TL20040415_001 "Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com Thursday, 4/15/04 Habitat helps to build community 5 Queer Student Union keeps name 5 Photo class shows work in Towson Ml Bill 2* beats first installment Departments Opinion News 5 Nation 8 Police blotter. 8 Arts 15 Sound Bites 14 Sports 24 In this corner. 24 The Hot Corner. 22 Classifieds 20 Panel revisits 'Brown1 decision Historical court case changed students1 lives, led to integration outside of education Mike Fila The Towerlight Fifty years after the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case diffused segregation, a panel discussion Wednesday looked at the historical and personal importance of the event. Retired teachers joined former students and others to reflect on the progress made since the 1954 Supreme Court decision and consider steps that must still be taken. Racism has been """"the most compelling force in shaping America,"""" Rita Marinho, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said. Mark Whitman, a history professor, considered the Brown decision to be good on the whole, but believed it was unable to fulfill the lofty educational goals it was intended to meet. """"Initially Brown focused on desegregation,"""" he said, """"but it needed to focus on integration."""" However, Whitman added, the decision was monumental. """"It separated American history into a B.C. and an A.D.,"""" he said. Gloria Scott, one of Towson's first African American graduates, experienced adaptation to Brown first-hand. At 17 she was admitted to the recently-integrated State Teacher's College. """"We were ostracized from our peers,"""" she explained. """"There would be times when girls would talk to us in Stephens, but not in Richmond. And other times girls would talk to us in the dorm, but not in class."""" Scott said determination helped get her through. """"It was definitely a culture shock,"""" she said. """"A greater portion of the student body and professors were cold, hostile and racist. But, it allowed us to rise to the challenge."""" However, half of the 50 African American students admitted See 1954, page 7 Candidates vie for SGA president slot Saul Stoogenke/The Towerlight Baba Olumiji, left, and Mark Schlosser will compete to lead next year's SGA. See page 10 for more. Music, dance 'untie' Korean tradition Mike Vandermause The Towerlight Far Eastern culture will unravel on Towson's campus this weekend in an innovative show featuring traditional Korean music and dance with a modern twist. The two-part performance will include a Korean musical trio under the direction of composer Jin Hi Kim followed by traditional and classical pieces by the Washington Korean Dance Company. """"It will show from ancient sounds to contemporary sounds..."""" Kim said. """"We improvise, but all of the music is structured by me."""" The title of the concert, """"Unknot and Tie,"""" refers to the Korean art of knotting as the theme for the performance. """"If you know about Korean tradition, knotting things is a very important tradition in Korea, and I'm trying to transport this idea into music,"""" Kim said. """"There are a lot of patterns and textures."""" Much like the knots themselves, the performance will be very visual. """"[Kim] used the knot as a symbol,"""" Suewhei Shieh, director of Towson's Asian Arts and Culture Center, said. """"Traditional Korean knot is created with intricate patterns using musical instruments and costumes. It's very visual. Using this motif, the ensemble creates textures through the [image of] the knot."""" According to Kim, the show builds on this Korean tradition. """"Unknot represents the music part which is very contemporary,"""" Shieh said. """"Jin Hi Kim and her ensemble [are] going to 'unknot' the traditional patterns of Korean music. It's innovative because the ensemble will not play traditional music, Kim explained. See DANCE, page 16 Photo courtesy of Center for the Arts Washington Korean Dance Company Today High 58 Low 40 Friday High 63 Low 45 Saturday High 70 Low 51 Sunday High 72 Low 55 Monday High 74 Low 50"