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iMAROONTICER
CURI5IIHI SAIM VII 'll
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
csaintvit03@yahoo.com
REFLECTIONS OF THE PA RENT
EXCELLENCE closet l START CAMPUS CLOSET
MANAGEMENT
TRE'VELL R. ANDERSON T3
MANAGING EDITOR
anderson.trevell@yahoo.com
AHMAD BARBER 13
CHIEF LAYOUT EDITOR
ahmad.barber@gmail.com
ZACH THOMAS *13
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
zachthomas 1991 @gmail.com
JONATHAN MARCHEL *15
ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
thejonshmoe@gmait.com
MAX TYLER 13
CHIEF COPY EDITOR
maxtyier.tyier2@gmail.com
CURTIS JACKSON 14
ASSOCIATE COPY EDITOR
curtisdj3@aol.com
MORIBA CUMMINGS *14
ASSOCIATE COPY EDITOR
moribacummings@yahoo.com
ASSOCIATE COPY EDITOR
sstokes6@scmail.spelman.edu
EDITORS
DONNELL WILLIAMSON *15
CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
AMAL YAMUSAH *14
WORLD & LOCAL EDITOR
JARED LOGGINS*15
ASSOCIATE WORLD & LOCAL EDITOR
GARRETT RANSOM *15
BUSINESS & TECH EDITOR
REGINALD HUTCHINS 15
FEATURES EDITOR
ASSOCIATE FEATURES EDITOR
OPINIONS EDITOR
DARREN MARTIN *15
ASSOCIATE OPINIONS EDITOR
KEITH JONES *14
ARTS& ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
KEVIN WEBB *13
ASSOCIATE A & E EDITOR
CHRIS WOMACK *14
SPORTS EDITOR
JORDAN HOLLINGSWORTH 14
ASSOCIATE SPORTS EDITOR
MULTIMEDIA
RYAN RUCKER *14
WEBMASTER
ryankrucker@gmail.com
JERRELL BAKER *15
ONLINE CONTENT EDITOR
jerrei.baker@gmail.com
JOHN WHATLEY *14
TIGER TV PRODUCER
johncwhatley@yahoo.com
PUBLIC RELATIONS
PAUL MAGA '13
CO-DIRECTOR
TIMOTHY A HARRIS *14
CO-DIRECTOR
FANON N. BROWN *14
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
FINANCE
AUNDRAY GANTT '13
ADVERTISING MANAGER
ADVISER
RON THOMAS
Justin McKnight
Contributing Writer
Jii£ttechl2@gmailxom
As the students of the At
lanta University Center walk around
their campuses, they are unaware of
what their reflections of excellence
will one day be. Last Saturday in the
Ray Charles Performing Arts Center,
Tracye Hutchins, the anchor of CBS
Atlanta/ Better Morning, and the dis
tinguished 2013 Bennie and Candle
Award honorees came together to
offer their own “Reflections of Excel
lence” to the audience.
The discussion was a part of More
house Colleges celebration of 146
years of leadership and excellence. It
was organized for honorable black
men to speak about their success
and what it took to reach their “ex
cellence.” The panel also answered
questions from individuals in the
audience.
The panelists, three of whom are
Morehouse graduates, were 2013
Bennie and Candle Award Honorees:
• Dr. Willis B. Sheffall Jr. ’64, More
house Provost and Professor of
Economics;
• Calvin Mackie ’90, an author, edu
cator and engineer
• Milton L. Little Jr. ’76, President/
CEO of United Way of Greater At
lanta;
• Ulysses L. Bridgeman, Founder/
CEO of Bridgeman Foods, Inc., and a
former pro basketball star;
• Charles F. Bolden Jr., an NASA ad
ministrator and famed astronaut;
• Laurence J. Fishburne III, critically
acclaimed actor, director and pro
ducer.
Throughout the discussion, not only
did the honorees speak about their
experience of reaching success, but
they also talked about their goals and
setbacks as young men.
Little said, “Preparation, passion,
commitment, and faith are the four
main components of reaching suc
cess and you must also keep pushing
against your doubt - get past the fear
of saying the four words, ‘I need your
help.’ ”
Although the Candle Award honor
ees did not attend Morehouse Col
lege, they all stated that the college
had an impact on their success.
“One day standing outside a man
walked past and said, ‘Hey, you’re
Larry Fishburne,’ ” he said. “This man
was Spike Lee. He told me that he
would one day write and direct great
films about black people and I be
lieved him.”
“Laurence Fishburne is a master of
his craft,” sophomore psychology
major Desiree Booker said.
“He’s someone that we have watched
rise in his career. His caliber is visible
in his movies. With those movies, he
grew a level of confidence.”
During the question-and-answer
portion of the discussion, a member
of the audience asked each honoree
what they hope their legacy would be.
“I just want someone to say, ‘I am
because he was,’ ” Mackie said.
“When I’m gone my work will still be
here and people will get to enjoy it,
and with that I’m satisfied,” Fishburne
added.
Jordan Jones
Associate Campus News Editor
jtaylor.jones92@gniail.coin
As notable alumni, parents, do
nors, and celebrities dressed to the nines
in their formal evening wear for the 25th
Candle In the Dark Gala, many students
on campus struggled to afford suits, shoes,
and even dress shirts as they prepared for
the spring’s demands for job interviews
and internships.
However, in the midst of the
Gala’s decadence and formality of Found
er’s Week, the Morehouse College Parents
Council has worked tirelessly to ensure
that there is a place where students in need
can go to dress themselves with essential
clothing items and accessories; a campus
clothing closet.
Last Friday, parents, administra
tors and students crowded together in one
corner of Forbes Arena at the entrance of
the administrative offices, awaiting for the
maroon ribbon to be cut and the campus
closet to be unveiled. Dr. Felicia Jack-
son, president of the Morehouse College
Parents Association and representative
from Region I (Georgia and Alabama),
presented the closet at the grand opening.
“This is a celebration of a vision
that has finally become a reality,” Jackson
said. “A celebration of service, hard work,
dedication and commitment on the behalf
of parents and our administration who
have worked diligently on this process. A
celebration of partnership, workmanship,
and friendships.”
The closet was initiated by a
group of parents who sought to meet the
need of many students who do not have
the resources or access to essential cloth
ing items like suits, ties, shirts, socks, and
shoes. Many students who come to More
house, whether international or local, not
only struggle to get housing and books,
but also to buy clothes.
Although being “well dressed” is an im
portant subject on campus, many students
are challenged to be dressed at all, provid
ed that Morehouse is comprised of diverse
backgrounds, including economically.
The campus closet, which is not
yet named, is aimed to provide students in
need with these essential clothing items.
One of the goals stressed by Belva Weath-
ersby, the chair of the Clothes Closet
Committee, is dignity.
“One of the things as you will see
in the closet is that we wanted to represent
dignity, that even if you have a need you
can still have dignity,” Weathersby said.
“These sons will think they’re in Macy’s
and that’s exactly how we want them to
feel. That there is pride and dignity even
when you are in need.
“We want this to be discreet ac
cess, but we certainly want to make sure
that they have a place where they can got
to get those things that they need.”
One of the major efforts of
the council, in addition to establishing
the closet, is naming the closet; how
ever, instead of giving the closet a name
themselves, they have decided to create a
contest where the students can vote on the
name.
“The next challenge that we have is
spreading the word,” Jackson said. “And
right now that is the Office of Student
Services, but one of the ways the [Clothes
Closet] Committee is trying to engage our
sons is through our Clothes Closet naming
contest.”
With the innovative efforts of the More
house parents and administrators, the
closet will open shortly with hours of
operation posted on the door. Otherwise,
students in need should contact Dean
Wright in Student Services.
The inventory of the closet is comprised
of donations from parents, students and
alums. Regardless of the occasion, the
campus closet stands to serve the needs of
the students and make sure that being well
dressed is more than an ideal, but a reality.
REFORMATION OF BLACK EDUCATION
James Parker
Contributing Writer
jamesjr.parker@gmail .com
In a “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” style symposium Satur
day, Morehouse President John Wilson, Dr. Marvin Sapp, Dr. Howard
Fuller and Dr. Ivory Toldson polled the audience and disclosed their
observations on education. Morehouse alum and current Psychology
Professor Dr. Bryant Marks moderated the discussion and town hall
meeting that followed in Bank of America Auditorium.
The current graduation rate for African-American females is
46 percent and a mere 35 percent for males, making the need for the
discussion evident. As overflow students, alumni and professors began
to line the auditorium walls, panelists dived into the topic, “Innovation
and Reform in Educating Black Students: Increasing Flow Through the
Academic Pipeline.”
When asked if they thought African-American children were
reaching their full potential, the entire panel responded no. Dr. Toldson,
a Howard University professor, added that black children are also likely
to be at less rigorous schools, have less experienced teachers, and are
more likely to be disciplined for the same things white children do.
Also speaking about the education gap, Wilson said, “Only 4
percent of African-Americans are college ready by the time they gradu
ate.” He also noted that the average black 12th grader is reading on an
eighth-grade level.
But there wasn’t complete congruity on all topics during the
Founder’s Day event. Toldson disputed the dropout rates commonly
associated with African-Americans and he disagreed even more with
the attitudes that make blacks cling to these negative and sometimes
invalid statistics.
“If I say something that doesn’t sound bad enough about our
people, [African-Americans] doubt it,” Toldson said.
Dr. Wilson continued with the notion of accountability.
“People need to expect to pay a price for mediocrity and fail
ure,” Wilson said. This idea was met with a rumbling applause, but his
next statement added a little more sting.
“I really do think there are too many faculty and staff that are
underperforming and they pay no price for it, and the people that pay
the price are our kids,” Wilson said.
Fuller, Marquette University professor, also drew attention to the
responsibility of teachers.
“You can feel deeply and not have the capacity to educate,” Fuller said.
He went on to emphasize the need to insist that children do better as
well.
“We do have to send a message to our kids that nothing precious
comes easy.”
Sapp, the President of Grand Rapids Ellington Academy of Arts
and Technology (GREAAT) in Michigan and the father of a current
Morehouse freshman, created his own charter school to ensure that his
expectations were met.
“We put the mandate on the teachers and the parents that this is a
partnership,” Sapp said. Other panelists also mentioned the importance
of family participation. This was underscored by the attendance of Wil
son’s wife, mother, and son during the symposium, in addition to other
Founder’s Week and Parents’ Weekend events.
The presence of Wilson’s family and the panelists’ comments
both alluded to the quote from Carter G. Woodson’s “The Mis-Educa-
tion of the Negro" that was cited during the symposium:
“To educate the Negro we must find out exactly what his back
ground is, what he is today, what his possibilities are, and how to begin
with him as he is and make him a better individual of the kind that he
is.”
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www.themaroontiger.com Recycle The Maroon Tiger February 20-27,2013