Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, September 3, 2003
THE MAROON TIGER
www.maroontiger.net
Page 2
NEWS
THE COLLEGE
Introducing...
Our House
Examining the Image of Morehouse College
A Message from the SGA President
Dawud Crooms, ‘04 , SGA President
In the coming weeks, The
Maroon Tiger will be publishing a series
of articles that will look at the image of
Morehouse College. In launching this
special series, The Maroon Tiger hopes
to contribute to the ongoing
conversation concerning the status of
our college. The image of Morehouse,
of course, is multifaceted, and so the
series will cover a range of issues.
Desmond Drummer, who
writes for the features section, will be
investigating how Morehouse is ranked
among other institutions of higher
learning and what steps have been taken
to improve these rankings. He will also
explore how Morehouse is perceived
from within the Atlanta University
Center.
Staff writer Demond
Drummer will examine the College’s
NEW DEAN contiued from front page
forefront were either a plan calling
for a special election for the
positions of SGA president and
treasurer, and a plan calling for
succession, meaning that Crooms
would assume the presidency.
Once president, Crooms would
then appoint a vice president and
treasurer subject to confirmation
by the Senate.
The Constitution of the
Morehouse College SGA points
toward the Succession scenario,”
rather than a special election,
whenever the president is unable
to perform his duties. “Based upon
the Constitution, Article XII -
THE MAROON TIGER
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responsible for its outcome.
The Maroon Tiger welcomes your views on any
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and correct errors in spelling and punctuation.
Letters as well as commentaries must be 500
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full address and telephone number.
relationship with the city of Atlanta and
the West End community. Additionally,
he will look at how Morehouse College
is covered by both local and national
media.
The series’ approach is all
encompassing. Not only will
Morehouse as an institution be
examined, but it will look at the role that
the administration, faculty, staff, and,
most importantly, students play in
contributing to how Morehouse is seen
by the general public. “Our House”
represents a breakthrough into a
different type of reporting for The
Maroon Tiger. A lot will be learned
from this investigative journey - we
hope you’ll come along for the ride
Succession, Sections 1 and 2
provided the appropriate basis for
progress,” Brice said.
Following professional
legal advisement, it was
determined there were no
prohibitions concerning the
application of Succession and
effective August 26, 2003, Dawud
Crooms was officially recognized
as the SGA president of
Morehouse College.
“Based upon the
Constitution, interpretation in the
matter was fairly clear,” Brice
said.
CONTRIBUTORS
Demond Drummer
Desmond Drummer
Dawud Crooms
Dean Lawrence Carter, Sr.
Mr. Henry Goodgame
Mr. Charles Fischer
Dr. Gwen Cattaledge
Mrs. Kellye Blackburn-Eccles
Brothers of Morehouse College,
The summer months have
been a turbulent time for our Student
Government Association. Shortly after
the elections we received notification
that the men our student body elected to
serve as SGA President and Treasurer
would be unable to fulfill their duties.
This situation was further complicated
by the re-engineering of our student
services department.
Throughout the course of the
summer, several resolutions were
presented. The first was to follow the
guidelines set forth by the Constitution
of the Morehouse Student Body. Article
XII, Section 1 of the Constitution of the
Morehouse Student Body states:
In the event the Student Government
Association President is separated from
office, the Vice President shall become
the President; and he shall appoint a
Vice President subject to
confirmation by the Student Senate.
The second option was to hold a special
election for the positions of President
and Treasurer. The only driving force
during this decision process has been
what is best for our student body and the
future of our Student Government
Association.
Although there have been
many students who have felt in the dark
during this situation, the SGA and
administration have had no light to
by Demond Drummer
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
In June, former Morehouse
student Aaron Price was convicted of
aggravated assault and aggravated
battery but was acquitted of hate crimes
charges in the November 3,2002 attack
on fellow student Gregory Love, The
incident, perceived by many to have
stemmed from a deep rooted intolerance
of homosexuals on campus, not only
shook the Morehouse community but
made both local and national news.
Price’s trial marked the first time hate
crimes charges had been brought to
shed. The legal implications had to be
sufficiently investigated before a
decision could be formally made. After
much consideration, the SGA and
administration have decided that the
best option would be to follow the
solution provided within the
Constitution. This solution specifically
means that the current SGA Vice
President will ascend to the position of
SGA President. We have decided to
have an open application and interview
process to select the appointments. The
specifics of this process will be made
available in the veiy near future.
Facing this potentially
court in the state of Georgia.
Price faced a maximum
sentence of 40 years (20 years for
aggravated assault and 20 years for
aggravated battery) but was condemned
to two sentences of 10 years, to be
served concurrently. He is required by
law to serve a minimum of nine years.
A hate crimes conviction would have
added up to ten additional years to
Price’s sentence.
Although none were surprised
by the verdict, students’ reaction to
Price’s sentence was mixed.
“It seems a bit much,” comments one
catastrophic situation, our SGA and
administration have risen to the
occasion. The remaining elected
officials and students who have served
in the SGA in years past have assured
that we operate seamlessly during this
transition. We appreciate your
assistance during this potentially trying
time.
Sincerely,
Dawud Crooms ‘04, SGA President
student, “people aren’t put away that
long for murder sometimes.”
“I think it was a just sentence,” remarks
another, “you can’t resolve issues by
resorting to violence.”
One student, who was studying abroad
at the time of the incident, was more
guarded in his response. ‘Ten years is a
very long time to spend in prison,”
remarks the returning scholar, “but a
lifetime of suffering from a severe head
injury.. .that’s even longer.”
ONLINE
THE MAROON TIGER
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ADVISORS
DR. JOCELYN W. JACKSON
DR. BRODERICK MCORADY
DR. JOSEPH W. MCCRAY
JOHNNY NIMES, Associate Dean of Student Services
CONTACT US
The Maroon Tiger
Morehouse College
Box 40
830 Westview Drive, S.W.
Atlanta, Georgia 30314
Phone: (404)614-6041 ‘Fax: (404)507-8628
E-mail: mtiger@morehouse.edu
Price sentenced, student sentiment mixed