5ronco« Voicc
March 1996
Editorial Comment
ask our staff “when will the
“Thought without expres
sion is a dream deferred just
as the muted voice is a silent
scream. Information is power.
Access to information is con
trol. Muted trumpets will not
blow. ”
—Gyendor.
There is no doubt that the
single most important, power
ful, and valuable commodity
to a society is not information,
but access to information. De
nial of information was 4he
most powerful tactic used by
slave owners in keeping Afri-
can-americans oppressed.
Coded messages wrapped in
the “harmless” music of the
spiritual were one of the many
media used to circumvent our
dilemma. It is truly a testament
to the genius and ingenuity of
African-americans that we
risked life, lips, and limbs (as
they were often cut off) in
teaching ourselves to read, to
learn, and to be empowered.
In the last three years FSU
has assumed the role of slave
master, providing the essen
tials and minimals necessary
for students to communicate
yet denying them the re
sources available
and necessary to
empower. Casf in
point? The three
most powerful stu
dent organizations
at FSU are the Stu
dent Activity Coun
cil (SAC), Student
Government Association
(SGA), and The Broncos’
Voice. SAC’s budget this year
was $60,000; SGA-$20,000;
The Voice—$5,040. The drama
revealed is that The Voice’s
budget was $6,500 last year
(they cut The Voice’s budget
nearly $1,500!). It was ex
plained that because all cam-
Muted Trumpets
by Roger Harris
pus organizations requested
budget increases, that cuts had
to be made somewhere. My
question is why would the
Vice-Chancellor for Student
Affairs (Drs. Ghee and Sex
ton) decide to slash the stu
dents’ throat by cutting our
Voice?
When I arrived here in
1993 there wasn’t really a
newspaper on campus. When
we started to publish The
Voice again, the students
didn’t recognize or know what
it was; students now regularly
next edition be out?” While
still in its infancy. The Voice
has none-the-less grown and
come to be expected by stu
dents, faculty, and commu
nity. More importantly, it’s
the fastest and most effective
medium for students to com
municate and get the “DL” on
what’s really going on
around here. So
again, I must question
where FSU’s priority
lies with regard to en
suring that our voice
is heard.
It costs ap
proximately $500 per
issue to publish the Voice. It
would cost $1,000 a month to
rent a two color press for the
campus print shop to publish
The Voice on campus. They
would also be able to publish
better and more professional
documents for the campus as
a.^hole. Printwise, FSU
would be ready for the next
century. But peep this; the
money currently paid to a pub
lisher to print The Voice now
would come back to FSU (in
essence, using the copier
would pay for its own rent).
Even better: The Voice’s pro
duction schedule would jump
from once a month to easily
twice a month; be published
on a specific day at a specific
time; and once a week in a
couple of years. The more is
sues we publish, the more ad
vertisers we’ll be able to at
tract, and the more advertis
ing revenue we’ll be able to
generate. In effect. The Voice
will eventually become self-
sufficient and thus “free.” I
asked that The Voice be pub
lished on campus two years
ago. No response. You tell me
why not.
see “Muted,"pg. 14
In the last three years FSU
has assumed the role of slave
master...
An Add^ss to Students, Faculty, and Staff
from the Desk of Kelvin Thompson, SGA Senator at Large
A letter was posted around
campus concerning the veto of
the Miss FSU Pageant. TTiis
sign is insulting to myself, the
senate, and President Wayne
Hodges. The senate bill that"
passed on January 17th to “al
locate the dollar amount of
$5000.00 for the Miss FSU
Pageant” was passed by the
senate body with a vQte of 13
yea, 0 abstentions, and 0 nays.
When we passed this bill, it
was no longer a motion made
by senator Tonjai Robertson,
but a senate bill. It belongs to
all of us, including Mr.
Hodges. In six little words,
“together we stand; divided
we fall!”
When the president of
SGA makes a veto, any bill
may be returned to the sen
ate body. If the senate passes
it successfully with a 2/3
vote, the veto is overturned.
We attempted this at the Janu
ary 31st meeting of the sen
ate. However, theie were sev
eral nays (contrary to the first
vote), and a few abstentions
(also a new addition to earlier
votes). We must follow certain
procedures, however, in over
turning a president’s veto. Due
to any number of abstentions,
Together we stand;
divided we fall!
pending an investigation, the
president might return the bill
to the senate body.
So, whoever created the
flyer, if you would like to
“thank” someone for the veto,
you may thank the entire sen
ate body, as well as, yourself.
After all, they are your elected
officials. Wayne Hodges is a
man of integrity. Anyone who
actively participates in stu
dent events knows that he has
been there for the student.
Countless times, he has said,
“you [the student] have the
power.” I have also heard
many people applaud
Hodges’ efforts. I am starting
to think that when some of us
say “you go, Wayne,” what we
mean is you go—all by your
self.
So, to keep you abreast of
the current affairs at FSU, I
would like to extend a per
sonal invitation to the entire
FSU community to come to
the SGA meetings (a right you
already possess). Meetings are
held every 1st and 3rd
Wednesday of the month. The
usual location is the Multi-
Purpose room of the RJSC.
Don’t just read about what is
happening; come and be a part
of what is happening.
The Broncos’
VOICE
Popyrigfti 1996
Faculty Advisor
Student Advisor
Dr. Linda Barlow
Lesli Sample
Staff
Andrea Powers Vadrin Colvin Lishan Harrison
Sharon High Amey Pickett Pascal U. Priest
LaTonya McNeill LaTysha N. Bolden Janae Baez
Richard J. Crosby Kelly Moore Delfrieda Hudson
William Shelton Renee McKoy Tremayne Chestnutt
Lance Snead Dora Rogers Angela Lewis
Kelvin Thompson William Shelton Eric C. Jones
Entertainment Editor
Layout Editor
Copy Editor
Photo Editor
Office Manager
Sports Editor
Business/Advertising
Managing Editor
Editor
Jeff Anderson
Gamaliel Massenburg
Jaime Cruz-Moralez
Ogbonna Coates
Yolanda A. Barnes
Deitric Davis
Angela Lenarc
Natasha Etienne
Roger Harris
The Broncos’ Voice
c/o Fayetteville State University
1200 Murchison Road Fayetteville, NC 28301
(910) 486-1357
fax (910) 486-1857
email- ejones@misl.uncfsu.edu
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