Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2-THE MAROON TIGER - APRIL 4, 1974
The Maroon Tiger
Supports
Stan Denton for SGA
President
Political endorsements are as trite as the pieces of
lint on my old argyle school sweater. Trite as old college
hymans. Trite as tradition. But aside from their triteness,
they are necessary if we are to be about any serious de
cisions about our stay at Morehouse and ourpurpose as
Black men in American’s racist and decadent society.
The Maroon Tiger endorses Stan Denton for President
of the Student Government Association. We support him be
cause of all of the candidates running for the office of Pre
sident, he alone comes closest to our goals as a News
paper Staff and as Black men-that is, to educate our
selves about life, to become aware of the historical situa
tion Black people have had to face on this earth, to pre
pare ourselves to deal with a system which is diametrically
opposed to our gaining a level of self-determination and
liberation, and to devote our lives to the struggle to “be.”
our philosophy is summarized by Brother Don L. Lee:
“We must work to make life,
we must study to understand life,
we must create in order to support & stimulate life,
we must build a maintain life.”
Stan DENTON EXEMPLIFIES
THIS PHILOSOPHY MORE THAN ANY OTHER CANDID
ATE, AND HE ILLUSTRATES THIS IN HIS PLATFORM.
His platform goes beyond the traditional issues of better
food in the cafeteria, co-ed visitation, or more parties
in the basement of Thurman Hall. Stan deals and will continue
to deal with issues that will not only benefit student’s short-
range goals and desires, but will also affect us and those
that follow us. Curriculum evaluation and revision by stu
dents; the validity of non-credit courses; the significance
and direction of chapel; crime on campus and the role
of police; the development of innovation programs
like quarterly journals, exchange student services, foreign
study, and the like; Better rapport between Administrative,
Faculty, and Student factions; the sponsoring of cultural
activities like speakers, dramatic presentations, concerts,
art exhibits, etc - these are just a few of the many issues
Stan Denton addresses himself to.
As Black students in 1974, we cannot afford the decadent
luxury to be concerned only about “The big game on Satur
day,” or the party at the “yard,” or varied campus antics.
This is a not a Hollywood, surreal college setting. This is
a real world where people flunk out and try to do the
“9 to 5” thang; where sisters get raped and brothers get
ripped by victims of self-hate; and where money is get
ting tighter and tighter for a college educatin every day.
We cannot afford to act like the happy-go-lucky white col
lege student, who stay high, freaks out, and streaks his way
to America’s mainstream. White students have no great
mission because they have no great burden. But we do.
We have a nation to build. And one of the best ways to build
our nation is to institute some ositive changes at More
house College.
On April 5th, when you exercise your right to vote
and respect your responsibility to vote, remember the
significance of it. Remember that the only limitation that
you put on your vote is the candidate you choose and the
platform he represents. We say vote for real issues and
a creative change. Vote for Stan Denton for President
of the S. G.A.
The Maroon Tiger Staff
TU m crroon Tiger St a{{
Rick Abel, Rowan Altheimer, Robert Bell, George
Cato, Melvin Caldwell, Stan Denton, Mrs. Gloria
Gayles, Henry Hackney, Donald Jefferson, Neyes-
wah, Richard Powell, John Sambe, Pam Thorton,
Willie Webb, Dr. L. B. Weems and a host of guest
writers, reporters and artists. All those interest
ed in contributing works for the Maroon Tiger
are welcome to do so.
These are funky Times..
These times are funky
times. Funky with the smell
of misdirection and indif
ference. It would take mul
titudes of arguing to tell
me something else was in
the air; something like self
pride or true scholarly en
deavors in educating oursel
ves or even committing
ourselves to change for
the betterment of the col
lective good.
For example let’s take a
simple thing like appear
ance. Personality, I’m not
one who’s into judging peo
ple by the style of their
hair or clothing. Yet its
interesting to me how the
natural hair styles and func
tional clothings have all but
disappeared from our beau
tiful black bodies, and to
replace them we have
“conked” heads and nostal
gic clothing reminiscent of
the 1930’s and 40’s. Sist
ers parade around with
Lady-Day faces and bro
thers play circus with stil
ted heels on platform shoes.
Like what we got to be
nostalgic about? The good
times we had? An orchid
wearing sister destroyed
by heroin and the times?
De facto racism? You tell
me and we’ll both know.
The air is filled with
the stench of organiza
tions that don’t speak to
anything except escaping. On
our campus, fraternal and
sororial organizations are
having a strong revival.
With all due respect to the
thousands (God help us) of
Black men and women in
these groups (who spends
lots of time partying, spen
ding money, and speaking
greek), surely you can
find something better to
do, like tutor a Black child,
or taxi an old Black wo-
pian around, or re-educate
yourself about this thing
called America. Surely you
can find something real
in this existence.
And what about out edu
cation? We have to spend
four years plus just to
graduate, and most of that
time is spent struggling
with core requirements.
The libraries are ineffi
cient, and when we do
buckle down to work, anti
quated courses and unen
gaging instructors stand
in the way of awareness.
When we want to do more
than just the traditional
classroom thing, like write
a quarterly or do a film
or study in another coun
try, we are stifled.
These are just a few of
the things that I’ve sensed
around me. Funky things.
Funky things that one hopes
will fade when we get to
the point of being serious
about what it means to be
Black student that cafe
teria food is not as tax
ing a problem as the whole
notion of being compel
led to take noncredit read
ing, English, and Math; when
we can let the Ebonys and
commoradors take a se
cond place to the potentia
lity of chapel were rele
vant people can share know
ledge with us; when the is
sue of “Gym night” can
take its proper place be
hind crime on campus,
drugs on campus, and the
question of police on cam
pus; then we can begin to
deal. Like the brothers and
sisters say, “Gimme Some
thing real.”
Although I’m basically
optimistic, a large, omin
ous white qloud of pes
simism floats over my cry
stal ball. I see money get
ting tighter, more black
college students dropping
out due to lack of funds
and a repetition of the cam
pus violence that we ex
perienced early last sem
ester. It’s getting hot in
the cotton patch. We’re
either going to have to
get it together, or leave
it alone. We don’t need
no black streakers, we
need truth seekers.
Asante, Rick Powell
Acting Editor
Letter To The Editor
Politics on the campus level is similar to the political
game that is played on all other levels of our sweet govern
ment. Richard Nixon threw Mud all during the last presiden-
j tial race. He threw so much garbage that it might lead
him right out of the house in white located in Washington .D.C.
The house in red that is located on the Morehouse campus
between Robert Hall and Sale Hall is becoming very
identical to the house in white located in Washington D.C.
In the campus campaign for the office of the President
and vice-president, mud is being'thrown, people are being
cut down to the ankles, and knives are being thrown directly
into the spinal cord of some individuals who have decided
to enter the mad mad race for the various S. G. A. of
fices.
One such individual is vice-presidential candidate Eugene
Duffy. Mr. Duffy is pleading his case to the unknown stu
dent court that has never met this year until the wheels
of politics started rolling down about three weeks ago.
Now this young vice-presidential candidate did not turn
in his petition for nomination until fifteen minutes after
the deadline. One of his two opponents, David Martin
(the other one is Bailey Walker) discovered this and in
formed one of the members of the election committee.
The young political science major who is yearning for
power said in a short interview that his right had been
violated. Also he saw that he and his partner who is running
for president were loosing support from both ends.
Dave had been sitting down on Graves Hall’s steps
quite innocently in view of the S. G. A. building particuarly
all day. Discovering that a verysmall violation had taken
place, Dave ran and told the election committee. When
the election committee heard this, they ran and told Chief
Justice of the non-functioning student court, Charles Stodg
hill Stodghill is also running for student government As
sociation President.
Now stodghill realizing this small violation called a meet
ing of the student court to decide on the two matters con
cerning Eugene Duffy.
One matter is pertaining to the fact that if Duffy wins
he will be holding two offices . The student Court recommend
ed that he drop one. The next matter is where the <mud
throwing, back stabbing and head cutting politics comes into
play. The student court heard the matter of Mr. Duffy
turning in his petition for nomination fifteen minutes late
and ruled that the candidate for vice-president would have
to run as a write-in. This surely would not give him an equal
chance with his other two opponents.
Now Duffy says when he went by the office at the five-
o’clock and saw no one in there, he assumed that it was
closed. The secretaries in the office claimed that the of
fice was open.
True enough a rule was violated, but when did More
house students start getting so technical about the concept
of time. Every meeting tom this campus starts fifteen to
thirty minutes late, every S. G. A. meetings starts late,
every class you go to there are at least two to five
students late and sometimes even the teacher.
This type of politics is not what so-called Black More
house students should be about. So let’s keep the election
clean and! stop throwing mud at each other.
HENRY HACKNEY