An article this summer in the Belltower newsletter sent my mind racing and my fingers rummaging through the files of Special Collections to learn more about a time many of us know little about - integration at Samford. The story begins in 1965. Howard College, as our university was then known, was still a segregated institution, and not a single black student was to be found on campus.
Violence, crime and abuse have increased throughout the years. Children can no longer go outside to play without an adult, people must lock their doors and an ever suspicious eye is continually aware of surroundings. For whatever known and unknown reasons, the moral fibers of this nation are deteriorating at an alarming rate.
Democrat v. Republican is a tired, false dichotomy. In the same way, there was no real choice between John McCain and Barack Obama in the most recent presidential election. Now, with Obama in office, there has been no real change from the previous administration.
Aside from the fact that we have a chapel at each end of the Quad and receive money from the Alabama Baptists, what actually classifies our corner of Shades Valley as a Christian campus? A 2007 survey by University Ministries found that 87% of Samford students attend church weekly or monthly, and 62% said that campus ministries contributed to their spiritual growth.
Homecoming is traditionally a time for football, festivities and fellowship. However, it is also a time for remembrance. This weekend, as celebrations take place across campus, let us take time to reflect on Samford's origins. Samford University has come a long way since its founding in 1841 as Howard College.
Homecoming is a strange word. We use it to describe all the events this week. SGA spends a good portion of its budget providing food and entertainment, alumni come back for the weekend festivities, we even crown a queen and king to rule over all the merriment.
NEWS FLASH: Two shots fired on Samford's campus as shoplifter flees Campus Bookstore in car. Do you remember when this happened? Oh, it's been so long … wait. What do you mean it was just last week? How can we forget so soon? More importantly, why are people so content to accept that what has been reported is true? On Monday, October 26, Samford's campus was rocked by the news that a Campus Safety officer had fired at the tire of a suspect's car.
Two articles in today's Opinion section reflect on the history of Samford. "Remembering our roots" brings us back to Samford's many years in Perry County, whose residents often kept the college going when it seemed likely to fail. "Time to rename Samford" looks at Samford's rocky period of integration from the 1960's on, when leaders implemented discriminatory admissions practices to prevent full racial integration at Samford.