Between the hours of 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the Favrot Student Union courtyard is usually flooded with students being entertained by music.
But at Tuesday’s rally, which had no DJ, there were about two dozen people.
The marked difference in attendance between the music rallies and Tuesday’s gathering might be seen as validating the contention of the Political Science Association that students at Grambling lack interest in political and social issues.
“We wanted to unite the campus and bring everybody together,” said Timothy Hernandez, a political science major and president of PSA.
But on Tuesday, students paused for a few seconds to see what was going and then went about their day.
The rally started with a march from the track field by the high school through a dormitory area to the Main Street location.
Hernandez said, in addition to bringing students together, the rally had other purposes.
“Secondly, we wanted to inform people on the adversity that is affecting the black community particularly, and thirdly, to honor and give a floor to the parents of the victim of the passed Grambling student, Joseph Glenn.”
Darrel and Darline Glenn, parents of the 22-year-old who was killed by Ruston police on Dec. 29, got a to chance to express grievance about their son’s killing.
Darline Glenn encouraged people to value their life because “you could be here today and gone in the next two minutes.”
“I have my moments of heartbreaks, sorrow, and because there are many question marks in my mind, it’s just no closure,” she said. “Especially when I come home and I don’t see him anymore or don’t hear his voice anymore, it hurts.”
Darrel Glenn said the rally was bigger than his son’s death. He said it was about raising the sense of caution of the students about the dangers on campus.
He acknowledged that he is still mourning his son’s death.
“I haven’t began the healing process,” he said. “As a parent you might think one day my kids might have to bury me; you’ll never think that you’ll have to bury your kids.”
Both parents were appreciative of PSA’s actions.
Hernadez educated the people at the gathering about how African Americans are still suffering in America by providing statistics. Students also shared their concerns about problems at GSU.
Brooke Battiste, a senior political science major from Plaquemine, said her biggest issue was how campus police handle campus violence.
There have been several incidents of shots fired at GSU and she doesn’t believe campus police sufficiently handled those occurrences.
“Administration needs to be more proactive,” Battiste said. “By being proactive, I don’t mean taking all the freshmen and moving them out of Freshman Village to somewhere with a gate. I mean hiring people that are competent, competent police officers that make rounds frequently.”
Battiste also said GSU needs to stop using budget cuts as a “crutch” because “every school in Louisiana receives budgets cuts and they are still operating.”
Stavinoha Bradley, a senior management major from Houston, said the biggest issue was not the administration, but the students on campus. He challenged not only the students, but also the whole generation to do more. He said that there aren’t many effective student leaders and that’s a becoming an issue.
“We need student leaders who are not just going to put their pictures on everything or speak at events,” Bradley said. “We need student leaders who are going to ask questions and make things happen.”
The biggest concern of GSU’s Miss Cover Girl Tiara Thomas’ was also Grambling students. She suggested that students should inspire their peers to do better and it will “surely make a difference.”
“Hopefully the result of this rally will unite the people on campus,” said Dewayne Webb, a senior sports management major from Lafayette. “We should come together more often and not only for when something happens.”