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The Organ of Student Expression Since 1925
t " e M ARO O
Morehouse College • Atlanta, GA
February 9 -15, 2011
Volume LXXXV, issue 15
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Morehouse Faculty Dismayed at Payroll Delay
An Investigative
Series
Kevin Mallory
Campus News Editor
kmallory @ tigermai 1 .more-
house ,edu
M orehouse students and
employees are in an
uproar over a glitch in the
new payroll system. Because
of an error with ADP, More
house’s new payroll provider,
many work-study students
and employees were not paid
their salaries. Dr. Keith Hol
lingsworth, Chair of the Fac
ulty Council, expressed the
concerns of the faculty in a
written letter, signed by mem
bers of the Faculty Council,
to President Franklin, Chief
Financial Officer Gwendolyn
Sykes and Dr. Weldon Jack-
son, Provost and Senior Vice
President of Academic Af
fairs.
The letter, obtained from
another anonymous source,
highlights the issues and in
conveniences caused by the
system’s mistake. Many are
not angered by the change
to the system, but, rather, by
how the change was executed.
“Part of the letter that I sent
was about the lack of commu
nication,” Hollingsworth said.
“We (faculty and staff) are a
major part of the college, and
we weren’t consulted with in
any way.”
On Friday Jan. 28 More
house failed to make a payroll
date, and employees found
out about their missed pay
ments by phone calls, texts
or Facebook posts from other
colleagues. Employees could
not get an answer from the
Payroll office. Manual checks
were issued to those employ
ees who were left out: of the
system, but some of those
checks were postdated to
Monday Jan. 31. This meant
that some banks were unwill
ing to cash them.
Also, there was confusion
among employees as to when
See FACULTY, page 2 ►
Gloster Hall, location of the Morehouse College payroll office, saw very long lines on Friday, Jan. 28, as faculty and students gathered to
find out why they had not been paid- The mixup occurred after the college moved to a new payroll system during winter break.
Jeremiah Wright Visit to Sisters Chapel
Jordon Nesmith
Staff Writer
jnesmith 17@gmail.com
S isters Chapel at Spelman
College played host to
Reverend Jeremiah Wright,
pastor emeritus of Trinity
United Church of Christ, last
Sunday.
His message was entitled,
“Waiting for the Promised
Community.” In reference to
Cheikh Anta Diop’s Afrocen
tric view of history, Wright
commented on his hope that
all Black people will embrace
knowledge and culture.
During the lead up to
Wright’s message, he proudly
displayed his Black pride hold
ing up the Black Power sign
following the opening hymn
“Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Wright, whose acclaim
comes from his seemingly
controversial comments about
the forces damning America
that posed a potential threat
to Obama’s candidacy for the
White House, showed his ge
niality by mouthing the words
of the song during the praise
dance and speaking directly
to audience members upon
beginning his lecture. Finally,
before beginning his word, he
invited all those in attendance
to join afterward for “the
church of NFL.”
He told a story about his
two oldest daughters, who as
toddlers could barely contain
themselves on weekend rides
to see their grandmother.
The two constantly asked the
question, “Are we there yet?”
To this question Wright con
stantly repeated, “No baby,
we are not there yet.”
“They were in an elevat
ed state of expectancy.” He
described their feelings of
“waiting, anticipation, expec
tancy and hope.”
Those feelings of waiting,
anticipation, expectancy and
hope parallel the feelings
Black people still feel today.
When considering the state
of Blacks in America, “No
baby, we are not there yet.”
Viewing the current condi
tions of citizens of Egypt,
“No baby, we are not there
yet.” And although we have a
Black president irt the White
House, “No baby, we are not
there yet.”
He related two texts, Isa
iah 2:4 and Micah 4:1-4, in
which both men of the bible
delivered an uncannily simi
lar message. In these isolated
verses, they each speak of
reaching an ideal state and
this only happens when peo
ple transform their weapons
into tools used to build up life
and society.
This was an idea God gave
to both Isaiah and Micah. It
was reiterated in the spiritual
“Gonna Lay Down My Bur
dens,” in the line, “gonna lay
down my sword and shield
down by the riverside” and
“ain’t gonna study war no
more.” This was the way to
achieve the “promised com
munity,” or in the terms of
Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr.’48, the “beloved com
munity,” and additionally in
the words of Howard Thur
man ’23, known as “com
mon ground.” This being
said, Wright made it clear
that conformity, however,
does not mean harmony. In
searching for this promised
community, Wright stressed
the importance of gaining
knowledge.
“You cannot tame the de
mon if you cannot name the
demon,” Wright said.
Many in attendance were
invigorated by Wright’s in
spiring words. “Waiting for
the promised community
means working for the prom
ised community,” Wright
said. “We are only going to
get to the promised commu
nity if we keep on working.”
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