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TRAGEDY HITS MOREHOUSE
by Kenneth T. Whalum
The twentieth century has
yielded another tragedy.
Morehouse College, over the
past five to ten years has
become the victim of a horrible
tragedy. And as a result of this
tragedy, the Black man will
suffer further slavery in the
future. The tragedy of which I
speak is that of inexcusable
ignorance among our
students. Students are
retrogressing in their abilities
to express themselves and
their abilities to comprehend
others’ means of expression.
In other words, we can’t (or
don’t) read, write, or listen very
well..
A look at statistics concern
ing the number of students re
quired to take a basic reading
course shows a steady increase
over the past five years. Most
English teachers, when asked,
will tell you how disturbed
they are about their students’
inability to express themselves j
in writing. And you can testify
to the fact that half of what
you say to most of your peers
goes in one ear and exits
through the other.
The problem of inexcusable
ignorance did not appear all of
a sudden, as if by magic. It has
its roots in childhood. Here are
a few probable causes:
1. Lack of parental guidance.
2. Lack of initiative.
3. Lack of self-pride.
4. Lack of pride within the
Black race.
Regardless of the reasons
behind these deficiencies, they
do exist. We must learn to
overcome them.
The first thing we must do is
stop blaming “the man” for
our problems. It is not the
white man’s responsibility to
better the situation of Black
people in America. It has been
said by many that we are our
own worst enemies, and
whether you believe it or not-
we are. We do not need any
large-scale, federally funded
investigations to tell us why
we are slowly becoming
educated vegetables. What we
need is to get off our “cans”
and start improving ourselves
for the future (which nobody
has promised would be bright
for the Black man).
It is no secret that there are
students here who have ab
solutely no intention of
graduating. These people are
here to waste my time and
yours, and they should be
dropped from the roll books. It
is time for us to realize that we
don’t have to put up with a lot
of mess in order to have a
successful college career. But,
of course, we must have a start
ing place.
The most sensible starting
place for the Morehouse
student is the classroom. Be
serious about your books.
Education is the key to the
ultimate success of the Black
man and his family. If you
don’t understand something
that comes up in class dis
cussion, ask someone. If it still
doesn’t come, just keep trying.
If you have trouble writing,
write as much as you possibly
can and try to correct your
errors. If reading is your
weakness, read as much as
possible. If you can't stand to
listen to speakers in
Freshman/Sophomore
Assembly, shut up and listen
every time.
The next, and final, step re
quires the upgrading of your
personal behavior in relation
to your fellows. Respect
yourself, your teachers, and
your enemies. If you disagree
with some action of the ad
ministration, fight against.it,
but do it with dignity. Assess
your day-to-day life. If you’re
satisfied, then something’^
wrong with you.
Gentlemen; There is nothing
to stop Morehouse men from
achieving true freedom for
Blacks in America. We have
the potential to put a
permanent end to ‘slavery.
This, my friends, is the truth,
and the truth is the light. But
remember: God helps those
who help themselves.
1898
MAROON
1977
TIGER
Vol.79, No.2
Morehouse College, Atlanta, Ga. October 6, 1977
Wonted:
Adventurous
Companion
Gloster
Speaks to
Students
by Charles E. Mapson
President Hugh M. Gloster
addressed a capacity crowd of
Freshmen and Sophomores
Thursday, September 22 in
Sale Hall Auditorium in the
weekly chapel service.
Gloster briefed the students
present about the affairs at the
college and the immediate
plan for the future.
“The new Martin Luther
King, Jr. Auditorium will be
completed by December of this
year,” said Gloster, “with a
total seating capacity of 2501
and will be the first time in
over 20 years that the entire
student body will be able to
assemble together.” The
present Sale Hall holds about
500.
The new Hugh M. Gloster
Hall will house the reading
room and administrative of
fices. Gloster stated that the
present offices *in Harkness
Hall will be occupied by the
Medical Education Program,
which will begin in the fall of
1978.
Pres. Hugh M. Gloster
“Construction on the fourth
dormitory in the quadrangle
which will be located in front
of Hubert Hall, will begin dur
ing this school year,” said
Gloster. The dorm will relieve
much of the present
overcrowded conditions now
experienced by the students.
Gloster praised the football
team for their victory over
number one Fort Valley State
and expressed a feeling that
the team would go all the way.
“I’m very proud of our football
team but it needs our support.
Every student should support
it both on campus and on the
field.”
For the second consecutive
academic year, Army R . O. T .
C. has reached new heights in
enrollment. 75 students from
the Atlanta University Center
schools have elected to pursue
the program.
This year’s slogan,
“Wanted: Adventurous
Companion,” was very
instrumental in increasing the
participation in the R. O. T. C.
program. In addition, the A.
U. C. faculty, staff and student
body are fully aware of the
existence of R . O . T. C. and its
benefits.
The United States Army is
steadily feeling the presence of
AUC school graduates in its
Officer Corps. Six students
were commissioned second
lieutenants in the Army last
year. And eight students will
be commissioned in May, 1978.
Activities this academic
year will include:
Rifle Qualification at Fort
Benning, Georgia
Field Training Exercise at
Fort Gordon, Georgia
Trip to Army Ranger Camp,
Dahlonega, Georgia
Summer Camp for R. O . T.
C. Juniors at Fort Polk,
Louisiana.
t hose students desiring in
formation about Army R. O. T.
C. should contact Captain
Hester or Master Sergeant
Jones, in Room 221 Wheeler
Hall, Morehouse College, or
call 681-2800, Ext. 279.
Captain Lawrence Hester
★ ★ ★ ★
An Interview
with
Taurus V. P.
by Kenneth T. Whalum
The following is from an
exclusive interview with Mr.
Jim Veale, Vice-President of
Taurus Productions. (K.
T.Whalum is the interviewer.)
Q: When was Taurus
founded?
A: Taurus was founded in
1965 in Detroit, Michigan by
Mr. Quinton Perry. Taurus
became an international com
pany in 1973, which is when I
joined Mr. Perry.
Q: What is Taurus’ purpose?
A: Taurus Productions is a
music production company
which produces concert at
tractions.
Q: Are college students im
portant to your organization?
A: Yes. Everybody’s im
portant to us because we are a
full service company. We think
we’ve been successful because
we’ve been able to corner a part •
of the white market. In the
past, whites had an exclusive
hold on the music industry. We
feel that our audiences are as
important as the act, because if
they’re not satisfied, they
won’t support us.
cont. on page 5