Newspaper Page Text
P4 March 7, 1994
The Panther
Convocation
President Cole Urges
Students To Be More
Than Mediocre
Antoinette Ross
Contributing Writer
During opening
convocation President
Cole informed students
that they were privi
leged to be able to
attend college in a time
when the masses of the
black community live
in hopelessness and
despair.
At the suggestion of
the ceremonials com
mittee, President Cole
addressed students,
faculty, and staff in the
Leonida Epps
Gymnasium Feb. 15.
However, the students
who attended were
reminded by the
University President
about the many obsta
cles they have to avoid.
Dr. Cole said young
adults today are a part
of a generation that is
under siege by poverty,
crime, and violence,
and that they must
work diligently to
prove themselves in a
world where medioc
rity is expected from
them.
He added that
“despite the massive
achievements African
Americans have made
in the past, there is still
much work to be
done.”
Dr. Cole addressed
the challenges students
will face living and
working in a preju
diced society. He also
stressed the need for
students to help the less
fortunate members of
the African American
community.
Continuing with that
theme, he said that stu
dents should make time
to give service to their
community both during
and after their matricu
lation. Dr. Cole
advised students to be
serious about their edu
cation and to work “as
if the entire African
American community”
is dependent upon then-
success. He also sug
gested that students
“behave as scholars
and not just students”
by becoming knowl
edgeable of both black
and white culture and
by developing an inter
national perspective of
the world.
President Cole out
lined the accomplish
ments CAU has made
since its inception
nearly six years ago.
Since the consolidation
in 1988, CAU has
become the largest of
the 41 United Negro
College Fund institu
tions. In addition to
increasing the enroll
ment from an estimated
3000 to 5000 students,
the budget has more
than double since the
beginning. Lastly,
CAU ranks third
nationally as the uni
versity where African
American high school
students send their
SAT scores.
President Cole also
announced that by the
1996 Olympic Games,
there will be new addi
tions to the campus,
including a student
center and residence
halls. Renovations of
exiting buildings are
also scheduled.
The university is
expected to receive a
hockey field, tennis
courts, and a softball
diamond for the games.
Undergraduate and
graduate Student
Government
Association Presidents
Jamal Coleman and the
Rev. Phillip Dunston
presided over the cere
mony.
In his introduction
of Dr. Cole, Coleman
said that the president
has inspired him and
had served as his role
model. Later, at the
conclusion of the presi-
dent’s speech,
Coleman and Dunston
presented Dr. Cole
with a carved glass
eagle as a symbol of
his parental treatment
of the student body and
hiS devotion to CAU.
Dunston also deliv
ered the invocation
which was dedicated to
the memory of former
alumnus Ernest Lee
who recently took his
own life. University
Chaplain, the Rev. Paul
H. Easley gave the
closing benediction for
the event.
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Morehouse
Continued From PI
the truth and we can’t face it,” said
White.
Another reason why White
believes the Minister was denied his
scheduled April 2 appearance was
because, “Money comes from certain
sources, so why rock the boat if
you don’t have to.”
Mark Oliphant, public infor
mation officer iri Morehouse’s
Student Activities Department
which provided the university’s
official statement on this issue
said, “We haven’t received any
requests from the student body
this academic term.”
According to Oliphant, the stu
dent body has not yet completed
the institution’s process for invit
ing speakers which includes gaining
access to a facility, approved requisi
tion from the Business Office and
eventually interaction with the
Student Activities office.
Oliphant said that the likely reason
why a student requisition would be
denied is because of scheduling prob
lems with the usage of facilities, not
ing that the Islamic leader spoke at
Morehouse in 1982.
According to Morehouse Vice
“This school is taking away
a gift that could help
students in the future by
having Louis Farrakhan
speak."
-Walter White
Morehouse Student Government
Undergraduate President
President of the Freshman Class,
Antonio Johnson, Farrakhan was not
disallowed the opportunity to speak.
Johnson said that a conflict of sched
uling was the only reason why there
were problems with the event which
was to take place during the Easter
holiday. “The administration was not
working against "us,” he said. “It need
not be misunderstood,” said Johnson.
Johnson said that the conflict sur
rounding Farrakhan’s scheduled
speech was not with the adminis
tration but within the SGA.
White responded to the accusation
that the SGA was responsible for
the conflict when he said,
“Morehouse has a problem of
addressing her students. We’re
(SGA) trying to inform students,”
he said.
According to White, “This school
is taking away a gift that could help
them (students) in the future by hav
ing Louis Farrakhan speak here.”