Written and produced by her “Lights Out” tour mate The-Dream, “Dirty Laundry” sees the singer speak more candidly about her volatile relationship with an ex-boyfriend who not only physically harmed her, but forced her to distance herself from those she loved, namely her sister Beyoncé:

I was battered, he hit in a window like it was me until it shattered.

He pulled me out, he said, ‘Don’t nobody love you but me / Not your mama, not your daddy, and especially not B.

He turned me against my sister / I missed you.

She also touched on the intense jealously she experienced when witnessing Beyoncé’s rise to superstardom from the sidelines:

While my sister was on stage killing it like a mother—— / I was enraged feelin’ it like a mother——

Bird in the cage, you would never know what I was dealing / We went out separate ways but I was happy she was killing it.

Bittersweet, she was up, I was down / No lie I feel good for her, but what do I do now?

Meanwhile, this n-gga putting his hands on me / Swear ya’ll don’t know the half of this industry.

Following the release of the single, fans of both Rowland and her fellow Destiny’s Child alums, Michelle Williams and Beyoncé Knowles, made the nostalgic connection to the girl group’s single “Girl” released from their last full studio album Destiny Fulfilled, released in 2004.

In the accompanying music video for the song, Beyoncé and Michelle take on the roles of two supportive friends encouraging their girlfriend (Kelly) to leave an unhealthy relationship with a man. In addition to this uncanny connection, Rowland also sang a personal solo cut on Destiny Fulfilled titled “Bad Habit” which focused on the same theme.

When asked by Billboard of the intensity of recording the process for this particular song, the “Kisses Down Low” singer explained that it was not an easy task.

“It was very emotional. It took me days to record,” she said. “I had to get past being so upset and actually sing the song, not sob through it. I always hope that my music can inspire someone the same way other artists inspire me.”

Kelly Rowland’s album Talk A Good Game hits stores on June 18.

Listen to “Dirty Laundry” Here.

Moriba Cummings

Arts & Entertainment Editor

moribacummings@yahoo.com

Twitter: @_TheRealMC_

]]> http://themaroontiger.com/kelly-rowland-bares-all-in-dirty-laundry/feed/ 0 http://themaroontiger.com/sga-senate-scholarship/ http://themaroontiger.com/sga-senate-scholarship/#comments Sat, 09 Feb 2013 22:58:03 +0000 The Maroon Tiger http://themaroontiger.com/?p=3670 In the midst of students in the Atlanta University Center (AUC) pursuing different ways to find their education, the Morehouse College Student Government Association (SGA) has funded a scholarship for those students on campus with financial need and academic success.

Each year the SGA is allocated a budget by the college, which comes from the Student Fees each student pays. The two bodies of SGA manage that money differently.

“Within the Senate, we have the option to write bills or approve requests for appropriations from registered student organizations,” explained junior and President Pro Tempore of the Senate Ocoszio Jackson.

In the Spring of 2011, the bill “Student Bucks” was originally introduced with a commitment of $2,500 from the Senate and E-Board totaling $5,000 from SGA and was matched by the Office of Financial Aid for a total of $10,000. The bill was reintroduced with a commitment of $5,000 from the Senate and E-Board totaling $10,000 from SGA and was matched by the Office of Financial Aid for a total of $20,000.

“It is our hope to offer funds to students both in the spring of 2013 and in the fall of 2014,” continued Jackson. “The Scholarship Committee hopes to come up with solutions to make the process even more successful [for future semesters]. This would include raising more funds [outside of student fees] for the scholarship and also diversifying the scholarships that are awarded.”

The Senate Scholarship is offered in three different categories: Tuition, Book Voucher, and Meal Plan. In the application, the applicant specifies which of the following is the main concern and the committee takes that into consideration when awarding the scholarships.

“The SGA Senate Scholarship is a need based scholarship that incorporates academic performance as well as community service and extracurricular involvement,” said Jackson. “All information submitted to the committee is subject to verification by the Office of Financial Aid for accuracy.”

There have been very few modifications from the process from the inaugural year. Former Senator Eric Bennett ’12 established an outstanding process for implementing and awarding the scholarship to students last year and this year the committee has expounded on his efforts to create a more efficient application and notification process.

“It is our hope that the scholarship will be administered over two semesters in the spring and the fall,” concluded Jackson. “The essay has been modified to allow students to provide one response on how the scholarship will benefit the student as well as why the student deserves the scholarship. The Scholarship Committee is working with the Office of Information and Technology to make the process paperless. This will hopefully be implemented in the application process for the fall 2014 scholarship.”

Last year the scholarship committee accomplished their goal by providing over 60 students $30,000 in financial assistance. Based on those awarded the scholarship last year, the committee wants to stress that the most important thing is to submit a complete application and use your essay to provide the scholarship committee with a complete idea of why you need the scholarship more than another student that has applied.

The SGA scholarship application was due last week. Winners will be revealed within the coming weeks.

Reginald Hutchins
Features Editor
reginaldhutch@hotmail.com

Our forefathers could never have imagined that a Commander in Chief of color would ever be sworn in on the very Bible that spurred the man who changed the face of civil rights. The very thought of an African-American president being inaugurated, for the second time no less, as the nation commemorated Dr. King’s birthday brought collective joy and honor to the Black community, or so it seemed. Amid the rapture, there existed a single outlier.

According to one of our most prominent scholars, Obama was unworthy of being sworn in on Dr. King’s Bible. Following the inauguration, Dr. Cornel West unleashed a tirade of alienation against the president that left many perplexed: “All of the blood, sweat and tears that went into producing a Martin Luther King Jr. generated a brother of such high decency and dignity that you don’t use his prophetic fire for a moment of presidential pageantry without understanding the challenge he represents to all of those in power regardless of what color they are.”

To suggest that Obama does not understand the magnanimity of Dr. King’s legacy is ludicrous. For those of us too young to have witnessed Dr. King’s era, our president is the closest thing we have to “I Have a Dream.” He is our modern superhero.

It was as if Dr. King left this earth to make room for Obama. He was the dream of which King spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. They are extensions of one another, spanning decades of hope, struggle, and finally, celebration. The president’s very existence is the ultimate testament to Dr. King’s life and work. So why is that not enough?

Despite his ardent support of Obama’s 2008 campaign, West has criticized the president’s every move. His blackness has been called into question, as West referred to Obama as a “Rockefeller Republican in blackface.” He has accused the president of turning a blind eye to the struggles of the poor. West has attacked the president to such a degree that his rhetoric has rendered him a caricature of his former self, the Harvard-educated Black theologist with a commitment to his racial advancement, not regression.

Obama’s entrance onto the national stage is anything but an insult to Dr. King. To say that the placement of our president’s hand on the Bible that guided Dr. King through his very first sermon was “a moment of political calculation” is contemptible.

West has established Obama as unnecessarily less than, as unable to meet some standard of blackness conceptualized by an egotistical intellectual. In West’s own words, “when you put [your hand] on Martin’s Bible, I said ‘this is personal for me,’ because that is the tradition that I come out of.”

If I’m not mistaken, every Black person living free of Jim Crow has come out of Dr. King’s tradition of perseverance and equality. We are all equally yoked in our  experiences as African-Americans. There is no litmus test for how worthy we are of sharing Dr. King’s work.

As intelligent, accomplished, and admired as West is, he cannot lay claim to Dr. King’s heritage and he certainly has no right to exclude Obama from that legacy.

Neah Morton
Opinions Section Editor
nmorton1@scmail.spelman.edu

Best Picture

The Academy recently opened up the maximum number of nominees for Best Picture, resulting in a total of nine films competing for the top prize. The Ben Affleck led Argo took home the best drama prize at the Golden Globes, but no film has won the award at both the Globes and the Oscars since Slumdog Millionaire did in 2009. Les Miserables also has a chance to achieve that same feat after taking the Best Musical or Comedy prize earlier this month. Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained is also among the nominees despite its controversial setting.

Academy Voters have tended to lean in favor of smaller, original productions in recent years, perhaps giving less publicized films like Life of Pi and Beasts of the Southern Wild a chance to steal the show.

Best Actor

Denzel Washington has a chance to claim his third Oscar for his role in Flight, earning rave reviews for his performance despite a somewhat lukewarm reception of the film’s premise. Flight is also up for the Best Original Screenplay Award.

Lincoln star Daniel Day-Lewis is also competing for his third Best Actor Oscar, having won for his roles in My Left Foot and There Will Be Blood. Joaquin Phoenix is also an Oscar veteran, but has been unable to take home an award with in his two previous nominations. Hugh Jackman’s performance as Jean Valjean and Bradley Cooper’s role in Silver Linings Playbook closes out the category.

Best Supporting Actor

All of this year’s Best Supporting Actor nominees come from films also nominated for Best Picture. Django Unchained’s Christoph Waltz is a favorite for the award, having taken home the prize in 2009 for his portrayal of Nazi Hans Landa in Tarantino’s previous film, Inglourious Basterds. Waltz also managed to win the Golden Globe ahead of the same competition, minus Robert De Niro.

Waltz’s Django co-stars Leonard DiCaprio and Samuel Jackson are apparent snubs from the list, despite their pivotal roles in the film. Jackson specifically expected to be nominated for his role, but criticized the Academy for not giving him the award in 1995 for Pulp Fiction.

Best Actress

9-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis became the youngest actress to receive an Oscar nomination for her role in Beasts of the Southern Wild, but she will have tough competition in Zero Dark Thirty’s Jessica Chastain, and Naomi Watts of The Impossible. Hunger Games up and comer Jennifer Lawrence won the Golden Globe for her part in Silver Linings Playbook, but the Academy may not look as kindly upon the romantic comedy.

Best Supporting Actress

Anne Hathaway is the runaway favorite in this category after singing her heart out as the struggling prostitute Fantine in Les Miserables. Even in her limited screen time, Hathaway’s on camera singing mixed with genuine emotion has earned her rave reviews. She was nominated for an Oscar once before in 2008 for Rachel Getting Married but did not take home the award.

Helen Hunt is another contender, earning independent film The Sessions its only Oscar nomination. The nomination is Hunt’s first since she won the Oscar for Best Actress in 1997 for her part in As Good As It Gets.

Kevin Webb
Arts & Entertainment Editor
ktw989@yahoo.com

In a highly competitive game against the Benedict Tigers on Saturday, each team made game-changing plays to turn momentum in their favor, but the Maroon Tigers made more plays at the end to steal the game 68-65.

Morehouse came out of the gates fast in the first half; starting the game on a 13-2 run. The Benedict Tigers would answer outscoring the Maroon Tigers 28 – 12 en route to a 34-30 lead at the half.

In the second half Morehouse senior forward Shawn Allen’s three pointer on the first possession of the second half sparked an 18 – 9 scoring run, in Morehouse’s favor. After gaining the lead the Maroon Tigers would not give it up again.

An Achilles heel of the Maroon Tigers if any, has been their poor free throw shooting. Against Benedict they almost shot themselves out of the game from the free throw stripe.

Morehouse went 9-16 from the free throw line. However, with Morehouse up 66-65, senior forward Michael Ziegler was fouled with 8 seconds left. Ziegler cashed in on the clutch free throws to give Morehouse the win 68-65.

The win extended the Maroon Tigers streak to nine games – their longest since the 2000-2001 season – and the basketball team is now 10-5 overall, and 8-0 in conference play. The win also ended Benedict’s 16-game winning streak against them, and put them in first place in the SIAC.

Senior center, Andrae Nelson who was projected by coaches to be the SIAC player of the year, proved many coaches right by having an outstanding game against Marcus Goode, the reigning SIAC player of the year.  Nelson scored 25 points and recorded career high 21 rebounds, while also adding four steals, and four assists. The senior center had one of the best single game outputs of any player at Morehouse. In 2004 Ronald Thompson scored 28 points had 18 rebounds and five assists against Lane College.

Junior guard, Darrius Williams a league leader in points and rebounds, poured in 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, for his fourth double-double of the season. Austin Anderson and Malcolm Frank each contributed six points.

Chris Womack
Contributing Writer
cwomackmj@gmail.com

Manti’s fictional girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, can be found nowhere on record according to a few websites online, and was later confirmed by Notre Dame’s athletic director, Jack Swarbrick. The pictures that were sent to Te’o were of another woman that had never met Te’o in her life.

Te’o was allegedly duped into talking to someone who was using a fake name, and manipulated the Heisman runner up to believing that they were dating and that “she” had died of leukemia. Their online relationship never exceeded phone calls, so Te’o in fact never actually saw his lover in person.

“I knew that — I even knew, that it was crazy that I was with somebody that I didn’t meet, and that alone — people find out that this girl who died, I was so invested in, I didn’t meet her, as well,” Te’o told ESPN’s Jeremy Schaap. “So I kind of tailored my stories to have people think that, yeah, he met her before she passed away, so that people wouldn’t think that I was some crazy dude.”

Jordan Hollingsworth
Contributing Writer
jhollingsworth91@gmail.com

“Winning it three in a row, it’s incredible,” said Djokovic who defeated his longtime friend for the second time in three years.

Djokovic had a somewhat muted celebration, as he raised his arms in triumph, did a small shuffle, and gave a kiss to the trophy.

Nine other’s have won consecutive Australian Opens, but Djokovic is the first to ever win three Australian Opens in a row. Andre Agassi, who is one of the nine to win consecutive titles, presented the trophy to Djokovic.

A year ago, Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open title match that lasted nearly 6 hours. After the longest grand slam single final in pro tennis history, Djokovic tore off his shirt in celebration. In a fourth round victory over Stanilas Wawrinka, he mimicked the same celebration.

Djokovic is the number one rated tennis player in the world, and since his epic match with Nadal, he has looked every bit of the number one player. Djokovic looks to continue his outstanding winning ways in the coming tournaments.

Chris Womack
Contributing Writer
cwomackmj@gmail.com

“You’re pretty much spot on,” Wilson said. “I mean the office that has come up more than any other office is the financial aid office. Most graduates say, oh boy, they angered my parents. They lost my money, or in some cases I couldn’t get my transcript back and that kind of thing. So it’s a lack of operational excellence, so I’m going to go down to Morehouse and I’m going to – and I’ve already announced, we are going to be known for our operational excellence.”

The need to make operational excellence a priority comes as the college has experienced several transitions in upper level administration and two credit downgrades in less than a year.

“Turnover and transition of key management personnel over the past couple of years has presented operational challenges in the areas of finance and enrollment,” the report showed. While the new leadership may ultimately positively impact the college, the transition period may delay implementation of strategic initiatives.”

Wilson lauded the work of other HBCU Presidents in making operational excellence a priority including Dillard University’s Dr. Walter Kimbrough and Spelman’s Dr. Beverley Daniel Tatum.

“It is the way to go, not only because it’s the right thing, but because if you care about the feelings of your students and your eventual alumni, you’ll sharpen that area of operation,” Wilson said.

President Wilson is entering during a time of financial constraints nationwide on liberal arts colleges and HBCUs. Recently, decline in enrollment complicated those financial constraints.

“Normally about 8 percent of Morehouse students who pay a deposit to attend don’t enroll, but it doubled to 16 percent this year, in part because of the new loan rules,” according to an October article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The 15-minute interview also included a talked about the appropriate attire policy implemented under the leadership of 10^th President Dr. Robert M. Franklin Jr. and the first ever LGBT Studies course at an HBCU.

“I would say it is a sign of progress,” Wilson said. “The danger, and I would say the concern that many alums had, was here you had Morehouse College and, you know, with this great brand and there was something of concern that was conflicting with the brand. We want to make it very clear as we move forward that at Morehouse we produce chemists, we produce biologists, we produce doctors and lawyers and that is our signal. Everything else is noise.”

Jared Loggins
Associate World and Local Editor
jared.loggins@yahoo.com

The problem Guindo’s country now faces exists on a domestic, political, and global level. Guindo grabbed newspapers and listened to the radio, but one may not grasp the extent of a situation without witnessing it firsthand.

The founder and leader of an Islamist terrorist group, Ansar Dine, has taken over Northern Mali, according to a recent BBC News Africa article entitled,“Iyad Ag Ghaly – Mali’s Islamist leader.”  It remains unknown as to why he created such group considering Iyad Ag Ghaly has not made a big splash among terrorist organizations.

“He comes from the Ifoghas tribe and the Kidal region of north-eastern Mali,” BBC reported. Believed to be in his mid-50’s, he first came to public light in the early 1990s as the leader of a Tuareg revolt seeking independence or greater autonomy for the northern region of Mali that they call Azawad.

Not only have they seized land but also Ansar Dine has enforced its own version of Sharia or religious law on the citizens in the Northern region. How did this come to pass and why was it easy for the Islamist Group to make their mark?

Another BBC report emphasized the instability of Northern Mali and how it connects to Libya. The armed Malian soldiers returning from defending Mummar Gaadafi took advantage of the weapons they possessed. Their dissatisfaction with the government’s actions on key issues like drug trafficking caused them to form the Azawad National Liberation Movement (MNLA).

This same group staged a coup to overthrow the president of Mail, President Amadou Toumani Toure. Whether or not their actions had been premeditated is still up for debate. Some say the coup was a spontaneous move made in anger at the political system.

Before the coup, Mali had lived in a state of democracy for 20 years before the coup took place. Some analysts would agree that the coup will cause Mali to backslide and serve as another failed attempt for an African country. Mali does not stand alone in this crisis for other African countries like Nigeria and Ghana prepared to join the fight since November of last year.

One thing nations like Nigeria, an economically well-to-do nation in Western Africa, have to keep in mind that the extent to which they involve themselves cannot exceed that of the civilians of Mali. In essence, they hope to avoid a rescue mission but instead joint partnerships to ensure that Mali stands on its own feet.

Recently, the United States and other nations have pledged their support for Mali. Their goal is to keep the Ansar Dine from approaching further south for approaching further south means approaching Bamako, the capitol of Mali.

In the days ahead, international unity will be challenged as well as the mantra of a truly global community. Consequently, so will the “altruistic” motives of the Western nations who have just now joined in on the Mali Crisis.

This calls into the question colonial reparation and whether or not France has a choice of whether or not to participate. Also, the ability for African continents to band together in a time of crisis will be watched in the days and months ahead.

Kadijah Ndoye
Contributing Writer
kndoye@scmail.spelman.edu

“For we, the people, understand that our country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it,” President Obama said during his Inaugural address.

There were many students from Morehouse, Spelman and the AUC that attended Pres. Obama’s inauguration for his second term.

In his speech he appeared less hesitant than in the past. He made a direct reference to not only color, but to slavery as well.

Albeit Cornel West’s perspective on Pres. Obama using Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ’48 Bible to being sworn in, many people felt as if Pres. Obama was connecting with his history during these moments.

“I feel as if it was very historical,” senior Philosophy major Katanga Johnson said.

Johnson attended this year’s Inauguration.

“Pres. Obama is really groomed in the struggle that came before him,” Johnson said. “Despite the things people say to him, he doesn’t lack his heritage nor is he blinded by his own personal history, or growing up Black.”

There was a slight debacle that was initiated by Cornel West about how Pres. Obama did not deserve to be sworn in on Dr. King’s Bible because there’s a disconnect between the goals of Dr. King and Pres. Obama, and their actions.

“Honestly, I feel like a lot of people put emphasis on that because he is a black man,” Spelman sophomore Sociology major Breanna Wilkerson said.

“He somewhat talked about Dr. King and how it was noble to be inaugurated on his day of celebration,” Wilkerson added.

Johnson mentioned that there were a large number of International students that attended this Inauguration.

“I interacted with students from Germany and also Poland,” Johnson said.

Johnson is a native of Nassau, Bahamas.

“For me, as an international student, it was a great opportunity. I was compelled,” Johnson finishes.

According to Wilkerson, the environment is what created a safe and joyous place for her to witness history.

“I loved the environment,” Wilkerson said.

“It humanized the Capitol in a sense,” added Wilkerson. “The guy directly next to me was homeless and he was able to find a ticket on the ground and was able to come and witness history.”

Johnson talked about the friendly environment and collective patriotism that was shown across the Capitol.

They both mentioned that the Inauguration seemed more business-oriented this year. Insinuating that Pres. Obama wanted to make sure that his last term was began with a sense of order and decency.

Several people were excited to see the participants who were invited to take part in the Inauguration.

Both students stated that they attended the Inauguration in hopes to hear a great message from the President.

Donnell Williamson
Campus News Editor
donnellwilliamsonjr@yahoo.com