On May 11,the Grambling State University Student Government Association swore in newofficers for the 2005–2006 school year. Less than 24 hours later, the SGApresident was in jeopardy of losing his position. Thomas Craig, a junior fromDetroit, is at the center of a controversy over two pornographic videos thathave surfaced.
In thevideos, both recorded using a camera phone, a man is shown masturbating toATL’s “Make It Up With Love.” One video is 15 seconds, the other 16seconds.
The videoswere sent using Sprint’s Picture Mail. This put the videos on the Internet andinto an interactive photo album, which can be sent to others for viewing.
It isunclear whether Craig is the man in the videos, but an investigation by theGramblinite shows the videos were originally sent from Craig’s cell phone. Theyeventually reached the e-mail inbox of SGA adviser Audrey Warren.
Warren,university President Dr. Horace A. Judson and Dr. Earnest L. Pickens, vicepresident of student affairs, met with Craig on May 12 and 13 in closedsessions.
An officialstatement by the administration issued May 16 said Craig had been placed onadministrative leave, which generally is the temporary removal of a jobassignment, with pay and benefits intact. As student government president,Craig is paid by the university.
Theuniversity statement did not specify the accusations against Craig. It said,”This action will allow time to investigate alleged improprieties by Mr. Craig.While Mr. Craig is on administrative leave, Miss Levicy Crawford will provideleadership to the SGA in her capacity as vice president.”
Craig didnot comment on the videos, but he did release his own statement.
“If peoplepushed to help as much as they pushed to hate, this would be a totallydifferent place,” he said in a text message. “These two weeks I have felt morehated than I have in my life.”
Somestudents were less than pleased when they heard of the incident.
“I think heshould lose his job,” freshman Cordell Cook said. “I don’t want anyone to leadme that’s not setting a good example for everybody else.”
Others saidthey were stunned.
“I amshocked,” freshman Alissa Dawson said. “When you go into a position, you haveto be very responsible. You have to make sure the things that you do don’t getout to the public if you’re going to do them.”
Some weresympathetic to Craig.
“If he sentit to one person as a private thing, not the public, it’s not his fault,”sophomore Jarvis L. Fisher said. “If he did mean to put it out there, then itis.”
Craig hadno comment on the exact terms of his administrative leave or on Crawfordserving in his role.
Darryl D.Smith and Dayna T. Newkirk are students at Grambling State University who writefor the Gramblinite.
