Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, October 15, 1998
THE MAROON TIGER
PAGE 3
Fraternity threatens to sue Morehouse
By Faraji Whalen
Camus News Editor
It seems like not everyone
is happy about the return of
campus Greek life.
One member of Iota Phi
Theta Fraternity, Inc., has
threatened to sue Morehouse
College in the wake of what
he describes as an organized
attempt by members of the
administration to hinder the
Iotas' return to campus.
According to Jihad
Muhammed, a junior history
major and member of Iota Phi
Theta, the problem began in
April, when fraternities
turned in their respective
paperwork to become
chartered organizations.
And while all of them
were chartered over the
summer, the Iotas were not.
"We turned in all our
paperwork before the
deadline in April — our rules
and by-laws, pledging policy,
everything," said
Muhammed. "Now, Ellice
Hawkins [coordinator of
student programming] didn't
even register us until the fall
semester started."
Muhammed claims this
was done deliberately to
prevent his organization from
becoming eligible to pledge
new members.
He also takes issue with
what he sees as preferential
treatment doled out to the
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity,
Inc., which returned to
campus this semester.
The college bypassed its
own rule that fraternities will
not be allowed to have
smokers, or interest meetings,
to make an exception for the
September 13 Alpha's smoker,
he said.
Johnny Nimes, director of
Greek life, says the case of the
Alphas was a special one.
"The interest meeting was
part of the agreement between
the national chapter of Alpha
Phi Alpha and Morehouse,"
Nimes said. "The Alphas
requested the meeting as a
pre-requisite to letting the
Morehouse chapter return."
To Muhammed, this reeks
of special treatment.
"It's an old guard system,
and we are the youngest and
fastest growing fraternity," he
said. "They would prefer to
exclude Iotas because we
aren't eighty or a hundred
years old."
Muhammed offers his
own take on the situation.
"Johnny Nimes, who is a
Q [member of Omega Psi Phi,
Inc.] was fired from the office
of financial aid by Sterling
Hudson [vice provost for
admissions and enrollment
management], who is an Iota.
And it is my contention that
one of the main reasons he is
holding us back is his personal
vendetta against Hudson,"
Muhammed said.
Nimes wholly disagrees.
"I have no vendetta
against Dean Hudson. I don't
even know where that's
coming from," said Nimes.
"[His accusations] just don't
compute."
Nimes claims there is no
conspiracy to hinder the Iotas.
"Their organization is
chartered. If they want to
intake members, they can, as
long as they follow our
guidelines and rules," said
Nimes. "I haven't received
their paperwork yet. And that
puts them in violation of the
Greek life handbook."
To this, Muha
responded, "Johnny
Nimes is telling me
that he doesn't have
our pledge policies,
which we gave to Ms.
Hawkins. Why can't
he get that from her,
if that 7 s the only thing
stopping us from
being fully
chartered?"
"In addition, the
rush meeting [was]
on Monday. We were
not informed of this,
and the only reason I
found out was
because I saw a small
flyer in Gloster Hall,"
he continued. "Rest
assured, the Alphas,
the Sigmas, and the
Omegas knew. And
yet, we were not
informed."
Muhammed says
he is willing to
pursue legal action against the
school if his organization
continues to see a pattern of
discrimination.
"I'm at the point where, if
there is no change, we have no
recourse but to file a lawsuit,"
Standing his ground: Jihad
Muhammed is considering legal action
against the college for what he claims
is a deliberate attempt to keep his
fraternity off campus.
he said.
Nimes dismisses the
threat.
"Jihad hasn't done what
he's supposed to do but he's
saying everyone else is
holding him back," he said.
By Erika. Wallace
Stdff Writer
Kevin Parker isn't your
typical whip-cracking, cigar-
toting filmmaker. Instead, the
21-year-old Morehouse senior
modestly places most of the
credit on friends who have
made his vision a reality.
Parker is the creator of
"Semesters," a chronicle of
college life at Morehouse,
which he is screening at
HBCUs nationwide. Call it a
brilliant piece of work, but
"please, don't call it a
documentary," said Parker.
"People have
preconceived notions about
documentaries. They tend to
think it is more historical," he
said. "Variety show is more of
an accurate description. If
anything, it's the week in the
life of a college student."
Parker filmed "Semesters"
on and off the college campus.
It features scenes from Atlanta
area nightclubs, such as The
Chili Pepper, and his former
employer, Club ESSO. He also
spent time on the campus of
Howard University in
Washington, D.C., filming and
conducting interviews of
college students.
Parker conceived of the
idea for the project last year
during an English class. Last
summer, he took it home to
Los Angeles to share with
talent agents. Among many
who offered him advice and
encouragement was former
"Teen Summit" host Belma
Johnson.
"He gave me a good
foundation and a lot of
guidelines on how the show
could be run," said Parker.
It took over a year for
Parker to finish "Semesters."
He used close friends who
were willing to use their
talents and work for free, and
financed the project from his
personal savings and the
money he raised from a "Back
to school" party at Club ESSO
last year.
So how much did the film
cost? "It's the cost of a
Morehouse student to live off-
campus for a semester," he
said, wryly.
Those who don't know
him would assume that Parker
is working toward a degree in
mass communications.
Surprisingly, Parker chose tp
major in sociology because he
believes that one doesn't need
a mass communications
degree to make films.
"Before I came here, I •
knew I wanted to do this," said
Parker. "When you're a
sociology major, you get to
learn about people and the
world. I think majoring in
sociology has helped in the
way I looked at things, and
knowing what people want to
hear."
After graduation, Parker
plans to enter "Semesters" in
the Student Emmy Awards
and screen it for more agents.
He also plans to continue on
at the University of Southern
California.
"I want to stay in school,"
Parker said. "The other door
is reality and I want to stay
away from that as long as
possible."
Kevin Parker's "Semesters" beautifully captures the Black
-college experience, from a uniquely Morehouse angle.
"Semesters"
school. Parker travels to Washington, D.C., to film a football |
'the film as a way to show off his stand uf
jRather, he uses his own charm and ligl ”
Inotes early in the film that one of the
fvideo album that non-:'lorehouse students can relate to.
