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The Organ of Student Expression Since 1925
ta MAROO
Morehouse College • Atlanta, GA
February 1 - 7, 2012
Volume LXXXVI, issue 14
President Robert M. Franklin to Step Down at
Lance Dixon
Managing Editor
ldixon2012ijsgmail.com
A t about 5 p.m. on Monday,
Jan. 30, press releases sur
faced stating that More
house’s tenth president, Dr. Robert
M. Franklin, would step down from
his current position at the end of
his contract’s five-year term, June
30 of this year. Franklin will take a
sabbatical as a scholar in residence
at Stanford University’s Martin Lu
ther King Jr. Institute. Franklin was
granted the esteemed titles of Presi
dent Emeritus and Distinguished
Scholar by the school’s Board of
Trustees.
Following the breaking of this
news, Morehouse began to dis
seminate further information. At
6:42 p.m. a mass email was sent to
the student body containing a letter
from Franklin further articulating
and clarifying the decision and the
steps ahead.
“While the leadership of the Col
lege is changing, its mission is re
maining the same,” Franklin stated
in the letter. “Morehouse will con
tinue its nearly 150-year track re
cord of excellence in educating
African American men - bright,
dedicated and motivated students,
like you, who have made my presi-
Term’s End
dency of Morehouse the highlight
of my career.”
The letter and press release indi
cate that the preliminary work of
searching for a successor has begun
and Franklin will remain in his cur
rent position as late as December 31
of this year if necessary, but no fur
ther. Franklin leaves a tenure that
included a rebranding of the school
through the inception of the “Renais
sance Men with a Social Conscience
and Global Perspective” and through
his “Five Wells” initiative. The presi
dent also raised alumni giving from
17 to 36 percent, kept accreditation
from the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools in 2009, gen
erated $60 million in federal grants
and launched a capital campaign
which raised $33 million during its
quiet phase.
A Town Hall meeting, which was
exclusively for students, faculty, staff
and alumni of the college, was held
on Tuesday. The meeting further ar
ticulated the emotional appeal from
Franklin to students, as evidenced
in the final words of his letter to stu
dents.
“I thank each of you for your out
standing scholarship, leadership and
service. Keep up the good work so
that one day soon I will meet you
again as fellow alumni of our Dear
Old Morehouse,” Franklin stated.
SUSTAINABILITY
CORNER: RECYCLEMANIA
President Franklin
Holds Town Hall
for Morehouse
Community
Malcolm Tyler
Associate Sports Editor
maxtyler.tyler2@gmail.com
D r. Robert Michael Franklin,
President of Morehouse Col
lege, held a town hall meeting Tues
day night in King Chapel to discuss
his coming departure from More
house College.
The meeting was open only to
current Morehouse students, alum
ni, and parents. President Franklin
addressed the audience with a tone
unfamiliar to the student body.
He spoke softly but confidently.
“This was my decision. Not
someone else’s,” President Franklin
said. “I was not forced out. I said to
the board this is what I want. I have
peace about this.”
President Franklin came to
Morehouse from the classroom as
a teacher, an educator, working di
rectly in the lives of young men and
women.
He expressed how after finishing
his book, “Crisis in the Village,” in
2007, he joined the search for the
next president and was privileged
enough to be selected.
“But I miss that work,” Franklin
explained. “I miss my love and my
first calling.”
Franklin feels as though he has
accomplished what the board asked
him to do. Now he moves on to a
new opportunity and a new adven
ture at Stanford University where he
will teach and become more directly
See PRESIDENT, page 3 ►
Jordon Nesmith
Associate Campus News Editor
jnesmithl7@gmail.com
F ebruary 4 will mark the begin
ning of what has become a new
and exciting annual event in the
Morehouse community. The Re-
cyclemania bug is catching and I
hope everyone will catch it.
Recyclemania is an 8-week long
competition between over 500 col
leges and universities in North
America and Canada to see which
''schools can collect the most re
cycled waste. Among participat
ing schools are not only the AUC’s
own Morehouse College, Clark At
lanta University, Spelman College,
Morehouse School of Medicine,
and Interdenominational Theo
logical Center, but also Agnes Scott
College and Emory University.
Recyclemania is a friendly com
petition that will gauge More
house’s recycled paper, bottles and
cans, cardboard, composted food
and e-waste. Acceptable electronic
or e-waste include hand held de
vices, consumer electronics, power
cords, chargers, computers, print
ers and other peripherals and an
cillary equipment.
Recyclemania is a fun and
friendly competition meant to pro
mote recycling among students and
faculty, bring awareness to campus
sustainable efforts and address en
vironmental issues in a light and
positive way. The winning school
will be the recipient of not only a
trophy made from recycled materi
al, but also bragging rights as being
a sustainable institution.
This is an important opportu
nity for Morehouse to showcase
itself as an environmentally-con-
scious institution. Sustainabil
ity and green issues are scarcely
geared toward the Black commu
nity or individuals of lower socio
economic standing despite a pre
disposition within these groups to
stretch and reuse resources. It is
important that the AUC take part
in the movement and set an ex
ample for the surrounding com
munities to promote the issue.
I challenge the Men of More
house to collect as much recycling
as possible for the event. It is para
mount that we make sure not to
contaminate the on campus recy
cling bins with food soiled prod
ucts (pizza boxes) or other non-
recyclables.
The Recyclemania kick-off event
will be held on Saturday in the
parking lot of Spelman’s Milligan
building at the corner of Lee Street
and Westview Drive, directly across
from the Leadership Building from
10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Present at the
event will be EPA officials, repre
sentatives from the Atlanta Mayor’s
office, the Black Chamber of Con
gress, Atlanta Interfaith Broadcast
ers, community business leaders,
local vendors and sponsors. JAZZ
91.9 WLCK will be broadcasting
the event live and there will be food
and games. Recyclables and e-waste
will be collected on site and dis
tributed among the AUC schools.
I encourage everyone to come out,
have fun recycling and as always,
THINK GREEN!
inside track
News 1 World & Local 4 Business & Tech 5 Features 6 Opinions 8 A&E 10 Sports.
.12
President Franklin coverage
p. 2
From Crack House to Morehouse
p. 6
What Ruins a Community
p. 8
MHHP
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