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THE MAROON TIGER
Serving as The Organ of Student Expression for Morehouse College Since 1898
Monday, May 5th, 2003
‘Maroon and White’ Court Selected For 2003 - 2004
Jeffrey Tate
Staff Writer
The Miss Maroon
and White Pageant provides
one of the many highlights
for the Morehouse
community during the
Spring Semester. This year
was truly no let down. The
pageant was reminiscent of
movies and videos
including “Coming to
America” and Michael
Jackson’s “Remember the
Time” video, and thus it
was adequately named after
the latter.
“We sought to
make the show enjoyable
and present the young
ladies in the best light
possible,” from Jennifer
Hembrick, the first female
director for an event of this
nature.
Ms. Hembrick, the
2002-2003 Miss Maroon
and White, worked with the
likes of Kwabena Haffar, a
senior Drama major/ English
minor at Morehouse,
Asmeret Tweldebrhan, the
2002-2003 2 nd Attendant to
Miss Maroon and White,
and Jeanne T. Byrd, the
2001-2002 Miss Maroon and
White to present a stellar
showcase of intellect, talent,
and a quality level of artistic
ability. The pageant seemed to
invoke an African vibe, which
was evident by the dancing,
narration, and music. George
A. Peters, a senior Drama
major from Voorhees, NJ
provided the narration for the
pageant as the griot. The
background for the griot’s
story was set in an African
Village who was in search of
the new Miss Maroon and
White.
He told the story of
how the current Miss Maroon
and White and Court would
present the contestants with
tests and obstacles (none
extremely physical) in order to
prove that she was worthy of
being crowned the 2003-2004
Miss Maroon and White.
These tests included the typical
aspects of a pageant, including
the Introduction, the Talent
Showcase, The Evening Wear
portion, and
the Question
and Answer.
Once the -
pageant got
underway
there was no
stopping the
continuous
flow of
energy and
excitement
that exuded
from the
contestants
and the
audience.
The
showcase
began with
the usual
introductory
number,
including dancing and
introductions by each contestant.
Every motion and words spoken
seemed to be highly prepared
and well thought-out, from the
introductory number to the
question and answer period.
John J. Cox, a Religion/Pre-Med
major from Birmingham, AL and
Co-Chair along with Jeffrey
Tate, stated that,
“We wanted to pose
thought provoking questions to
the contestants in attempts to see
how each could handle pressure
and also to allow the audience to
gain further knowledge about
each contestant.”
The 2003-2004 1 st
attendant to Miss Maroon and
White, Keisha McCauley,
remarked that she could tell that
the voting was based on qualities
from within and not solely on the
exterior.
“I was very surprised to
see how much all of the students
at Morehouse take part and pride
in choosing Miss Maroon and
White.”
These are words from
our new Miss Maroon and
White, Ms. Saida Grundy, a third
year student at Spelman College
double majoring in Sociology
and Anthropology and
Comparative Women’s Studies.
A very opinionated and
outspoken young woman, Ms.
‘MAROON AND WHITE’
CONTINUED on page 3
The 2003 Miss Maroon & White Court: Rae Ransom (left), Saida
Grundy (center), Keisha McCauley (right)
Flames Ignite Inside Brazeal Bathroom
A fire forced students to evacuate Brazeal Hall on a Thursday evening in April
Ashton A. Dunn
Staff Writer
On the night of
Thursday, April 24, 2003,
students were forced to
evacuate Brazeal Hall after
a bathroom stall on the
second floor was set on
fire.
No students were
injured but the fire was a
bit of a surprise for Brazeal
residents, to say the least.
A resident
explained, “The fire alarm
sounded for a few secpnds
and then it stopped, so I
thought nothing of it. Then
fifteen minutes later I
received a call from a
friend of mine who told me
everyone had evacuated and
that I needed to get out of
here immediately!”
Evidence collected
at the scene proved that the
fire was intentional and
Campus Police as well as
the Atlanta Fire Department
plan to start an investigation
to not only expel the
individual(s) responsible from
the college, but to also charge
the guilty party with arson.
The damages incurred
Fortunately
nobody was in
jured but the
fire destroyed a
bathroom stall.
were minimal but residents
were displaced for nearly three
hours as firefighters and
investigators tried to
extinguish and determine the
cause of the flames which
spurred much confusion and
panic for residents. It is
believed that almost one
hundred students occupied the
dorm around the time of the
fire.
The recent incident
raises great concern for
Morehouse administration: is
Morehouse prepared for
emergencies such as fires?
Eddie Gaffney, Dean
of Student Services firmly
believes that Morehouse and
its students are adequately
prepared to handle
emergencies, particularly,
fires. He expressed the
If you know any
information
concerning the
fire, call
Campus Police.
current administration’s deep
concern in making sure that
residents know what to do in
case of a fire.
According to Dean
Gaffney, each residence hall
is expected to conduct about
four or five fire drills
throughout the year. “Other
colleges often conduct just
one per semester...” added
Dean Gaffney.
Thursday’s events
marked the second time in
recent history that a fire has
occurred in a Morehouse
residence hall. In 1996, a
fire erupted in a room in
Mays Hall, as the result of
an overworked electrical
outlet. Fortunately there
were no casualties, but
three rooms inside Mays
were destroyed.
Lastly, if you know
anything concerning the fire
in Brazeal, contact Campus
Police at immediately.