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VOLUME 106, ISSUE 4 919 530.7116/CAMPUSECHO@NCCU.EDU WWW.CAMPUSECHO.COM

@CAMPUSECHO

Campus

Sports

A&E

Feature

Roots in the radiowaves: WNCU’s origin explored

Poobie goes

Geek is chic:

international

Comicon hits N.C.

Boxer McCormick takes shot at Olympic gold

Campus Echo Page 2

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Page 9

Pages 6-7

Campus takes to the polls

Voters line up in the Alfonso Elder Student Union during 10:40 break Tuesday to vote in the 2014 mid-term elections.

ANTHONY ORTIZ/Echo staff photographer

“I vote because I feel like my voice needs to be heard, especially as a college student.

We’re not taken seriously. So people know that we actually matter. ”

“I voted because my vote matters. I feel like voting is our voice to the hierarchy in the United States. ” DEATRIN SUTTON POLITICAL SCIENCE/HISTORY JUNIOR

ALIA MILLS BILOLOGY JUNIOR

“There’s a lot of reasons I vote.

Three hundred sixty-four days a year politicians pretty much run my life. But this one day is my chance to decide who gets to do that.

LOREN WHITAKER NC PIRG ACTIVIST

“I voted because we fought for this right.”

“I vote to decide who my elected officials are.

“I voted. I want to make a difference!”

GENE HOSKINS

SAM JORDAN

DIAMOND GWYNN

BEHAVIORAL THERAPIST

REAL ESTATE BROKER

MASS COMMUNICATION JUNIOR

s the Campus Echo goes to press Tuesday night, election outcomes are still undecided. With control of the U.S. Senate at stake the election promises to be a nail-biter. In the meantime, here’s why campus voters say they they just had to vote.

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“I voted so that student voices can be heard.”

“I voted because I don’t like what’s happened to N.C. It was once the most progressive state in the South.

We’ve regressed, backtracked.”

HALEY NEWMAN

EMANI MILLS

TJ WALKER

PSYCHOLOGY JUNIOR

PSYCHOLOGY SENIOR

SPORTS SCIENCE SENIOR

“I voted because ... ah man ... I’ve got the right to.

Photography and interviews by Kimane Darden and Anthony Ortiz.

Hazing conviction

Homecoming cometh

Former FAMU band member found guilty

NCCU prepares for a week of celebration

BY JAMAR NEGRON ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

From Nov 2 to Nov. 7, N.C. Central University will be awash in fanfare as homecoming touches down on campus.

Events will include a fashion show, a concert headlining hip-hop artists YG and Big KRIT, and a

step show featuring campus fraternities and sororities.

Events will culminate on Saturday, Nov. 8 with the homecoming game.

NCCU’s Eagles will meet the Hampton Pirates on the gridiron at 2 p.m.

NCCU heralded the beginning of the week with a homecoming kickoff on

Saturday.

Students gathered in the McDougald-McLendon gymnasium to celebrate the coming week of events.

Students watched performances from such performers as the Marching Sound Machine and the Association of Students for a Better Africa.

n See HOMECOMING Page 3

Georgia Baskin, left, bows her head as her son, Jeffrey Baskin, reaches over to comfort her after her other son, Jesse, was was sentenced to a year in jail for the beating death of Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion, in a courtroom in Orange County, Florida Friday, March 28.

RED HUBER/Orlando Sentinal/MCT

BY STEPHEN HUDAK ORLANDO SENTINEL (MCT)

ORLANDO, Fla. — The manslaughter verdict in the fatal hazing of Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion should send a message as loud and clear as the famous

Marching 100 band, State Attorney Jeff Ashton said Friday.

“I hope this scares people enough to stop it and to realize it’s not worth it and just to find better ways to show you belong than hitting people or hurting people or endangering their lives,”

Ashton said outside the courtroom where FAMU percussionist Dante Martin was found guilty of manslaughter and three counts of hazing.

Martin, who faces up to 22 years in prison, showed no emotion and Champion’s parents clasped each other’s

n See HAZING Page 5

The Association of Students for a Better Africa performs at the homecoming kickoff.

KIMANE DARDEN/Echo photo editor

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

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Students speak their piece

Spoken word poetry slam gives students a chance to recite, hear poetry

BY JAMAR NEGRON ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

N.C. Central University students channeled their inner muses and spoke art to an intimate crowd in a poetry slam in the FarrisonNewton Communications Building.

The slam, sponsored by Sigma Tau Delta, featured more than 10 students performing to a crowd of faculty, students and community members.

Some students recited original spoken word pieces, while others recited their favorite poems by other authors.

The event was moderated

by English education senior Terrence Foushee, a member of the Sacrificial Poets, a competitive poetry group based in Chapel Hill.

Saying that spoken word is based in call-andresponse, Foushee taught the crowd poetry etiquette, such as snapping during a poet’s performance to show that you relate to a line, and rubbing your hands together during a performance as a sign of encouragement if a poet forgets his or her lines.

“Spoken word is not like golf,” Foushee said.

He explained that although being quiet is necessary during a perform-

ance, cheering is encouraged before and after.

Foushee was introduced to spoken word his senior year in high school.

He said he fell in love with it and it changing his life.

“Writing about yourself helps you understand yourself better,” he said. He recited an original piece, “New B.E.T.,” which considered the destructive role media can play in black life.

Mass communication senior Franklin McKoy said the poetry slam was innovative and something he enjoyed.

He said the relaxed environment made reciting poetry easy.

“It is definitely something that’s needed culturally on campus,” McKoy said, adding that the event was a change of pace on this campus.

He said campus is saturated with events that only give students commands, instead of allowing to express themselves like the poetry slam did.

English assistant professor Rachelle Gold, the creator of the event, said she was pleased with the outcome of the event.

“It was awesome to hear how creative and imaginative our students can be,” Gold said.

Gold said she wanted the students to experience “words that uplift, words that motivate and words that inspire.”

In addition to showcasing that creativity, she said she wanted the event to be an opportunity to recruit more English majors and minors and draw more attention to the department.

Gold said events like poetry slams are important because art has “therapeutic and cathartic” qualities that help students explore their emotions.

“Art helps us thrive, cope, sing, dance, celebrate, grieve and just feel emotions that are too difficult to express sometimes with words,” she said.

“Five students signed up in advance to read poems about dying uncles, rape and overcoming it, domestic violence and survival, and other topics that were less serious, such as autumn leaves, or dressing up for Halloween or celebrating mothers, so the range of human experience can be captured by the arts.”

Gold said although she was disappointed that no English majors or minors attended the event, she would like to see the event held every semester.

Terrence Foushee, host of the poetry slam, educates the crowd on spoken word etiquette.

KEYANDRA COTTON/Echo staff photographer

Duke talks violence in the community

Public responses and prevention proposals

BY LEAH MONTGOMERY ECHO ASSISTANT EDITOR

Community members gathered on the first few pews of the Duke Chapel Oct. 20 to discuss an issue that affects the lives of nearly every American— violence in the community.

The public discussion, “Responding to Violence with Justice and Mercy,” featured a panel of speakers who gave their personal accounts of and responses to violence.

Panelists included: Melvin Bullock, retired chaplain of Polk Correctional Institution; Marcia H. Morey, chief district court judge of Durham’s 14th Judicial District; Simon Partner, professor of history at Duke University; and Joslin Simms, a member of the Durham chapter of Parents of Murdered Children.

The discussion moderator, Luke Powery, dean of Duke Chapel, asked questions that addressed the origins of violence and how to respond to it.

Simms said she has witnessed first-hand the causes of violent behavior in her community.

“A lot of these people are low-income, barely making ends meet,” she said.

“Youth see other children who have all these things and want to see their family get ahead, so they start selling drugs and other things.”

Simms described the frustration felt by displaced families.

“A lot of people are losing their homes and have to move to places where they don’t know anyone and where there may be more violence.”

Simms also addressed the criminal justice system, which she deems a perpetual cycle.

“If nobody gives [young people] a job when they get out of jail, they rob someone or sell some drugs so that they can pay their probation officer, and the cycle begins,” said Simms.

“They stop caring because jails have free food and a place to sleep when really all they want is a better life.”

Partner also expressed his distaste for the criminal justice system.

He believes minors must be educated while in jail.

“If a child goes to jail with a fifth or sixth grade education, they should be mandated to go to school,” he said.

“If you’re 18 years old in the sixth grade, something went wrong.”

Morey said she sees results of violence walk into her courts every day.

“We see a lot of emotional violence in our family courts,” said Morey.

“People feeling like they’re not being heard, understood, or have control.”

Morey said she is taking

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steps to end the criminal justice system cycle through her “teen court” program.

The program, the first of its kind in the United States, allows 16- and 17year-olds to avoid arrest if they have committed their first non-violent misdemeanor.

“We give them an opportunity to confess, learn about the system, do some community service, then rip up the police report,” said Morey.

Powery took the conversation in a different direction when he asked the panel for ideas about how to constructively respond to violence in the community.

“Young men need a good mentor to talk to, to spend time with them and to show them what they are capable of,” said Simms.

“Parents need to be disciplinary and supportive,” she said.

“We have to reach out to these young mothers. We’ve got to find a way to break that circle.”

Bullock said he was tired of talking about creating change and believes nothing can be done without action.

“It’s not just a theoretical question. We really need to do something,” he said.

“We need to show solidarity with the people who are experiencing the suffering and violence.”

Campus

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STI rates unreported

HOMECOMING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Despite active health ed program, no campus stats

BY KRISTIN ELLIS ECHO STAFF REPORTER

N.C. Central University has many resources and programs to tackle sexual health and education including its Student Health and Counseling Services (SHCS) department and student-based organization Project Safe A Fellow Eagle, also known as Project SAFE. Although the University has proved it is dedicated to promoting students’ sexual health by providing testing for sexually transmitted infections, according to an NCCU health educator, NCCU fails in one area.

“There’s no statistics on the rates of STIs or HIV on campus,” said Kevin Harrell, head of health education services at NCCU’s SHCS. According to Harrell, going through every STI case to create data and statistics is unrealistic.

Even when Durham County’s Department of Public Health provides onsite testing for STIs and HIV in NCCU’s Alfonso Elder Student Union a few times each semester, NCCU does not report those cases.

“The results would go with Durham County. They wouldn’t go and just be NCCU results,” Harrell said.

NCCU is not alone in not providing public STI statistics.

Harrell says academics, culture, and even sexual health at HBCUs receive undue criticism.

“You always hear people saying rumors, ‘oh it’s all kind of this and that on HBCU campuses;’ where’s the data?” said Harrell.

While national and state STI statistics are readily available, statistics for

HBCUs and even schools located near The triangle are hard to come by.

However, some NCCU students are unsettled by the fact that NCCU justifies collecting STI data on the basis of other schools not participating in STI case reporting.

“We need to know what is going on, like the health issues that are taking place on campus,” said junior Alexis Kemp.

Another student, who wished to remain anonymous, was very upset that the University was not taking the initiative to collect data on STI cases on campus.

The student believes that NCCU health official

should alert the campus about STI cases.

“They should be aware because they never know,” the student said.

“You never know who has it and who doesn’t.

“I mean, with STIs, you can’t look at someone in the face and tell they have an STI.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly ten million of the 20 million new cases of STIs occur among people ages 15 to 24.

One in 4 college students has an STI, according to Stanford University's Sexual Health Peer Resource Center.

Vocal jazz sophomore Autumn Rainey performs at the Choir Ball held on Monday Nov. 3 ANTHONY ORTIZ/Echo staff photographer

Baby Boomers have used condoms mostly to prevent pregnancy, not to prevent nasty diseases.

KAREN SCHIELY/Akron Beacon Journal (MCT)

They also participated in a number of games and interactive segments, including quiz games and obstacle courses.

At the end of the night, students crowded around for free T-shirts and danced to music courtesy of DJ Lowkey.

Students said they were pleasantly surprised at the homecoming kickoff.

Athletic training freshman Emmit Johnson said he enjoyed the environment of the kickoff.

“Everybody was into it,” he said.

“Everybody was having fun.”

He said he was looking forward to the YG and Big KRIT concert the most, because he has never been to a concert before.

Chemistry freshman Keiara Williams said she thought the homecoming kickoff was “actually cool,” and something the campus needed.

Williams said the homecoming game was her most anticipated event.

“I’m a huge football fan,” she said.

“It gets intense.”

Theatre junior Sheldon Mba said he felt the homecoming kickoff energized the campus.

“The event was real puttogether,” he said, remarking that he enjoyed the interactive games that allowed the students to get on the stage and involved.

Mba said he was especially excited about the Choir Ball, which was held Monday.

For more information about upcoming events, go to nccu.edu/homecoming.

Dealing in the business of diversity Professor discusses benefits of workplace diversity in campus lecture series

BY DIAMOND GWYNN ECHO STAFF REPORTER

You want a strong and effective organization? You want it to be competitive and efficient? You want it to be in touch with its consumers or those it serves?

Then make your organization culturally diverse.

This is the advice of Andrew Ikeh Emmanuel Ewoh, a professor at the Barbara Hordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs at Texas Southern University.

Ewoh spoke at the first Tyrone R. Baines Lecture

Series on Oct. 24 in the Criminal Justice Building before about 30 N.C. Central University students and faculty.

“Diversity provides immediate access to a large pool of knowledge, skills, and abilities required in the accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives,” said Ewoh.

Ewoh said that an organization’s cultural diversity helps that organizaton generate fresh ideas and improve job performance.

According to Ewoh, an organization’s success depends on its ability to manage, respect and value

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diversity.

“Valuing diversity primarily involves a shift in beliefs and attitudes away from ‘we’re all alike’ to ‘we’re each unique,’ and that’s the source of our greatness,” he said.

Ewoh knows the issue well. He has written journal articles and book chapters on div ersity, and is a member of national organizations that focus on diversity.

In 2013 he had an article published in Public Personnel Management arguing for a multifaceted approach to promoting diversity.

He says that diversity

“must become integrated into the agency’s overall operating plans and strategies with the aim of creating an institutional environment where every person who is different, in terms of human characteristics, feels not only accepted but also respected and valued.”

According to a report from the Center for American Progress, people of color make up about 36 percent of the overall labor force, but at the highest levels of corporate governance — the corporate boardroom — there is a stark lack of diversity.

Only 4.2 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are people

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of color. Of that 4 percent, just 0.8 percent are black.

And only 3.6 percent of CEOs are women of any color, despite the fact that women make up nearly half of the total labor force.

To correct this imbalance, said Ewoh, organizations must create policies and proactive plans to support diversity.

Sylvia Anderson, NCCU’s director of human resources, said the University has a diverse faculty.

She said NCCU’s non-discrimination policy statement enables diversity.

The policy states that hiring management will not discrimi-

nate against anyone based on race, age, gender, religion, disability or sexual identity.

Anderson said having a diverse faculty benefits students because it helps prepare them for life after graduation.

“We learn from people who are different from us,” Anderson said.

“If everybody around the table is just like you, they think like you, believe and have had the same experiences as you. How can you grow and enhance what it is that you’re trying to do?”

NCCU’s OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS STUDY ABROAD • First Thursday Study Abroad Information Session is on November 6 during 10:40 break in99 Rm. 202 of the Lee Biology Building.

Events • NCCU celebrates the 2014 International Education Week (IEW) – November 17-21. Please check the website for the Calendar of Events.

The IEW Kickoff is on Monday, November 17, in the lobby of the AE Student Union between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Join us as we showcase NCCU’s diversity in international culture, food, music, poetry, and more.

Deadlines for study abroad applications • The campus deadline for the 2015-2016 Boren Scholarship and Fellowship program is Tuesday, January 13, 2015. For information on the Boren Scholarships and Fellowships, please go to www.borenawards.org.

expand your horizons

STUDY ABROAD

Contact Dr. Olivia Metzger Jones at ojones@nccu.edu or 919.530.7713

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

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Radio pioneer reflects In 1986, chancellor’s challenged Harold Lewis to start a radio station at NCCU

WNCU co-founder Harold Lewis, associate professor of communication disorders, recalls WNCU’s earliest days.

KEYANDRA COTTON/Echo staff photographer

BY BAILEY CLEMMONS ECHO STAFF RREPORTER

“Hearing aids work very much like the ear,” said Harold Donell Lewis, looking at a model of an ear in his cluttered office.

“You need a receiver, an amplifier and a microphone. Basically, the same thing is needed for a radio station.

“Our ears are the receiver; they receive sound.

“Our brain is the amplifier, it analyzes sound.

“Our mouth is the microphone.”

Lewis, associate professor of audiology in communications disorders, has taught at N.C. Central University for 30 years.

He is the second African

American in the country to earn a doctorate in audiology.

Lewis spends most of his time working with hearing loss patients to fit them with hearing aids.

But not many know that Lewis was a co-founder of WNCU 90.7, NCCU’s 50,000-watt National Public Radio affiliate.

In 2015, the station celebrates its 20th anniversary.

The story goes that in 1986, then-chancellor Tyronza Richmond approached Lewis at a commencement ceremony.

Richmond had heard that Lewis had experience administering Shaw University’s WSHA 88.9 FM. Richmond told Lewis

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that he wanted NCCU to have its own public radio and wanted a strategy for getting one.

Lewis was reluctant.

“I had already planned vacation for that next week,” he said.

“Summer school started the week after that. I wanted my week off before summer school started.

“I was also trying to develop the accreditation for the communication disorders program,” said Lewis.

But Richmond persisted.

“I really need you to do this,” said Richmond.

Soon English department chair Patsy Perry was on board.

She and Lewis worked on a Title III grant, and submitted a Federal Communications Commission application for the station.

According to Lewis, there were some bumps in the road.

“We wanted to use WNCCU [as the station’s call letters], but could not, because only four letters could be used for the call numbers,” he said.

Also, there was a decommissioned navy vessel with the letters WNCU. Of all people, it was the conservative Sen. Helms who intervened and got permission for the station to use the WNCU call letters.

Helms was an early opponent of the civil rights movement and affirmative action.

He was known for using racially charged political advertising.

After nine years of work, the station tested its first signal in July 1995, and aired its first broadcast one month later.

WNCU’s mission statement is “to offer in-depth and thoughtful cultural, music, news and information programs designed to increase listeners’ awareness and provide information that may be useful in enhancing their daily lives.”

The station has had three general managers: Donal Baker, Edith Thorpe and current general manager Lackisha S. Freeman.

Freeman said what she enjoys most about WNCU is how it engages with the community and students.

“It is a platform for students to get exposure to radio broadcasting before getting employed at a radio station,” said Freeman.

Kristy Caldwell has been WNCU office manager for more than 10 years.

“A radio is important on a college campus for news and information,” said Caldwell.

Alshadera Dawson, WNCU operations manager, said, “Having a radio on campus provides students with exposure to public radio.”

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EVALESCO event torpedoed SGA, Homecoming committee cancel Model Mayhem - The Takeover

BY LEAH MONTGOMERY ECHO ASSISTANT EDITOR

It used to be that N. C. Central University modeling organizations were rewarded a cash prize for winning the annual homecoming competition.

Modeling organizations work long hours and spend thousands of dollars to prepare a five- minute show.

When organizations like the Student Activity Board and the homecoming planning committee ask them to perform, they are excited about the chance to win back some of their hardearned money.

Last year’s $1,000 prize was won by Kerojo, a Virginia Commonwealth University modeling troupe.

But this year, the SAB told the modeling groups that there would not be a cash prize.

“We were told we would not be rewarded for our services,” said mass communication senior Franklin McKoy, former president and current choreographer for EVALESCO Models.

McKoy said he felt the SAB and the homecoming committee’s new policy exploits the work of the student-run modeling organizations.

That’s when EVALESCO’s members decided to hold their own fashion exhibition and to invite other student performance groups to participate.

The plan was to split the show’s profits.

House Arrest 2, Next Level, The Association of Students for a Better Africa, NCCU gospel singer Dottie Elliot and the UNC Charlotte’s Belle Jadore signed performance contracts for the event.

However, this plan also was foiled, McKoy said.

“SAB told us B.N. Duke was booked all week,” he said.

“We later found out that the space was actually open for three consecutive days of the homecoming week.”

So EVALESCO’s current president, Tre’ Thompson, reserved B.N. Duke, signed a ticket contract with the NCCU ticket office and got approval for campus security to provide services.

“We met with our adviser

to make sure we were doing things the right way,” said Thompson.

Then EVALESCO’s executive board called a meeting with SAB to clarify its reasons for having its own show.

EVALESCO members left the meeting under the impression that, although SAB didn’t want them to have the show, there was no way the show could be shut down.

Nevertheless, after taking all these measures, they discovered that their event was not on after all.

Not long after EVALESCO’s meeting with SAB, the tickets, which had been printed and were waiting in the box office, were put on hold.

NCCU alumni Devashi Woods said, “I tried to go and buy a ticket for their show, but I was told I wouldn’t be able to.”

EVALESCO’s executive board was not given any notice or explanation about the tickets being put on hold.

When he heard that the tickets were being held, Thompson immediately scheduled a meeting with Anita Walton, assistant vice chancellor of Student Affairs.

When Walton told Thompson they might not be able to have the show, Thompson and McKoy appealed to Chancellor Debra Saunders-White to reverse the decision.

“The chancellor didn't see an issue with it, and said the vice chancellor would call us the next day,” said McKoy. And she did.

According to McKoy, Walton said that the school does not support funded Homecoming events that are not organized by the SAB and the homecoming committee.

He said he was told that this practice breaks tradition, but that it’s not a documented policy.

The show was officially shut down.

McKoy said that EVALESCO’s next move is to perform at East Carolina University’s modeling competition, Fame and Fortune Walk, this Saturday, in which the group could win an $800 prize.

Campus Echo Online Breaking news, past issue archives, advertising information, and more. campusecho.com

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Beyond NCCU

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

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Pentagon fears climate wars

HAZING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Changing weather patterns likely to lead to social, political unrest PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE (MCT)

Conservative members of Congress may not be ready to acknowledge the reality of climate change, but the Pentagon sees it for what it is — a threat to national security.

On Monday, the Pentagon issued a report assessing the immediate dangers of climate change.

The military is no longer treating it as a theoretical threat in the distant future that will loom only after the glaciers have melted.

Unlike ideology-driven politicians, the military must deal with reality as it finds it, regardless of how unpleasant it may be.

Surveying the contempo-

Dante Martin, right, a former member of Florida A&M University’ Marching 100 band, looks at his family as he is fingerprinted Friday, Oct. 31 after being found guilty of manslaughter in the fatal hazing of drum major Robert Champion. Martin, who faces up to 22 years in prison, showed no emotion as Circuit Judge Renee Roche read the verdict.

RED HUBER /Orlando Sentinel (MCT)

hands as Circuit Judge Renee Roche read the verdicts, which followed less than two hours of jury deliberations.

Sentencing is set for Jan. 9.

Martin’s family sobbed outside the courtroom but declined to discuss the verdicts, shooing away reporters.

Defense lawyers Richard Escobar and Dino Michaels said they plan to appeal on behalf of the 27-year-old Martin, accused of organizing the fatal ritual aboard a bus parked outside the Rosen Plaza hotel in Orlando.

Martin, 27, was led from court by Orange County deputy sheriffs. He was denied an appeal bond.

The late drum major’s father, also named Robert Champion, said he and his wife would pray for Martin and Martin’s family. Pamela Champion said the verdict would be nothing to celebrate unless it leads to the end of hazing on the nation’s college campuses, in high schools and among athletic teams, bands and other youth groups.

“We hope that people will get the message that hazing is cruel ... and it needs to stop now,” Champion said.

The panel of four women and two men listened to three days of testimony and nearly four hours of arguments Friday from Ashton and Martin’s defense team.

Ashton told jurors that

hazing may have been a deeply rooted tradition in the celebrated marching band, which has performed at presidential inaugurations, the Super Bowl and the Grammys, but that should not excuse those who beat Champion to death while hazing him on the percussion bus.

“Tradition didn’t kill Robert Champion. Tradition isn’t to blame for Robert Champion’s death,” the prosecutor said.

“You don’t get to break the law because those who came before you did it. That may work when you’re 10, but it doesn’t work when you’re an adult — an adult who has the ability to say, ‘No ... I won’t be part of this barbarous ritual anymore.’ “ Defense attorney Richard Escobar countered that Champion, a talented musician who had been a FAMU student for seven years, already held leadership positions in the high-energy Marching 100 when he voluntarily participated in the ritual known as “crossing bus C” that led to his death Nov. 19, 2011.

Champion was struck more than 100 times as he tried to bulldoze his way from the front of the bus to the back through fellow band members.

Escobar argued said the crossing on the bus was not a

hazing but more akin to a toughness competition. He argued the ritual was an exercise that had been in place for generations, created by those who helped make the band great.

“Brutal as it was, senseless as it was ... it was a competition,” he said.

Martin did not testify during the trial. In addition to manslaughter Champion’s death, Martin was charged with misdemeanors in the alleged hazings of Keon Hollis and Lissette Sanchez of Orlando, who were not injured during their hazings on the bus.

Champion collapsed after the ritual, which occurred inside a bus parked at the Rosen Plaza hotel in Orlando hotel following the Florida Classic game between FAMU and Bethune-Cookman University.

An assistant medical examiner testified that he died of “hemorrhagic shock” as a result of the beating.

Nine other former band members have received probation and community service sentences for their roles in Champion’s hazing.

Another, Jessie Baskin, is serving a year in jail. Three others are awaiting trial.

Though Martin faces potentially the longest prison sentence, Ashton said he didn’t view him as a “bad person.”

rary landscape, the Pentagon lists a Pandora’s box of social and political ills resulting from conditions generated by climate change: terrorism, infectious diseases, poverty, conflicts caused by food and water shortages, and mass refugee migrations.

Any of these challenges would be daunting even without the prospect in the United States of rising sea levels, extreme droughts and violent storms.

Because the U.S. military is one of the first responders whenever and wherever there is a regional crisis in the world, it must plan for these possibilities, too.

The fact that political unrest is the No. 1 ingredient

for war, the likelihood that climate change will stimulate the necessary conditions for international chaos is high.

Some will dismiss the Pentagon’s concern on this subject as an attempt to prop up President Barack Obama’s agenda as he tries to build support for a U.N. agreement on climate change, which could be drafted in Peru in December and signed in Paris next year.

More likely is the Pentagon doesn’t want to be stretched any more than it already is.

Weather-related disasters that trigger more war and unrest would certainly do that.

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ass communication junior Craven McCormick had not always intended to be a boxer.

He grew up in Lumberton, N.C., with his mother and baby sister until he met his three older brothers at age 12.

As he grew closer to his brothers, who also are boxers, his interest in the sport grew.

Eventually he joined his first boxing team at 16.

“I was always around them and I started to pick up on it pretty easily.

I felt like I should have been doing it,” said McCormick.

“I decided to take it further, and really got into it when I was about 18.”

McCormick said he has been training with Massey Boxing, a Durham-based boxing team, for almost a year.

Since he started keeping track, McCormick has remained undefeated in the 152 weight class, with a 2-0 record.

He has now moved to the 141 weight class, where his coach wants him to stay.

Over the summer, McCormick participated in the Title Belt Summer Championships in Atlanta.

“That’s when I got my first loss,” said McCormick.

“He [my coach] really mentored me through it.”

McCormick said it was a loss by decision and he was glad to know the referee thought he should have won the match.

He has decided to stay an amateur, as recommended by his coach, so that he can eventually try out for the 2016 Olympics.

McCormick also plans to join the Navy and fight on its boxing team.

“I was going to stop boxing altogether, but my coach told me to stick with it,” he said.

His team consists of 14 boxers, including one professional boxer. The team practices Monday through Friday, doing pad work, agility drills and runs totaling at least 12 miles a week.

“I throw about 3,000 punches a day,” he said.

McCormick’s next fight will take place Jan. 31.

“I plan to get my first win in that weight class,” he said.

The fight will be held at the Durham Armory and will be hosted by One Hit Promotions.

“I love to do it so I’m staying passionate about it,” said McCormick.

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The coffee shop cool-out

NCCU Homecoming attracts local band to perform at Blue Coffee Cafe

#Epitome aims to become one of the top bands in N.C. Photo courtesy of Maurice Noble

BY D ESERE C ROSS ECHO STAFF REPORTER

Their name is #Epitome.

And they’re on a mission.

“We show you the epitome of the top quality musicianship, showmanship and vocal perfection,” said Band Manager Kinta Dixon. #Epitome was established in January, 2014.

The band specializes in weddings, corporate and social events and takes pride in its quality musicianship, showmanship and vocals.

When #Epitome first formed, Kinta Dixon, #Epitome’s band manager, knew he had started something special. #Epitome is comprised of nine very talented musi-

cians, including five vocalists and a full rhythm section. #Epitome is also regularly accompanied by DJ Shawn Alexander from Foxy 107/104. #Epitome is expected rock the house on Nov. 8th at Blue Coffee Café in Durham, NC. The band has teamed up with a NCCU party promoter, Sekou G. and DJ CK to bring you a live music show in celebration of N.C. Central University’s homecoming.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

Doors open at 9 p.m. and the show starts at 10 p.m.

On this night, twenty percent of the tip jar will be going to Band Together N.C.,

a nonprofit that uses music to raise awareness about social issues.

“What I like most about #Epitome is the pure musicianship of the whole band.

Their love for music shines through in every performance. I also love their interaction with the crowd,” said Sean Gipson, an #Epitome fan. “#Epitome puts on incredible shows. They have great music, great vocals and great interaction with the crowd,” says Alexander in the bands latest promo video.

“My vision for #Epitome is to become one of the top bands in N.C. We have some of the best musicians and vocalists in the state,” said Dixon.

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NCComicon invades Durham 2014 NCcomicon is coming to Durham once again

BY

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HASHEMI

ECHO STAFF REPORTER

Geek is the new chic, it seems.

In the past, the little wormy guy in the corner wearing a Dr. Who T-shirt and reading his comic books would be the target for jokes and ridicule. But not today.

Now he or she can stand tall with an army of fellow nerds, geeks, comic lovers and video game junkies.

This year’s NC Comicon welcomes superheroes, wizards, cos players and fantasy enthusiasts to experience an event jam-packed with artists, comics and memorabilia.

Each year, new and returning artists, writers and fans from around the world create a one of a kind experience.

On Saturday, Nov. 15 and Sunday, Nov. 16 at the Durham Convention Center.

NC Comicon will welcome superheroes, wizards, cosplayers and fantasy enthusiasts to experience an event more jam-packed with artists, comics and memorabilia than ever before.

Tickets are $40 for a twoday pass, $25 for a one-day pass, or $200 for a VIP package, which includes eight film passes, a NC Comicon print and invitations to the pre-party and after-party.

John Barrowman, who plays Jack Harkness in the revamped Dr. Who for BBC, will be a special guest, with a meet-and-greet for 60 convention-goers from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets for this event are $150.

Also featured will be Addy Miller, who plays Summer on the AMC series “The Walking Dead.” Season 5 premieres Nov. 30.

In the series’ opening scene, Rick walks out of the hospital and sees Summer, a little girl … or so she seems.

When she turns and looks at Rick, we see that half her face is gone. She is chomping at the bit for a bite of the beloved leader.

Other guests include science fiction film production company Dark Horse Entertainment and comic book. Dark Horse, created in 1986 by Mike Richardson, this label started from grassroots to become a household name in comic book fan hearts.

According to the Dark Horse website, Mike Richardson, the group’s founder, said he wanted to create an “ideal atmosphere for creative professionals.”

In 1988 the group released its comic based on the film Alien, followed shortly after by Predator.

Once the group came out with their Star Wars comic line their fate was sealed in gold.

Stop by and see some of their iconic works and add to your collection of memorabilia.Film and video game company Valiant Entertainment, established in 1989, houses over 1,500 characters including Bloodshot and Shadowman.

Valiant has sold more than 80 million comic books.

Events include the NC Comicon costume contest, which carries a $1,000 prize

Thousands gather to look at the latest in video games and comics at a 2012 Comicon event. Two convention goers dressed as Spiderman pass through the Ninja Tunnel. The NC Comicon will be held at the Durham Convention Center Nov. 15-16.

CAROLYN COLE/Los Angeles Times (MCT)

and loads of comic swag.

The craftsmanship contest is for patrons who made 75 percent of their own costumes.

Those who don’t have a costume but have a tribute to your superhero idol immortalized on their bodies may enter the Superhero Tattoo Contest.

A film festival dedicated to some of the most loved and cherished cult films of

all time will feature such flicks as Conan the Barbarian, Swamp Thing, TMNT ll: Secret of the Ooze and Howard the Duck.

Shows run Friday through Sunday at various locations.

Sideshow Collectables will showcase its collection of favorite characters and icons from film, TV and comic books, including characters from Star Wars, Marvel and DC Comics.

Nov. 14 at 8 p.m., Motorco

Music Hall at 723 Rigsbee Ave. in Durham will host the convention’s official preparty.

Tickets are $10 at the door, or $7 with a Comicon ticket.

The party will feature trivia, games and music and a vaudeville revue.

Nov. 15 at 7 p.m., Full Steam Brewery at 726 Rigsbee Ave. will host the convention’s after party.

Events include a silent

auction featuring artwork by John Paul Leon, Bernard Chang and Sean Murphy.

All proceeds from the auction will be donated to The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

Live music will be provided by Rochester, N.Y.’s indie-rock band SNMMNMN and Raleigh’s “swamp rock” group Jack the Radio.

The full schedule and guest lineup is available at NCcomicon.com.

AudioNet ‘Pluggs’ in

Mass Communication seniors Kelvin Walker and Kayla Brooks air their show live on AudioNet. DITANYIAL ROYSTER/Echo staff photographer

BY

ALEXANDRIA GLENN ECHO A&E EDITOR

After taking Lolethia Underdue’s audio production class, mass communication seniors Kayla Brooks and Kelvin Walker decided to get involved in radio.

Brooks was an intern with K97.5’s Brian Dawson and Wade Banner.

Wanting to gain more experience, Walker reached out to Brooks, and together they created a show.

While on air Walker and Brooks named their show “The Plugg,” referring to their having the “plugg,” or the scoop, on the news at NCCU. Brooks and Walker’s shows usually feature campus news, songs from local artists, the hottest new music, and on- and off-campus events.

“We always come in

and start out with a question of the day,” said Brooks.

“From there we pick the genre and songs we like to listen to to play throughout the show.”

Every week they feature guests who are usually local artists, fashion lines and more.

Brooks and Walker are expecting Demode Clothing line to come in for an interview in the up coming weeks. Their clothing line is located in Raleigh.

After only being established for two years, They are expected to be featured in New York Fashion Week in the being of 2015.

“When looking for those to interview, we try to reach out to effective people on campus as well as people in the 919 area who are doing something positive for the community,” said Brooks.

“I like the experience working with people hands on and reaching out to people who we gain opportunities to network with and being able to give exclusive information to the school,” Walker said.

During the show Brooks mainly focus on events going on on campus while walker informs students about the latest “what ever news. one is missing the other picks up and we usually piggy back off of each other” said Walker.

After audio net, Brooks plans on gaining her own slot at k97.5 and Foxy 107/104 as well as get into the Public Relations Field.

Walker plans on gaining more radio experience and making as many connections as possible.

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Emanuel “Poobie” Chapman is second Eagle to sign a professional contract this year BY

GENESIS JACKSON

ECHO SPORTS REPORTER

Emanuel “Poobie” Chapman, the first Eagle in the history of N.C Central University to record more than 600 assists, has signed his first professional contract.

The former NCCU record-setting standout will play for the SKP Banska Bystrica of the Slovakian Basketball League.

“It feels surreal,” said Chapman.

“I couldn’t do anything without Coach Moton or my teammates.”

The Raleigh native helped catapult the Eagles, who ended last season with a 28-6 record, to become the MEAC regular season and tournament champions.

That was NCCU’s first conference tournament title in 64 years.

Chapman and his teammates advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament for the first time in the program’s history after clinching the MEAC title.

Head men’s basketball coach LeVelle Moton showed his gratitude for Chapman’s success and achievement.

“This means everything to me,” said Moton.

“Incredible accomplishment for that young man to have an opportunity to take

Chapman escapes double dribble and looks for open teammate against rival N.C. A&T on Feb. 21, 2013 ECHO FILE PHOTO

care of his family playing the game that he loves.

“He is the heart and soul of NCCU basketball," he continued.

Chapman recognizes for-

mer Eagle, teammate and co-captain Jeremy Ingram, from whom he said he gained a lot of his ambition from.

“When you see fans,

alumni and people coming out to games to show support, it gives you that external motivation that you need,” Chapman said.

“It shows that you’re not

just playing for yourself or the name on the back of that jersey but more so what it stands for on the front.”

Criminal justice senior

Bernard Watson Jr., also a capital city native, is proud of Chapman’s success.

“Just to see another person from Raleigh make it is just a huge achievement for Raleigh as a whole,” Watson said.

Senior mass communication major Sie Lyons commented on Poobie’s contract.

“I am overwhelmed with joy because a fellow classmate of mine has receive this wonderful opportunity,” Lyons said.

Starting in the last 65 games of his career, Chapman scored 533 points and finished with 173 takeaways, placing second on NCCU’s all-time steals list.

With 617 career passes that led to a score by one of his many teammates, Chapman was named first all-time in assists at NCCU. Chapman is excited about his future, which includes starting a Boys and Girls Club in Raleigh along with Ingram, who plays for Turkish Basketball Second League.

“Remain loyal and trust the process,” Chapman said.

Chapman is headed down the right track in an optimistic state of mind.

“You can’t change the world if you don’t see it,” he said.

“Here is my vessel to do it. I know my brothers and sisters are behind me.”

Campus big men

N.C. Central University offensive linemen pose for preseason photograph COURTESY

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“I know I have to protect Malcolm day in an day out and I wold go to war for him any day.”

CLEVONNE DAVIS OFFENSIVE GUARD

BY

LYNDON BASS

ECHO SPORTS REPORTER

This season, N.C. Central University’s football team has earned awards.

These accolades were given not just to the quarterbacks, receivers, and the running backs, but also to the big men on the field who do the dirty work, usually with little recognition.

In October, three NCCU offensive linemen were named “Player of the Week” by the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Six-foot-one, 285-pound accounting sophomore and redshirt center, Carl Jones is from Nashville, Tenn.

Jones said he wouldn’t have gotten the award without his quarterback and his teammates contributing day in and day out on the field.

“This award meant a lot, especially since my teammates Zach [Giles] and Clevonne [Davis] received the award before me, so I’m glad I could just keep the cycle going with success,”

he said.

Six-foot-one, 320-pound computer science junior and redshirt offensive guard Zachary Giles is the player closest to home as a Durham native.

“It feels pretty good and it really builds up my confidence on the field once I won this award,” Giles said.

He commended quarterback Malcolm Bell for being down to earth.

“Plus, Bell enjoys being around the offensive linemen in the locker room which helps the players create great chemistry on the field,” said Giles.

Six-foot-one, 305-pound criminal junior and offensive guard Clevonne Davis, hails from Miramar, Fla. Davis knows how important his position is because he once stood in Bell’s shoes as quarterback in his peewee football days.

“I know I have to protect Malcolm day in and day out and I would go to war for him any day,” Davis said.

“He’s our man, one hundred grand.”

All three men buy into

Coach Jerry Mack’s strategy — and their success is hard to argue with.

“Coach Mack is a good person and we have a cordial relationship,” Giles said.

“He just wants to make us better every day.”

Jones shares a state with Coach Mack, which brings them closer, he said.

“Coach Mack is my guy, considering the fact that we are both from Tennessee.”

“He’s a player’s coach and I definitely enjoy playing for him.”

Davis uses his communication skills on and off the field, talking with Mack daily.

“Coach Mack is likable guy,” he said.

“Every time he comes on the field we always get a little conversation going.

“He’s real cool and I can go talk to him if I need to.”

The three young linemen, as well as the others who line up next to them, are preparing for the Homecoming game against the Hampton Pirates this Saturday at 2 p.m.

campusecho.com

Opinions

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014

Cuffing season or NAH? am a member of Lady Eagle Development at N.C. Central. We recently had an event about “cuffing season.”

Males and females came together and discussed cuffing season and relationships in general.

One may ask, “What’s the point?”

Every one of us is in college; of Amanda course, academHolmes ics is not our only investment.

We invest our lives in relationships.

Whether it’s a girlfriend or boyfriend, a friend with benefits, or even just someone you “chill” with, relationships are the next biggest commitments that dominate our lives.

However, there seems to be a trend in which males and females seem most likely to get into a relationship in the colder weather.

From late September to early October, people, especially those our age, tend to

I

Do not cuff someone who’s looking for a long-term relationship, when you’re just trying to toot it and boot it. Getting too emotionally involved with the other person: do not make that mistake.

consciously seek out someone to talk to on a regular basis, cuddle up with, watch Netflix with, and maybe even have sex.

This continues until the end of March.

When the weather starts to warm up, the relationship is over.

This phenomenon is known as cuffing season.

Cuffing Season is not a bad thing.

It is temporary, yet an opportunity to fulfill one’s desire to make memories with someone special.

But you must always remember to make sure that you and the significant other are on the same page with the relationship.

You may think it’s a rela-

tionship; in actuality you could be getting swerved.

Choose your cuff partner and situation wisely.

Do not cuff someone who you really like or vice-versa, if it’s just your friendly buddy.

Haha.

Do not cuff someone who’s looking for a long-term relationship, when you’re just trying to toot it and boot it.

Getting too emotionally involved with the other person: do not make that mistake.

And lastly, do not get involved in a cuffing relationship under false pretenses.

Do not mislead someone into believing the relationship is more than it’s worth.

These precautions help protect one from messy predicaments and hurt feelings.

Essentially, a cuffing relationship is supposed to be fun, friendly, and short-lived.

Neither high expectations nor rules should be set.

Nonetheless, there should definitely be boundaries.

Moreover, we all should recognize that cuffing season is not for everyone.

It may sound good, but not be the best thing.

If you want a boyfriend or girlfriend, being a cuff partner is not for you.

As college students, we tend to want to share our triumphs and struggles with someone.

That’s okay!

But we should not make it harder on ourselves, believing a cuff partner is enough to satisfy our needs.

It really is not.

In other words, we should be real with ourselves and completely understanding our involvement.

All in all, do what makes you happy.

Be cautious, observant, and most of all, have fun.

Cuffing season is here.

Good luck!

NAH! t wasn’t until I got to college that I began hearing the term “cuffing season.”

As I became more acquainted with the meaning of the term—along with seeing the phenomenon come to life—I grew increasingly annoyed with the perpetuation of such a demeaning concept.

As a fourthgeneration Eagle, I have Leah seen some of Montgomery the most beautiful marriages evolve from relationships developed during college.

For example, my grandfather, Albert Montgomery, found my Nana, Betty Montgomery, during their undergraduate years at NCCU. They would have been married 56 years on Dec. 27 had he not died just over six years ago.

My problem with cuffing season is not that people hook up and break up as often as McDonalds pushes fake patties.

My problem is that young

I

If you’re going to “toot-it-and-boot-it,” why wait all year to start texting someone, telling them how cute they are, and start checking up on “where they be at and who they be wit?”

Isn’t that what couples do? people designate a time of year to explore relationships with other people who they weren’t even thinking about before the late-September chills.

If you’re going to “toot-itand-boot-it,” why wait all year to start texting someone, telling them how cute they are, and checking up on “where they at and who they be wit?”

Isn’t that what couples do?

And why is it that at the end of every cuffing season, there are girls (and let’s be honest, men, too) who are left with their feelings hurt and the painful realization that they weren’t good enough to be the “real thing?”

Sure, both parties might go in with the idea that a longterm relationship is not the goal, emotional involvement is off-limits, and misleading

one another is immoral.

No one intends for the other person to get hurt, just like no one intends to fall for someone they have been exclusively giving themselves to for the past few months.

But shit happens! And that’s when people find themselves in messy predicaments with hurt feelings.

It happens almost every time, even if no one makes a big deal of it.

If cuffing season isn’t meant to lead to exclusive relationships, then cuffing partners shouldn’t do relationship things like cuddling up to watch Netflix.

Or have sex and claim each other as their “bae,” “boo” or any of the terms that signify importance.

Furthermore, if you’re participating in cuffing season, you have no room to be angry

if you find that you are not your partner’s only partner— you asked for it.

I understand that some people don’t like or aren’t ready for commitment.

But the truth is, any relationship requires some degree of commitment.

It requires an agreement between two people to communicate, to express their feelings and to use protection during sex.

I understand that we get lonely and we want someone to share those months with, but I can’t understand why anyone would put a limit on something that could be beautiful.

Since when do we live our lives based on man-made phenomenon? Oh, I forgot. We always have.

We have to stop falling prey to the things that diminish the meaning and sanctity of love.

We have to stop devaluing ourselves for the sake of fun and following the trend.

Most importantly, we have to STOP creating situations in which self-esteem and selfworth drop with the temperatures.

It’s not life, people.

Wake up.

Illustration by Krystal Porter

Sound Off How will you express your Eagle Pride during Homecoming?

“I will have a positive attitude during Homecoming, and encourage my friends to participate. What’s an aggravating Aggie to an Eagle?.”

— Princess Brown, Freshman

“By making sure I support as many Homecoming events as possible. I am going to cut up!.”

—Kevohn McCormick, Junior

“I will show a lot of school spirit at Homecoming events, and enjoy myself. OK!” — Kiana Davis, Senior

Sound Off by Melquan Ganzy

Illustration by Lyshane Williams

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