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Morehouse College • Atlanta, GA March 23 - 29, 2011 Volume LXXXV, issue 20
New Initiative Seeks to Explore Masculinities
Nicolas Aziz
Editor-in-Chief
nickbaziz@yahoo.com
M orehouse College is at
tempting to become an
expert in the study of mascu
linity. According to project
manager Robert Peterson, the
Faces of Manhood Initiative
will seek to “address the is
sues of sex, sexuality, sexual
expression and masculini
ties.”
Issues regarding sexuality
and masculinity have plagued
Morehouse’s campus for de
cades; and as an all-male in
stitution, Morehouse sits in
a rather unique space in the
debates and discussions cen
tered around “true manhood.”
The media coverage given
to the institution’s appropri
ate attire policy along with
Vibe magazine’s “Mean Girls
of Morehouse” article has
made many question the type
of men that the college is cur
rently producing. The Faces
of Manhood Initiative will
attempt to answer these ques
tions along with educate those
who may be misinformed
about issues of masculinity.
“There is not one sense of
manhood...[We’re] trying to
open up the understanding,”
Peterson, a 2005 graduate of
the college, said.
The initiative reportedly
originated as an idea from
current Morehouse President
Robert Franklin in November
2009. The Ford Foundation
then decided to give $200,000
worth of funding to the initia
tive in October 2010. These
funds will be used over a two-
year period and the project’s
findings will be assessed at
the 66th annual Family Insti
tute Conference that will be
held in the fall of 2012.
| After two
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E of research,
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I the long
's term goal is
f to receive
o
| enough fund
ing to sup
port, launch
and maintain
an educa
tional Center
of Excellence
for the Scien
tific Study of
Masculinities.
This center
would serve
as a hub for
extensive re
search related
to sexualities
and masculin
ities.
Franklin
recognizes the
positive im
pact that the initiative could
have on students and faculty.
“I believe that it will have
a healing and liberating ef
fect on the Morehouse com
munity,” he said. “Given our
identity as the nation’s largest
and most significant all-male
liberal arts college, it is quite
appropriate that we engage
these issues with wisdom and
gusto.”
According to Peterson, the
initiative’s implementation
will have two main compo
nents that will involve the
education and training of stu
dents and faculty members.
The student group will be
known as the “Critical Think
ing Leaders” and they will be
trained to properly and effec
tively host events that will cre
ate arenas for dialogue among
other students. The faculty
members will be trained on
how to implement these facts
and discussions into their in
dividual lesson plans.
Dr. Michael Hodge, Chair
and Associate Professor with
in the sociology department,
will be educating and training
faculty members with the as
sistance of Vice President for
Student Services Dr. William
Bynum.
See MANHOOD, page 2 ►
. yfMinfc. '1
Jacques Pape Among Three Nominations for
Morehouse at the Annual HBCU Awards
Lance Dixon
Associate News Editor
ldixon2012 @ gmail .com
M orehouse College received
three nominations at the
2011 HBCU Awards that were
held March 18, in Greensboro,
N.C. Most notable among these
nominations was HBCU Student
of the Year, an honor given to
Morehouse senior Jacques Pape.
The nomination was a shock to
Pape who found out about it on
a whim.
“One of my friends contacted
me and told me that while she -
was surfing on Google she typed
in my name and found out that I
was nominated for HBCU Stu
dent of the Year,” Pape said.
Pape’s nomination was later
confirmed to him in January by
Morehouse’s Office of Commu
nications. Pape was returning
from a subsequent Spring Break
trip to Haiti providing relief and
aid to victims of 2010’s earth
quake. He was among five other
nominees for the prestigious
honor and attended the awards
ceremony, but lost the award to
Bishop Walker of Johnson C.
Smith University.
According to the HBCU
Awards website the award is de
scribed as belonging to a student
who “portrays academic excel
lence, campus leadership and
a commitment to the develop
ment of their institution.” Pape
sees the nomination and his loss
as a chance to continue to work
harder. He also thinks that his
nomination could influence oth
er students at Morehouse.
“Although fame and recog
nition should never be the end
goal for helping others, it does
help to get noticed sometimes,”
Pape said, “I hope that my nomi
nation will motivate and inspire
my Morehouse brothers to con
tinue to serve our communities.”
Walker is a junior at Johnson
C. Smith and has gained acclaim
for his work in Charlotte, N.C.
working to help young men. In
an interview with HBCU Digest
he described his work with high
school students and a movement
to get young people ties and ac
cess to dress clothes.
“I want the young men, not
only in the Charlotte, N.C. area,
but around the country, to find
comfort in wearing a shirt, tie
and suit, and also come outside
their comfort zone,” Walker
said.
The other two nominations
for Morehouse included HBCU
Choir of the Year and Best
Homecoming. The award for
Best HBCU Choir was award
ed to the Fisk University Ju
bilee Singers. The award for
Best Homecoming was given to
North Carolina A&T State Uni
versity.
Morehouse left the awards
empty handed but the nomina
tions remain a sign of things to
come and are considered a great
honor. Pape was optimistic for
the future of the school and what
it can do to be worthy of not just
the nomination, but the victory.
“I will always strive to be bet
ter in whatever I do so that next
time ‘Mother Morehouse’ can
get the title she deserves!” Pape
said.
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