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www.themaroontiger.com
November 9 - 15, 2011
OPINIONS
The Other Face of Renaissance: What Morehouse
Means to the Non-Black Student
J. Taylor Jones
Staff Writer
Jtaylor.jones92@gmail.com
F or many students, being
at Morehouse has been
the first time they have been
considered part of the major
ity. For even more students,
Morehouse College is simply
a demographic reflection of
their own communities, com
prised mostly of black people.
But what about our More
house brothers who do not
share in the same racial cul
ture as their educational cul
ture?
To some extent, Morehouse
is racially or colorfully neu
tral. Sleeping in a bed, going
to class, writing papers, and
eating in the cafeteria are
all things that have no iden
tity attached to them. In the
same breath, so much of what
makes Morehouse are the
people who work, teach, and
study there. The reality is that
we seldom get to hear what
Morehouse means for those
who are not black.
It is obvious, most of the
time, to identify who is and
who is not black, but we al
low what that means to sim
ply go unnoticed. To truly
be all-inclusive and brother
ly, each student should be
asked what it means to be a
member and brother in the
Morehouse community. In a
feeble attempt to understand
the experience of my non
black brother, I interviewed
Jay Saper, a junior, domestic
exchange student from Mid-
dlebury College, and Aaron
Wiekum, freshman philoso
phy major from Minneapolis.
Both are white.
For Wiekum, distinguished
Morehouse alumni and the
concept of the Renaissance
Man were particularly al
luring, regardless of the fact
that the school is historically
black. His decision to enroll at
Morehouse was not that dif
ferent from most students at
the college.
“Scholarships are a major
consideration and I applied to
elite colleges and universities
all over the country and this is
one of the few that gave me a
scholarship,” Wiekum said.
Wiekum’s reasoning stems
from the essence of what the
College strives to accomplish.
“The mission statement. Its
always been my dream to
become a Renaissance man,
literally. It may just be talk
in some sense but its really
something that I try to be
come.”
Coming from the inner city
of North Minneapolis, Wie
kum has been exposed to di
versity all of his life.
“I don’t have any particu
lar loyalties to any particu
lar group. I’m just a person.”
When it comes to identity,
Wiekum takes his for what
it is. “In the literal, most su
perficial sense, I stick out in
a crowd, because I’m giant
and I’m a white person, but I
don’t think its a major factor
in anybody’s decision making
about who I am.”
Wiekum has enjoyed his
experience at Morehouse
and views his decision to be
at Morehouse based on the
culture that the school itself
is trying to instill. For him,
“ [Morehouse] is building men
here in the truest sense, and
it’s good to be a part of that
regardless of skin color.”
Saper makes a conscious
effort to break out of the nor
mal systemic culture that he
found so rigid at Middlebury,
a private college located in
Vermont, the state with the
second-highest percentage of
white residents in America.
“It’s impossible to be objec
tive and we must recognize
the entering of as many dif
fering views and perspectives
as possible to stay open and to
learn,” Saper said. “It’s invalu
able to learn from black pro
fessors and my fellow black
students...And that is some
thing that is not overlooked
here. [Morehouse] often em
phasizes that this is a rarity
to be in a classroom with all
black men.”
Saper, a sociology major, has
enjoyed and learned so much
from his experience within
the one semester that he has
been at Morehouse. He finds
his domestic exchange just as,
if not more, worthwhile than
a study abroad because, “I
think what is scary is that we
don’t look back into ourselves
and look in our own societies
because stories are being told
of all different people...”
Saper, in the time that he has
been here, has found diversity
in an entirely new light as he
finds himself not feeling the
need to cling to those physi
cally like him. Unlike many
of the experiences of black
students at PWIs, Saper’s sites
more commonalities between
him and another Morehouse
student then any white per
son that might happen to live
in the city of Atlanta.
Saper is enthusiastic about
his time at Morehouse and
willingly invites the differenc
es that come with being at an
HBCU.
“I want to study here be
cause I believe that we, here at
Middlebury, represent such a
narrow strain of society that
we grow up in. Who are we,
who are we affected by, what
do we know about the in
equality in this country, and
whose voice [is] marginalized
on Middlebury s campus?”
Saper returns to Middle
bury in the spring, but has
gained unparalleled insight
into what it means to share
someone’s story.
Being an African-American
in a predominantly African-
American setting has created
a culture that many take for
granted. As Saper said of Mid
dlebury and PWIs, the same
goes for being accustomed to
a predominately black envi
ronment.
“It’s too easy for many in
this country to be educated
in environments where they
are surrounded by all whites,”
he said. “It’s a notion that
needs to be challenged. Iden
tity matters, race matters, how
you experience your lived re
ality matters. And therefore
each person, based on the
complex ways in which they
view the world, also reflects
that in the way they approach
knowledge.”
Let Morehouse be commit
ted to true knowledge.
All in the Name of
the Resume
Christian L. Saint-Vil
Opinions Editor
csaintvil03@yahoo.com
F resh out of the barber
shop, he puts on a crisp
powder blue checkered
Tommy Hilfiger button up,
adorns it with a golden yel
low paisley full Windsor,
ties the laces of his freshly
polished Cole Haans, and
walks into a little Polo Ralph
Lauren #9. A gentleman
amongst all gentleman, em
bodying the five wells, he
prepares to deliver the most
eloquently delivered load of
crap man has ever heard. He
is no stranger to you and I.
We have all met him time
and time again at our inter
views, lectures, and MBA
interest meetings. Whenev
er an event calls for a well-
crafted resume he’ll be pres
ent.
His name, for the sake
of not being “messy” is the
“grinder.” On paper, and
arguably in person, he is a
force to be reckoned with.
His taste alone for the finer
things in life should attest
to his character. Right! His
resume, gently tucked in his
soft sell Gucci briefcase, is
seemingly immaculate. His
character, however, or lack
thereof, is in dire need of re
pair.
He saunters down Brown
Street selling himself, this
tactfully crafted product
that we all know is worth far
less than a puff of Black and
Mild at Chevron. We, as well
as this merchant of lies, are
well aware of the way this
merchant came into his rath
er impressive GPA and these
positions he boast of in his
lengthy resume.
But, if you haven’t caught
on, and if I’m not being blunt
enough for you, I’m speaking
of those of us who get posi
tions and do nothing with
them, and those who would
rather cheat and be handed
an A’ then to fail honorably.
I’m speaking of and to the
fraud that is the “grinder.”
There is nothing wrong
with being ambitious, but
one should never bite off
more than one can chew.
When a person submits an
application for whatever the
cause may be, if that applica
tion is favored, a person has
the ethical responsibility to
carry out the deeds requested
of the position they have now
acquired. To apply for a po
sition that you know you are
either unfit for or un-wanting
of makes very little sense.
Despite your notion that
you must apply for every
position on campus because
you are the only one capable
of upholding the name of
Morehouse, there is always
undoubtedly a more fit can
didate. A candidate who
actually takes the time to
prepare for his exams rather
than preparing cheat sheets,
a candidate whose dedica
tion goes further than his
experience (and truly yours
for that matter), a candidate
who genuinely seeks the
friendship of others and not
their contacts.
If you know you are going
to be a laissez-faire leader,
then you should not accept
any position you are given.
You may think you are
creating a sound resume in
garnering all these “career
builders,” but truly you are
creating a resume full of
dead ends. If it’s all in the
name of the resume for you,
I want you to think of refer
ences. An employer or who
ever may receive your resu
me should be able to point to
any one of your professional
experiences in your resume,
pick up the phone and con
tact either your colleagues
or boss. The feedback they
get is all contingent on your
performance in the positions
you have “acquired.”
Who can you truly con
tact, besides your “home-
boys” who can attest to your
participation in these orga
nizations? Other than the
sake of putting it on your
resume, did you have any
honest reason for applying?
Better question: is the name
you are creating for your
self worth wasting money
to put on a business card?
Then, if it’s not, please omit
the Morehouse logo because
a Man of Morehouse is not
only steadfast, he is honest
and true to old Morehouse
and her ideals and in ALL
things that he does!
If you are the grinder, go
into the interview as such;
leave the paisley behind and
be honest. Your employer
would rather throw out your
application at the interview
than throw you out after two
weeks of “work.” Either way
you choose, the “grinder”
will not make it if everything
is all in the name of the re
sume for him.
EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY THE WEB SERIES
BRINGING BACK THE OLD AGE HARLEM "RENAISSANCE MAN’
in the new age Atlanta with some southern swagger
Recycle The Maroon Tiger