President Franklin Holds Town Hall for

The Organ of Student Expression Since 1925
The
MAROON TIGER
Morehouse College • Atlanta, GA
February 1 - 7, 2012
Volume LXXXVI, issue 14
Image courtesy of MOREHOUSE COLLEGE OFFICE OF COMMUNICATIONS
President Robert M. Franklin to Step Down at Term’s End
Lance Dixon
Managing Editor
ldixon2012@gmail.com
A
t about 5 p.m. on Monday,
Jan. 30, press releases surfaced stating that Morehouse’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 Luther King Jr. Institute. Franklin was
granted the esteemed titles of President Emeritus and Distinguished
Scholar by the school’s Board of
Trustees.
Following the breaking of this
news, Morehouse began to disseminate 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 College is changing, its mission is remaining the same,” Franklin stated
in the letter. “Morehouse will continue its nearly 150-year track record of excellence in educating
African American men – bright,
dedicated and motivated students,
like you, who have made my presi-
dency of Morehouse the highlight
of my career.”
The letter and press release indicate that the preliminary work of
searching for a successor has begun
and Franklin will remain in his current position as late as December 31
of this year if necessary, but no further. Franklin leaves a tenure that
included a rebranding of the school
through the inception of the “Renaissance Men with a Social Conscience
and Global Perspective” and through
his “Five Wells” initiative. The president also raised alumni giving from
17 to 36 percent, kept accreditation
from the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools in 2009, generated $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 articulated the emotional appeal from
Franklin to students, as evidenced
in the final words of his letter to students.
“I thank each of you for your outstanding 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.
President Franklin SUSTAINABILITY
Holds Town Hall CORNER: RECYCLEMANIA
for Morehouse
F
Community
Jordon Nesmith
Associate Campus News Editor
jnesmith17@gmail.com
Malcolm Tyler
Associate Sports Editor
maxtyler.tyler2@gmail.com
D
President Franklin came to
Morehouse from the classroom as
a teacher, an educator, working directly 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 adventure at Stanford University where he
will teach and become more directly
r. Robert Michael Franklin,
President of Morehouse College, held a town hall meeting Tuesday night in King Chapel to discuss
his coming departure from Morehouse College.
The meeting was open only to
current Morehouse students, alumni, 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
See PRESIDENT, page 3
peace about this.”
ebruary 4 will mark the beginning of what has become a new
and exciting annual event in the
Morehouse community. The Recyclemania bug is catching and I
hope everyone will catch it.
Recyclemania is an 8-week long
competition between over 500 colleges and universities in North
America and Canada to see which
schools can collect the most recycled waste. Among participating schools are not only the AUC’s
own Morehouse College, Clark Atlanta University, Spelman College,
Morehouse School of Medicine,
and Interdenominational Theological Center, but also Agnes Scott
College and Emory University.
Recyclemania is a friendly competition that will gauge Morehouse’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, printers and other peripherals and ancillary equipment.
Recyclemania is a fun and
friendly competition meant to promote recycling among students and
faculty, bring awareness to campus
sustainable efforts and address environmental issues in a light and
positive way. The winning school
will be the recipient of not only a
trophy made from recycled material, but also bragging rights as being
a sustainable institution.
This is an important opportunity for Morehouse to showcase
itself as an environmentally-conscious institution. Sustainability and green issues are scarcely
geared toward the Black community or individuals of lower socioeconomic standing despite a predisposition within these groups to
stretch and reuse resources. It is
important that the AUC take part
in the movement and set an example for the surrounding communities to promote the issue.
I challenge the Men of Morehouse to collect as much recycling
as possible for the event. It is paramount that we make sure not to
contaminate the on campus recycling bins with food soiled products (pizza boxes) or other nonrecyclables.
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, representatives from the Atlanta Mayor’s
office, the Black Chamber of Congress, Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters, 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 distributed 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
on the web
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friday
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CAMPUS NEWS
www.themaroontiger.com
February 1-7, 2012
THE MAROON TIGER
Morehouse Office of Communications/ADD SEYMOUR
Nicolas B. Aziz ’12
Editor-in-Chief
nickbaziz@yahoo.com
Franklin and Davidson sit down with the MT
MANAGEMENT
Lance Dixon ’12
Managing Editor
ldixon2012@gmail.com
Jeffery Taylor II ’12
Chief Layout Editor
jefferydtaylor@gmail.com
Ahmad Barber ’13
Photography Editor
ahmad.barber@gmail.com
Jourdan Shepard ’12
Chief Copy Editor
jourdancshepard@gmail.com
Charlie Williams IV ’12
Associate Copy Editor
cwmsiv@gmail.com
Sierra Stokes SC ’13
Associate Copy Editor
sstokes6@scmail.spelman.edu
EDITORS
Tre’vell Anderson ’13
Campus News Editor
Jordon Nesmith ’12
Associate Campus News Editor
Dannieka Wiggins SC ’13
World & Local Editor
Nicholas Bacon ’13
Associate World & Local Editor
O’Koyea Huff-Boone ’12
Business & Tech Editor
John Yates ’14
Associate Bussiness & Tech Editor
Darryl Hawkins ’12
Features Editor
Kobi Ansong ’12
Associate Features Editor
Christian Saint-Vil ’14
Opinions Editor
James Williams ’12
Associate Opinions Editor
Taylor Williams ’12
Arts & Entertainment Editor
Katryna Mahoney SC ’14
Associate A&E Editor
Curtis Jackson ’14
Sports Editor
Max Tyler ’13
Associate Sports Editor
MULTIMEDIA
O’koyea Huff Boone ’12
Webmaster
okoyeahb@gmail.com
Spencer Greene ’12
New Media Director
sgreene.savvy@gmail.com
Jihad Kheperu ’12
Tiger TV Producer
jihad_kheperu@yahoo.com
ADVISER
Ron Thomas
Nicolas B. Aziz
Editor-in-Chief
nickbaziz@yahoo.com
A
midst the commotion of President Franklin’s announcement, he
and Morehouse Board of Trustees
Chairman Robert C. Davidson, Jr. ’67
made time for an interview with The Maroon Tiger. In this exclusive interview,
Franklin and Davidson addressed some
of the questions surrounding the institution’s transition of leadership.
MT: I’ll start it off by asking the question everyone’s been asking. Why?
Franklin: This was my decision, and
I am at peace about the decision. I’ve
been soul searching for some months
as I’ve thought about my future and
this stage in my life. Ultimately, I realized two things. We have accomplished
what we were asked to accomplish at
Morehouse College; and that has been
to build upon and extend the cultural,
intellectual and moral dimensions of
the college. Secondly, I [realized that]
I was desirous of returning to my first
calling as a teacher, a scholar, a writer,
[and] a preacher. This has been a difficult journey arriving at that point, but I
am at a point of peace now. I’m looking
forward at this stage in my life, just before 60 years of age, to do some things
that I want to do while I’m healthy and
young enough to enjoy them with my
family.
MT: What is your response to those who
believe this was more of a “forcing out”
due to your apparent inability to raise
funds for the college?
Franklin: I am excited about our
achievements in fundraising. We’ve
raised over $60 million in federal funds
to support research. This faculty has
been an incredibly productive team of
thought-leaders and researchers, and I
have worked to support and lead efforts
to increase our public funding. Secondly, we have raised in excessive $60 million of what we call institutional funds
to support the many purposes of the
college: scholarships, campus enhancements, improving security, building our
capacity in social media space, [and]
improving our website. So it is really
worthy of celebration. Despite a difficult
economy, we’ve had many fundraising
successes; and my successor will build
upon those just as I built upon the tremendous work of President Massey. It
was my decision, plain and simple, and
that is why I’m at peace about it.
MT: The only other president to serve
this short of a term was Samuel T.
Graves from 1885 to 1890. Do you
think this short of a tenure will say
anything to the public about your ability as a president?
Franklin: I think not. I think people will
affirm that we had an impact on the college in a branding effort in talking about
Morehouse men as renaissance men with
a social conscience. And I trust the five
wells will be a lasting part of my legacy;
producing students who are well-read,
well-spoken, well-traveled, well-dressed
and well-balanced. We explored and
pushed Morehouse even further out into
the world [by] welcoming more international students, more international
faculty, and ensuring that more students
get to travel and study abroad. That can
take a long period or it can be done in an
intense way in a relatively short period
and this five-year period has been the
greatest privilege of my life.
MT: The classes of 2011 and 2012 will
go down in history as your only two
full classes. Can you describe your relationship with these two classes who will
essentially be dubbed as your “Renaissance Men?”
Franklin: I certainly feel a special pride
and bond with those two classes. But all
of the classes that have been represented
during this five year period; I feel that all
of them have been in some way participants in and contributors to what we call
this “renaissance of Morehouse.” Those
two classes have special distinction of the
full time of my tenure here and we certainly share those four years of discovery
and growth.
MT: Why did you think it was necessary
to hold a town hall meeting this evening
(Jan. 31) for students?
Franklin: I draw strength and energy
from students and I feel it is an important expression of trust. It’s respect for
the bond that I have. I think of myself
as a “student president.” Even when I’ve
been out on fundraising trips or visiting
alumni, after a long busy day coming in
from the airport, I would always stop at
the cafeteria before going home no matter how tired I was because I would be
reminded of why I’m doing this, why the
world needs Morehouse and why people
should contribute to this college.
MT: Speaking of students, have you had
a chance to look at Twitter since the announcement? Yesterday you were actually a trending topic in the Atlanta area.
Franklin: (laughs) I glanced for a few
moments and saw a lot of news articles
being circulated. So, yes.
MT: What is the next step?
Davidson: The next step is for the Board
of Trustees to immediately form a search
committee, which I will be putting
together. We will then establish a search
process and from that we will generate potential candidates for the posi-
tion based upon criteria that the search
committee will establish. We will then
go through a process of looking through
those candidates and the tough job of
trying to find someone to fill the big
shoes that Dr. Franklin will be leaving for
them.
MT: Will past candidates be revisited?
For example, Rev. Calvin Butts or John
Wilson?
Davidson: All candidates that fit the
criteria will be looked at. There are no
particular candidates on the table today.
But anyone that feels they fit the criteria,
has an interest, and that we (the Board)
feel embodies the mission of Morehouse
will be considered.
MT: This past academic year has seen
several major transitions (CFO Gwendolyn Sykes and Provost Weldon Jackson). What is your response to those
who may think the college appears to be
in a crisis?
Davidson: What we’re planning here is a
comfortable transition for Dr. Franklin
to his successor. With respect to other
members of management that exist
here at the college, that’s a decision that
is made by the president. And as the
Board, it is policy that we don’t comment
on those positions and what they do.
Franklin: The good news is that we have
strong interim leadership. I will work
with the new president and we expect
those positions to be filled later this year.
MT: What are the largest concerns for
Morehouse College at this point?
Franklin: One of the things we are excited about is a new strategic priorities
plan. This board has worked hard with
the management team to develop five
strategic priorities for the college. This
is the first time in the 145-year history
of the college where we’ve worked so
intensely on a data-rich clearly defined
set of priorities for Morehouse College.
The next president accepts a kind of
road map that will enable that president to lead the college forward in an
effective way. And I’m very proud to
be have been a part of that and work
with Chairman Davidson to ensure
that we had such a solid and exciting
plan.
Davidson: Dr. Franklin has done exactly
what the board has asked him to do as
president. He’s come in and taken on the
challenges that the college has faced and
he’s gone above and beyond that in setting this up to be able to pass the baton
to the next leader. Without a road map,
you don’t know where you are when you
get there. Dr. Franklin has already written that road map for the next president.
The next president can now come in and
Recycle The Maroon Tiger
take the initiatives that Dr. Franklin has
set up and take the baton and continue
the journey.
MT: What are some of the components
of this plan?
Franklin: [First], it (the plan) focuses
on enrollment management; it’s shaping the future of Morehouse to ensure that we’re attracting the best and
brightest young men who will continue
to serve their communities and bring
value in every walk of life. [Second],
it focuses on retention and graduation.
We call that one the student services
focus. Third is a focus on the quality and rigor of our curriculum and
our co-curricular programs. Fourth,
is excellent teaching and research;
ensuring that we first of all re-populate
the faculty with terrific strong leaders.
One third of this faculty will be eligible to retire in the next seven years.
Finally, all of those are predicated on
a sustainable business model. We’ve
worked hard, colleagues have made
their contributions, and the result is a
strong plan. And I think that marks
Morehouse as distinct and this is a new
milestone in the history of our college.
3
CAMPUS NEWS
www.themaroontiger.com
PRESIDENT Franklin
discusses details of his exit
and future plans at town hall
continued from front page
involved in the educational experience of students. Franklin
will serve as Scholar-in-Residence at Stanford’s Martin Luther King Jr. Institute.
The President’s contract
concludes June 30, as a search
will commence this spring.
Should Franklin’s successor be prepared to begin this
summer then Franklin will
make his transition. But if not,
Franklin will remain through
the fall semester of 2012 until
the process is complete.
Many students saw the town
hall as something that was
both appropriate and necessary. Students who attended
had mixed reactions to the
president’s comments.
“It wasn’t what I was expecting,” Morehouse junior Chris
Keys said. “Given the fact that
it was closed off to Spelman
and other non-Morehouse
students, you would expect it
to be a little less political.”
“The tone I felt was mixed,”
senior Brandon Whitehead
said. “There was a sense of
melancholy but also towards
the end, a sense of hope, a
hope that it’s not so bad. A
hope that the next president
who comes in will be just as,
if not more effective, and one
who will have the students’
best interest at heart.”
“It was good to see that students actually care about their
school,” Keys added, referring
to the student turnout Tuesday night. “We were curious
as to why such a great person
would be leaving and with
such short notice.”
Students now move towards
a transition period for the college.
“This is a time, more than
ever, for the students to really
ban together and protect the
integrity of their institution,”
Whitehead said. “This institution is a representation of
the student body. We have to
protect that. The value of the
Morehouse degree depends
upon it. The great opportunities that we get come from
legacy already built; we have
to continue to strengthen that
legacy.”
Franklin closed out his remarks reminiscing on his
brief, yet busy, tenure at Morehouse. He charged the student
body to remain open to new
possibilities, new leadership
and new opportunities.
“Let’s cherish our memories
together brothers and let’s remember the words of Howard
Thurman, ‘Do not ask what
the world needs. Just do what
makes you come alive. What
the world needs is people who
have become alive,” Franklin
said.
February 1-7, 2012
Franklin Stepping Down Doesn’t Solve
Institution’s Problems
Nicolas B. Aziz
Editor-in-Chief
nickbaziz@yahoo.com
A
s a senior and student
leader, I’ve heard chatter about President Robert
M. Franklin’s “poor performance” throughout most of
my time at this institution.
Questions about his ability
to raise funds as well as his
superstar predecessor, Dr.
Walter E. Massey, are usually
at the forefront of these discussions.
Unfortunately, Franklin
has had to serve his entire
tenure in comparison to
Massey, and this has undoubtedly affected opinions
of his overall performance
by the masses (no pun intended).
Of course there were many
strides and additions to the
campus during Massey’s administration, but does that
mean we should belittle those
strides during Franklin’s?
Franklin’s
charismatic
leadership of the college
certainly deserves praise.
While Massey may have
been better at raising money
from his corporate connections, it could be said that
Franklin was a much better
brand manager.
Franklin’s departure will
be the third major change
among top administrators
since this school year began,
following the resignations of
CFO Gwendolyn Sykes and
Dr. Weldon Jackson as Provost.
The signs are clear. Morehouse is in the middle of a
crossroad, and the fate of the
institution lies within the
immediate future.
With a 33 percent faculty
and administration turnover
rate anticipated in the next
seven years, it is even more
apparent how important the
immediate future will be.
But how does our institution get better? How can
our institution’s “culture” be
changed?
As I mentioned before,
Franklin’s largest criticism
was his difficulty in raising
funds for the institution.
But how hard can we criticize a president about raising corporate funds with the
current state of the economy?
In addition to having two
different styles of leadership,
Massey and Franklin served
during two different times.
With the economy’s current
state, it is even more essential that we rely on alumni
donations.
I have heard many alumni
of this institution state that
they don’t donate funds be-
MT: How important are the next five
years of Morehouse College?
Davidson: It’s not the next five years
that are critical for Morehouse. It’s the
next 50 years that are critical. We want
to continue this legacy that we will have
for what will be 150 years in 2017. Then
when we get to 200 years, it will be
[about] the next 50 years. We have to
take a very long-term view for this institution because it’s a legacy.
MT: Any other comments?
Davidson: We really wanted to honor
and recognize Dr. Franklin for his
numerous contributions to this college.
And in doing so, we, as a board, have
given him the title of President Emeritus
and Distinguished Professor. That is the
highest title the college can bestow upon
anyone. And that is symbolic of our view
of his significant contributions during his
tenure here as president. I think [people]
should recognize that and realize how
the board feels about Dr. Franklin.
Franklin: Those faculty members who
are now at other institutions [and those]
who are now in PhD programs will now
be attracted to Morehouse because we
have a clear road map; and also because
of the current strength of our academic
reputation…I have to believe that John
Hope and Benjamin Mays, Dr. Gloster
and Walter Massey and all of our leaders and icons have to smile and say that’s
exactly where Morehouse should be: at
the top of the pyramid serving the public
good. And that’s what we’ll continue.
Recycle The Maroon Tiger
cause of the amount of debt
they leave with and the quality of their experience.
If that is the case, then the
root of correcting this institution’s problems lies in better customer service: providing more students (the
customer) with that “remarkable experience” that is
so vigorously marketed.
While Morehouse does
give some students this experience, the gaps between
the qualities of graduates is
too large.
There is one type of student who will graduate from
Morehouse having traveled
all over the world, possessing the ability to tie a perfect
Windsor knot, and ready to
conquer whatever field he
will dive into upon graduation. But to his left there is
a graduate who has no job
offers, requires assistance
from his roommate to tie
his tie, and doesn’t know the
first step to acquiring a passport.
There are too many degrees of separation between
students. The magic unfortunately isn’t reaching
everyone. The “mystique”
needs to be changed into the
“model.”
The college will become
better the sooner these discrepancies are recognized.
If more students are given
a better experience, the more
likely it is that these students
will turn into alumni donators. More alumni donations
will increase the amount of
money that the college will
have to provide students
with these remarkable experiences in the forms of more
scholarships and other opportunities.
The institution must carefully decide on how these
faculty and administrative
voids will be filled, and the
fate of the institution lies
within these choices.
Franklin’s departure could
be a refreshing change for
the college. He is leaving
the college with a better
brand than prior to his administration, and it is up to
his successor to continue his
success.
Let us not be ignorant
and think his departure
will correct our institution’s
problems. Simply put, the
‘House needs renovations
to provide additional space
for more students to sit at
the dinner table, and these
renovations cannot occur
without more funding and a
change in the culture of the
housekeepers.
Let this transition be
the beginning of a culture
change.
4
www.themaroontiger.com
WORLD & LOCAL NEWS
February 1-7, 2012
Delta Airlines Diverting Flight
Routes to Avoid Solar Storm
Dannieka Wiggins
World & Local News Editor
dwiggin1@scmail.spelman.edu
D
o you know exactly why your airline
flight has been delayed, or why your
flight takes a longer time to land than
you’d expect? Delta Airlines’ latest claim is
that there is an expected solar storm that
they’re trying to avoid. However, many are
unaware of exactly what a solar storm consists of, which is a large explosion in the
sun’s atmosphere.
“We don’t necessarily know how that
will affect Earth either, because something
can possibly be knocked into our atmosphere and hit earth,” Thaddeus Matthews,
a senior accounting major at Morehouse
College said. “That’s very scary especially if
you were in the air and they told you this.”
According to 11 Alive News, to avoid
such a cataclysmic event Delta has diverted
many of its flights on transpolar routes between North America and Asia. Company
officials fear the disruptions that the solar
storm could cause for their aircraft communications. As a result, Delta aircrafts are
flying further toward the south to avoid
geomagnetic disruptions, adding about 15
minutes to travel times on several flights.
However, 11 Alive News reports that
Delta is not alone in their precautions, considering that many other airlines have taken
precautionary measures to avoid the same
solar storm. Airlines like United Airlines,
Air Canada, Qantas Airways, and American
Airlines all believe that the solar storm can
possibly affect air travel and have either diverted flights or have been paying close attention to atmospheric conditions.
NASA and NOAA officials claim that a
colossal coronal mass ejection from the
sun on Jan. 23, 2012, just two days before airlines began diverting flights, was
the biggest solar storm since 2003. Now
federal officials may begin to take precautions as well, as they have been warned
of the potential damage such storms can
have on communications systems in upper latitudes.
Atlanta Judge Questions
President Obama’s Citizenship
Ta’tiana Miles
Staff Writer
tnm92@yahoo.com
A
lthough President Barack Obama has
been in office for nearly a full term he
is still being met with opposition from many.
On Jan. 23, 2012, a judge in Atlanta ordered
President Obama to appear in court for a
hearing. The hearing is being held because
a complaint was filed stating that President
Obama is not a natural-born citizen and
therefore can’t be president.
According to 11 Alive News, on Jan. 28,
2012, Deputy Chief Judge Michael Malihi denied a motion by the president’s lawyer to
repeal a subpoena that requires Obama to
appear in court concerning the president’s
citizenship.
Since President Obama began his tenure
as president there have been many lawsuits
across the country that have been filed requesting proof that he is a natural-born citizen. A Georgia resident has now made the
latest complaint. The complaint could possibly keep Obama’s name off the state’s ballot
in the March presidential primary.
David Farrar of Cedartow, Ga., is a retired
court reporter who revealed to 11 Alive
News that he has too much time on his
hands and he is a stickler for paper trails.
“I know the White House has posted
President Obama’s birth certificate on its
website, but that’s not enough. We should
be demanding independent evidence,” Farrar said.
Farrar has said he would like to see the
Hawaiian hospital records or the president’s
mother’s medical records while she was carrying him. Both of these records are confidential under federal law.
“I need to prove that he has met his qualifications,” Farrar said.
However, President Obama is not the only
presidential candidate Farrar is going to challenge.
Mitt Romney could be his next victim.
“If Mitt Romney is the nominee and he
signs the piece of paper that Obama signed
saying that he meets his presidential qualifications I will be filing suit,” Farrar told 11
Alive News.
Farrar said Romney’s father George was
born in Mexico.
“I’m not convinced Romney has the correct credentials to run,” Farrar said.
An Obama campaign aide says that any
attempt to involve the president personally
will fail and that such complaints around the
country have no merit.
BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY
www.themaroontiger.com
5
February 1-7, 2012
Facebook IPO: Investing in the Future
The First Modern Day Genocide
Nicholas Bacon
Associate World & Local Editor
nickabacon@gmail.com
T
ension between France and Turkey has
reached a new high as the French Senate passed legislation Jan. 23, criminalizing
denial of the Armenian Genocide.
Taking place after World War I, the Armenian Genocide is responsible for the
death of over one million Armenians by
way of massacres and forced marches. The
bill states that anyone who denies the killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during
the genocide faces a $60,000 fine and up
to one year in jail.
Although the French president, Nicholas
Sarkozy has not yet signed the bill, Turkey
recalled its ambassador to France when
the lower house passed the bill. Turkey also
banned the French Navy from using its territorial waters and restricted French military jets using its airspace. Turkey has also
threatened that there would be permanent
sanctions on France if the bill passed.
Turkey condemned the French Senate
decision deeming it a great injustice and
saying it shows a lack of respect for Turkey.
According to the New York Times, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
says the day will be written in gold in the
history of the protection of human rights.
Turkey claims that the French bill criminalizes the historical truth that civil war is
responsible for the deaths of many Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians. Armenians
claim the mass murdering was part of a
systematic effort by the Turkish military to
wipeout minorities.
In Turkey, the public affirmation of the
Armenian genocide is treated as a crime.
Last March, the writer Orhan Pamuk was
fined about $3,670 by a Turkish court for
his statement in a Swiss newspaper that
Turkey had killed 30,000 Kurds and one
million Armenians.
France’s relations with Turkey are already
strained, in large part because Sarkozy opposes Turkey’s entry into the European
Union. The law is likely to further sour relations with members of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO). It is playing
an increasingly important role in the international community’s response to the
violence in Syria, the standoff over Iran’s
nuclear program and peace negotiations in
the Middle East.
Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused France of committing
genocide in Algeria more than 60 years
ago. He said French colonialists massacred
15 percent of Algeria’s population starting
in 1945. He also accused Sarkozy of pandering to the hundreds of thousands of
French citizens of Armenian descent heading into his re-election bid this year.
“I think our country should have retaliated in the same way after the French Bill
has passed,” Yilmaz Sesen, a chemist, told
AP television in Ankara. “They have committed genocide in North Africa, and not
too long ago either.”
John Yates
Associate Bus. & Tech Editor
john.yates92@gmail.com
F
acebook announced yesterday their plan to become one of the largest IPO’s
in the history of the markets
but before getting involved in
the “Facebook Mania” (CNN);
one has to understand the impact and expectations that
are getting so many people
around the world excited.
First and foremost, in order
to understand the commotion
licly traded. IPO’s may be
risky however, it is tough to
predict what a stock will do
on its initial day of trading
because there is relatively little historical data to compare
it too. Success that may have
been seen in the private sector
may not be as imminent once
a company becomes publicly
traded.
This Facebook IPO, however, is already becoming one
of colossal implications. Although the company was only
launched in 2004, it has over
800 million active users currently. Facebook was started
by Mark Zuckerburg and his
roommates on the campus
of Harvard University but
quickly expanded throughout
the Ivy League circuit and was
then rapidly introduced to the
mainstream. A study done in
2009 by compete.com ranked
Facebook as “The most used
social networking service by
worldwide monthly active
users.” Since then it has also
been featured by Entertainment Weekly, Forbes Maga-
zine, and a host of popular
business magazines.
Because of this, the expectations for this IPO have been
projected to be the largest
in history, valued at higher
prices than both Apple and
Google when they went public. Analysts say that this offering will change the internet sector, creating what will
be one of the largest internet
companies, making this not
only the IPO of the year but
the projected one of the decade. Some have even gone as
far as to say that this release
will be a benchmark in investing history.
With all of this being said,
there are still those who have
their doubts about this release
and believe that the company
will underperform based on
the exceedingly high expectations. One thing is for sure,
however, investors around the
world have their eyes fixed on
this company, while the possible hopes of the next generation of millionaires sit on its
shoulders.
Market Indices
12,716.46
+83.55
+0.66%
S&P 500
1,324.09
+11.68
+0.89%
NASDAQ
DOW
2,848.27
12,716.46
+34.43
+83.55
+1.22%
+0.66%
120.76
1,324.09
+1.25
+11.68
+1.04%
+0.89%
DOW
Market Indices
TR US
INDEX
S&P
500
Market
Indices
Currencies
NASDAQ
DOW
EUR/USD
TR
US INDEX
GBP/USD
S&P
500
Currencies
USD/JPY
NASDAQ
EUR/USD
Commodities
STOCK
MARKET
REPORT
AS OF
CLOSING
ON
FEBRUARY
1, 2012
Recycle The Maroon Tiger
and enthusiasm that we are
witnessing on Wall Street, we
must have a common understanding of what, essentially,
an IPO is.
An IPO, or Initial Public
Offering, is the first sale of a
stock by a private company
that is making its transition
into the public sector. It is often utilized by smaller companies that need the capital
to expand, but there are instances such as this where
large companies file for an
IPO in order to become pub-
2,848.27
12,716.46
1.3166
+34.43
+83.55
+1.22%
+0.66%
+0.08%
120.76
1,324.09
1.5839
+1.25
+11.68
+1.04%
+0.06%
+0.89%
2,848.27
76.160
1.3166
+34.43
-0.07%
+1.22%
+0.08%
1.5839
+1.25
1.3166 -1.15
+0.06%
+1.04%
+0.33%
-0.07%
-1.18%
+0.08%
+3.00
+5.70
+0.47%
+0.06%
+0.33%
-1.15
-0.07%
-1.18%
642.00
+3.00
+0.47%
1,746.10
+5.70
+0.33%
97.33
-1.15
-1.18%
642.00
+3.00
+0.47%
GBP/USD
TR US INDEX
GOLD
Currencies
USD/JPY
OIL
EUR/USD
Commodities
120.76
1,746.10
CORN
GBP/USD
GOLD
642.00
1,746.10
USD/JPY
OIL
97.33
CORN
GOLD
Commodities
OIL
CORN
97.33
Recycle The Maroon Tiger
76.160
1.5839
76.160
+5.70
6
FEATURES
www.themaroontiger.com
February 1-7, 2012
From Crack House to Morehouse An Intimate
Jordon Nesmith
spring ’96 semester he beAssociate Campus News Editor gan dropping his remaining
jnesmith17@gmail.com
classes and making a series of
choices that would ultimately
he year was 1993 when alter his life.
Preston “Wigasi” Brant, a
During his sophomore year,
graduating senior and drama he began experimenting with
major from Newark, N.J., first marijuana and became more
entered Mother Morehouse’s involved with the social asdoors as a freshman. He, like pect of college life. He remany other Morehouse stu- counts spending much time
dents, found himself feeling at a popular hangout called
like a big fish moving from a the Warehouse and a friend’s
smaller pond to a larger one.
off-campus house on Peeples
In high school, Brant had Street.
been the class president as
“Lowery, which was then
well as debate team captain, Ashby, was like a red light disand was the kind of student trict,” Brant said.
others revered. However,
Following his departure
while transitioning into col- from Morehouse in 1996,
lege, he recalls being intimi- Brant sought work, but was
dated by the greatness exuded often affected by being left beby Morehouse and his feelings hind by Morehouse graduates.
of inadequacy, as though he He felt pained and embardid not quite measure up.
rassed by seeing his friends
“I was proud of what I ac- and classmates moving on.
complished in high school,”
Brant eventually received a
Brant said. “In high school break, earning a role on the
I never realized how self- television program “Mama
conscious I was. In college, I Flora’s Family” alongside such
focused on the differences in- Black celebrity star power as
stead of similarities between Cicely Tyson, Blair Undermyself and those coming wood, Queen Latifah and Hill
from educated households.”
Harper. In the midst of this
He remained at Morehouse success, Brant’s malevolent
from 1993 throughout 1996, relationship contributed to
going from his initial biology the escalation of his drug use
pre-med major to a psychol- and eventual use of ecstasy
ogy major, scarcely maintain- and cocaine.
ing a 1.8 GPA. During the
Minor roles in such feature
T
films as “Road Trip” and “Remember the Titans,” guest
spots on “Boston Public” and
“Grounded for Life,” and a
subsequent move to Los Angeles allowed Brant to stay
busy and avoid reality.
In 2000, Brant’s career and
drug addiction took off as he
started working with the daytime Soap Opera, “The Bold
and the Beautiful” and also
working in a corporate job
in human resources. In 2003
his self-destructive lifestyle
caught up with him and everything began to crumble
around him.
In January, Brant was fired
from the show and he was
homeless by May, losing cars
and other valued possessions. His drug use escalated
to smoking crack cocaine and
he felt his life was ruined. His
insatiable desire to be high
left him homeless, jobless and
penniless.
After much consideration,
he decided to return to Atlanta to regain control of his
life, but his behavior did not
change. After spending his
last $700 on narcotics and
trading his sister’s car for a
high, things completely fell
apart. While being dragged
from his sister’s car attempting to steal it back, he finally
had a moment of clarity.
“God showed up in my life
with glimmers of hope,” Brant
said. “That moment was my
rock bottom. I was spiritually
broken.”
Brant says that he always
regretted not finishing school
and one day made the conscious decision to go back.
As taught in his early days at
Morehouse, he always had
a pen with him and decided
one day to write then-Dean
Sterling Hudson a letter he
titled, “From Crack House to
Morehouse.”
“Coming back to Morehouse was my dream,” Brant
said. “I had given up a lot of
things, but I never gave up on
Morehouse College.”
Now as a senior drama
major, Brant toils to maintain his 3.5 GPA and works
closely with the Spelman College Department of Drama
and Dance, where he can
frequently be found lending
a hand. He’s had a hand in
backstage production work as
well as giving shining performances on the main stage.
At this point, in anticipation of graduation, Brant welcomes greatness and has big
plans for moving forward. He
advocates heavily for self-love
and self-respect.
Image courtesy of JON MARCHEL
Logo by Arian Hornsby, Georgia State University
Stevi Darden,
senior English
major from
Pasadena, CA
Zoe Saldaña,
actress
If you want to be featured in Campus LookALikes, send an
e-mail to kobi.ansong@gmail.com or tweet @themaroontiger
with your request and #campuslookalikes
Discussion with
Peter Buffett
Sierra Stokes
Associate Copy Editor
sstokes6@scmail.spelman.edu
A
s an intimate crowd
gathered in the AfricanAmerican Hall of Fame, the
excitement could be seen
throughout the crowd to socialize with Peter Buffett. The
Emmy award-winning musician visited Mother Morehouse to discuss issues dear to
him. As a social activist and
environmentalist, Buffett displayed a keen interest in the
two topics. The Jan. 24 visit of
Buffett was one definitely to
be remembered.
In the crowd journalism
and film students, along with
Maroon Tiger staffers, could
be seen taking notes as Buffett
spoke.
It was apparent that everyone in the audience was eager
to soak up the knowledge and
wisdom from Buffett not only
through the jotting down of
quotes, but also through the
questions asked.
Buffett took the time to
thoroughly answer each question and did so with sincerity.
As he was asked his opinion about political matters,
such as Newt Gingrich and
his “food stamps” comments,
Buffett responded saying, “I
completely do not agree with
the comments made by Gingrich. I am well aware that
food stamps are not only beneficial to the African-American community, but instead
to all American citizens. In
fact, White Americans use a
majority of the food stamps
disbursed. I definitely am not
a supporter of Gingrich.”
After a Q&A between the
audience and Buffett, Buffett
was then given the opportunity to view videos made by
students in the New Media
Technology class taught by
professor Omar Harbison.
One of the few touching videos was documentary about
the “fruit man” that sells near
the AUC. He spoke about how
he first came to Atlanta years
ago to sell fruits and how lucrative his business has been.
Although he is not grossing
in as much as someone that
owns their own corporation,
he still enjoys being able to
provide for his family. In addition to this he is able to set
his own hours.
The meaning of the video
was to give Buffett a glimpse
into life around the AUC and
show the talents of the young
men in the class.
After the event, I was given
the opportunity to ride with
Buffett to his next event and
ask him a few more questions.
During the car ride, I got a
personal feel for the activist
and was able to tap a bit more
into who this talented individual was. Buffett discussed
his past collaborations with
friends in the industry, such
as Akon, how his activism
and music are able to benefit
the two, future endeavors and
so much more.
With his involvement in issues facing the world, I had to
ask Buffett if he had any hopes
to enter politics in the future.
“I do not. It’s almost easier
sometimes to not be involved
in politics to talk about things
that are going on. Often times,
politicians are not able to express how they feel because of
their positions, so no politics
are not for me. This doesn’t
mean that I will not get involved in various issues and
hold positions,” Buffett said.
As we continued to chat,
another question I posed to
Buffett was what cause he was
the most passionate about.
“The thing I’m most passionate about is the idea that
everyone has unique potential and value and should be
able to live up to what that is.
When I look at issues, such as
the environment and certainly poverty, there are so many
that are important, but the
underlying issue within all of
them is care,” Buffett said.
Later that evening, Buffett
hosted a concert in support of
his activism. The concert went
very well as he performed hit
musical pieces and shared his
knowledge with the crowd
that included everyone from
journalism students to Morehouse staff.
Go, Green, Go!
Kobi Ansong
Associate Features Editor
Kobi.ansong@gmail.com
B
ryson Green is a 22-year-old
Oklahoma native with big
dreams, a guitar, and a microphone.
The senior marketing major
makes music that contains an eclectic collection of samples from punk
rock legends like Green Day, to the
revolutionary reggae icon, Bob Marley.
“Its like a mix of everything. I really like everything. I play instruments.
I play the drums, the piano and the
guitar. And I listen to everything,”
Green said.
Green not only raps, but also plays
acoustic and electric guitar and he
has been composing and producing
music for years. The sound is me-
lodic, soulful, and lyrically potent.
In February, Green will drop a
short project entitled “The Green
Theory” to introduce people his
music.
“I’m trying to get a project together that people can hear, so people
can reference a dude,” Green said.
Following “The Green Theory,”
Green plans to release the official
EP aptly titled, “Go Green, Go.”
“We’re gonna call it the Green
Movement,” Green said with a confident grin. “We’re just gonna get
just a bunch of people bumping the
music and we’re just gonna turn it
into a whole movement.”
Until the projects drop, you can
spot Green at shows around Atlanta playing the guitar. Follow him
on Twitter @BrysonGreen to find
dates and locations.
Recycle The Maroon Tiger
Recycle The Maroon Tiger
20
8
www.themaroontiger.com
OPINIONS
February 1-7, 2012
What Ruins a Community
QUESTIONS
Don Cornelius
President Emeritus and Distinguished Boogyer
easypeasylemonsqueezy@anonymoustreedonors.com
Garrett Ransom
Staff Writer
g2ransom@aol.com
W
e have all driven by
that one neighborhood that seems to be filled
with destitution and despair.
The area needs extreme renovation, people are walking
aimlessly with no sign of direction, and criminal activity
seems to be an obvious aspect
of the neighborhood’s tainted
culture. What exactly separates a community that prospers from a community that
perishes?
No, it’s not the shade of
skin, which might be more of
a correlation than causation.
Nor is it the neighborhood,
which is more of an effect of
one big problem. The problem
in many communities that
struggle is the mind state that
refuses the possibility of ascension. A progressive state of
thought is the only thing that
essentially divides the rich
from the poor and the strong
from the weak.
Yes, you can argue that
some communities have more
odds against them than others. You can even further argue that some shades of skin
are allotted more opportunities than others. Both of these
statements can be true, but do
M O
t y
not diminish the responsibility of a community to prosper.
Newt Gingrich, a Republican presidential candidate,
recently “dissed” black people and deemed us as lazy
and lacking work ethic. He
also recommended that poor
blacks work as janitors in
schools to build a better sense
of work ethic. Many people
were angered by these comments, and although his comments were partly illogical, he
has a point.
Gingrich also claimed that
blacks need to stop looking for food stamps and start
looking for a paycheck. Many
people were angered by this
suggestion, as well. Although
I don’t completely support his
statements, I took a very large
theme from both of his comments. Poor people, especially
blacks, need to become more
responsible for their destinies.
We’ve heard of a character
countless times in black movies called “The Man”. The man
can be pictured as the white
man, but mainly describes a
source of oppression. “The
Man” seems to control almost everything about Black
America; its failures, poverty,
and mortality. “The Man” may
have been an active force in
earlier days, but modern society doesn’t face the same is-
sues as our ancestors.
Who’s “The Man” in modern-day America? “The Man”
is the man in the mirror, who
believes to still have external
forces holding him or her
back from achieving greatness. We’ve carried the same
mentality as our ancestors
without adjusting to modernday times. We still believe that
we have no power.
I’ve heard a sea of people
claiming that the Republican Party is racist, but I’ve
never once heard from a fellow black that the Republican
Party might possibly be right.
We’re a race of people who
claim that we have the most
odds against us, yet instead of
rising to the occasion and aspiring to build ourselves and
our communities, we rely on
“The Man” to take care of us.
If you were looking for logic
in that statement, there is
none.
We’ve chained ourselves
mentally for too long. No other external force, especially
another human, should be
strong enough to hold back
our communal success. Although disadvantages do exist
in our communities, we have
a lot more control than we
realize. It’s time to beat “The
Man” out of our system.
2012
MAN
OF
THE
coming soon…
YEAR
1. Were you surprised by the ANNOUNCEMENT?
2. So we’ll now be looking for a CFO, provost AND president?
3. Was he prepared for this CRISIS IN THE VILLAGE?
4. Does anybody believe it was HIS choice?
5. Or did the board give him the BOOT?
6. A 1-year extension?
7. Really?
8. Is that how you HONOR someone for his contributions?
9. Who is next to take over?
10. Will the next ruler of the house be the VIPER?
11. Wasn’t he SALTY about not making the cut last time?
12. Is it time to reach OUTSIDE the alumni pool for a prez?
13. The “best one in the history of the college” went to some school called
Bates, right?
14. What made you think it was ok to refer to her as “MOTHER FRANKLIN?”
15. Didn’t he do a GOOD job conducting?
16. Shouldn’t more time have been allotted for questions?
17. What’s up with the guy with the RED hair?
18. Is there a reason the cafeteria serves breakfast for DINNER?
19. Who’s in the running for MOTY?
20. Will you have your application done by the 10th?
Got questions? Submit them anonymously to mtiger20questions@gmail.com
Nothing Can Repay
Sterilization Victims
North Carolina eugenics victims
suffer from long-term effects
Rokhaya Fall
Contributing Writer
rfall@scmail.spelman.edu
E
laine Riddick was only 13
years old when she was
raped by her neighbor. Barely
a teenager, she gave birth to
a healthy baby in a local hospital in Raleigh, N.C. At 19,
Riddick married and yearned
for more children. After trying for a period of time, she
failed to bear any children.
She later visited doctors who
informed her that she was not
able to have children because
her fallopian tubes were cut
and tied.
Riddick is one of 7,600
women who were sterilized
in North Carolina by state orders. This process started with
the popularity of the eugenics theory in the 1920s. The
eugenics theory states that
poverty, promiscuity and alcoholism were traits that were
inherited through genes. In
the fight to “clean” society’s
gene pool, those whom society claimed to portray these
characteristics were targeted
(by stopping them from reproducing). In the times of
racism, African American
women were to be stopped
from bearing children in order to keep the societal gene
Recycle The Maroon Tiger
pool “clean”.
In addition, the eugenics program was started as a
way to control the amount of
children Caucasian women
on welfare produced, but essentially, African American
women became the most targeted. North Carolina was
only one state out of 31 that
established the eugenics program and sterilized women
who gave birth under the age
of 18. This program was officially banned in North Carolina in 2003. The state has issued a public apology to the
victims and compensations of
$20,000 to $50,000 are being
given to the victims.
At an early age, little girls
play with Barbie dolls playing
mommy to the plastic toy. Our
society teaches girls from an
early age that having children
is essential to one’s happiness
as a woman. As a result, many
women grow up dreaming
of having children and being
married. Likewise, there are
also other women who desire
to have children for their own
personal reasons. Whether a
woman wants 20 children or
none, she should always have
the option of making that decision herself.
It is cruel to want something
so badly and being forced to
never have it. Having an illness that stops a woman from
bearing children is a bit more
bearable than having another
human being take that away
from you (in the same sense
that we can grieve better
when a loved one passes from
an illness compared to being
murdered during an armed
robbery). Respect for women
has always been something
that is not taken very seriously in our society. There is
no amount of money that can
compensate these thousands
of women for what they were
robbed of.
Women’s rights have had
a lot of improvements, but
there are still some aspects
that need change. We are able
to enjoy many perks, such as
choosing our own careers,
choosing to have or not have
children, voting, being single
for life, marrying whomever
we choose.
But some things still need
improvements. There is no
point in being comfortable
with good enough, if we can
have the best. Issues like sterilization of women without
consent need more media attention and as women if we
don’t pay attention to it, no
one will do it for us.
9
OPINIONS
www.themaroontiger.com
February 1-7, 2012
The Rest of the World and Your Privacy
James A. Williams
Associate Opinions Editor
james.willi@yahoo.com
J
anuary 23, Americans witnessed a necessary, but increasingly rare victory for privacy here in the United States
of America. On Monday, the
Supreme Court officially ruled
that authorities cannot legally
put a GPS tracking device on
a suspect’s car without a valid
warrant. The ruling speaks to
one of the most fundamental
principles of law: the reasonable expectation of privacy.
In an increasingly digital
age however, privacy has become a major concern for
many in this country. Personal information is currently
being used in everything from
law enforcement and employment to marketing research.
Although this ruling places
a restriction on the extent of
this practice in law enforcement, the tracking of individuals and the collection of their
personal information is still
readily available and used in
other aspects of government,
business, and media.
We all are told to watch
what we put on Facebook. We
are told to be careful what we
tweet, the pictures we take,
and the text messages we send.
Often in gym locker rooms,
there are restrictions placed
on the use of cameras and in
classrooms, voice recorders
are often prohibited. The fear:
that pictures or audio might be
recorded without permission.
However, with the introduction of camera phones (and
later, the more technologically
advanced smartphones), enforcing these restrictions are
next to impossible.
So, the question becomes
in such a technologically advanced world where we utilize
everything from the internet
(Twitter, Facebook, Skype,
and Tumblr) to personal cellular devices to communicate to the rest of the world,
is there really such a thing as
a reasonable expectation of
privacy and is there any real
way to thrive in the world as
we currently know it without
using these mediums of communication?
I would say no and no, respectively.
Many of us use Twitter
daily. We tweet our locations,
our private thoughts, and we
record personal interactions
between ourselves and other
people. We no longer keep
photos in traditional photo albums. We instead keep them
online, on Facebook. In this
sense, we really cannot expect
for any of that to be private.
Even if we personally believe it should.
Even still, while we may object to the collection of our
personal information, the sad
truth is that in order to be
able to compete and stay in
line with the rest of the world,
being tech-savvy and involved
with these mediums are necessary.
For many companies, the
only way to apply is through
the internet. Often in business, you are told to immediately upload your resume
online in order to garner the
attention of prospective employers; and with how detached our lives have become
from one another, sometimes
the only real way to be able to
keep in touch is through the
internet.
So, what is the solution?
How do we protect ourselves
and still remain in tune with
the rest of the world?
The answer to that, I have
yet to figure out. However,
a great rule of thumb is anything you would be embarrassed to find out the rest of
the world knows, you should
keep to yourself. Read privacy
policies and make sure you’re
aware of what companies
(and their third parties) are
able to do with the informa-
The Privilege of Being Middle Class
Christian L. Saint-Vil
Opinions Editor
csaintvil03@yahoo.com
P
eter Buffett came to our
campus this past Tuesday
to share his life story and his
music. While his music was
definitely refreshing, it was his
life story and what he said that
struck most. He went down
memory lane and showed
pictures of his childhood. Everyone knows his story – billionaire son gets almost nothing from father, makes his own
“fortune,” grew up not knowing he was wealthy growing up
in a typical middle class family.
But more important than
what he said, he put up a picture of his childhood home in
a middleclass neighborhood
of Omaha, Neb. and I found
later after talking to students
on my way home from the
concert that the consensus of
many students believed that
the street he lived on resembled one of Atlanta’s wealthier
neighborhoods like Buckhead. He showed this picture
for students to get some sort
of appreciation for his middle
class upbringing, but many
were somewhat confused and
disappointed. Yes, a billionaire living in a “typical” middle class neighborhood can
be humbling for him, but for
many even being middle class
is an aspiration.
The idea is that one goes
to college to maintain one’s
middle class standing, acquire
it or better. Buffett already
had one, so when he dropped
out of college and was given
$90,000 to follow his dreams
of being a musician it was truly nothing to him. He had a
house of his own in San Fran-
cisco, a car and parents to lean
on if he ever failed in life.
While he says that his parents insisted he make it on his
own and that they would not
spoon-feed him, this raised
the question to many students
whether or not Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor,
would watch his son fall and
not write a check or two? No
one can truly know the answer to that but Warren Buffett, but no parent, wealthy or
poor would be as stern and
“frugal” as to watch their son
fall flat on his face and not attempt to help.
To me, being middle is not
common, nor humbling. Like
many college students I feel a
sense of privilege being in college because that is my, for a lack
of better words, way out, my
chance to attempt to be “middle
class” or better on my own.
www.TheMaroonTiger.com
I’m not saying that Buffett
should have shown students
a picture of a shack because
that would have just been
cheap on his father’s part, but
to show a picture of a middle
class neighborhood home and
expect for students who do
not come from a middle class
background to feel touched is
somewhat absurd especially
coming during a time when
many students were being
purged because they couldn’t
afford tuition.
Yes, Buffett went to public
school like the most of us and
lived in a middle class neighborhood like most of us, but
the problems that exist in Atlanta’s public education system and Atlanta’s “middle”
class neighborhoods do not
exist in Omaha.
Whether one chooses to believe it or not, there is a privi-
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lege to being middle class,
regardless of one’s true financial standing. It isn’t typical
as Buffett suggest. For us African Americans, it’s few and
far in between – especially in
today’s economy. And this is
not to undermine the efforts
of our race because now more
than ever before our race is
making strides to achieve, but
it isn’t easy.
Later that night at Dwarf
House with a friend, we continued this conversation.
While I admire what Peter
Buffett is doing with his career and what he has done,
some students felt as if we
were invisible to him in our
own home. Buffett works with
many charities, focusing on
child trafficking around the
tion you provide. More than
anything else, operate under
the assumption that whatever
you say and do will always be
public and govern yourself accordingly.
Unfortunately, privacy is
an antiquated idea in the 21st
century.
world, but he fails to focus on
the problems that exist back at
home in America.
How is the work he does
around the world affecting
us here at Morehouse I heard
many say later? In stealing the
words of my work-study professor, Dr. Stephanie Dunn,
“Why doesn’t charity stop at
home more?” I, along with
many students here at Morehouse, think that Buffett
should focus more on things
that impact Americans. Buffett
needs to help American students maintain or achieve their
“typical” middle class standing. I’m sure Buffett could have
benefited from hearing these
true questions students had,
but not every conversation can
be so honest.
The Maroon Tiger is published weekly
during the academic year at Morehouse
College. Our goal is to maintain an
independent editorial policy. Opinions
expressed in The Maroon Tiger are solely
the views of its staff and do not necessarily
reflect the opinion of Morehouse College,
its administration, or The Maroon Tiger
advisors. Commentaries solely represent the
views of the author and are not necessarily
the opinion of The Maroon Tiger. We believe
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any public issue. We routinely edit letters
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www.themaroontiger.com
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
February 1-7, 2012
11
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
www.themaroontiger.com
February 1-7, 2012
Katryna Mahoney
Associate A&E Editor
katryna.mahoney@gmail.com
Taylor Williams
Arts and Entertainment Editor
twilli26@gmail.com
P
Anyone remember the first real party they ever went to? Remember the feeling
you felt when you got a chance to dance with your crush or boo? It’s one of those
times you will never forget. Dancing songs have been such an intricate part of our
adolescent years, making a top 25 list had to be done.
Panel : Kelly Plummer ’12 (SC), Amber Hicks ’12 (SC), Shalonda Peters ’12 (CAU), Lance
Dixon ’12, Jazmyne Owens ’12 (SC), Spencer Greene ’12, Charlie Williams IV ’12,Taara
Avery ’12 (SC), Robert Lavergne ’11,Taylor Williams ‘12
1. Juvenile – Back That Thang
Up (1999)
2. Soulja Boy – Donk (2008)
Soulja Boy may not be the best lyricist, but
making dancing songs is something he does
exceptionally well.
This song single-handedly made Cash Money
records a household name and is still one of
their biggest hits to date. Almost 13 years old
and it is still faithfully played at parties today; this song is guaranteed to get the party
jumpin’.
3. Lil’ Wil – Bust It
Wide Open (2008)
4. Travis Porter – Make
It Rain (2010)
Instructions are always good.
Thank you, Lil’ Wil.
Tailored for the gentlemen’s
clubs, but when played at a
party; things can start to look
pretty similar.
5. Uncle Luke – I Wanna Rock (Doo Doo
Brown) (1992)
6. Travis Porter – Bring
It Back (2011)
7. Too $hort ft Lil’ Jon
and the Eastside Boyz
– Shake That Monkey
(2003)
Riding off the success of “Make
It Rain,” the Atlanta rap trio followed up with this song which
encouraged all the ladies to
simply bring it back.
10. Three Six Mafia – Slob
On My (1999)
11.Lil’ Ru – Nasty Song
(2009)
12. Trina – Look Back At
Me (2008)
13. Choppa – Choppa
Style (2002)
14. Gucci Mane – Go
Head (2005)
Juicy J delivered a classic verse
on this song, one of the many
hits by Three Six Mafia.
The South Carolina native made
a splash in 2009 with this song.
Not much has been released by
Lil Ru since then but we always
have him to thank for this song.
Since 1999, Trina has been saying things on songs that most
female artists are scared to say,
this song being no different.
With a New Orleans bounce
music feel, Choppa took the
sound and made it his own with
this one.
Also known as “Shawty Got an
A** on Her,” this song is one of
Gucci Mane’s first hits.
15. Ying Yang Twins – Say
I Yi Yi (2002)
16. Trillville ft. Cutty –
Some Cut (2004)
17. Gucci Mane – Freaky
Gurl (2007)
18. Mike Jones ft Hurricane Chris – Drop and
Give me 50 (2007)
19. Tony Matterhorn –
Dutty Wine (2006)
20. Waka Flocka Flame
ft. Wale and Roscoe Dash
– No Hands (2010)
Between the years of 2002
-2005, the Ying Yang Twins could
not lose.
When you hear those infamous
bed squeaks which the beginning of this song is ladled with,
you know what time it is.
Featuring Ludacris on the
remix, this song launched Gucci
Mane’s career to the next level
and took whatever party it was
played at to the next level also.
21. Ginuwine – So Anxious (1999)
22. Ying Yang Twins
– Whistle While You
Twerk (2000)
23. Pretty Willie – Lay
Your Body Down (2000s?)
9. Lil’ Jon and the Eastside Boyz – Get Low
(2003)
Judging by the previous two
songs 2003 was a good year
for Lil’ Jon, anything he touched
became an instant hit, and this
song was no different. The Ying
Yang Twins were featured on
this song.
Usually played when parties are
winding down, this song slows
it down but usually has guys
anxiously searching for a nice
young lady to dance with.
This is the fourth time the Ying
Yang twins have appeared on
this list, which shows how much
they mean to sub-genre of hiphop. These guys need to make a
comeback.
Not much is known about Pretty Willie, but this song is clutch
in a party or another setting.
Not much to say about this
except to drop and give (insert
person here) 50.
24. Nas and the Bravehearts – Oochie Wally
(2000)
It is rare that a northern artist
makes a twerk song, but with
the help of the Bravehearts, Nas
did it and did it well.
The dutty wine is a popular
dance in Jamaica which involves
a lot of head movement, hips
swinging, and you-know-what
shaking.
25. M.E. – Dance Like a
Stripper (2011)
This song encouraged ladies
to work on their “stripper leg
kicks” and other moves which
any guy can appreciate.
After three years Phony Ppl released their
album, Phonyland. “We released a pre-album in 2009 called ‘WTF is Phonyland?’”
Okotieuro said. “The plan was to release
an album called ‘Dare 2 Be Different’ at the
end of the 2009, but as we progressed we
decided that we wanted to become better
musicians and really hone our craft.”
Okotieuro talked about progression in
the band from personal styles to the quality of the music Phony Ppl were producing.
“Music, fashion, what we found aesthetically pleasing was matured and transformed,”
Okotieuro said. “So throughout that process we decided we wanted our album to be
live, to illustrate the live feel of the band.
We enjoy live music, but at the same time
we like produced music as well.”
Phony Ppl attracts an array of audiences
throughout the nation. The Brooklyn based
band has even expanded their music right
here in the AUC.
“One of the first songs was slow and I was
like, ‘Ehh, I don’t know about this,’” Aubree
Campbell, a sophomore, biology major
from California at Spelman College, said.
“But by the third track I was sold on it. I
have at least 5 favorite tracks on the album.”
“Our fans are really supportive. The album just dropped and the reception that
we’re getting is crazy,” Okotieuro said. “As a
musician you’re really guarded about your
music. You don’t know if people are going
to like it. When you release it there’s a moment of anticipation. ‘Are people really going to enjoy this?’ After u release it, it’s like,
‘Oh, okay. People really do enjoy it!’ It reinforces that you’re making good music.”
Also with the help of Lil’ Jon,
the Ying Yang Twins encouraged ladies to shake it like a salt
shaker.
Featuring Wale and Roscoe
Dash, this is Waka Flocka
Flame’s biggest hit to date.
“Look ma, no hands!”
Missed our
general body
meeting?
Don’t worry!
Honorable Mentions
David Banner- Play
David Banner ft. Lil’ Flip- Like a
Pimp
T.I. ft. Nelly- Get Loose
Our editors’ contact information is
listed in The Maroon Tiger every week.
Contact the editor of a section you’re
interested in for information on how
to become part of our staff.
Splack Pack- Scrub ‘Da Ground
RDX- Bend Over
Juvenile ft. Soulja Slim- Slow
Motion
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Phony Ppl is ready to take off and see
where they talents land them. Dyme-ADuzin was recently signed to Warner Bros.
Records in Sept. 2011. Not to mention Elijah Rawk and Bari Bass who’ve been touring with Theophilus London for the past
year around the globe.
“There’s a certain type of music that we
all love. The music that we love is mellow
and moving. It’s so laid back but it moves
you, it stirs something within you. And
that’s what we aim to do with our music,”
Okotieuro said.
Catch Phony Ppl in concert with Theophilus London on his Tour de Roses in Atlanta
on Feb. 3 at The Earl. (Visit www.badearl.
com for more information.)
Check out Phonyland at www.PhonyPpl.
com and follow them on Twitter @PhonyPpl.
8. Ying Yang Twins –
Salt Shaker (2003)
Without the contributions
of Uncle Luke and the 2 Live
Crew, this list would not even
be possible.
With the help of Lil’ Jon, Too
$hort made it possible for
ladies to shake said monkey.
hony Ppl, who just released their first
album called “Phonyland,” is a nineperson collective of eclectic musical
tastes, ideas and interests.
“We describe our music as ‘Brooklyn
Soul,” Temi Okotieuro, the saxophone
player and sophomore, history major at
Morehouse College, said. “It’s like a cross
between ‘90s hip-hop and ‘70s funk, right
there in the middle.”
Robert Booker and Aja Grant, best
friends since their middle school days,
formed Phony Ppl in 2008 after Donnovan Blocker, also known as rapper DymeA-Duzin, approached the duo to collaborate. The rest of Phony Ppl was assembled
due to many band members living in the
Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood and attending the same schools.
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12
SPORTS
www.themaroontiger.com
February 1-7, 2012
Super Bowl XLVI Preview
Max Tyler
Associate Sports Editor
maxtyler.tyler2@gmail.com
best football.”
Just a month ago, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin was on
the hot seat, a place that’s been familiar to him throughout
his tenure in New York. But despite his critics, Coughlin has
f Super Bowl XLVI lacks anything it isn’t story lines. Tom moved from the brink of being fired to closing in on his second
Brady and the New England Patriots suit up in Indianapolis, Super Bowl victory in four years.
but this time against the younger Manning and the New York
In the AFC championship game against the Baltimore RaGiants in Super Bowl XLVI.
vens, Tom Brady didn’t have his best game as he went 22 of 36
There are players who will never see this stage; the grand for 239 yards and two interceptions.
spectacle that is the Super Bowl. On Sunday, Tom Brady will
“I sucked pretty bad today but our defense saved us,” Brady
play for the chance to win his fourth ring; a feat that only Terry told reporters after the game. “We’re going to try to do a better
Bradshaw and Joe Montana have accomplished.
job in a couple of weeks.”
Although this isn’t one of the dominant New England
One of the toughest tasks the Patriots will have
Patriots teams of the past, under the guidance of head
Sunday is protecting their star quarterback from the
coach Bill Belichick they have quietly put themselves
Giants’ front four.
in a position to once again earn the crown as Super
“The way to kill a snake is to cut off his head,” GiBowl champions. And while their defense ranks 31st
ants defensive lineman Justin Tuck told ESPN. “The
in the NFL; their recent level of play has been topway to kill an offense as potent as this one is to make
notch.
sure you take care of Brady.”
Eli Manning has remained in the shadow of his older
Likewise, if the Patriots can protect Brady and allow
brother, Peyton, even after winning a Super Bowl MVP in
him time to move around in the pocket, the Giants sec2008, but on Sunday he will have the opportunity
ondary might be in for a long night.
to surpass him in Super Bowl victories.
“We’re not a big underdog but we’re an unIn their only meeting this season, the
derdog nonetheless,” defensive lineman Osi
Giants defeated the Patriots 24 – 20 on a
Umenyiora told reporters, echoing Tuck’s
last minute drive directed by Manning.
comments. “They’re a great football
Though the Giants have had the Patriteam. Most people picking this game
ots’ number of late, Manning knows
will say they’re [the Patriots are] gothat Sunday’s task will be tough.
ing to win this game, but we know
“We know they’re a great team,”
we’re going to have to get to Brady
Manning told reporters. “They’ve
as often as we can if we’re going to
been a great team for years. Hopewin this football game. And that’s
fully we can continue to play our
exactly what we plan on doing.”
I
When: Sunday, February 5, 2012. Kickoff: 6:30 p.m.
Network: NBC
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis, Indiana
National Anthem: Kelly Clarkson
Halftime Show: Madonna
Cost for a 30-second Super Bowl Commercial this year: $3.5 million
Lacrosse at Morehouse Becomes a Reality
Xaundrae Tingling
Staff writer
xaundraet@gmail.com
S
pring semester is traditionally one
reserved for baseball and track &
field, however, Morehouse will be the
first HBCU in the southeast to field a
lacrosse club.
“At first recruiting was hard, but then
people just started coming out of nowhere to sign up.” Branden Muse president and founder of the Morehouse
lacrosse club said. “Once we started putting up the fliers people began to call me
constantly to sign up.”
The signs put up for the club proved to be
an effective recruiting tool for Morehouse.
“I saw a lacrosse sign when I came
here to visit in March of 2011,” fresh-
man George Eason said. “I have been
interested in playing lacrosse since I
signed the paper to come to Morehouse
because I love the sport.”
The beginning of a lacrosse club at
Morehouse is significant, not only because it is the first one of its kind at the
school, but also because Morehouse
is now one of the few HBCU’s in the
country with a lacrosse team. Currently, Howard University and Morgan State
University are the only two HBCU’s
with active lacrosse programs. With
Morehouse now joining those ranks,
more African-Americans will continue
to diversify the sport.
Aside from mastering the basic concepts of the sport, one of the main purposes of the club is to introduce the sport
to more African-Americans, which is a
belief that is also held by the club’s head
coach, Matthew Janke.
“I want the members of this team to
go out to their own communities and
teach younger kids about the game,”
Janke said. Janke, who previously coached lacrosse at Grady High School for the last
eight years, also noted he knows how
beneficial lacrosse can be in the lives of
younger children.
“Introducing the game to AfricanAmerican kids at a younger age can only
be positive, as it gives them something
to do and makes lacrosse more familiar,”
Janke added.
The Morehouse Lacrosse Club’s upcoming games will be against Valdosta
State on Feb. 4 and Georgia College and
State University on Feb. 11.
The AUC Rivalry Continues as
Morehouse Comes Up Short
Quincy Young
Staff writer
qyoung2@tigermail.morehouse.edu
T
he rivalry between the Clark Atlanta
University Panthers and Morehouse
College Maroon Tigers is unmatched
by any other rivalry among Historically
Black Colleges and Universities.
“The rivalry is there for football, basketball, track, marbles, tiddlywinks,
whatever you want,” Morehouse head
coach Grady Brewer told a writer from
ESPN last season.
Unfortunately for the home team,
Morehouse with a regular season record
of 3-11, came into the game on a fivegame losing streak while CAU, with a
record of 8-9, had won five of their last
seven games.
These trends continued on Thursday
when the Panthers defeated the Maroon
Tigers 77-64. Thursday night’s basketball
game drew a crowd of 5,122 students
and alumni from both institutions into a
packed Forbes Arena for another chapter
in the historic rivalry.
The energy from both teams was high
throughout the game, but the depletion
of the Morehouse roster due to injury
proved to be the difference. The team’s
most consistent defensive player, rebounder and post presence this season,
Andre Nelson, was forced to sit the game
out to recover from a concussion he suffered in a previous game.
Shawn Allen, the team’s most reliable
offensive threat, provided a spark of energy for Morehouse when he got a steal
in the first half that led to a breakaway
dunk. Allen carried much of the load offensively for the Tigers with a game high
24 points and 11 rebounds. Daniyal Faquir and Cornez “Boosie” Nesbitt both
chipped in 10 points each but it was not
enough.
The Panthers executed the pick and roll
between Chano Rashiduddin and Logan
Shoffner all night long. They repeatedly
attacked the dysfunctional transition defense of the Maroon Tigers.
“We got out on the break, made eye
contact and we already knew what to do,”
CAU forward Willis Brownlee said.
Brownlee caught an alley-oop pass for
a dunk in the second half that seemed to
slam the door shut on the Maroon Tigers
chances of snapping their losing streak.
The Maroon Tigers will have the opportunity to avenge their loss when the
rivalry continues on Feb. 11 in the rematch and possibly again in the SIAC
Tournament in March. Hopefully, by
then Morehouse will be at full strength
getting Nelson back from injury. Until
then, the Panthers have temporary bragging rights on the court. The overall record since 1988 still belongs to the Men
of Morehouse with a record of 26-17.
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What 2
Watch 4
February 2
Duke at Virginia Tech – ESPN
7:00 p.m.
Morehouse College at Benedict College
Columbia, South Carolina
7:30 p.m.
Chicago Bulls at New York Knicks – TNT
8:00 p.m.
South Carolina at Florida – ESPN 2
9:00 p.m.
Denver Nuggets at L.A. Clippers – TNT
10:30 p.m.
February 3
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics – ESPN
8:00 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Denver Nuggets – ESPN
10:30 p.m.
February 4
Syracuse at St. John’s – ESPN
12:00 p.m.
Vanderbilt at Florida - CBS
1:00 p.m.
Ohio State at Wisconsin – ESPN
2:00 p.m.
North Carolina at Maryland – ESPN
4:00 p.m.
Kentucky at South Carolina – ESPN
6:00 p.m.
Kansas at Missouri – ESPN
9:00 p.m.
February 5
Michigan at Michigan State – CBS
1:00 p.m.
Super Bowl XLVI
New York Giants at New England Patriots – NBC
6:30 p.m.
February 6
UConn at Louisville – ESPN
7:00 p.m.
February 7
Florida at Kentucky – ESPN
7:00 p.m.
Fort Valley State University at Morehouse College
Forbes Arena
7:30 p.m.
Purdue at Ohio State – ESPN
9:00 p.m.
February 8
Duke at North Carolina – ESPN
9:00 p.m.