Collegian T he Cameron University
www.aggiecentral.com
Monday, February 2, 2015
Volume 92 Issue 1
Prized journalist discusses civil equality Vicky Smith
strictly segregated, so I went to all-black schools until high Student Life Editor school.” @pinkwritinglady As a teenager in 1968, The 31st annual Dr. Martin Robinson witnessed the events leading up to what is known Luther King Jr. Celebration as the Orangeburg Massacre, Banquet, sponsored by in which police troops shot Cameron Campus Ministry protestors who were against (CCM) and Cameron racial segregation, wounding 27 University, featured keynote people and killing three young speaker Eugene Robinson at black men. 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 19 at the “Keep that image [of the Aggie Rec Center. violent massacre] in mind,” Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Robinson has worked Robinson said, “and let’s fast forward to election night 2008.” in numerous positions during Robinson was a member his three-decade career at of the MSNBC family on the The Washington Post. He currently writes a twice-weekly night of the election, and he column on politics and culture, called his parents during a break. which also “I got to tell them they appears in lived to see the election of The Lawton the first African American Constitution. is for president,” he In his said. “That’s address a moment “We’re that I will never forget. My Someplace dad was born in 1916, and We’ve Never is against just to imagine Been: Race, the world he Diversity was born into and the New and the world he departed America,” from … It’s just mind Robinson is for blowing.” spoke to Robinson Lawtonians said it is true about his journey from childhood, living that America has changed enormously. in the segregated South, to “Black America is not your adulthood, living in integrated father’s or your grandfather’s America. Black America,” he said. “It’s Born and raised in more economically, socially and Orangeburg, S.C., at the culturally diverse than it was 50 end of Jim Crow segregation, or 60 years ago.” Robinson endured the However, Robinson said the harsh conditions of a issues of 1968 are still the topics society characterized by of conversation today. discrimination. “We’re talking about voter “When I grew up,” he ID,” he said. “We’re talking said, “African Americans who about Ferguson, we’re talking wanted to go to the one movie about Staten Island [and] theatre in town had to sit in we’re talking about mass the balcony and not on the incarceration.” main floor. We were expected In his book “Disintegration: to enter the downtown stores The Splintering of Black through the rear entrances, rather than the front entrances. America,” he says the AfricanAmerican population can be The schools, of course, were
Photo by Charlene Belew
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For a Q&A with the MLK Celebration panelists, see Page 2 Equality for all: Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Eugene Robinson spoke to Aggie students, staff and the community about various civil rights issues during the 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Banquet. divided into four groups: the Mainstream middle class, the Transcendent elite, the Emergent and the Abandoned poor. He explains that each group is distinct from the other, characterized by its own thinking and understanding. Speaking of the Abandoned poor, Robinson said he believes issues of race and economics are intertwined. “Dr. King, who was our great prophet,” Robinson said, “saw [economic issues] so clearly five decades ago,” and they were becoming the central focus of his ministry and activism. At the time of his death, King was in preparation for a huge campaign, which Robinson said was “a big deal for jobs and justice, and his [King’s] thinking was, very specifically, ‘This is not just for
African Americans … This is for Native Americans. This is for poor Appalachian whites. This is for poor people. This is against inequality. This is for opportunity.’” Robinson said measures of inequality in 2015 are nothing like they were in King’s day, yet King “saw the inequality that existed in those years as intolerable … Dr. King had his eye on the prize. Dr. King saw the central challenge. “It’s his work and his direction that point us in the direction that we should move right now,” Robinson said, “We have to address Abandoned Black America. We have to address inequality.” Although Robinson said confronting economic issues is not easy, inexpensive or, at times, politically popular, it’s
still necessary. “Where do we begin?” he asked. “Well, that’s very simple: ballot box. Fifty years ago this year, one of the great pillars of civil rights legislation was passed – the Voting Rights Act of 1965 [that] secured the vote for everyone in this country. “So my closing message to all of you,” he said, “to honor Dr. King’s legacy, to honor his work and to bring it forward into this new century [is to] go out and vote.” Co-director of CCM Galeda Jones announced the two winners of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest: McArthur High School student Henry Walton and Cameron University student Matthew Bissalara. They were
both awarded $300 and a signed copy of Mr. Robinson’s book “Disintegration.” Reverend Philip Jones recognized the recipient of the 2015 Humanitarian Service Award: Ruby Peters. Peters holds degrees from different universities and is currently a Cameron student working on the educational leadership track. According to a nomination letter shared at the banquet, Peters is a “dedicated educator, mentor, leader and political enthusiast.” At 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 6 in the MCC Ballroom, CCM will host “Continuing the Conversation,” in which police chief James Smith and at least two Cameron students will discuss how to create and sustain healthy relationships in the Lawton community.
After lawsuit, new policy gets stamp of approval Casey Brown Staff Writer
CU has updated its posting policy for student organizations on bulletin boards. Gone are the days that organizations need approval and a stamp from Student Development. The change came about in part as a response to a lawsuit that was filed in May 2014 by Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of CU student Daniel Harper, according to a press release. Dean of Students Zeak Naifeh said the change in policy was also generated as part of the University’s cycle of reviewing and updating all policies. “The other part of it was having a new President,” Naifeh said. “He has told us that we need to look at every single policy on a five-year cycle. It would have been looked at sometime in the near future, but yes, the court case did bump it up on the list of where the policy would have been reviewed.”
As part of the on-going review process, Naifeh looks at several policies each month. “This month alone,” he said, “I’ve looked at two or three policies that we are looking at to update. They haven’t been looked at in 10 or 12 years.” In part, the policy update says, “Priority for posting is given to recognized student organizations. All postings must be placed on University bulletin boards, and advertisements for solicitations are not allowed.” According to an email from Naifeh, advertisements that have the University’s “trademark, logos and trade names must be approved by the Office of Public Affairs before distribution. Student organizations and students should not imply, infer or otherwise state the views expressed are those of the University.” Naifeh said the policy was updated to be more accommodating to students. “The gist is,” he said, “we updated it to allow people to post on bulletin
boards without adding extra steps in the process. [That’s] essentially where it came from. “If it is after five o’clock, and you want to post something, offices are closed. It sets your bar for advertising for your student organization back.” However, the bulletin boards on campus are not a free-for-all. “The one thing [that still needs to be stamped] is advertisements for services,” Naifeh said, “and that is just to protect our Cameron students from all the credit card companies wanting to come in. Those outside communities still need approval from Student Development, and there are a few places on campus they can be approved. “For the rest of campus, for student organizations and students both, they don’t have to be stamped anymore.” Harper’s lawyer, David Hacker, said in a press release that he appreciates Cameron University for the updated policy. “Public universities are supposed
to be the marketplace of ideas,” Hacker said. “We commend Cameron University for quickly and responsibly taking action to foster that environment on its campus.” University President John McArthur said he was thankful the issue was addressed. “We were able to make appropriate modifications to bring a policy up to date,” McArthur said. “The University’s objective is for its students to receive an effective education through a positive experience at Cameron University, both in and outside of the classroom. Administrators frequently face the challenge of managing this objective, while at the same time respecting existing policies as well as the competing religious and expressive intentions and goals.” The new policy is available in full at http://www.cameron.edu/ studentservices/handbook/facility-usepolicy.
Photo by Charlene Belew
What’s inside A day in the life of an Aggie RA
CU film screens at Trail Dance
Aggies dominate Kingsville
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