Photo by Carson Ming, Photo Editor

By Linden Young, Contributing Writer

I write this essay with a feeling of growing disappointment. Yet I remember reading an article written for the Maroon Tiger nearly eighty years ago entitled, “The Purpose of Education,” in which the author explicitly stated that which had been long implicit at Morehouse. The article boldly declared, “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate.” I believe he intimated that the liberal arts education’s insistence on the humanities, social sciences, and arts was to imbue our reasoning and emotionalism with humanity; and by humanity, I mean knowledge of self, respect for others, and dignity. These qualities that when absent, make the intellectual life barren and vacuous. He then offered us all a sobering warning: “If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, “brethren!” Be careful, teachers!” We were not careful—we did not listen. There is evidence aplenty. Let us look at the ways the “brethren” have failed to heed the call: 

Take, for example, the fact that student apathy is at an all-time high. A horrendously vociferous sum of the body is not motivated by much of anything besides death, debauchery, and the most degrading constituents of our culture. Many of us have forgotten that college is, first and foremost, a place of education, not a social club. From the moment many of us entered that sacred gate, we had upperclassmen telling us, “Cs get degrees!” With the most sinister joviality. Then we use artificial intelligence to author our papers out of fear that we may shine a bit of our self-hidden brilliance. I have no doubt that this is a product of our generation’s culture of anti-intellectualism. 

For those of us who do not completely reject the intellectual culture of collegiate life, we have taken up the facade of scholarly pursuits without actually dedicating ourselves to contemplative living. Stacks of eternally unopened books and heavily annunciated nonsense satisfy us. There is no need to be well-read when you can be well-received with little to know knowledge. 

Those of us who delight in study are apathetic as well. We allow the idiocy to continue unscrutinized. This apathy is worse because it refuses to fulfill our commitment to the virtue of fraternity. When we agreed to have our brothers back, it meant we would have their best interests at heart. Allowing them to soar beneath their potential is the largest disservice, but really, who is to blame? We live in a culture that disdains critique. We treat criticism like personal attacks and refuse advice out of wayward notions of masculinity. 

But wait, there is more! Students are not the only group that has not heeded the warning, there are faculty and administrators at fault as well. Some professors care extraordinarily little about what we do here at Morehouse College. Their employment here is just that, a mere job. When they see mediocrity, there are two reactions. The first is to allow it and pass students along or fail them without going the extra mile. The second is to cultivate that mediocrity. Just think about it; there exist whole departments that are primarily interested in producing genteel worker drones. They wish for us to look the part but lack the mind necessary for true human flourishing. Some administrators even call us students “commodities” and expect us to give a return on investment to companies that invest in this school. Many around this college wish to sell us capitalistic dreams of grandeur that are impossible to achieve without oppressing others. They invite men to stand on stages to be recognized to tell the student body that “freedom comes from the dollar” and “Black capitalists matter.”  

It is terrible enough that we, as students, use generative AI systems, but professors do as well. In the past year, the school announced the institution of new AI Teachers’ Assistants. Instead of using money to pay good professors, we would rather dump our money into artificial intelligence. Then the claim is good because we are supposedly the first college with such technology. I wonder how soon it will be before all of Morehouse will be bottled and sold to the highest bidder by our administration? 

Our brother told us that education had a two-fold function: the intellectual and the ethical. Unlike his time, when they had the intellectual but failed the ethical, we lack both. We are trapped in a vicious cycle. Many students come hungry to learn but are told at this institution that learning provides no profit. I could list problems for days, but what is the point? 

I remember a meeting I had with President David A. Thomas where he said something along the lines of, “If this is how you will act, then you will be blowing out the candles. There will be no more Morehouse.” He was saying this in reaction to the rowdy behavior of students at a community meeting with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens. Although I do not agree with what he was saying, it put the Morehouse metaphor of the candle into perspective. People for ages have known that flames needed to be tended, fueled, and kept safe from wind and rain because of the possibility of extinguishment—our flame is no different. With all I have said, the future of our flame may seem bleak, but we still have time to be better and to do more. Tomorrow is not promised, and the clock is ticking. I do not have any more warnings. I just have a question: Will we heed the warning we were given, or is it time to blow out the candle?