Newspaper Page Text
The Panther
itorials
November 8, 1993 P3
PERSPECTIVES
P
The
Clark Atlanta University
anther
Tara C. Gunter/Editor-In-Chief
K.A. White/Business Manager
Ed Blakemore/Editorial Editor
Commentary
Homecoming And
Midterms Do Not Mix
Once again we should commend this fine univer
sity for ruining our homecoming week- again.
Clark Atlanta University held its annual home
coming activities under the theme of “Motown: The
Essence of Soul” last week. As you may already
know, it is a week-long celebration that culminates in
a lively football game. It is designed to instill school
spirit and pride within the student body. Ironically,
this occasion coincided with the dreaded mid-term
examinations week.
We should be thoroughly disappointed in CAU for
its lack of consideration and poor planning. How
could this discrepancy be overlooked? It is unfair to
scholarly persons who would have loved to partake in
the week’s activities, not to mention reap a mere por
tion of the benefits supposedly financed by our stu
dent fees. However, “to fail, or not to fail” examina
tions was not a hard question to answer We should
be appalled at being forced to make such a ridiculous
decision.
This evokes many other questions. Who is
responsible for this madness? Well, on behalf of the
student body, I would like to express my sincerest
dissatisfaction to whomever is at fault. You must ask
yourself, what is the priority here. Is it the promotion
of school spirit or to just set a date and get it over
with? Whomever you may be (and you know who
you are) with the shoddy planning skills, you must
begin to consider the needs of the student body.
Students should not be forced to decide between
studying for important tests and supporting their
school.
So next year, guilty party please exercise some
common sense, rationality, intelligence, and compe
tence. Get it into your head that mid-terms and
homecoming week just don't mix.
Staff
News: 880-8077
News Editor: Tiana Harrison
News Assistant: Khandra Robinson
News Photographer: LaRell R. Lee
Editorial Assistants: Carliss Bradford,
Regina Roberts
Features Editor: Chandra Thomas
Features Assistants: Stacy Adams,
Tanishia Grimes
Entertainment Photographer: Rondre
Summerville
Lifestyles Photographer: Mario
Herring
Personals Editor Kimathi Lewis
Personals Assistant: Kellie Wilson
Sports Editors: Leslie Johnson, Earlyne
Greene
Reporters: Malik Adams, Carrie Beard,
Tarsha Burton, Natasha Corbett,
Persephone Crandall, Australia Darden,
Mike Frazier, Nichole McMillian,
Antoinette Ross, Kristie White
Photography Editor: Mario Haring
Graphics Editor: Jamal Caliste
Layout Staff: Malik Adams, Kia
Banks, Jemel Hart, Kristina Kelly,
Bilquis Watts, Kimberly Willis
Adviser: Sabbaye McGriff
Business
Business Assistants: Alison White,
Khadija Gordon
Advertising
Advertising Manager: Franchella
Slater
National Advertising Rep.: Redelia
Shaw
Local Advertising Rep.: Alex
Waldron
Opinions expressed in The Panther
are the opinions of the writers and
do not reflect the ideas or opinions
of The Panther staff. All rights
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Homecoming, Was
It Worth the Hype?
By Tahira Muhammad
Contributing Writer
Homecoming was an
enjoyable event. The only
objection I had was that it
was scheduled for the
same week as mid-terms.
This did not stop me from
going to several of the
events. I was able to attend
the Homecoming Ball,
Tupac's concert, the Aaron
Hall signing, talent show,
and the outside barbecue.
The best and most
romantic event was the
Homecoming Ball. The
variety of music was suit
ed to fit the tastes of the
many listeners. The DJ
played rap, reggae, slow
songs, and some oldies.
During the talent show, I
enjoyed watching my fel
low classmates show off
their various abilities. The
guest comedienne
Chocolate, although very
humorous, used some
jokes which were unneces
sary and tasteless.
The Tupac concert was
poor. The majority bf the
concert consisted of unen
tertaining groups and
intermissions.. When
Tupac did appear, he dis
played an ignorant atti
tude. He spent most of his
time complaining about his
hatred for police because
they would not allow him
to smoke marijuana on
stage. He later com
plained about the sound
system and said that, if the
problem was not resolved,
he was not going to per
form. When he did decide
to perform, he did so for
about thirty minutes. If I
had known the concert was
going to be so poor, I
would have saved my
money and gone to a club.
I really enjoyed our
Homecoming. It gives us
an opportunity to show our
school spirit and have
some fun.
The Editorial
Board
welcomes your
comments
and letters.
Send all inquiries
to
The Panther
240 James P. Brawley
Dr.
Box 329
Atlanta, Ga. 30314
or Call
880-8077
2PAC, Not Worth Our Time
By T.C.G.
Staff Writer
2PAC did more than get around-
he got away. He got away with dog
ging CAU, being two hours late, giv
ing a lousy twenty-five minute show,
andlO.OOO dollars of our money!
There is no excuse which could
explain what happened last Saturday.
For a high-strung rapper to come to
CAU, denounce us as a university,
and threaten to walk off-stage
because his act was not together was
beyond reason.
What on earth was some poor,
misguided, SGA soul thinking when
they let this man perform? 2PAC’s
attitude was funky from the moment
he strutted on stage and Jamal
Coleman, our SGA president, should
have just told him to ‘hold his head
up’ and ‘get around’ to the next plane
back to California. Yet, 2PAC was
allowed to perform even though
someone should have known his bad
frame of mind would have a negative
effect on those 2,400 who came to
see him.
And those who came to see a show
definitely got one— a show off.
2PAC showed off in the worst kind
of way. The rapper requested no
press. It comes as no surprise after
his performance. Those who sweated
out the three-hour wait, surely could
not and should not have been
impressed by a cock-eyed rooster,
who only boasts two albums and one-
hit record.
The warning signs were evident
before he hit the stage. After seeing
two people carried off from heat
exhaustion, then seeing water being
sprayed on the audience, one would
have thought that Michael Jackson or
Prince was about to appear, not some
self-fulfilling prophet trying to be a
rapper.
He pimped the SGA, like a whore
while we sat back and took it. Our
student fees went toward paying an
emotionally turmoiled human being
ten thousand dollars to curse us out
and perform for 25 minutes, of which
only two songs anyone knew.
Had the SGA put up a 2PAC life-
size poster, played his only two
albums, and a couple of his videos
simultaneously, we would have had a
better and cheaper concert.
Did the SGA really need to shell
out so much of our money on a one-
hit rapper? And why on earth did
students have to pay to see a concert
that our student fees should have cov
ered? We know the SGA has to raise
money, but what is raised when stu
dents don’t have money for a semes
ter. Where is the SGA then? Where
are the fundraisers? That ten grand
could have gone toward establishing
a scholarship fund for every student
at this university rather than a five
hour high which the Saturday night
concert did not provide.
Every year, we pay four hundred
dollars for what this university has
classified as student fees. Where are
the the protests when a student has to
sit out because he is a thousand short;
instead we are pacified by perform
ers, like Tupac Shakur, who tell us
that we should protest police wanting
to arrest him for attempting to light a
joint.
Sure 2PAC has the name and the
fame, but does that matter if he’s
insane. Should we, as students, put
up with being put down or should we
begin to realize how invaluable we
are and demand the respect we
deserve, after all we are the ones pay
ing. Suppose Jamal Coleman had
walked on stage, picked up the mic
after the first time 2PAC threw it
down and said, “2PAC you may get
around, but tonight you got to get
off,.” then walked off with the rest of
the students in tow. All 2PAC would
have done was jump up and down,
with his bald head glowing, yelling,
“Wait, hold-up #@$%!$$* A
%##$@ !#~$~! @#!$%%%@#!~~! !#
~ @!$#$@#%# A #@#$* I ain’t
played my only hit song, 7 Get
Around, yet!
Listening to students after the con
cert, their feelings were more
awestruck than anything else. Like
they were more overwhelmed and
stunned by 2PAC’s behavior to react
negatively or positively. Who could
blame them? They came, they saw,
and were shocked— shocked to see a
rapper be exactly what he claims to
be—a thug. And the question still
remains: What did he have to do with
the Motown sound?