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THE MAROON TIGER
THE ORGAN OF STUDENT EXPRESSION
SINCE 1925
MOREHOUSE COLLEGE ■ ATLANTA, GA
9/19/13 - 9/25/13 - VoL.88, No. 3
NEWSLINE
STUDENTS FIGHT FOR GWEN WADE:
A GROWING NUMBER OF STUDENTS ARE
EXPRESSING DISSATISFACTION WITH THE COL
LEGE’S DECISION TO LAY OFF GWEN WADE,
DIRECTOR OF STUDY ABROAD/INTERNATION
AL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS. A PETITION IS
SET TO GO OUT LATER IN THE WEEK.
HISTORIC YFAP IQfi'V
SUNDAY MARKED THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE 16TH ST. CHURCH BOMBING IN BIRMING
HAM WHERE FOUR GIRLS WERE SLAIN IN
1963. THE COLLEGE HOSTED A COMMEMO
RATION IN THEIR HONOR.
MOREHOUSE MAN NOMINATED:
MOREHOUSE ALUMNUS JIM SHELTON WAS
NOMINATED BY PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
LAST WEEK TO BE THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF
THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.
MAROON TIGERS DEFEATED:
>; . 'VVsVf,
OF THE FIVE WELLS”
RETHINKING WILSON
DAWNN ANDERSON
ASSOCIATE CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR
DAWNNARIANA@GMAIL.COM
Senior African-American Studies/
Pre-Law major Antwann Michael
will host a forum entitled "Rethinking Wil
son," a safe space where students may
express their concerns regarding recent
changes under Morehouse President
John Wilson's leadership. The discussion
will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at
7:30 p.m. in the Perdue Hall lobby.
“Students have the right to
challenge authority and agitate respon
sibly,” Michael said. The Florida native
hopes that this event will influence stu
dents to critically examine leadership.
In an Aug. 22 letter to alumni,
Wilson explained his $2.5 million reduc
tion in the annual operating budget and
the elimination of 75 jobs. He presented
these changes as vital steps in securing
the fiscal health of the college. Unan
ticipated revisions to the college scene
have left some students stunned, lead
ing them to question the motives of their
president by “Rethinking Wilson."
When discussing his vision for the
event, Michael listed three goals: to limit
the amount of gossip on campus and
focus on truth supported by research;
to talk about matters intelligently as a
collective group; and to form an ac
tion committee. The action committee
would be created to speak on behalf
of disgruntled students with professional
ism and dignity. Additionally, Michael
is interested in researching fundraising
options for the college.
Morehouse students of all clas
sifications are welcome to attend the
forum. An invitation has also been ex
tended to professors. However, Michael
refrained from inviting Morehouse ad
ministrators because he feared that their
presence might impede the free flow of
conversation.
The forum will discuss sentiments
surrounding the “Please Don't Stop the
Music” campaign, the removal of “The
Five Wells," modifications to the fiscal
policy, downsizing the administrative
staff, and student perceptions of the
new president.
Five out of eight students who
were interviewed opposed the changes
instituted by Wilson. Despite his profes
sional background as executive director
of the White House Initiative on HBCUs,
some students worry that the Morehouse
alumnus is solely concerned with fund
raising efforts as evident by his platform:
Character and Capital Preeminence.
Select students are concerned that Wil
son may not take an interest in relating
to his Morehouse brothers on a personal
level.
"We [students] are used to
ideology, substance, and character
as demonstrated in [Robert] Franklin’s
presidency,” Morehouse junior D'Ondre
Swails said. “That is what Wilson lacks as
an administrator."
However, junior Biology major
Evan Miller supports Wilson's stances
regarding misogynist music and student
behavior during homecoming.
"We tell people if you want to
see the AUC, come to Homecoming,”
he said.
“[While attending] the ‘Please
Don't Stop the Music' panel discussion,
it made me upset to see Spelmanites
bothered by this ban. President Wilson
wants us to respect ourselves. I respect
him."
Michael was initially attracted
to pursuing higher education at More
house College due to intellectual activ
ism and student-administrator relation
ships. In retrospect, Michael believes
his Morehouse experience has "birthed
great patience" in him, a virtue that is
cultivated over time.
THE MAROON TIGERS WERE DEFEATED ON
THE ROAD AT LANE COLLEGE OVER THE
WEEKEND. THE LOSS PUTS THE COLLEGE OFF
TO A 0-2 START TO THE SEASON.
A LETTER TO PRESIDENT WILSON
Dear President Wilson:
RAPE FORUM AT MOREHOUSE:
NEXT WEDNESDAY, MOREHOUSE SGA HOSTE-
DA FORUM ON RAPE CULTURE IN THE AUC.
THE PROGRAM CAME IN THE WAKE OF A
MOVE BY ADMINISTRATORS TO CENSOR DE
GRADING MUSIC ON CAMPUS.
My name is Thavon T. Davis, I am a senior business accounting major from Nassau, Bahamas, and I serve as treasurer of the Interna
tional Students Organization (ISO), the governing body for all international students attending Morehouse College. I am reaching out
to you on behalf of the 64 international students currently enrolled at this institution.
We were recently informed of last Friday’s dismissal of Mrs. Gwen Wade and the elimination of the position of Director of the Office
of International Student Services & Study Abroad. We, the international student population, struggle to understand the reasoning
behind this decision. While the College's financial position is understood, Morehouse has a responsibility to its students and this action
significantly detracts from the College's ability to satisfy these responsibilities.
WILSON WORKS ON HIS FITNESS:
PRESIDENT WILSON SPOTTED ON A MORNING
RUN.
As Director of the Office of International Student Services (OISS), Mrs. Wade served international students in many capacities. Her
office helped students with the academic and social challenges of studying in the United States, as well as disseminated information
on visa requirements, maintenance of status, employment authorization, IRS tax filing, etc. Her duties were numerous, and essential,
and I can assure you that Mrs. Wade was EXCEPTIONAL in carrying out each of these duties.
Last Friday, the College sent a clear and distinct message and that message said to us, “We do not matter. Our presence on this
campus does not matter. Our being supported does not matter.”
Mrs. Wade, for long, has been the backbone of international student operations at the College. Her dismissal, and the elimination of
the position she held, also dismisses and eliminates us. Yes, there may only be 64 of us, but we’re sorry for believing we were worth the
investment!
While the thought may be that her duties will be split and parceled out, there is one aspect that Mrs. Wade brought to this job that
can never be assigned. Mrs. Wade cared. Who gets that responsibility?
She cared for us like a mother when our closest relatives were hundreds of thousands of miles away. We lost the person who was our
shoulder to cry on, our guide when lost. We lost the person who cheered us on at our football games and stood at our bedside as we
underwent surgery. We lost...
This love and support has been recognized by students and parents alike: "Mrs. Wade ... You were the mother figure I held on to
when my son was at Morehouse College.” - Cheryl Smith, Mother, Katanga Johnson, Class of 2013
It is this support that has made the difference in the lives of so many Men of Morehouse. Under her tutelage, she has nurtured the likes
of Stevon Darling '10, E. B. Williams Award winner, and analyst, The World Bank; David Dadey '09, MD/Ph.D. candidate at Washington
University; Aaron Brown 'll, audit associate, Deloitte & Touche, and Wake Forest University graduate who went on to pass the CPA
examination in the 99th percentile; and Betsegaw Tadele '13, valedictorian, Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and project engi
neer, Microsoft.
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We, the Men of Morehouse and Morehouse Men who have been blessed to feel her charm and charisma, stand in solidarity as we
declare ourselves, “Mrs. Wade's Men."
As an accounting major and businessman, you can imagine, one, how much I love numbers and, two, how much I love numbers
adding up. But I must tell you that the numbers failed us this time. When you find someone like Mrs. Wade, you do not let her go. It is
sad that this was not recognized.
Sincerely,
Thavon T. Davis
Contributing Writer
Morehouse College