Newspaper Page Text
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The Wolverine Observer
February 8, 1983
Editor's Desk
By Ronald D. Fudge
“A good quality education
unlocks ignorance and is essen
tially the pathway to success.”
If we stop to think about the
recent letters that were sent out
to an estimated amount of our
faculty denying the renewal of
their contracts for the 1983-84
school term at Morris Brown, we,
the students, must sit back and
evaluate with careful thought as
to why has this occurred and
what caused it.
A slap in the face reveals that
because of economic reasons
the institution can no longer
afford what is seemingly an
overload of certain instructors
and denies their contract for
next year. Individuals remain
solely on the basis of their merit
of tenure with no regard as to the
type of instructor or the quality
of teaching they may offer a
student.
Like with all seniority and
tenure situations there are your
advantages, but when tenure
overweighs good quality
teaching the students should
seriously question how is it that
the poor instructor with tenure
remains on staff while the in
structor with less tenure but
considered by students to have'
the ability to offer a much better
method of teaching is denied the
chance?
After all, students are the ones
that attend classes, and they
know the effectiveness or in
effectiveness of instructors. If
there's anyone that should be
considered or represented on
the panel to decide on who stays
and who goes it should have
been students.
People who make these
decisions for us, and who claim
to be looking out for our best
interest are considerate but
incognizant of students and their
evaluation, likes, and dislikes
about such issues.
I think too often ad
ministrative professionals are so
quick to label the student as an
irrational thinker and one that is
"looking ( or the easiest way
out,” but never underestimate
your audience. Just when you
think you've been able to pen
the average student down,
somewhere lurking is the above
average individual who can
sometime undermine the system
and pretty much figure out how
students are being thought of.
The issue involving our faculty
members heavily stressed on
tenure and the benefits that
come with it, instead of the
students and what will they
benefit from the teachings of an
instructor with tenure.
I would hate to think that my
administrative heads, people
whom I look to for somewhat
guidance and ones whom I
model my beliefs around would
not even consider me when it
comes down to offering a good
quality education.
What is a good quality educa
tion and how do you measure it?
Well, maybe there is no straight
answer as to the measurement of
good or quality or the definition
thereof, but I do know that
tenure doesn’t offer the best
explanation to the breath of
knowledge. It does not
guarantee that one will always be
an expertise when around him
the world is changing and grow
ing so rapidly that time and age
will not allow a steady pace to
keep up. And, before it is
realized you've lost what you
had piece by piece, but find that
your debris is strongly existent in
that new instructor, or new
employee.
A lot must be considered
when it comes to something as
vital as a good education. Sure it
is up to the students to learn and
grasp their own teachings, and
the instructor is there merely to
enhance and provide supervi
sion. But, the instructor must be
qualified to enhance and
provide the proper supervision if
he or she is to expect any student
to learn.
Let's face it, and admit to the
fact that tenure alone on this
campus doesn't mean that you
are the best qualified. What it
means to me is that someone has
been here longer than the next
person and is of course entitled
to the many fringe benefits that a
newcomer has yet to obtain. Yet,
at the same time there is no
definite distinctive difference
between how well one instructor
teaches and delivers to students
who are attracted by his/her
presentation than one who
because of tenure gains the
authority on any subject. Tenure
and teacher excellence must be
combined.
I will admit that time brings on
an expansion of knowledge, and
that it brings on experience as
well. However, I cannot condon
to the belief that because of time
that makes it better.
Time is not a basis for what I
consider quality. Although time
brings about a change the real
question is whether or not the
change is good or bad, better or
worse.
If the students had the same
vigor as those of the 1960’s then
much more demanding would
be made. Unfortunately, we’ve
become too relaxed and too
concerned about materialism
and socializing within ourselves
until we've formed an outer shell
that could be easily cracked in
moment’s pleasure by forces too
eager to close down black in
stitutions that show high
decreasing enrollment rates,
economic problems, and above
all low academic ratings that
Continued on pg. 4
Instructors
Continued from pg. 1
It is stated in the letter that
because of financial problems,
decreased enrollment, and a
sizable deficit, faculty reduction
is the only foreseeable answer.
The most distressing com
ments made about the dismissal
is that little or no personal
contact was made beforehand
stating what was to be done.
Another instructor stated that
what is being done is the only
way to handle the matter.
"The school must protect its
financial status. If things get
better, maybe they won’t get
fired.”
What also comes into view is
the senority policy, which accor
ding to one instructor “allows
deadwood to stagnate.” This is a
cut and dry rule for firing. If this
case holds true, shouldn’t
teacher excellence be a deter
mining factor also. But who is to
decide what criteria excellence is
based upon?
“It is too bad that the
operating expenses for the
school comes basically from
tuition money. A temporary
change in enrollment from one
to three semesters effects the
faculty,” commented and in
structor.
Due to the nature of these
events, some instructors chose
not to have their names appear
in print and others refused to
talk. Neither can we print the
entire list of names because all
aren’t known to us and it is an
envasion of personal privacy to
others.
Dr. Threatt, college president,
was unavailable for comment
due to registration.
In our next issue, we will
present more facts concerning
the recent dismissals as the
situation progresses.
HAS MORRIS BROWN
COLLEGE MADE A
DIFFERENCE?
1. The only black Pulitzer Prize
winner from the State of Georgia
is a Morris Brown College
graduate - James Alan McPher
son, 1965.
2. Approximately forty (40) of
the 2,000 black CPA’s in the U.S.
graduated from Morris Brown
College.
Morris Brown College has the
only 4 year Restaurant and
Institutional Management
Program in the State of Georgia.
4. One of the two black
presidents of banks in the State
of Georgia is a Morris Brown
College graduate - Robert James,
Carver Bank in Savannah,
Georgia.
5. Morris Brown College
developed the first teacher
education program in Georgia
that was designed to train black
teachers.
6. One of the few black
commercial airline pilots in the
United States is a Morris Brown
College graduate - James Bruce
Taylor, 1954, Eastern Airlines.
7. Morris Brown College is the
only minority college in Georgia
with a program in English as a
Second Language.
8. More than 1/3 of ap
proximately 1500 low achieving
high school graduates who have
entered the Morris Brown
College Upward Bound and
Special Services Programs since
1966 have successfully finished
college and are now gainfully
employed.
9. One of the top wide
receivers in professional football
is a Morris Brown College
graduate - Alfred Jenkins, 1973,
Atlanta Falcons is #2 in the na
tion.
10. One of the eleven black
officials in the National Football
League is a Morris Brown
College graduate - Frank Glover,
1952.
11. The first black person to
earn a doctorate degree in
bacteriology and immunology
from the University of California
at Berkley is a Morris Brown
College graduate - Robert
Morgan, 1965.
12. One of America’s foremost
Civil Rights Activists is a Morris
Brown College graduate - Hosea
Williams, 1950.
13. The first president of the
merged professional teacher’s
organization is a Morris Brown
College graduate - Robert
Threatt, 1949.
is not an “epidemic” of VD on
campus after he discussed the
situation with the local health
department.
Law had been told about the
stories before they were to run,
and ordered the student
newspaper not to run the two
stories.
Law says that he was not trying
to censor the newspaper or
decide what was published, he
was only questioning whether
the two stories were in "good
taste.”
On the day the newspaper was
to bedistributed,theadministra-
Continued on pg. 5
BRAND NEW
by Anthony Quinn Thompson
Last days and time have lefted me
Has lefted me standing here alone
Has lefted me struggling onward to a new
freedom a new peace of mind
A peace that I thought I had
I’ve been danced on
I have danced
I've been danced upon by a brand new rhythm
not known to me
Has the flow of the sound silence my speech
Singing voices carry my father home
Trouble minds reach up to me
Lonely freedom has got me down
Reaching for a brand new life
A brand freedom
Last days in time has lefted me standing
here alone
Standing here brand new freedom
In need
Am in need
I need a brand new life
A brand new me
A brand new way out
Cause there will always be some of my
people that will never have a chance to make it
in this old life
So reach my brother
Reach my Sister’
For a Brand New
Brand new
Time have you hidden
Hidden from yourself
We have to find a brand new life
Brand new way out
Brand new way of doing things
Brand new way of loving
Brand new way of finding a
Brand New
Brand New
Newspaper controversy
By Campus Digest News Service
The student newspaper at
Virginia State University at
Petersburg, Va., has had its
future funding threatened and
publication schedule nearly in
terrupted for disobeying an
order from the university ad
ministration to censor two ar
ticles.
The editor, Derek Davis, ran
two articles that the administra
tion had requested not be run.
One called veneral disease an
"epidemic” on that campus, and
the other article reported that
the campus food service had
caught 75 rats during one week
of trapping the rodents.
The president of the school,
Thomas Law, asserted that there