Baltimore Afro American E-Edition

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October 27, 2012 - October 27, 2012, www.afro.com

Volume 121 No. 12

A1 $1.00

The Afro-American

OCTOBER 27, 2012 - NOVEMBER 2, 2012

Boy Scouts Turn 100!

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Md. early voting runs Oct. 27-Nov. 1

Blacks’ History at the Polls Marred by Intimidation and Violence

Failing to Vote Dishonors Those Who Fought and Died for the Right

By Avis Thomas-Lester AFRO Executive Editor

wikipedia.org

John Lewis and James Zwerg in 1961 after being beaten by a mob in Montgomery, Alabama during the Freedom Ride.

Vernon Dahmer would want you to vote on Nov. 6 and in every election day for the rest of your life. He would want you to teach your children to vote. He would want you to urge your friends, neighbors and co-workers to vote. So would Rev. George Lee, Lamar Smith, Herbert Lee, Medgar Evers and Jimmy Lee Jackson. They all died so you would have the right. Continued on A8

Coppin Prexy Submits Resignation By Alexis Taylor Special to the AFRO After five years of serving as president of Coppin State University, Dr. Reginald S. Avery has announced his resignation, effective Jan. 22, 2013. In a statement issued Oct. 24 by the historical Black institution, founded in 1900, President Avery called his time the “highlight” of 35 years in higher education.

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“I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to lead an institution that is so vitally important to the community and the students that we serve,” said Avery. “There comes a time when leaders must step aside to allow for continued institutional growth, and for me that time has come.” Like the other three historical Black institutions (HBCU) in the state, Coppin is a member of the University System of Maryland, which is led by Chancellor William E. Kirwan. “I am very appreciative of the hard work that President Avery has put forth in his advancing Coppin State University. He brought a focus to the welfare of the student body, retention and the graduation rate,” Kirwan told the AFRO, adding that the foundation laid by Avery gives the university what it needs to move forward. “President Avery has served five years, which is not a normal period of time. He had a very challenging job and I think he feels that he has made a contribution, done

Courtesy Photo

Dr. Reginald S. Avery what he could do, and now it’s time to pass the reins on to someone else.” Kirwan said today’s average tenure for a college or university president is 11 years. Though shy of that mark, Avery’s term has not been without its’ positive lunges forward- or its’ periods of controversy. In February, Avery’s faculty gave him a vote of no confidence citing six

major concerns including the revolving doors of leadership in the Office of the Provost, unfair hiring practices, and $800,000 in 2011 need-based scholarships that never made it to student accounts. In July, the Coppin community joined with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers (AFSCME) bargaining unit at Coppin State to protest the waves of staff layoffs they said came with little to no warning. Avery’s administration has overseen the establishment of a new School of Business, expansions to the allied health curriculum, and upgrades to the physical campus located on North Avenue. Kirwan said that an interim president will be announced shortly. Avery is only the fifth president to hold the position of president at the university that has been a staple in the West Baltimore community for 112 years. The school serves roughly 4,000 students every year in 53 undergraduate and nine Continued on A3

Photo by Scout Tufankjian for Obama for America

Mitt Romney and Barack Obama at the second presidential debate.

Third Debate: Obama Prevails Again

CHECKMATE By Ronald A. Taylor AFRO Editor

The 2012 presidential debate series ended Oct.22 in a clash that veered from foreign policy and war to the U.S. economy and jobs as President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney shared a stage for the final scheduled encounter of the campaign. Most political pollsters and campaign observers

“Romney ...will make sure that folks at the very top don’t have to play by the same rules that you do.” declared Obama the winner of the third presidential debate, which took place at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. More than 59 million people tuned into the debate—fewer than the first and second debate, which took place at the same time as Monday Night Football, where the Chicago Bears defeated the Detroit Lions, and Game 7 of the National League Championship series, where the San Francisco Giants clipped the St. Louis Cardinals. In the third debate, the president laid out a foreign policy strategy built around

HBCU ‘Equality’ Lawsuit Judge Hears Final Arguments

State Continues to Argue No Disparity vs HBCU’s Argue Obvious & Harmful Disparity By Ronald A. Taylor AFRO Editor BALTIMORE—The question of whether Maryland perpetuates a system of separate and unequal higher education—after six years of debate, testimony, motions and presentments-- is now in the hands of a federal judge in Baltimore. At the end of courtroom action in a landmark suit Oct. 19, U.S. District Court Judge Catherine Blake offered little indication of which way she will rule. The question is: Has the state failed to end the influence of legal segregation from spending policies and practices for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the state?

engagement and diplomacy, enhanced by a militarybacked pledge to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to U.S. enemies. Romney said he agreed with Obama’s policies regarding the use of “crippling sanctions” against Iran, which focus on its economy; support for Israel; drone strikes; withdrawal from the war in Afghanistan; and relations with Pakistan. While he was less

But the judge’s questions during final oral arguments may shed light on her approach to a ruling on the Coalition for Equity and Excellence in Maryland Higher Education et al. v. Maryland Higher Education Commission case, according to courtroom observers. The October action came after a six-week bench trial that ended in February and was followed in June by an exchange of reams of documents as each side wrestled over the conclusions of law that surfaced from the expert testimony and reports and studies—some decades old—had been submitted during trial. Blake interrupted the lawyers’ sparring to ask plaintiff lawyers for evidence of the link to segregation policies and voiced concern to the defense about program Continued on A3

Copyright © 2012 by the Afro-American Company

confrontational than in previous debates with the president, Romney used his time to restate his campaign pledge to address the nation’s economic woes in a five–step program that would produce 12 million new jobs. But the former Massachusetts governor’s assertions drew sharp rebuttals from the president. “I’m glad that you agree that we have been successful in going after Al Qaida, but I have to tell you that, you know, your strategy previously has been one that has been all over the map Continued on A3

Man Opens Fire at Creflo Dollar’s Church The Atlanta Daily World Special to the AFRO A church volunteer was shot and killed, Oct. 24, at World Changers Church International, which is near Atlanta. Investigators [arrested] suspect 52-year-old Floyd Palmer of Riverdale, who, they said, entered a chapel on the church’s campus and started shooting. Palmer is a former church employee who resigned in August, according to Fulton County spokeswoman Kay Lester. Fulton County officials confirmed that the victim was a 39-year-old male church volunteer. Police have not yet released his name. Investigators say the victim was on stage and leading a prayer when he was shot at point-blank range. Lester said multiple shots were fired, but no one else was injured. Continued on A8


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