INSIDE
CALIFORNIA UNIVERSIT Y WHY WAIT UNTIL MARRIAGE?
PAGE 03
“ARGO” AND “BODIES”
PAGE 05
NEWS SPORTS
PAGES 06 & 07
CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
FEBRUARY 08, 2013
PAGES 10 & 11 VOL. 34, NO. 02
Lecture kicks off Black History Month, highlights MLK By Jamie Rider contributing editor
The Multicultural Office of Student Affairs invited Dr. Charles Thomas to speak last Thursday morning in the Vulcan Theatre to students and members of the California community about the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in celebration of Black History Month. Dr. Thomas grew up in Houston, Pennsylvania and graduated from Chartiers-Houston High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science in community ministry from Geneva College and a Master of Divinity with emphasis in urban ministry, homiletics and pastoral care from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He received his Ph. D from the Department of Communication and Rhetoric at Duquesne University and is an adjunct professor in communication at Slippery Rock University and an adjunct in communication and rhetoric at Duquesne University. With a charismatic stage presence that made the seminar feel like a friendly conversation, Dr. Thomas highlighted the significance of Martin Luther King Jr. and how his work will continue to be important as we move forward in society. King’s contributions beyond the civil rights movement are often overlooked, but there are many other things he was working toward for the
Photo by casey flores
Dr. Charles Thomas speaks to students and the community in the Vulcan Theater
world we live in today. “Some contend that his dream has been fulfilled, how many have heard that one?” Thomas asked and waited for the crowd to respond. A few hands went up and he said, “that’s a lie.” King wanted justice for all. African American rights were just
one facet of his philosophy and if he were here today he would still be working for the equality of all people. The equality of races, sexes and people of all sexual orientations has still not been reached in certain parts of our world and change is still something to be strived for.
“Without people with the ethical and moral fortitude to enforce these rules [of equality] they are nothing more than resounding words on paper, and therefore his message of love, of justice, of equality still stands for three [to] four generations removed of his work,” said
Thomas. It was a well-received speech meant to get the audience thinking, to highlight the issues we face and make a clear point that there is still progress to be made. There’s hope and things are getting better, but we are not yet at the end.
Cal U celebrates Black History Month
JoyFest 2013, a gospel concert featuring choirs from California University of Pennsylvania and four other colleges, is among the highlights as the university celebrates Black History Month in February. Grammy Award-winner Myron Butler, a singer, songwriter, producer and choir director, will help to conduct workshops with Cal U’s Young and Gifted Gospel Choir and singers from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Slippery Rock, Clarion and Frostburg State universities. The choirs, under the direction of Randy Tillmutt, a visiting scholar at
Cal U’s Frederick Douglass Institute, will combine for a concert at 7 p.m. Feb. 9 in Steele Hall. The concert is free and open to the public. Among the other highlights of Black History Month at Cal U: Slam Poetry Student Showcase featuring “Asia Project,” 7 p.m. Feb. 8, Vulcan Theatre, Natali Studen Center – Spoken-word artist Asia has been featured on HBO’s “Def Poetry,” and was named performer of the year by the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities. Acoustic recording artist Chinua Hawk, 9 p.m. Feb. 14, Underground Café,
Natali Student Center – Chinua Hawk has written songs with Wyclef Jean and worked in the studio with producer/rapper Kanye West. Black Violin, 7 p.m. Feb. 15, Steele Hall – Two classically trained musicians and their DJ blend jazz, hip-hop, funk and classical strings in this return visit to Cal U. The public is welcome to attend all Black History Month events. A full listing of events is available on the Cal U website. http://www.calu.edu/events/ black-history-month-2013/ index.htm
Photo by Cal U Public Affairs Cal U students performed service-oriented projects Tuesday in the Performance Center as part of the annual community Day of Service. See more about the event on page 8.
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