Morehouse President to Freshmen: ‘Look the part. Act the part. Talk the talk and walk the walk’
When 20-year-old Marcus Traylor stepped onto campus last month on the first day of the fall semester, he was struck by something he had never seen before on the Morehouse College campus: a group of 100 or more freshmen walking to class wearing stylishly new maroon sports jackets, complete with Morehouse insignia.http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_9257.shtml
September 12th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
At last! I am so glad Morehouse is taking a stand to have our young men begin torepresent who and what they are — the cream of the crop, tomorrow’s leaders and the “real” Black America. Time for us all to step up and stop pretending that it is OK for our young people to emulate thugs and gangstas in the interest of promoting solidarity. If they must look like young professionals, they will know thast that is how they are expected to act as well. Kudos to President Franklin!
September 12th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Hooray! It is about time someone stood up and said enough about the way our young black males are dressing.
September 12th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Thanks you Tracie Powell for writing the story, and thank you Dr. Franklin for stepping up to the plate.
If the role of higher education is to prepare our young people to survive, thrive and prosper as the new adults, we to current adults have a responsibility to teach them.
Personally, I do not think that there is a thin line between freedom of expression and being stupid! Very few people cannot complete the sentence, “You never get a second chance to make a _ _ _ _ _ impression.” Enough said!
So yes, Dr. Franklin, thank you for stepping up to the plate. I just hope that the other adults in the lives of our young men will also follow your lead and tell them some of the things they will need to learn to be successful.
September 12th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
Amen. Amen. Amen. I am so pleased that someone is setting a standard… a standard that leads our students to the reality in which they will live and work. It is so very important that students are aware that everything is not O.K. no matter who else is doing it.
In my view with the rising cost of higher education it is a privilege and should be treated and respected as such.
This is a great start to reversing a trend of permissive behavior that has gone way past the limits of comfort.
“Coming correct” is one of the costs of doing business in higher education. I am glad to see these young men stepping up to the plate.
September 12th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
I thought Morehouse was supposed to be one of the premier institutions of higher education for black men in the country not “Lean On Me” high school. It appears that Dr. Franklin’s actions and the tone of the comments above do not reflect any level of cultural or class differentiation among the African American community. Is an honor student at Morehouse comparable to a “thug” because he wears flip-flops and baggy jeans? It appears that we are measuring black kids at the college level through the same white supremacist lenses as the larger society. And since when did being smart have anything to do with being well-dressed? I spent almost a decade around some of the best minds in the Ivy League and few professors could be accused of sartorial splendor.
Moreover, there is a qualitative difference between respectability and morality. A “look the part, act the part” ethic is what got George W. to the White House. And we all see how well that is worked out.
I have the highest level of respect for Robert Franklin and those of you who desire to set a standard of excellence for young people. Right on! But let’s set that standard academically and intellectually not aesthetically. This is an academic environment of the highest caliber not a Reconstruction-era normal school. A dress code does little more than promote a culture of professional provincialism and pretentiousness. Dress codes at this level extinguishes individuality, compromises the life of the mind and stunts intellectual flourishing. The last I checked, dear ol’ Morehouse was better than that. And I know for a fact that Robert Franklin’s brilliance exceeds such a course of action.
September 12th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
I was pleased when Marcus Edwards chose the burgundy blazer. It is a wonderful compliment to the navy glee club blazer. The glee club has been wearing blazers since the 1970’s. The blazer concept is simply being extended to the larger student body. The Morehouse beanie disappeared at the beginning of academic year 1969-70. One hopes that civility and honor and integrity will define whatever anyone wears or does at Morehouse College.
September 13th, 2007 at 1:17 am
I was there! My youngest son joined the ranks of a long family tradition and entered Morehouse as a member of the class of 2011. I saw the jackets first hand. I witnessed the young men in their shirts and ties. They have already begun to plant the seeds of success to our young men. I am still raving about the ‘rites of passage’ freshmen induction! Phenomenal! I missed the president’s morning speech but my son did not. I agree. It is time for someone to take charge and take responsibility for molding our young men into successful participants of this society. For too long we have allowed MTV, rappers, and commercials to market ignorance under the guise of hip-hop culture. Morehouse, Morehouse, save the cheetah cubs from the lions! God bless you for all you have done. I tell all of my men children (high school students) to consider Morehouse as an option! It is a protracted struggle. Stay strong!
September 14th, 2007 at 2:55 am
The struggle to regain our youth is the hands of visionary men such as the president of Morehouse College who clearly understands the schools mission and vision statements. When I was growing up, I dreamed of going to Morehouse because it represented the best and brightest of African American men in the nation. Institutions such as Morehouse must offer young African American males an alternative to pop culture and fads. The average young African American male will not achieve success by becoming a rap star, music producer, or athlete. Most will work for someone else; a small percentage will own their own business. In which case, Morehouse must educate these young men to compete in a world that is far removed from the \\
September 14th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
I have been speaking around the country in many venues about the need for a bootstraps maneuver. I’m pleased to see this effort lead from the top with vigor here. The students will further embrace the posture if you constantly promote the benefits associated therewith also. There are enough hurdles in the mainstream of life that must (and will) be overcome and this self-inflicted one need not be traversed. We’re at a time and place in OUR culture where the hurdles and standards for accomplishment are rapidly becoming merely painted lines on the ground. And there is a move to lower them even futher by penalizing those who can easily soar far above the terrain. The message of “you need to come back” echo’s in the silence of community acceptance of the of the stereotyped message of “they just got lucky.” Society is constantly rewarding and promoting our youth to RISE to the lowest common denominator. They are repeatedly beat over the heads with the message that this is the best and ONLY way out of the poverty that came about with no effort’s of their own. And the resistance to the breaking of the cycle is ready to quash any move against it.
I applaud the efforts there at Morehouse and look forward to seeing the fruits of the planted seed. I also stand ready to loudly, proudly, acknowledge the job well done. Achievement of group success during turmoil tends to grow capacites for unconventional, but expected, additional individual successes. A true recipe for self-induced perpetual motion!!
We unhearlded in the trenches approve of your posture and look forward to aiding in your struggle to turn the behemoth.
September 17th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
Being an Elder and a nurse at a juvenile detention center, I have been passingout material to our male African-American residents, about Morehouse. I am very pleased to see the dress code being in place.
Our youth must see examples to inspire them to become what Allah, has in store for their future and that is to be the Best You Can Be.
My daughter graduated from Spelman, so everytime we went to visit,
it was a pleasure to look at Morehouse across the street.
September 17th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
Congratulations to Morehouse!
September 19th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
I am proud to see hbcu’s adopting dress codes that prepare future black business men and women for the silent codes required in the business arena.
While I’ve always appreciated these initiatives, it is amazing to see when they will be accepted by the African American community. For years, Hampton University has been classified by some African American’s as a school full of “Uncle Tom’s” and “conformists” because of the same rules now adopted by Morehouse.
It seems like that might be changing and that is wonderful to see.
September 20th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
This is wonderful, thank you all, Administration and students alike for taking this first step…
September 22nd, 2007 at 4:27 pm
I AM A 45 YEAR OLD PROUD FATHER OF 4 A PASTOR IN AC NJ. ALSO HAPPELY MARRIED TO A WOMAN. AND I AGREE WITH THE NEWLY INSALL ED PRESIDENT, DR. R. M. FRANKLIN Jr. WE NEED DESPETLY AS A SOCITY GET BACK INTEGRITY, SELF REPSECT “MO”railty especally the young black man! and instead of bowing down to the idol gods, we should stand tall as a man for righteousness for waht is right, we should set the standard for what is the meaning of life and a man who seek GOD FIRSt aman who revernce God wil take some pride in how is preceved. we should stand up, look up and pull i’ll jeans up! i repeat, as a man look the part talk the talk, act the part then walk the walk. say helo to Bliar Jr.