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WOLVERINE OBSERVER
DECEMBER 12. 1968
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WOLVERINE OBSERVER
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Nathaniel Sheppard, Jr.
Associate Editor Yolanda Lofton
News Editor Cecil Cotton
Copy Editor Leonard Pierce
Circulation Editor Jackie Webb
Reporters Juanita Ledbetter,
Carolyn Harris, Deborah
Walker, Shirley Davis,
Joanne Davie.
Adviser vConstance Post
The WOLVERINE OBSERVER welcomes all articles
and allows for complete freedom of expression.
However, we reserve the right to edit or not publish
any articles that are slanderous or fail to come up to
good journalistic standards.
U
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EDITOR S DESK
Black
Curriculum
Current student demands
dictate, among other things, that
more courses dealing with the
black man and his contributions
to society by amalgamated into
the school curriculum.
Note that I’ve said introduce
more black courses and not
throw out all of the white courses
and have an all black curriculum
as is the common
misunderstanding of many.
This has brought about
considerable “scholarly” debate
by some faculty members and
even some students.
It was reported that one
professor remarked on the
subject of black history, “Black
History! they don’t even know
the white history yet.”
This points up a major
problem existing in the
curriculums of many black
colleges (not to mention how it
emphasizes that there are some
pretty narrow minded individuals
in instructive positions). Black
students get only half of the
picture. Examples: When we
study history we aren’t taught
that General Abraham Hannibal
was a black man or that the first
black man or that the first man
to die for America Independence
was black; nor in music history
are we taught that black greats
such as Thomas Bethune (who
was as brilliant as if not even
more so than Amadeus Mozart),
Antonio Vieira,, or George P.
Bridgetower existed. Nor are we
taught in science that it was a
black man who performed the
first successful heart operation.
This practice of exclusion
has gone on for many years and
has helped perpetuate the racist
element of our society.
Throughout the years black
students have had nothing with
which to identify. By being
systematically excluded from the
annals of history, the black man
has had no one with whom he
could identify and gain a sense of
self pride and respect.
Black students’ protests
throughout the country are
making it explicitly clear that the
black student can no longer be
satisfied with a white curriculum
which has no relevance to the
needs of the black student.
I support this idea 100
cent.
Letters To The Editors
Dear Editors:
I am one of the students who
took part in the sleep-in
in the sleep-in at the
Hickman Student Center. 1 was
shocked when 1 walked out the
S.G.A. Awakes
From Coma
Cecil Cotton
It has become apparent that
the student government functions
only when crisis are near at hand.
The rest of the time, (ninety-five
3 per-cent) they are in a deep
ccomai. If 1 recall correctly, they
3 have gotten more sleep than Rip
Van Winkle.
X; The first Great Awakening
B o ecu red on the eve of
B : Homecoming when many
3 problems were on the verge of
B disaster. Some of the college
3 queens were running around
3 raising cain about having to wear
B afros. The Chairman of the
>• Homecoming committee, Mr.
3 Charles Barker, had threatened to
.3: quit and many of the faculty
members and students were
dissatisfied with the Homecoming
theme.
Where was the Student
Government? You guessed
it-asieep but wait...they did
awake, hastily called a meeting;
brought the steam furnace back
below the explosion point and
returned to their dream world of
counting sheep.
The second Great Awakening,
occured on Monday, November
1 1, 1968. It began about 9:30
that night. This outburst angered
the student government for it
meant they would have to stay
up all night “missing their sleep,”
trying to get some antiquated
rules changed for the undeserving
stupid body. This time they
emerged as the leaders, but the
truth of the matter is, they were
really taking credit for what
others, more interested students
had done.
I am positive the student
government will breath a sigh of
relief when a they read this,
because now the administration
will know that they weren’t
responsible for that silly student
sleep-in at the student union
Ad Hoc Committee
Proposals
By Yolanda Lofton
On October
members of
16,
the
1968
Ad
some
Hoc
per
door and spotted a teacher taking
the names of students who were
in his classes and suggesting that
their grade might be affected by
their participation.
Fortunately the students
demands were met. And I would
like to suggest that if he doesn’t
like what we did he also has equal
time to sleep-in, in the Student
Union Building.
Yours Truly,
A Concerned Brownite
Dear Editors:
1 am a resident of Wilkes Hall
and would like to give a few
words of appreciation for our
dormitory directress. She is very
concerned about the fellows
dormitory life and is doing a very
fine job to make life pleasant on
behalf of the fellows who reside
in Wilkes Hall. She is a very
Cont. On Page 7
building and once again they are
going to have their slate cleared
all the smear and slander caused
them by sticking their necks out
for those imbecilic students they
represent. The administration, it.
appears, has some music that
student government enjoys
dancing to.
The student government’s
chance came in Cunningham at
7:00 on a cold night. They had
been bragging about student
representation on all the
committees but didn’t invite a
single student on stage as our
demands were being answered.
The administration outnumbered
us on stage 5-0 plus 1 cheese
eater.
Once again the campus is calm.
How long will it last?
Well, no one really knows. But in
the meantime the student
Committee for a Black University
presented a list of proposals to
the Council of Presidents and
held a meeting in Cunningham
Auditorium to explain them to
the students.
The meeting was not very
informative and many students
were left baffled. If a student
asked a question which did not
please the committee he was
verbally lambasted andmade to
look like an Uncle Tom.
Since when is it wrong to ask
questions on something that will
affect you? Many of the
proposals were good but some of
them needed clarification. The
following are two proposals
which in my opinion, are the
most ridiculous. l.Cultural
Relevance:
‘‘We feel that any
administration supported
cultural activities which do
not directly relate to African
culture must be abolished.
This includes such
appearances as the Atlanta
Symphony Orchestra.”
2 Student Exchange
Programs:
“We firmly believe that all
student exchange programs
must involve African
students and other students
of the Third World. This
means that students who are
sent to the Atlanta
University Center must come
from other Black Institutions
and/or Black Student Unions
of white campuses. The same
policy must also apply to
teacher-exchange programs.”
‘ ‘ F urthermore, students
of the Atlanta University
Center who are sent to study
outside of the United States
must do their work in Africa
and/or in other countries in
the Third World.”
“An exchange program of
the above nature would
enable the Atlanta University
Center to truly benefit from
the many valuable
experiences of the oppressed
peoples of the world-Africa
and the rest of the Third
World.”
From reading these proposals
I get the distinct impression that
if I am a French major and I want
to study in France that I will not
be allowed to because France is
not of the Third World (whatever
that is). 1 don’t think anyone has
the right to limit a student in this
manner. Being exposed to Black
Culture is good but being cut off
from any other culture is limiting
one’s horizon.
To propose that any cultural
activity which does not relate to
African culture be abolished is
narrow minded and would only
hurt us in the long run. No one
has ever benefitted from
segregation before, so why should
we limit ourselves by opening our
exchange programs to people of
one skin color only?
The majority of us will be
working after graduation, and we
will be in an integrated society
working with people of all races.
In order to survive in this mixed
society we must not only learn all
we can about our history and
culture, but we must also be
exposed to other cultures.
1 suggest that the committee
call another meeting, one which
will clear up any misunderstand
ing of these proposals. And this
time let us ask our questions
freely without being made to feel
that we should accept these
proposals with no questions
asked.
government has fallen back into a
deep comma and as we all know
from the past only disaster
awakens them.
America’s III Society
In the past few years in the
life of America, her history has
been basically -one of crime and
violence.
The mental disease of
violence, and other evil acts have
invaded the minds and hearts of a
great many Americans.
Therefore, America is faced with
the problem of a growing
violent-insane disease that is
attacking the whole of society.
Now you, the other
Americans whose resistance is
still strong, and you, who have
not developed any symptoms of
this horrifying disease and you,
who have witnessed the actions
of these ill individuals in our
society, it is time for you to
come to the aid of these ill
people and try to keep this
disease from spreading, for it is
now nearing the epidemic stage.
The time is now at hand for us
I to stop talking about what would
be done for these ill people in our
society, and begin to administer
aid to them. We should
administer some type of
Heart-Mental Revival
Rehabilitative Aid in order to
: revive and rehabilitate them into
healthy minded individuals for
the welfare of the American
Society, if we are to remain
known to the world as a great
society.
The remedy does not lie in the
passing of crime legislation, gun
legislation, or in any other
Congressional legislation. For as
soon as one law is enacted,
: another grave problem will arise
I from the old one and become
I even a greater threat to the
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