, ranging
from contemporary to gos
pel.
Mrs. Coretta Scott King,
wife of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr., was forced to
leave the rally early due
to a previous engagement,
but not before saying a few
words to the audience after
receiving a standing ovation.
“I want to thank you for
this • wonderful turn out in
honor of my husband,” Mrs.
King said, “I love you.”
Two students, Tina Pea
cock of Murphy High School
and Mike Fisher of Atlanta
University, attracted much
attention with their orations
on the life of Dr. King.
Fisher, representing the
Atlanta University Center,
said Black people must de
mand new leadership, “ Lea
dership that will totally
dismantle racism in Ame
rica.”
individual,” Brantley said.
“He is a man deeply and
profoundly interested in the
individual, ’ ’ Brantley said.
Dr. Albert Manley, presi
dent of Spelman College, was
also on hand for the cere
monies.
“Dr. Henderson has al
ways excelled in what he
tried to do,” Manly said.
Manly was Dean of Aca
demic Affairs at North Caro
lina College when Hender
son was a student there.
“Vivian was not the ea
siest student to get along
with at North Carolina Col
lege,” Manly said.
Many more praises of
Henderson were forthcom
ing out the true nature of
a “roast” was not be denied.
Herman Long, president of
Talladega College was one
of first to begin the friendly
verbal onslaught.
“I didn’t come to praise
Caesar, I really came to
roast him,” Long said.
“Now I have a chance to
get even.”
“We have become not
only associates but very
good friends,’’Long said
of his relationship with Hen
derson. “Sometimes I’ve re
gretted it and sometimes
I’ve been thankful.”
There was a surprise vi
sit by Henderson’s eldest
brother, J. J. Henderson,
who reminisced over some
of their past experiences.
There was also a letter of
congratulations from Mayor
Maynard Jackson presented
by the mayor’s press secre
tary, Pearl Lomax.
After the “roast,” Hen
derson was presented with
a gift and two plaques.
Henderson was overcome
by tears as he stood be
fore the audience to give him
his thank - you address.
I’m not too good at things
like this,” Henderson said
in a trembling voice. “I
tried to get out of it. I
postponed the dates three
times.”
Students, faculty, and
alumni were elated with the
program and the idea of
honoring Henderson.
”It was a most impres
sive tribute to a very dyna
mite character,” Mrs. Mat-
tie Briscoe, a Clark Col
lege alumnus said.
Mrs. Vivian Henderson,
the president’s wife, was
present for the ceremony
also.
“1 thought the program
was nice and very well
done,” Mrs. Henderson said.
“He looks like the big tough
guy, but he’s really a sof
ty,” she said speaking on
Henderson’s tears at the end
of the p>"ogr o ”'
“I tnink for the first time
the student body is aware
of the many qualities of the
president and there was a
sincere exchange of appre
ciation between the student
body and the president,”
Barbara Ross, vice - presi
dent of the Clark College
Student Government Asso
ciation said after the pro
gram.
The sentiments of every
one at theprogram were pro
bably summed up by the
words of Curtis D. Gilles
pie, Clark College Dean of
Students in his address to
Henderson.
“On behalf of the staff
and administration, we love
you madly, but we respect
you profoundly,” Gillespie
said.
TUITION HIKED 11 PER CENT
By RONALD HARRIS
A $235 increase in tuition
and fees will be staring
Clark College resident stu
dents in the face during the
academic year 1974-75, ac
cording to various adminis
trative sources.
The increase will include
a $150 hike in tuition com
mon to all undergraduate
schools in the A. U. Center.
Fees, room, board, and
laundry for Clark College will
increase a total of $85.
President Henderson,
responding to requests for
clarity on the question of the
tuition increase, sent a pre
pared statement to the Pan
ther staff.
“Most of the increase
in tuition, 70% is for facul
ty and staff salaries,” Hen
derson said. “The remain
ing 25% is for scholar
ships, grants, loans, and
other forms of financial aid
for students, and five per
cent is for instructional.”
“Tuition payments by stu
dents are not used for buil
ding, grounds, maintenance,
board and room,” Hender
son said. “Tuition payments
are used for curriculum, in
struction, and financial aid
only.”
A diagram of student char
ges from the academic year
1971-72 to 1974-75 shows
tuition has increase $275 ov
er this time spand. Fees,
according to the diagram,
have increased $50, room
has increased $35, board
has increased $140, and laun
dry only five dollars, a total
increase of $505 over four
years.
According to Mr. William
Morrell, Director of Busi
ness Affairs at Clark, fee
increases in room, board,
and laundry are needed to
offset the rise in prices
that are presently covering
the nation.
With the rise in the cost
of living, an increase in
fees is needed to cover in
creases in food prices for
the cafeteria and to com
pensate a salary increase
for those persons working in
immediate student services
such as laundry workers, do
rmitory workers, janitorial
services, and cafeteria wor
kers, Morrell said.
Curtis G. Gillespie, Dean
of Students attributed a
lack of federal aid as a fac
tor in the tuition hike.
“To some extent, pos
sibly an increase in tuition
is due to cutbacks in fe
deral funds for financial
aid,” Gillespie said.
According to Gillespie, the
Nixon administration has
severely cut back financial
assistance to college while
pretending to be increasing
federal funding.
“He (Nixon) tried to sub
stitute the Basic Educatio
nal Opportunity Grant, BEOG
for the Educational Oppor
tunity Grant, EOG,” Gilles
pie said. “He promised
$1400 would be the maxi
mum a student could re
ceive under the BEOG, but
when it came out the maxi
mum was actually $455.
Under EOG a student could
receive a $1000 maximum.
Morrell pointed at a lack
of federal funds as a factor
in the tuition increase, al
so.
“The cut-back of federal
funds started with the end
of the Kennedy administra
tion and continued to now,”
Morrell said.
“The unfortunate thing,”
Morreall said, “ is that
85% of our students are
on some kind of financial
aid; either scholarships,
EOG, BEOG, National De
fense Loan, or work study. ”
With tuition steadily ri
sing, Clark College faces
the dilemma of pricing it
self out of the student mar
ket.
“It is going to become
more and more of a chal
lenge for Clark College to
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