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THE MAROON TIGER
The Organ of Student Expression Since 1925
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE, ATLANTA, GA
Wednesday, November 19,2003
www.maroontiger.net
Volume 78, No. 13
Return to Innocence Lost
The ongoing tragic saga of former Morehouse
student, William Jonathan Mayo
by David Calloway
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Celebrated hip-hop phenomenon
“The Roots” conclude their second, and
arguably greatest studio album, Things
Fall Apart, with a chilling piece by
acclaimed poetess Ursula Rucker.
Rucker transports her audience on a
coming of age tale through the vessel of
“First Son,” which tells of a young man
tom by the bitter trappings of poverty
and socioeconomic status, as well as an
utter lack of male guidance, condemning
him to commit the same sins against his
mother and the world as his father before
him.
In the fall of 2001 The Maroon
Tiger humbly submitted “Guilty Until
Proven Innocent,” an article dedicated
primarily to the history of the wrongful
imprisonment of former Morehouse
Student, William Jonathan Mayo. Much
in the same vein as Rucker in her
unsettling poem, The Tiger now returns,
two years removed, to this Morehouse
son, and to Mayo’s ongoing tale of
suffering and injustice to find hope, a
commodity in no greater abundance then
when the story was first brought to our
school community.
“I was very excited thatMorehouse
students had taken my plight to other
students and faculty and to The Maroon
Tiger hoping that it would draw the
consciousness of other Morehouse men
and Morehouse alumni. I hoped that
someone would see that this was not just
an attack on William Mayo, but an attack
on the AUC and blacks worldwide. I
expected those who saw the article to
come together collectively and to help
fight against this injustice.”
Said then Maroon Tiger Editor-in-
Chief Geoffrey R. Bennett, “When the
story was brought to my attention, I knew
that I had no other choice than to get the
story out to the community that
appropriate action might be taken.”
The campus reaction to the piece
offered less than favorable results.
Although Hollywood screenplays and
feel-good endings would paint a different
picture, Georgia State Department of
Corrections prisoner GDC-693216, Mr.
William Mayo, is still wrongfully
incarcerated in Central State Prison,
minutes outside of Macon, Georgia, for
crimes he did not commit during the Fall
of 1991. A brief return to these actual
events finds Mayo, a then part-time
student and completion cadet in the US
Army ROTC program, working and
living in Chicago preparing to finance
what was to be his final semester at
Morehouse College, one three-credit
hour-course which would align him with
institutional graduation requirements and
US Army requirements for
commissioning as a Second Lieutenant
upon graduation. As the course was only
offered in the spring, Mayo was working
as a security guard in Chicago in addition
to mentoring youth in a neighboring
urban community on the south side.
While at Morehouse, Mayo was
introduced to mentorship by his close
Please see MAYO, page 2
Show us the money
A look at how money cycles at the College
by George Shelton
FEATURES DESK
Financial difficulties are a
growing concern within the AUC.
This past year marked the loss of
Morris Brown’s accreditation, and an
announcement by CAU that some of
its non-tenured faculty (approximately
half) would have to be suspended to
allow the school to balance its budget.
With two of the five AUC schools
facing financial crises, many students
are wondering if Morehouse is in
danger of going down the same path.
The College uses a systematic
drawdown process in which the
business office and financial aid office
internally regulate how much aid is
taken from the Federal Government.
This guarantees that only students
legitimately enrolled in the college
will have funds dispersed to their
account. There are also several other
offices with counselors responsible for
tracking and handling student
QUICK READ
Foreign Service wants you
Ambassador Ruth Davis encour
ages students to set international
goals, page 2
OUR COLLEGE
paperwork problems. In addition,
students can observe their accounts
and ask any questions that may arise
after exploring TigerNet.
Linda Myler, Morris Brown
Chief Operating Officer, stated that
there were instances in which Morris
Brown students receiving financial aid
Around the Globe
Everything from World Cup soccer
in England to billion dollar gas deal
in Saudi Arabia, we’ve got you
covered, page 3
GRAPH CREATED BY JAMIE SWIFT/MAROON TIGER
, have had their awards withdrawn. The
s Morehouse financial aid office tries
e to prevent this by working closely
with the Business office and with
n students to make sure they receive
it their financial aid. They also ensure
s
d Please see MON EY, page 2
The Matrix Revisited
Did the third installment to the series
live up to expectations? Read Lloyd
Johnson’s prognosis, page 8
ARTSETC.
McKinney delivers
keynote address at local
election rally
by Demond Drummer
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Nearly two years ago, Cynthia
McKinney lost her seat in the U.S.
House of Representatives to fellow
Democrat Denise Majette in a hotly
contested primary election. Her
defeat, however, has not stopped her
from remaining on the political scene.
Since the fateful primary, McKinney
has been traveling across the state of
Georgia and the nation holding
lectures and delivering speeches.
Most recently, she attended a local
election rally, where she delivered the
keynote address.
The Get Out the Vote Mass Rally,
sponsored by the Concerned Black
Clergy of Atlanta, was held at Hillside
Chapel and Truth Center on October
30. Concerned Black Clergy
President Reverend Timothy
McDonald and Reverend Barbara L.
King, Founder of Hillside Truth
Center, called the rally to motivate
local Atlantans to vote in the
November 4 special election.
In her address, McKinney
reminded listeners of how voting can
help bring about political change and
justice. “It just won’t happen because
we will it so, but because we vote it
so,” stated McKinney. “We have to
take our political power seriously.”
The former Congresswoman went on
to emphasize that the black vote is “the
solid block that stands in the way” of
political oppression and social
injustice. “Veterans of our wars are
sleeping in the streets while our nation
maintains a criminal justice system
Please see MCKINNEY, page 3
As football ends, basketball
begins
Kyle Yeldell gives you the “Scoop” on
the upcoming Tiger season, page 6
SPORTS
Where do we go from here?
Rising unemployment, astronomical
grad school fees, empty packets.
Did you think graduation would be
like this?, page 10
OUR WORLD
LIFE V