Newspaper Page Text
I -
May 4, 1978
Maroon Tiger
page 3
Black People in the AUC
campus news
By Glenn Forbes
My name is Glenn Forbes,
and I am currently enrolled as
a freshman at Morehouse
College. At this time, I wish to
expand “my” thoughts and
views to the students and
faculty of the A.U.C., concern
ing situations involving the
students and faculty alike.
Before I begin I am aware
that there will be some who
will disagree with my
opinions, so to you these are
views that are detrimental to
me and possibly others within
the center.
First, I wish to rap about
something involving many
students. Many students here
are somehow forgetting what
the relationship should be
between black brothers and
sisters within the center. I
often hear it stated by students
(e.g., Morehouse and Spelman)
that our brothers and sisters
attending Morris Brown and
Clark College are often “wild”
or unable to relate to us
because of titles that have been
bestowed on them in the past.
It is often shown that students
of Morehouse and Spelman
“think” that they are on a
much higher level than
Brown’s and Clark’s students
mainly because they may be
able to afford more luxuries
than Brown’s or Clark’s
students or maybe because
students at the other schools
don’t wish to associate with
students who continuously
compete against each other
trying to prove who has more
than the other. Not to say
Brown and Clark do no wrong
because they also have their
sophisticated-acting people. I
wish to convey the idea that
there is no need to assume that
everyone at Morehouse and
Spelman are too aristocratic
and begin to associate with
these people instead of taking
the approach that “there’s no
need in going over there
because they’re too good to mix
with us.” I do wish to say that
there are quite a few people
attending Morehouse and
Spelman that are financially
struggling and also feel that
it’s more comfortable as
sociating with Brown and
Clark students, as I often feel,
because these students art
more realistic.
This next issue deals with
the “Black Women” in the
A.U.C. This is a hard stand for
me to take because of the
intense feelings of black
women today. Many black
women in the A.U.C. are fin
ding it hard to discover their
identity as black women. Now
there are many beautiful black
women in this A.U.C. and
when I say black women I
mean “black women” notrain-
bow women. Rainbow women
are those beautiful black
women who spend hours on
top of hours covering their
faces with makeup, and in the
end seriously resemble
something “made up”. I have a
lot of respect for those women
who show their true beauty
instead of doing what white
women do when trying to
beautify something that is
natural. Black sisters, keep
your true self, you don’t need
any more color than that
which is yours to maintain
self-pride and dignity.
Sisters and brothers this
next issue is something we
should all be aware of. We
often find ourselves playing
the game of “screwgee” with
each other. Many brothers feel
it makes them more manly to
run around “screwing everyth
ing not screwed down”, but
forget that these are our black
women, not some white trash
who has nothing better to do
with her body than corrode it. I
feel it is very important that
black men begin to first get the
respect of and from their Black
women before “taking them to
the sheets”. I feel respect rules
over all, and once a black
woman feels someone respects
her, more than for just her
body, then a good relationship
can he endured, and in many
situations make things better
for the couple involved. Now,
before I get off the subject, you
the black woman should also
think about your “black man”.
Administration and
Students RunTogether
Dean Hubert
What is this man’s job? If you can guess who he is and what he
does you are one of the few men at Morehouse who can. Why not
make it a point to find out what he does and why he needs an as
sistant to help him. You may want to start off by asking him and
compare that to the answer you will get from others you will ask.
If you don’t care about stale honors day speeches and the
copyrighted commencement recommendation then think about
the other aspects. The first one to contact the txlitor and provide
him with a description of this man’s job will win along playing
stereo album.
By Craig M. Marberry
I have grown very concerned
about the less than jovial
relationship between ad
ministration and students
here on the Morehouse cam
pus. Hence I am sending this
letter in hopes of clarifying
and possibly rectifying a few
situations that have occurred
and are occurring at this
institution. It is, of course, no
secret that students are fed up
with the food invented in the
cafeteria (pardon the pun);
irated by the chaotic
procedures of obtaining one’s
mail; exhausted by the
odysseys of completing regis
tration; dismayed at finding
out that one’s favorite speaker
was on campus two days after
the fact; etc., etc., etc. This
letter, however, will focus on a
student demonstration illus
trating unrest towards these
conditions.
On Saturday, April 22nd
psychology majors from
Morehouse spearheaded a
demonstration march. They
asked concerned students to,
as they put it, “join the
struggle for student rights,
quality education, and a halt
to the racist firing of our
progressive Black instruc
tors.” Hence, some students
joined the march with the at
tainment of increased student
rights (which to me means
receiving due respect as
students) being their major
concern. For the psychology
majors and some others, Dr.
Kenneth Ellis was the
protagonist.
The march took place in
front of Gloster Hall at 9:00 am
in an effort to attract the atten
tion of the Board of Trustees
who were meeting there. It
started out peaceful and
orderly but before the
demonstration was over some
of the marchers rushed the
door in an attempt to forcibly
have their grievances heard bv
the board.
Personally, I am all for
student rights and im
provements on this campus;
however, efforts to secure these
things should fall short oi
violence. True, Morehouse
students do have a limited
amount of rights, but perhaps
this is so because we tend to be
so abundantly complacent. I
can agree with the quest for
quality education. This is not
to say that an education sup
plied by Morehouse is not one
of quality—it is, as far as
curriculum is concerned. This
means that until students can
be free from numerous outside
disturbances and deterrents
like those mentioned earlier,
the education he receives can
only have so much quality to it.
I can also agree with standing
for the abolishment or preven
tion of unjustified dismissals
of instructors. (I fall short of
terming them racist dis
missals). I am a student of Dr.
Kenneth Ellis and personally
feel that he is a good instructor
and would like to seem him
return next year. For these
reasons I participated in the
march. I participated because I
don’t believe in just sitting and
taking things- As Benjamin E.
Mays once said, “If happiness
is to be found it will be found in
noble endeavor, it will be found
in struggling, in toiling, and in
accomplishing something
worthwhile.” Struggling, as
used here, does not mean a
physical fight. Yet, if people in
any situation start thinking
that violence is the course of
action to take in order to attain
results then something is
wrong somewhere and
someone has to do Something
about it.
If there are problems on this
campus, and there are, then
we, the administration and
students, must unite to solve
them. Physical force does not
solve problems, it onlv agitates
them—but then so does ignor
ing the problems. The ad
ministration must find some
way to start meeting the needs
of the student body in order to
erase the counter-productive
educational environment on
campus. Improved eating
facilities, decent food, im-
You often mention that you’re
only wanted for your body and
wonder why, yet you are the
same ones who want the black
man for just his material
things. Again you ask vitfiy?
Just think about it when you
are running in and out of
dqrms, cars, and if necessary,
bushes half-clothed and guilty.
You want to tease but don’t
want to be touched. Black
women you must first s'how
some respect for them and
yourself.
As for you others, male^and
female, you know who you are.
it is time overdue that you take
a good look at yourselves and
answer the questions why?
There is no reason why, with
all the beautiful sisters and
together brothers around the
A.U.C., that , you should
further degrade black
humanity, by venturing into
relationships among
yourselves. It’s about time for
you to stand up on your two
feet, get yourselves together,
and establish within yourself
that which you were born to be.
Last but not least, you the
faculty and administration of
all these prestigious black
colleges, need to take a good
look at your inner selves, your
schools, and begin to do what
is needed to help black
students become what the
white society has so often kept
us from becoming. Just
because you make it, there
stands no reason why you
should overlook others like our
foremost enemy does. You, as
officials in charge, need to take
the first step in making these
black students ready for the
white man’s world instead of
displaying it through black
skin.
With these ideas in mind I
will close hoping that, if only a
few understand, someone will.
For those who may feel that
these are just a young
freshman’s views, I say to you.
“You were once a freshman,
troubled and discontented
with the situations I have dis
cussed. but you sat back scared
and let things pass." To you
who care, from a black man
who also cares. “Life does not
exist forever, so it’s time we
wake up and make it what 'it
should be.”
proved communication, and
other problems like these may
seem like minute problems but
these things are causing the
students to feel disrespected.
In return, many students are
losing or have lost respect for
Morehouse. When the students
of an institution do not respect
it, then you have an institution
dying on the inside. However,
it is the students’ res-