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VOLUME 103, ISSUE 5

Opinion

Beyond

A&E

Sports

Fitts says the global economy is going nowhere fast. And no one knows what to do about it.

Student borrowers may soon see relief from school loans if Obama signs executive order.

NCCU alumnus shows and tells the origins of the sloping hills and verdant greens.

Eagles drop homecoming game for first time since making the jump to Division 1.

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Campus Echo

OWS largely secular

OUR QUEEN REIGNS SUPREME

Religious activism not at front and center of occupy movement

BY ROBIN ABCARIAN LOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)

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iss NCCU Kelsey Hargrove is carried into coronation on October 23 in McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium. The Homecoming event featured an Egyptian theme, as organizational kings and queens were introduced to the Eagle family.

INSIDE Homecoming 2011 photo spread Pages 6-7

LOS ANGELES — On a bright and raucous afternoon outside Los Angeles City Hall, Cornel West was revving up a crowd at Occupy L.A. As he often does, the prominent philosopher and activist peppered his speech with religious phrases, at one point calling for recognition of “our prophetic Mormon brothers and sisters,” as well as Jews, Muslims, Buddhists and “black Baptists like myself.”

The crowd gamely applauded. But the biggest roars came when West called out “the progressive agnostic and atheistic brothers and sisters” — a response that seemed to illuminate the largely secular underpinnings of the Occupy Wall Street movement and a challenge now facing the religious left.

There have been flashes of religious activism, even deeply religious moments, in the protest movement that has spread across the country this past month.

Some have suggested that the Occupy camps themselves have some hallmarks of a religious movement, with their all-embracing idealism, daily rituals, focus on

something larger than the self.

But as the recent incident involving West suggests, the movement also has served to point out not just the gulf between haves and havenots in modern America, but between the religious right and not-so-religious left.

Through much of American history, religious forces have been at the forefront of progressive social movements, tugging at the nation’s conscience to end slavery, fight poverty and injustice, extend civil rights to African-Americans and end the war in Vietnam.

For more than 30 years, though, the energy in faithbased political activism has been mainly on the right, as conservative evangelicals and others have coalesced around opposition to abortion and to same-sex marriage. Meanwhile, more liberal religious denominations have experienced a loss of membership and what some see as the lack of a coherent social message.

“The problem is — and this is true of the religious left in more general terms — it’s so disorganized right now,” said Laura Olson, a political science professor

n See OCCUPY Page 5

First gen students defy odds Some students, first in family to attend college, start their legacies

BY AARON SAUNDERS ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

When N.C. Central University family and consumer science senior Kendra Barnes walks across the stage and receives her diploma, she will accomplish something that no one in her family has.

Barnes will be the first in her immediate family to graduate from a university.

“Graduating is extremely important for me because I have siblings and I am like a role model,” she said.

Barnes, who grew up knowing she would some day attend college, decided to

attend college because she wanted to further her education.

While Barnes always knew she wanted to attend college, another Eagle says he did not.

Eighteen-year- old Vincent Finney III, an NCCU undecided freshman, said he had no idea he would someday be attending college.

The thought, he said, didn’t cross his mind until his junior year of high school.

Even then, coming into his senior year in high school, he felt he might have to skip college to help his family.

The Fayetteville native’s mother has lupus and cannot work. But when his unemployed step father found work as a personal nurse, he decided he could head to college.

“Being around so many intelligent people that are so driven to go somewhere inspires me to be driven,” Finney said of attending college.

There are numerous reasons why people don’t go to college. Some aren’t interested. Some are sidetracked by the birth of a child. Some need to help out their families by working.

“The people in my family always ended up pregnant, or didn’t have the time, or wanted to work first,” said Biancca Thomas, a family and consumer sciences freshman.

Not understanding the ins and outs of applying for college, or how to find financial aid also can prevent many from getting a college education.

“I think it all starts with their counselors,” said Barnes.

“For those who parents didn’t go to college, guidance

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Continuing Shepard’s dream 64th annual Founders Day convocation honors NCCU legacy

BY AARON SAUNDERS ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

In 1910 Jack Johnson defeated James Jeffries in a heavyweight boxing match that set off race riots around the country, Haley’s Comet passed by the earth, and Dr. James E. Shepard founded the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua.

101 years later, students, alumni, faculty and staff gathered at McLendonMcDougald Gymnasium to honor Shepard’s legacy at the 64th annual Founder’s Day convocation.

“I challenge you Eagles today to follow the steps of

Convocation speaker Clarence Williams receives his Golden Eagle certificate from Chancellor Charlie Nelms.

AARON SAUNDERS/Echo editor-in-chief

our founder and I promise that you will flourish,” said Miss N.C. Central University Kelsey Har-

grove.

Convocation speaker Clarence Williams, a 1961 alumnus and former MIT

professor, read from five letters thanking Dr. Shepard for creating NCCU, which, he said, “raised him up.

“On behalf of my class I would like to thank you for founding this institution in 1910,” said Williams.

Along with his wife Mildred, Williams was inducted into the Society of Golden Eagles as a member of the class of 1961.

“I stand here with great humility as a member of the incoming Golden Eagle class,” he said.

Chancellor Charlie Nelms said, “Dr. Shepard would not be surprised.”

Cornell West and Tavis Smiley embrace as they rally hundreds of Occupy LA demonstrators on the steps of City Hall in Los Angeles, California, October 7, 2011.

ROBERT GAUTHEIR/Los Angeles Times (MCT)

PhD for NCCU Biosciences doctorate debuts in fall

BY DWAYNA CLARK ECHO STAFF REPORTER

For the first time since 1964, N.C. Central University will have a Ph.D. program.

On Oct. 7, UNC system Board of Governors approved NCCU’s advanced degree program in integrated biosciences.

In fall 2012, NCCU will welcome its first doctoral students in biomedical sciences and pharmaceutical sciences.

“This program has been in the making for years, starting with former Chancellor Julius Chambers, who worked

hard to ensure that the state invested millions of dollars in research space and facilities here at NCCU,” said Chanta Haywood, dean of graduate studies.

Haywood said NCCU is a powerhouse when it comes to research, teaching and service in health disparities.

A recent report by the National Science Foundation states that African Americans make up about 12 percent of the U.S. population, but only account for 3 percent of working scientists and

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50 years brings many cheers

BIOSCIENCES

NCCU Society of Golden Eagles inducts the class of 1961 at Founder’s Day Convocation

Golden Eagles celebrate their 50 years since graduating from NCCU with a group photo.

CARLA AARON LOPEZ/Echo staff photographer

BY ZEVANDAH BARNES ECHO STAFF REPORTER

“The Eagle is no ordinary bird,” said Chancellor Charlie Nelms at the 64th Founder’s Day convocation October 28.

The Founder’s Day Convocation is when The Golden Eagle Society inducts its newest members.

The Golden Eagle Society recognizes alumni celebrating their 50th anniversary of being N.C. Central University graduates.

“Fifty years, that’s a long time,” said Zion Gray, a Business Management freshman.

The class of 1961 inducted 60 alumni, including the Founder’s Day keynote speaker, Dr. Clarence G.

Williams and his wife Mildred, going into the Society of Golden Eagles.

“There have been lots of changes,” said Ethel Warren Aaron, a 1961 Home Economics graduate.

In 1961, John F. Kennedy was president. Apartheid still existed in South Africa.

And the Freedom Riders started their journey for racial equality.

In 2011, the United States has an African American president, apartheid is nonexistent, and African Americans have achieved racial equality under the law.

The 60 inductees returned to NCCU to see the changes that have occurred on the campus since they graduated. Chidley Hall has been reconstructed, a new book-

store has been built in the multi-million-dollar parking deck, the new W. G. Pearson cafeteria has been erected, and the Centennial Gardens beautify the campus.

“It feels wonderful,” said Aaron. “I didn’t foresee this day. I’m surprised so many people were here.”

Aaron, a Charlotte resident, said her son, daughter, granddaughter and other family members graduated from NCCU. Carla Aaron Lopez, Aaron’s granddaughter, returned to her alma mater to see her grandmother become a Golden Eagle.

“It was pretty cool because five years ago she saw me walk across the stage,” said Aaron Lopez.

Eagles soar and The Golden

Golden Eagles Ethel Aaron and Eunice Brewington Pharr.

CARLA AARON LOPEZ/Echo staff photographer

Eagle Society have reached new heights in life.

“They are good role models for students,” said Cedric Cornelius mathematics

freshman.

“They are keeping history alive and we have to do the same thing,” said Tyler Leak music senior.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 engineers.

The curriculum will include courses in physical sciences, computation and information sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, life sciences and mathematics.

“Our Ph.D. in integrated biosciences is consistent with the UNC Tomorrow Initiative, our own mission, and our strengths in health disparities research and biotechnology,” said Chancellor Nelms.

NCCU has constructed nearly 150,000 square feet of state-of-the-art science space in the last 12 years.

The Research Triangle Park is home to major players in the biosciences, including BASF, Bayer, PharmaNet Development Group, and Valeant Pharmaceuticals.

NCCU’s bioscience program will focus on issues surrounding health disparities—diseases that affect lowincome communities— including diabetes, hypertension, breast and prostate cancer, obesity and fetal alcohol syndrome.

Haywood said she plans to recruit students to the program who high achievers with proven interests in biology, pharmacology, biochemistry and other related fields.

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011

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No ordinary barnyard fowl

FIRST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Faculty and friends remember colleague and fellow Eagle Danny Worthy

counselors are trained to help you.”

While some students need the help of counselors and advisers, others, like mass communication junior Terumi Dowdy, have parents who pushed and pushed them to get into college.

Dowdy said she wanted to join the military when she finished high school, but her parents insisted that she go to college.

“We didn’t have the opportunity to do it because of limitations, but you don’t have any, so go to school,” they told her.

According to Barnes, “There should be colleges that are free because a lot of people really want to go but don’t have the money.”

NCCU started a program, First in Flight, in the fall of 2010 for Gen 1 male students, to support young men who are the first in their families to attend college.

BY DAVID FITTS ECHO ONLINE EDITOR

God, family, athletics, fraternity, Eagles – all these things come to mind when one thinks of Danny Joe Worthy.

Worthy, N.C. Central University’s assistant athletic director for corporate relations, died Oct. 18.

Worthy — or “Worv” as he was known to his friends — was born Sept. 7, 1954 in Gastonia, N.C. Worthy arrived at NCCU in August 1972 to study physical education.

He played on the basketball team and in the band, and was a member of Alpha Kappa chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. “Danny was our leader in the fraternity. He brought his skills from the band to our shows,” said Ben Winchester, a 1977 graduate and fraternity brother of Worthy’s.

“When Danny heard the word ‘Showtime,’ he was ready to sing and step.”

Former basketball teammate David Fitts, Sr., a 1976 alum, described Worthy as a “friend’s friend.

He would tell you what you needed to hear, not what you wanted to hear.”

Women’s basketball coach Joli Robinson described Worthy as someone who was “always willing to help … always talking to students.”

As an undergraduate, Worthy was a charter member of the Zeta Sigma chap-

Danny Worthy at work in his office in March 2008.

Echo file photo

ter of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity Inc., which honored him with a special tribute during the 2011 homecoming halftime show.

After graduation, Worthy worked in marketing and advertising for 27 years with Verizon.

In 2006 he returned to NCCU as director of marketing and promotions.

In 2008, he was promoted to assistant athletic director for corporate relations.

“Danny was a humble, outgoing person,” said Robinson.

“You could talk to him about anything.

He was a people person who always had the right thing to say.”

Marketing senior Blaire Houston, Lady Eagles point guard, described Worthy as “the coolest guy I ever met,” adding that “he talked to us a lot about sports, life lessons and careers after we finished school.”

Houston said she always sensed Worthy’s love for students.

“He told me to be more confident, work on my shot and my overall game,” she

said.

Worthy’s work at NCCU focused on getting corporate support for athletics.

“We worked together on different projects, bouncing ideas off one another,” said LuAnn EdmondsHarris, assistant athletic director of marketing and promotions, who shared an office with Worthy.

“It is a tremendous loss,” said Edmonds-Harris.

“His presence and outgoing personality will be missed.”

Director of athletics Ingrid Wicker-McCree said Worthy was the epitome of

a team player.

“Mr. Worthy developed relationships with corporations … because of his involvement and love of students, Mr. Worthy’s passionate nature was the way he sold our program.

“We will miss him.”

Worthy is survived by Gloria, his wife of 17 years, and his children, Rashard, Joshua and Dana.

Joshua, a 2010 graduate, played forward with the Eagles basketball team.

Worthy’s brother, James, is Hall of Fame forward with Los Angeles Lakers.

Revival of the NAACP

Student Desiree Parker seeks to re-energize historic civil rights association on campus

BY CHRISTINA ALLISON ECHO STAFF REPORTER

It might come as a surprise to some, but N.C. Central University has long struggled to maintain an active student chapter of the NAACP, or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

It might come as an even greater surprise that some NCCU students haven’t any idea of what NAACP stands for.

Asked if she knew anything about the NAACP, biology freshman Deanna Davis said simply, “no.”

When computer science sophomore Borne Sanders was asked what the NAACP stood for, he answered: “The National Association of .... I’m done.”

That’s a situation that current chapter president Desiree Parker, a political science and public administration junior, is determined to change.

NAACP President Desiree Parker (center) with her assistant at an Oct. 10 NAACP planning meeting for the group’s trip to the MLK dedication.

MORGAN CRUTCHFIELD/Echo staff photographer

Parker said she has been inspired to energize NCCU’s NAACP chapter by her family and by a fall 2010 NAACP internship in Durham taken under political science associate professor Jarvis Hall.

“My parents taught me to do the right thing and to believe in myself — no

United Christian Campus Ministry

matter if you’re standing alone,” said Parker, explaining her political activism.

During her internship, Parker took calls from citizens across the state describing their issues and problems.

Parker said she wants to see an active and vibrant

NAACP chapter at NCCU, and she has tripled NCCU’s NAACP membership to 73.

Parker spearheaded the Oct. 16 student trip to the MLK Memorial dedication by writing a $2,500 funding proposal to the Office of Student Affairs.

In November, the group will hold a meet-and-greet in the Alfonso Elder Student Union.

They also are planing a trip to HK on J, or Historic Thousands on Jones Street, an annual progressive rally held in Raleigh.

“We as a people need to actively engage our brothers and sisters to help fight some of these issues that we are facing,” said Parker.

“Our parents, grandparents, mothers, fathers, and ancestors have paved the way for us to speak freely,” she said.

“We should all take this opportunity and continue the legacy for the next generation of students.”

There are more than 400 NAACP youth and college chapters, according to the association’s website.

NCCU’s NAACP previous president, history and secondary education senior Nicholas Green, is currently president of the NAACP’s N.C. Youth and College Division.

The NAACP was founded by a group of black and white liberals and intellectuals in 1909 after a wave of lynchings across the United States and a 1908 race riot in Springfield, Ill. Today the association has about 500,000 members.

Its membership peaked in 1964 at 625,000.

Among other things the association’s mission is “To ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of all citizens,” and “To achieve equality of rights and eliminate race prejudice among the citizens of the United States.”

Health Careers Center N.C. Central University 521 Nelson Street Durham, NC 27707

525 Nelson Street, NCCU Campus

JOIN US! Get involved with Campus Ministries today!

Michael D. Page Campus Minister For more information contact Rev. Michael Page at 530-5263 or by e-mail at mpage@nccu.edu

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Find out more about our Special Programs • Boston University Early Medical School Selection Program • Clinical Health Summer Program NCCU/Duke University Medical Center • North Carolina Access, Retention and Completion Initiative in the Allied Health Sciences (NC-ARC) Course Number BIOL2030. This course gives students an overview of allied health professions and facilitates acceptance into the School of Allied Health Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Charles E. McClinton, Ph.D., Director Alfreda D. Evans, Student Services Coordinator

For more than 35 years NCCU’s Health Careers Center staff has been developing pre-health professional students into viable candidates for health and medical careers by providing: • Advocacy • Counseling • Enrichment Activities • Health Career Network Access • Health Career Recruitment • Information • Internships & Shadowing Experiences • Standardized Test Prep Workshops • Other services and activities

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Dean brings wealth of business experience to School of Business ECHO STAFF REPORTER

N.C. Central University School of Business is turning the page with its new dean, Keith D. Pigues.

“I want the business school to be the funnest place on campus,” said Pigues.

“I want students to leave here with a solid foundation for future career success,” he said. “We are Keith D. in the busiPigues ness of creatDean, School ing dreams of Business for some generations.”

Pigues replaced interim dean Sundar Fleming this August after Fleming was brought in to replace former dean Bijoy Sahoo. Sahoo was replaced after a 2010 external review team reported that “conflict is draining the creative, pedagogical and administrative energies of the School of Business.”

Sahoo had replaced Benjamin Newhouse in 2005 after Newhouse failed to apply for reaccredidation with the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs.

Under Sahoo, the school regained its ACBSP accreditation in 2006.

Pigues said his position as dean is all about creating “a team of people,” about ensuring that the best people are in place, with the best resources, and going in the right direction.

“It’s not about me being a good dean,” said Pigues. “It’s about NCCU and the School of Business becoming distinctive in the areas that matter to the marketplace, and our students, and our faculty, and our partners.”

He said he knows that change is tough, but he arrives at work each day charged up about impacting the lives of students.

“I am passionate about helping people get more out of work and life than they thought possible,” said Pigues.

The new dean said he

wants to produce students capable of working in a small- to medium-sized business as well as a Fortune 500 company.

To accomplish his goals, Pigues has four areas of strategic thrust for the NCCU School of Business.

These are integrated management, entrepreneurship, globalization and leadership.

Understanding these areas, he said, will help students compete in the marketplace as well as help faculty to be recognized as exemplary.

“Dean Keith D. Pigues is a visionary leader and so far he has impressed some of his critics in his few weeks here,” said Kofi Amoateng, a business professor who has been at NCCU for 22 years.

Business senior LaTisha D. Harris said, “I think Dean Pigues will do great.

He has past experience in leadership, strategic planning, and teaching which are all good skills that can enhance the School of Business.”

Prior to coming to NCCU, Pigues worked for PlyGem Industries, where he was a senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

Pigues also has worked in executive positions with CEMEX, a building materials company; RR Donnelley, a provider of integrated communication solutions; ADP, a payroll and human resource services company; and Honeywell International, a Fortune 100 diversified technologies company.

He is the author, with Jerry Alderman, of “Winning with Customers: A Playbook for B2B,” a book inspired by years of working in the B2B, or business-tobusiness, segment of commerce.

Before coming to NCCU, Pigues taught marketing and leadership courses at UNC-Chapel Hill’s KenanFlagler School of Business.

Pigues said he always knew he wanted to be a business man.

His family owned a tire retail and distribution business, where he worked from age 12 through his college years.

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Recession haunts graduates

AKA team builder

BY ZEVANDAH BARNES

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011

BY JAMILA JOHNSON ECHO STAFF REPORTER

Many N.C. Central University students came to college with the expectation that if they studied hard and got the grades, their childhood dream jobs would be there soon after they crossed the stage on graduation day.

Little did they know that the 2008 recession would still be lingering in 2011 and that chances of finding that dream job — or any job — are meager.

The employment facts for graduating seniors are daunting: about 14 million Americans are unemployed; the unemployment rate hovers at about 9 percent; average college debt runs at $24,000; up to 85 percent of college graduates, the socalled boomerang kids, say they might have to move home after graduation, an increase of almost 20 percent from five years ago.

And college graduates who do find jobs are likely to get jobs that pay less than and are outside their chosen career.

“I wasn’t aware of how serious finding a job was, even after graduation,” said exercise sports science sophomore Danielle Dixon, who plans to study physical therapy after graduation.

The long and short of the situation is that 1.7 million 2011 college graduates are facing one of the highest unemployment rates in U.S. history.

“This recession has hit young adults particularly hard,” Rich Morin, senior

editor of the Pew Research Center, told USA Today.

A recent Generation Opportunity poll revealed that almost 80 percent of people aged 18-29 said the economy and job situation is forcing them to delay major decisions in their lives, such as purchasing a home or car, paying off student loans, even getting married or starting a family.

While some students have rushed to enter the job market, others have taken the graduate school route to enhance their probability of becoming employed.

“I got my master’s in public administration and of course it’s been tough finding a job in my field because the non-profit sector is scarce in funding and on jobs,” said Nakia Adamson, a 2011 graduate.

Business sophomore Bethany King said she is not too worried.

“There is always a natural state of fear and anxiety about post-graduation dilemmas,” King said.

“Getting a college degree puts me further than I would be without one.”

[The recession] just encourages me to work harder in school because companies are only hiring the cream of the crop,” she said.

According to Thomas L. McLane, managing director of RSR Partners, an executive search and corporate governance recruiting firm, students should find opportunities even if they are not specifically in the direction they want to head.

“They might go into housecleaning service … or

go to work scooping ice cream,” McLane said in The Daily Caller.

“Those who want to work will find work.” Internships, even if unpaid, are a great way for young people to build their resume and put their foot in the door, according to McLane.

Donna Hembrick, NCCU Career Services director, said, “Planning for your career is like planning for college.

“Students should choose their major based off of what they’re passionate about,” Hembrick said.

“There is no such thing as finding a career in your major. You are simply acquiring skills so that you can become flexible in finding a job.”

Dark as it seems, there is a bright side.

Employers expect to hire about 13.5 percent more graduates from the class of 2011 than they did in 2010, according to a study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

The overall college graduate unemployment rate is about 5 percent; high school graduate unemployment is double that.

“I think the scare stories about unemployment are way too much,” said John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., an outplacement consulting firm.

“It’s always hard in the beginning,” Challenger said. “You fight your way into your career. Even if you are waiting tables you are learning skills.”

GRADUATE-R RECESSION FACTS n Approximate number of Americans seeking employment: 14 million n Unemployment rate: 9.1 percent n Average college debt for 2006-2010 graduates: $20,000 – $24,000 n Percent of college graduates who “boomeranged” (returned home after graduation) in 2006 : 60-65 percent n Percent of college graduates who are expected to “boomerang” in 2011: 80-85 percent n Median starting salary for college graduates in 20062008: $30,000 n Median starting salary for college graduates in 20102011: $27,000 n Increase in number of college graduates aged 25-34 employed in food service, restaurants and bars from 2008 to 2009: 17 percent n Percent of graduates since 2006 who say they will need more formal education to be successful: 60 percent n Percent of graduates who say they will have to delay paying off student loans: 27 percent n Percent of graduates who say they will delay getting married or starting a family: 18-23 percent Collected from various sources by Jamila Johnson

Student group seeks to have an Impact Christian Impact Movement group established at NCCU

BY C IERA H ARRIS ECHO STAFF REPORTER

A new organization has made its way to the sloping hills and verdant green.

Its aim is to spread God’s message and provide a safe place for Christian students to worship together. Its name is the Impact Movement.

The Impact Movement began in 1991 as a conference for college students founded by Tom Fritz, a

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staff member for Campus Crusade for Christ, after a 1986 visit to Kenya.

During Fritz’s visit, a Kenyan asked him why there were no AfricanAmerican Christian missionaries in Kenya.

He says that that simple question led him to establish the Impact Movement.

“Impact is what this University needs,” said biology sophomore Cameron Simms, president of the group’s N.C. Central University chapter.

“By sharing the gospel to students and faculty throughout the campus, people will begin to reflect

the love of Jesus Christ and the campus will begin to change within itself,” Simms said. “We are indeed a movement.”

According to its website, the organization’s mission is to see God redeem the African-American community and “to take the truth of Jesus Christ to the campus, community and world by producing leaders of African descent who are spiritually focused, financially responsible and morally fit.”

Today, The Impact Movement, a partner organization with Campus Crusade, has a presence on more than 100 college cam-

puses in the United States and Africa.

Shybrea Stephens, a nursing sophomore, said, “I love how everyone comes together as a family in fellowship and sharing their testimonies with another.”

“Impact really filled my heart with love and acceptance,” Stephens said. “It has changed many people and made me want that changed too.”

The Impact Movement meets every Thursday in the Alfonso Elder Student Union at 5 p.m. More information is available through Cameron Simms at csimm2@eagles.nccu.edu.

Beyond NCCU

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011

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OCCUPY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 at Clemson University who studies religious involvement in politics. “They have a difficult time articulating a message that’s as clear and bounded and digestible as what the religious right offers.”

Said Randall Balmer, a Columbia University professor who writes widely about evangelical conservatives: “I think part of it is the whole drift of the culture toward a more conservative direction.

But I also think the religious left has lost its voice, has lost its nerve, is no longer articulating the principles in the New Testament.”

Some left-leaning religious groups see a golden opportunity in the Occupy movement, whose central message of greater economic equality resonates deeply among faith-based progressives.

“Our tradition and our scriptures are so clear that we’re supposed to take care of the poor, the widow, the orphan. ... I think that is a rallying cry for faith communities that will unite us even when we have disagreements over other social issues,” said Jennifer Butler, executive director of Faith in Public Life, a progressive multifaith organization.

So far, though, Occupy is a predominantly secular undertaking.

“Where are the mainline Protestants? Where are the Quakers?” wondered John Green, director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron in Ohio and a longtime scholar of religion and politics. Although individuals from those groups are participating in the Occupy protests, “there’s been relatively little denominational involvement,” Green said.

That appears especially so in Los Angeles, where the primary signs of spirituality at the protest site have been a meditation tent and a sukkah, a temporary structure observant Jews use for dining during the harvest festival of Sukkot.

“There’s definitely a spiritual base here,” said Stephen Zeigler, a photographer and downtown gallery owner who sat lotus-style on a meditation pillow in front of his tent one recent day. “But not so much a religious base, and definitely not an organized religious base.”

Zeigler said he used to identify as a Buddhist but now finds such labels limiting. He was struck, however, by the dearth of self-identified Christians at the Occupy L.A. site. “Where are they?” he asked.

It is a good question, said Ryan Rice, a 26-year-old who said he left his studies at Chapman University so he could join the “social revolution.” He is helping with a newspaper planned for the Occupy L.A. movement.

Please Recycle

Speaking of religious involvement in the protest, he said, “There has been an absence of that outreach so far. And I see that as a negative.”

“We all say, ‘WWJD’ — What Would Jesus Do?” he added. “He would be here.

Martin Luther King would be here. The Dalai Lama would be here. What we’re doing is in line with all the major religions.”

There hasn’t been a complete absence of organized religion at the City Hall camp. Aside from the Jewish group that erected the sukkah, at least two churches — All Saints Episcopal in Pasadena and the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica — have sent members to show support. But they have been the exception.

That partly reflects the nature of those drawn to the event: young, skeptical, typically leery of organizations.

“There’s a rejection of the establishment,” said Rice, “and that may be why there’s a rejection of religion as an establishment.”

It may also be a reflection of wariness on the part of churches to ally themselves with a movement that is not clearly defined and is more than a little scruffy around the edges.

“It strikes me as a little bit of a gamble for them,” said Mark Tooley, president of the conservative Institute on Religion and Democracy. “I don’t see Occupation having a lot of appeal for the average suburban, evangelical churchgoer.”

Occupy Wall Street has had a more vigorous religious presence than its L.A. offshoot, with support coming from nearby churches and various progressive, faith-based organizations.

Although there have been accusations of anti-Semitic elements in the movement, Occupy Wall Street has also had a robust Jewish presence, including a large outdoor religious service on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

And in one of most resonant images of the occupation, an ecumenical group marched with a golden calf to the camp at Zuccotti Park, turning the Wall Street bull into a biblical symbol of greed and idolatry.

Butler, of Faith in Public Life, participated in that demonstration and said she sees a lot of excitement about the Occupy movement in the faith-based community. She believes it could become a rallying point that will reinvigorate the religious left.

“Like a lot of things ... it takes a while for churches to get organized,” she said. “But you are seeing folks get organized. ... There’s a natural fit there, in other words.

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Obama to make it easier for borrowers to repay student loans

BY ALEXA VAUGN TRIBUNE WASHINGTON BUREAU (MCT)

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will make student loans easier to repay for millions of borrowers without adding to the national deficit, his administration said Tuesday.

Bypassing an uncooperative Congress, Obama will reduce by executive order the maximum percentage of income that 1.6 million current students will have to pay toward their student loans to 10 percent. They will also be eligible for loan forgiveness in 20 years instead of 25.

He will also allow at least 6 million people with different types of federal student loans a chance to consolidate them into one while reducing their interest rate by a half percent starting in January.

Congress passed similar measures last year, but they are not set to go into effect until July 2014.

“We know, during a time of struggle, families are borrowing more,” said Melody Barnes, director of Obama’s Domestic Policy Council.

“We’re trying to lift the burden off them so they can continue to meet their obligations.

Barnes said that burden is being lifted at no cost to taxpayers because of student loan restructuring that lowered the cost of government loan subsidies earlier this year.

Obama will publicly introduce the policies on Wednesday in an appearance at the University of Colorado campus in downtown Denver.

Along with the new policies, Barnes said she hopes the campaign also reaches people who aren’t taking advantage of the current income-based repayment plan, which requires that you pay a maximum of 15 percent of your income. Out of 36 million Americans with student loan debt, only 450,000 have taken advantage of it.

As an example of what the cost savings will be per month, a nurse who is earning $45,000 a year while paying back $60,000 in federal student loans would pay $690 a month under the standard repayment plan, according to the White House statement.

If the nurse took advantage of the current 15 percent income-based payment limitation, the nurse’s monthly payment would drop to $358. Under the Obama plan, someone who

Campus Echo Online No kidding: Free classified ads for anyone with an @nccu e-mail account.

www.campusecho.com/classifieds

graduates next year and is earning the same amount would pay $239 a month.

Unemployed students can pay interest only or defer payments, but the loan still accrues interest during the

deferral period.

Barnes said Obama is using executive authority to push the proposals forward because “we cannot wait for congressional Republicans to act.”

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An exciting new course!

Global Studies (GLST) 1000 THE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE IN LITERATURE & FILM SPRING SEMESTER 2012 MWF 1:00-1:50 pm

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We will read selected literary works and view films produced by African writers and filmmakers. Students will be introduced to the principal features of African civilization and culture through examination of geopolitical context, historical themes, gender issues, as well as social, political, economic, religious and aesthetic characteristics of both traditional and modern Africa.

For more information, contact Dr. Debra Boyd at 530-7209, Farrison-Newton Communications, Rm. 231, or dboyd@nccu.edu

Preparing for the GMAT, GRE, LSAT, MCAT? Attend a strategy session with the Princeton Review.

Date: Saturday, November 12, 2011 Location: Mary Townes Science Complex Cost: Free !!

Seating: Limited GMAT, GRE & MCAT participants will meet from 10 a.m. - Noon and are encouraged to take a practice exam at Review.com. Please print and bring your scoring reports to the strategy session.

LSAT participants will take a practice exam on Saturday, November 5, 2011, 9 a.m. – 12 noon in the Mary Townes Science Complex, Room 3226. Scoring reports will be brought to the strategy session on Saturday, November 12, 2011, 10 a.m. – Noon.

All participants must register by Wednesday, November 2, 2011 in the Mary Townes Science Complex, Room 3209.

For more information contact Leon Hardy at 530-5109 or <lhardy@nccu.edu>.

Homecoming officially made epic!!!

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Photography by Neka Jones, Chi Brown & Aaron Saunders ~ Story by Aaron Saunders ast week N.C. Central University faculty, staff, students and alumni celebrated Homecoming. The festivities began on Sunday with Coronation which saw our 2011-2012 Miss NCCU be crowned.

Monday saw Eagles showcase their

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muiscal talent in Choir Ball. On Tuesday Eagles were moved by the sounds of Gospel Artist Donald Lawrence & Co., Vashawn Mitchell and Marcus Wiley.

Wednesday was highlighted by the Fashion/Dance show. Thursday NCCU students rocked out with music artists

Kendrick Lamar and Ace Hood, and laughed with comedians Arvin Mitchell and Darius Bradford. NPHC fraternities and sororities stomped the yard on Friday’s Step Show. Homecoming concluded with Saturday’s football game against Bethune Cookman University.

Members of NCCU modeling troupe Bon Vivant perform at the fashion/dance show during Homecoming.

NEKA JONES/Echo staff photographer

NCCU royal court kicks off Komecoming at Coronation Sunday night.

NEKA JONES/Echo staff photographer

Members of the Gamma Gamma chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Joshua Moffet and Carmelo Montalvo transform during Friday night’s Step Show.

AARON SAUNDERS/Echo editor-in-chief

NCCU royal court during Homecoming Parade Mr and Miss Freshman, Mr. and Miss Sophomore, Mr. and Miss Junior, Miss Senior, and Mr. and Miss NCCU. CHI BROWN/Echo photo editor

Members of the Alpha Chi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorrority Inc. lean back at Friday night’s step show.

We the Best music group/Def Jam recording artist Ace Hood jams with the crowd Thursday night at the Comedy Concert.

AARON SAUNDERS/Echo editor-in-chief

AARON SAUNDERS/Echo editor-in-chief

Gospel artist Vashawn Mitchell graces the stage during the Gospel Lyceum.

NCCU Student covers Jamie Foxx and Drake’s Fall for your type at Choir Ball.

CHI BROWN/Echo photo editor

NEKA JONES/Echo staff photographer

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Play celebrates NCCU Eagle Pride honors NCCU legacy

B Y DAVID F ITTS ECHO ONLINE EDITOR

Last week, history came alive onstage as Gil Faison's "Eagle Pride" was unveiled to homecoming attendees.

“Eagle Pride” recounts the life of N.C. Central University founder James E. Shepard through the stories of 89-year-old Camille Dubois Pearson, an alumna played by Joan J.' NathisNje. Set in 1939 through 1946 and 2011, Pearson's memories of her student tenure when NCCU was known as N.C. College for Negroes allowed attendees to glimpse the heritage of NCCU. Switching between the past and present over two acts allowed both young and old to interact, celebrate homecoming and learn from people who paved the way to NCCU's future.

Originally intended to premiere in 2010 as part of the University's centennial celebration, the play was postponed due to lack of

Joan J.’ Nathis-N Nje performed as Camille Dubois Pearson.

Courtesy Associate Professor Johnny Alston

funding.

"Thanks to the College of Liberal Arts and the lyceum committee, ‘Eagle Pride,’ was finally brought to life," said Faison, play-

wright and director.

Faison, discussing the importance of premiering the play during homecoming, said, "The play commemorates the NCCU fami-

ly throughout time."

The play, derived from "Shepard," a short film, was "amazing," said Jessica W. Jones, a May 2011 performance theatre graduate.

"This takes students out of the classroom, allowing them to watch history unfold instead of reading about it," Jones said.

Student actors said they enjoyed the production.

"I feel proud and honored to represent the school's history," said theatre communications freshman Brandon Wright.

Wright played the character of Max Howard.

Jones said she feels that the play should continue to be a part of homecoming.

"It connects to history showcasing the legacy that is NCCU," she said.

"Eagle Pride" is the beginning of a trilogy Faison is developing.

"The next two installments will be plays set in 1939 and 1946, to showcase pride in our country, family and the Eagle, the Nation's and University's mascot, just like ‘Eagle Pride’ did as a whole," said Faison.

Rappers energize students

B Y B ELINDA D UNN ECHO A&E EDITOR

For weeks it was up in the air whether N.C. Central University was even going to host a homecoming concert.

In the end, the event became something more: a concert and comedy show combined.

Roland Reaves, student activities board entertainment chair and homecoming chair, and the rest of the homecoming board spent part of their summer and first couple of months of school calling around to recruit artists to perform at homecoming.

“I spent a lot of time over the summer getting prices and getting information on the list of artists that we selected,” said Reaves.

The comedy show featured Darius Bradford and Arvin Mitchell.

Both acts brought energy and laughter to the stage with their witty jokes.

“Since I was a kid I always loved to make people laugh, but I didn’t know I could do it as a job,” said Mitchell.

The most anticipated event of the night was the homecoming concert, which featured Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar and Miami rapper Ace Hood.

Lamar performed songs off “Overly Dedicated,” and his most recent mixtape, “Section 80.”

“I like it; I love it, a lot of energy, new faces, and a new town,” said Lamar.

“This was my first time performing here so it was exciting.”

Ace Hood performed hit songs such as “Up in the Air” and “Hustle Hard” off his most recent album, “Blood, Sweat and Tears.”

“It was phenomenal,”

Kendrick Lamar performs at the NCCU homecoming concert.

AARON SAUNDERS/Echo Editor-In-Chief

said Hood.

“A lot of love, a lot of energy out there. The energy was crazy, a lot of ladies in the building so that was a good thing.”

Although the performers and time were announced only one day prior to the

event, the concert brought in a good portion of the student body.

“I think it was a great event,” said Reaves.

“We could have started promoting a little earlier, but overall we had a good turnout.”

Hughes spirit lives Jazz, blues infuse operatic version of ‘Soul Gone Home’ B Y M ATT P HILLIPS ECHO A&E EDITOR

The words of great writers extend beyond mortality.

They burn on, stretching themselves until the end of time.

The words of Harlem Renaissance writer Langston Hughes are still burning 43 years after his death.

His soul may have gone home but his spirit is here to stay.

Operatic and theatrical versions of the Hughes play “Soul Gone Home” come to University Theater at N.C. Central University this week.

The production is a joint effort of the NCCU departments of theatre and music.

The theatrical production is directed by Laura Nickerson Valentine and features Tempestt Farrar and Kammeran Giggers in the role of Mother.

Karen Dacons-Brock, adjunct professor of theatre, will direct the operatic version of “Soul Gone Home.”

The play and opera are set in a tenement and revolve around a mother’s conversation with her dead son.

A major theme in “Soul Gone Home” – and one of particular relevance – is poverty. “... Maybe there is a way to stop the cycle of poverty, and once we have deter-

mined what the course of action should be that will end the cycle, resolve to do it,” said Dacons-Brock.

“Soul Gone Home” directly addresses the current economic state of perpetual poverty.

“Mother and Son [in the play] will continue to give faces to the statistics of poverty that dominate the lives of real individuals every single day,” said Dacons-Brock.

Musically, the opera “Soul Gone Home” is a chamber piece that draws from elements of jazz and blues.

“Music and drama flow hand in hand” in the opera, said associate professor of music Timothy Holley, music director of the opera.

“The audience should be able to easily connect blues and jazz, and how they sustain the emotional atmosphere of the play.”

Holley will play the cello and conduct an ensemble which includes piano, percussion and saxophone.

“Soul Gone Home” was adapted into opera by William C. Banfield, professor of Africana studies / music and society at Berklee College of Music in Boston.

“Soul Gone Home” will be performed Nov. 4 and 5 at 8 p.m., and Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.

Tickets are available from the NCCU ticket office at 919-530-5170.

Lenora Z. Helm in “Soul Gone Home, the Opera.”

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

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TRASH

Coldplay

Mylo Xyloto Capitol Records

4out of 5 on the black hand side

Coldplay's fifth studio album, "Mylo Xyloto," hit the streets Oct. 24 with the attitude "It's us against the world."

The British alternative rock band has taken a new approach to its unique sound and flavor.

This concept album tells the story of two lovers, Mylo and Xyloto, living in what Chris Martin – lead vocalist, keyboardist and guitar player – calls an "oppressive, dystopian urban environment."

Mylo and Xyloto meet through a gang called "The Lost Boys" and fall in love.

The story is told using a mixture of alternative and electronic rock which offers a nice variety from start to finish.

By releasing two singles, "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" and "Paradise," before the album dropped, the band gave fans a taste of the album’s variety.

"Paradise," the album's second single, tells the story vividly:

Wale

Ambition Maybach Music/ War ner Bros.

4out of 5 on the black hand side

The artist who told you to lace up your Nike boots and showed love to the pretty girls is back with his sophomore album.

Wale dropped “Ambition” on Nov. 1.

This is his first album as an artist on the Maybach Music Group roster.

“Ambition” has 15 tracks and features such artists as Kid Cudi, Miguel, Jeremih, Big Sean, Ne-Yo, Lloyd and Rick Ross the “Boss” himself.

The album also has production from some of the industry’s best, including DJ Toomp, Tone P, and The Bizness.

The production on this album is serious. All the songs will have your head nodding.

Wale’s style has matured in this album and he has adapted to the life of a true hip hop artist.

Lyricism has definitely returned with this album.

The first single from “Ambition” is “That Way,” featuring Jeremih and Rick Ross.

This song has spent 14 weeks on Billboard’s top 15 rap song list.

It peaked at number six and is currently holding down that spot.

"When she was just a girl / she expected the world / but it flew away from her reach."

With this album, Coldplay has become more acoustic and intimate.

The inspiration behind the album can be seen in the lyrics.

“Mylo Xyloto” takes place in what the band describes as an oppressive, dystopian world.

The album is inspired by old-school American graffiti; the White Rose Movement, a non-violent intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany; and HBO's "The Wire."

R&B sensation Rihanna collaborates with the band, singing vocals alongside Martin in "Princess of China," where she brings a majestic feel to the album that resembles her musical swag.

Although the album received mixed reviews among critics and fans, it demonstrates that a seasoned band can still both compete and change with the tide.

A switched-up musical style and storytelling make this album a must-have for Coldplay fans and music enthusiasts alike.

— David Fitts

“That Way” is jazzy, with a laid-back feel.

It’s a great song to set the mood for a romantic evening with that special someone.

Wale and Rick Ross lace the track with stellar lyrics.

Other bangers on the album are “Slight Work,” featuring Big Sean, “Lotus Flower Bomb,” “Sabotage,” featuring Lloyd, and the title track, featuring Meek Mill and Rick Ross.

Any of these songs could be Wale’s next radio single.

They all show the versatility of Wale’s flow and delivery.

Listeners can hear the wit in lines like, “I be drinking all the brown straight no coke / I be chasing money not the liquor y’all ain’t even close.”

These are bars from his song “White Linen,” featuring Ne-Yo. Lyrics like these make you want to pop a cork and enjoy the Wale vibe.

“Ambition” is a solid album.

Real hip hop heads can appreciate what Wale brings to the table after six mixtapes and a solo album.

Wale is definitely holding it down for the new generation of artists.

I give “Ambition” 4 out of 5 on the black hand side.

— Zevandah Barnes

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‘Homegrown/Under 35’ unveils local talent

“Bull City” by Chris Alton and Jacob Streilein.

B Y M ATT P HILLIPS ECHO A&E EDITOR

Being an artist involves ceaseless passion.

Painting, sculpture, mixed media, photography; these media require pursuit in the face of disproportionate financial reward.

Making a living — in the standard sense of feeding oneself — as an artist is a tough business.

As the economic battle rages, artists soldier on.

“Homegrown/Under 35” — an exhibit at Craven Allen Gallery in Durham — features 16 young artists educated in Durham public schools.

Despite experiencing various levels of success, a common thread connects

the artists’ diverse work.

All have been touched by local educator and artist Helen Griffin.

Griffin taught art in Durham public schools for 25 years.

While preparing for retirement she began to think about the talent she had encountered over a quarter century of public service.

In customary selfless response, Griffin curated “Homegrown/Under 35.”

She spent hundreds of hours selecting work created by former students.

“It was always in the back of my mind that I wanted their work seen.” Griffin said.

“I know how hard it is to get work seen. In this econo-

“Happy Couple” by Robert Talley. my it is very tough to make a living as an artist. They need to sell their work.”

N.C. Central University studio art senior Tyson Watson has two still life oil paintings displayed in “Homegrown/Under 35.”

A single dad, Watson does much of his work at home.

He completed one of the paintings — “Still Life Study in Red” — on his dining room table.

“I would like for someone to look at my painting and be inspired by it,” Watson said.

“I like to incorporate spiritual things. I love to experiment with light and reflection.”

Watson’s practical approach to a career as an artist may involve teaching

Step show delivers Fraternities and sororities face off

Members of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. perform Friday night.

AARON SAUNDERS/Echo Editor-In-Chief

BY BELINDA DUNN ECHO A&E EDITOR

This is probably the first time in years that N.C. Central University homecoming step show attendees have witnessed the entire divine nine stepping under one roof.

The Gamma Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. pulled off a clean win.

Gamma Gamma put on an outstanding show.

The Transformers theme related to spring 2011’s collective line name, “The Rise of the Blue Decepticons.”

The steps and concept produced a lot of energy and kept the sold-out crowd pumped.

Gamma Gamma gave the crowd something different during its black light

sequence.

This was a major win for the Gamma Gamma chapter For seven out of nine homecoming step shows, the Gamma Beta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. has won first place.

The fraternity was also reigning champions for two years.

Darrell Parker, vice president of the Gamma Gamma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., said, “I wouldn’t say we beat the alphas we worked really hard.

“We practiced every day from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.,” Parker said.

Once again, reigning champions the Alpha Lambda chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. was untouchable, coming through with a strong presentation.

Alpha Lambda’s superb performance featured a crisp, energetic routine.

The Godfather-themed performance was well put together and intriguing.

This year makes the sixth year in a row that Alpha Lambda has won the contest.

“It means a lot to us, because we are the babies coming on the yard,” said Ashlie Savage, a member of Alpha Lambda Fall 2010.

“We have to make sure we uphold all of Alpha Lambda’s traditions and also the tradition of winning the step show.”

Overall, all competing fraternities and the sororities put on great performances.

The energy level in particular made this year’s event one to remember.

at the university level.

Hannah Reed is working toward an M.F.A. in performance art. She attends the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Her piece “For Trying to Remember” is a tallis, or Jewish prayer shawl, created from book pages and black thread.

Reed created the shawl with five books, including “My Bondage and My Freedom” by Frederick Douglass and “Auschwitz and After” by Charlotte Delbo.

“The genesis of the piece was my inability to read the texts, a literal emotional reaction that would force me to close the books,” Reed said.

“The object [tallis] is

Hannah Reed made a Tallis Shawl from book pages and thread. allowing a point of access to the content. Let’s confront this history,” she said.

Reed views the tallis as a ritual object of remembrance.

The object establishes that the act of remembering is inherent to the moral code.

“The garment is the burden itself and the burden’s weight,” Reed said.

Subversive portrayal in a mixed-media work by Bryan Crabtree contrasts with the spiritually evocative paintings of Jermario Couch.

Robert Talley’s ink and pencil work is equal parts hyperrealist and organic.

“Homegrown/Under 35” is a chorus of unique voices chanting the narrative of Griffin’s life in public serv-

ice.

The work testifies not only to her students’ talent, but to her own as well.

Craven Allen Gallery coowner John Bloedorn had known Griffin for many years before she approached him about hosting the exhibit.

“Helen is an incredible teacher who really pays attention not only to who students are, but where they might go,” Bloedorn said.

“The minute Helen brought it up we thought it was a great idea.”

“Homegrown/Under 35” shows at Craven Allen Gallery in Durham through Nov. 26.

The gallery is located at 1106 1/2 Broad Street.

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Dissed

Bowlers refute low ranking J ONATHAN A LEXANDER

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Picked to finish next to last in its first eligible season in the MEAC (last season’s record was 5-25), the Lady Eagles are looking to prove critics wrong.

“We’re going in to be competitive and we’re not going to sit back and not play hard and not compete,” said women’s basketball coach Joli Robinson.

The Lady Eagles have a fairly new team, with seven veterans and eight new players.

One of those returning players is lone senior Blaire Houston, who has been with the team since its transitional phase to the MEAC. “We’ve progressed a lot,” said Houston.

“We got a lot closer together, seeing how everyone plays, switching up different teams and stuff like that, so we’re really excited for the game to come up.”

The key for the Lady Eagles will be finding another scoring threat after losing last season’s leading scorer, Jori Nwachukwu, to graduation.

Nwachukwu averaged 14.7 points per game, which comprised 30 percent of the team’s scoring.

According to Robinson, Houston will take on more of a scoring role this year.

Last season, Houston averaged 6.2 points per game.

Splitting the point guard role in the backcourt with Houston will be true freshman Kabrina Truesdale.

Robinson speaks highly of Truesdale.

“She is going to excite the crowd,” said Robinson.

“She’s small by statue but she’s big by heart.

“She plays very very hard, very very quick, and very very strong.”

Also returning is red-shirt junior

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Lone senior Blaire Houston will try to help lead the Lady Eagles with her scoring this season.

Echo file photo

Chasidy Williams.

Williams was the team’s second leading scorer last season, averaging 11.2 points per game.

“The fact that Jori’s gone, now it’s like I really have to step up, but I’m not going to let it get to me,” said Williams. “I’m just going to keep working hard and play my game.”

The Lady Eagles’ first regular game of the season will be played at home Nov. 11 when they host the Lady Catamounts of Western

Carolina.

Last season, Western Carolina also struggled, concluding its season with a 9-22 record.

This also marks the first time the Lady Eagles, like all other NCCU teams, can compete for postseason championship honors in Division I. “Now I can really get to know our freshmen, because I feel like they are going to be key to us winning a MEAC championship,” said Williams.

The NCCU bowlers are baffled.

After a winning season, conference head coaches and sports information directors have predicted that they will finish last in the MEAC. The Lady Eagles feel disrespected.

“Not good, but that’s ok because we have a point to prove,” said women’s bowling coach Karen Sanford.

The Lady Eagles are returning four veteran bowlers and adding three new bowlers.

One of the returnees is graduate student and team leader Toria Silver, who had another impressive year last season.

Sanford says Silver had two years of eligibility left so she decided to go to graduate school.

“It’s pretty much the same team as last year,” said Sanford.

In reference to them being predicted to finish last in the MEAC, Sanford said “I guess they didn’t realize Toria was coming back.”

Also returning is junior standout Laverne Jones.

Jones led the Lady Eagles to a first-place finish in their first tournament of this season.

She accumulated an overall game average of 196 and earned a spot on the Hampton Roads Collegiate Bowling

Invitational AllTournament team.

“I was very excited for us to actually win our first tournament and end on a good note because I knew everyone was tired through a very long weekend,” said Jones.

“To drive all the way up there and come back with a win, it topped it all off.”

In its first year of eligibility in the MEAC the Lady Eagles are excited about competing for a championship.

“It means a lot, because I know my past two years we couldn’t compete for a championship but to know now that we can, it makes me more determined to help aid us into getting a championship here at Central,” said Jones.

The road will be not easy, however.

Last year’s national bowling champions were the Lady Hawks of Maryland-Eastern Shore, who are also in the MEAC. The Lady Eagles are still not fazed and look poised to make a name for themselves in the MEAC. “They (the Lady Eagles) are a little more determined this year, because they know we are in a conference now, so they just want to let people know that we exist,” said Sanford.

Jones added “That’s our goal as a team. To bring a championship back to Central.”

The Lady Eagles will head to the Elizabeth City Beach Open on Nov. 4.

Moton: ‘Our goal is to win every day’ Eagles gear up for a 2011-12 season, their first as full MEAC members

BY

J EROME B ROWN J R .

ECHO ASSISTANT EDITOR

“Win every day.”

That’s the motto N.C. Central University men’s basketball coach LeVelle Moton instills in his players.

The opportunity to win a MEAC Championship is a process, and Moton makes sure that his team knows it will be a long road.

“I don’t think that’s a goal, that’s a destination,” Moton said of the championship.

“Our goal is to win every day — win in the classroom, win in practice, win in the weight room, win in academic tutorial/study hall.”

Moton enters his third season as coach this fall, with a team boasting nine returning players led by seniors Landon Clement and Nick Chasten.

Clement averaged 18.7 points per game last season (107 3-pointers made).

Chasten’s record was 11.1 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game.

The Eagles welcome five newcomers, including transfers Dominique Sutton from Kansas State, Ray Willis from

“Having something to play for this year means a lot, not just for this team but for the city of Durham ...”

LANDON CLEMENT SENIOR GUARD

the University of Oklahoma, and Ebuka Anyaorah from the University of Georgia.

Chasten was a member of a 4-27 Eagles team his freshman year, so the opportunity to go to the postseason appeals to him and the rest of the squad.

“We just want to live up to the hype and just do our job,” said Chasten.

“Now that we can compete and go to the Big Dance, it’s an ultimate goal that we all want to accomplish.”

Senior point guard Justin Leemow said, “We want to get 20+ wins, then the MEAC, then the NCAA tournament.”

While their schedule is not as treacherous as in years past, the Eagles still have to grind out tough wins against such conference foes as N.C. State, the University of Oregon, and Indiana

University.

The Eagles start their regular season Nov. 11 with an away game at UNC-Charlotte.

Their first home game is Nov. 13 versus Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte.

“Having something to play for this year means a lot, not just for this team but for the city of Durham and everybody around here,” said Clement.

“Our fans, our students, everybody around here is excited.”

The team’s MEAC schedule begins against rival N.C. A&T on Dec. 3 at home.

“Everywhere we go people are asking us questions: ‘When is y’all’s first game?

‘How are y’all looking?’” said Clement.

“It means a lot to us to see the city behind us, excited about the year.”

Senior Justin Leemow looks to help the Eagles win a MEAC championship in its first year of eligibility.

Echo file photo

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Wildcats spoil #HOME Eagles defeated 34-6, putting a damper on homecoming festivities

T RENTON L ITTLE

ECHO SPORTS REPORTER

Intramural and extramural are more than just club sports. They promote community service, discipline and academics, specifically for students who love to play sports but were not able to make it to the collegiate level.

“Extramural and intramural sports are a way to take the student body that is interested in sports and introduce them to other universities that offer the same thing,” said Quintin Robertson, assistant director for intramural and club sports at N.C. Central University.

“For example, if a student has played basketball all their life, he or she doesn’t have to stop when they get to college, if it’s something they love to do.”

The difference between intramural and extramural is that intramural games are between teams within the school, whereas extramural games involve a team traveling to play other schools in the area.

For NCCU, some of those schools include Duke, N.C. State, N.C. A&T, and WinstonSalem State.

Basketball is the only sport offered in the extramural league, due to lack of interest in other sports. The intramural league offers flag football, soccer, tennis, and volleyball with a student-friendly price of $5-$10.

“It will take success and consistent intramural league play to consider adding these sports to the extramural league,” said Erica Dixon, director of intramural and club sports.

A student who plays intramural or extramural sports is required to participate in volunteer work and study groups.

Extramural students must participate in fundraisers to pay for transportation and other expenses.

“I decided to join the extramural team because it’s the next best thing to playing for the school team,” said mass communication senior Jeremiah Tripp.

Tripp has played extramural basketball since his sophomore year. “It’s fun to compete, play and travel to other schools to play their teams,” he said.

Games for intramural sports and home games for extramural sports are held at the Leroy T. Walker Complex.

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The Eagles defense tries to pry the ball from the Wildcats wide receiver during homecoming.

CHI BROWN/Echo photo editor

J ONATHAN A LEXANDER

BY

ECHO SPORTS EDITOR

When alumni and students came together to celebrate the homecoming of N.C. Central University Oct. 29, they hoped for a win but got the opposite.

Homecoming was spoiled for the Eagles by the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (5-3) as the Eagles (1-7) stumbled 34-6.

“You could not tell that it was homecoming, based on the performance that they put on,” said Tim McAllister, a 2010 alumnus.

“I was so embarrassed by that performance, that at halftime once I saw the game was out of reach, I didn’t even bother sticking around to watch,” said McAllister.

This snaps a homecoming winning streak dating back to 2005, when the Eagles played in the CIAA. “Homecoming you want to put on a better effort for your fans and alumni,” said Henry Frazier, head football coach. “It’s frustrating, but it’s part of the building block.”

The road to a MEAC championship has been

rocky for the Eagles, who are riding a five-game conference losing streak.

Lately, they have struggled defensively. In the Eagles’ five games versus MEAC opponents, opposing teams have a combined an average of 37.6 points per game against the Eagles defense. Some have been the direct result of turnovers by the offense.

“It seems like one game we come to play like when we went into overtime with Hampton last week, and Hampton went into overtime with these guys,” said senior quarterback Michael

Johnson.

“We’re a good football team, but it’s like you got to come with discipline day in and day out.”

Over the last few weeks, the Eagles’ have lacked focus, Frazier said.

“We’re looking for 60 guys that’s going to be totally committed to the gameplan, committed to going up there and trying to get the win. We’ll identify those guys,” said Frazier.

“It probably won’t be the same 60 that’s out here.”

Saturday, Wildcats quarterback Jackie Wilson made light of the Eagles’ poor

defensive performance.

The defense couldn’t seem to stop the dual threat as he racked up 113 yards rushing, 183 yards passing and scored two touchdowns, one in the air, and one on the ground.

The Eagles gave up a total of 333 yards rushing for an average of 7.2 yards per carry and four touchdowns.

“Someone has to know they have the quarterback,” Frazier said.

“We still haven’t tackled the quarterback, matter of fact he’s still running, look at him,” said Frazier.

Student-athletes: why they became Eagles BY

R AE ’S HELLE D RAYTON

ECHO SPORTS REPORTER

From the gridiron to the hardwood to the diamond, NCCU athletics has provided a stepping-stone for athlete-scholars .

Though few go on to play professionally, they gain the skills necessary to succeed in the marketplace.

Philadelphia native Oscar Turner is a secondgeneration Eagle and a

1991 NCCU graduate.

Turner began his football career at NCCU in 1988 as a walk-on.

In his first year, he earned the Ross Townes StudentAthlete of the Year award.

Turner was recruited by Delaware State University and Washington University in St. Louis, but came to NCCU for many reasons.

“My visit there was my primary reason,” said Turner.

“I loved the atmosphere

and the students seemed friendly.”

Nowadays, Turner enjoys being a husband and a father to three daughters.

If he’s not working hard to provide for his family as a part of the Department of Homeland Security, you will catch him on the sidelines cheering on his kids, who play various sports.

For business marketing sophomore Sierra Solomon, proximity was top priority when choosing where to

play basketball.

A native of Raleigh with strong ties to her family, she knew she didn’t want to go far.

Solomon is glad she chose NCCU. “The coaches really make us work hard and want the best from us,” said Solomon.

“But at the same time they realize that we are human and accept the fact that we make mistakes.”

Greg Pickett, a 2010

alumnus, was recruited by a number of Division II baseball programs.

He went with NCCU because he knew that the program would be transitioning to Division I. Pickett also was attracted to the scholarship opportunities.

“Finances played a big part for the fact that I was able to get an academic scholarship,” said Pickett, who was also a Chancellor’s Scholar.

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2011

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Is college really the key?

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s I get closer to receiving my bachelor’s degree I begin to question its importance.

I am truly proud of myself for achieving this goal but does not obtaining it alter my future?

What I mean is, I am closer to relying on myself than on my parents, yet I still have no job!

Being at N.C. Central Tommia University has Hayes taught me many things, yet I still don’t have a job related to my degree lined up and I still have loans to pay back.

Plenty of accomplished individuals make 10 times more than our parents and don’t have degrees.

To name a few: Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Diddy, Jay-Z, Kanye West and many more.

The point I’m making is, many people tell you that without a degree you won’t make it in this world and that’s not

Plenty of accomplished individuals make 10 time more than our parents and don’t have college degrees. To name a few: Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Diddy, Jay-Z, Kanye West and many more.

true.

What you need is a plan that you know how to achieve.

Knowledge is vital, especially if in your plan is to work in law, medicine or education.

However, my thing is if you have a plan, that can take you much further than any degree.

A prime example is Brian Williams, anchor of NBC Nightly News.

He did not obtain his undergraduate degree; instead, he took an internship in Jimmy Carter’s administration.

Now look where he’s ended up: making millions in his field of interest.

His name is synonymous with journalism in a positive light.

Another example: Sean

“Diddy” Combs does everything under the sun. Owns a record label, produces, acts, raps, owns a clothing line and so much more.

In 2011, Forbes magazine estimated his net worth at $500 million.

He left Howard University after his second year for an internship opportunity at Uptown Records.

My point is, if you have a plan, you don’t necessarily need a college degree because obtaining a degree does not stop you from making millions or even billions. All you need is a good idea that you know how to implement.

Look at Bill Gates: he didn’t graduate from MIT and yet he is one of the richest men in the

United States.

Steve Jobs was one of the smartest men the world has ever seen. He didn’t graduate from college — yet we use his inventions every day.

I know as college students you definitely have iPods, Macbooks, iPads, or even an iPhone that you use every day.

What I want students to realize is, just going to college isn’t enough, especially in this day and age.

You either have to have something special about yourself or start your own business.

Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin graduated from college but these men had a plan and knew how they were going to implement it.

College is the time when you learn who you truly are and what you want to do for the rest of your life.

It sounds scary, but at the same time it is the greatest four or how many years you choose to stay here.

Just know that a degree isn’t enough and not having a degree isn’t the end of the world. Not having a plan is.

Let’s try it the Star Trek way

W

hile looking at TV and reading newspaper reports about the economy hurting people every day, the need for a permanent solution becomes more and more apparent.

It seems as if political figures hold debates every day, searching for a David solution while Fitts deciding nothing.

No, I am not taking a side on whether Democrats or Republicans are right or wrong in their choices of how to rectify the situation.

However, one choice is being ignored. What’s that?

Gene Roddenberry’s space odyssey, Star Trek.

This show could teach us a lesson on how to solve our dire world crisis.

I realize that considering a science fiction series as a solution may not be taken seriously by the government.

But the universe

Imagine a world in which a person can be treated for medical emergencies by walking into the hospital, being seen, released and not having to pay anything.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Roddenberry created solved many issues that have become more and more devastating since the stock market crash in 2008.

Imagine a world in which a person can be treated for medical emergencies by walking into the hospital, being seen, released and not having to pay anything. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

That’s one of the things Roddenberry created in his vision for the future.

In his universe, all of this happened during a time in which the citizens of Earth put aside their quests for power and political gain, making the need for money obsolete.

His vision does include

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work, but it is the work of equal gain, with everyone working to improve society.

True, some people do train to improve society: teachers, nurses, and so on. But without money or jobs available to put people’s skills to use, society is at a standstill.

Money is a driving force behind having a life. Doctors for example, must treat patients when they come in — but when they do not have money, a problem arises.

If we take into account the views Roddenberry developed, issues like these won’t happen.

True, his visions show the future Earth as a planet where people learn to work together.

But this is not true for

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Roddenberry’s entire galaxy.

He developed planets where health issues, money obsession, political power and political corruption occur.

Yes, similar issues occurred on Earth as well, but problems were decided on an intergalactic scale.

I know the economy is affecting a lot more than health care, but just think of the possibilities that incorporating a system where people work for equal gain could offer.

There would be no more worrying about securing retirement packages. Children could attend college. People would have jobs they love, putting their degrees and skills to use.

And all countries would be on friendlier terms, working for the betterment of civilization as a whole.

A lot more could be done if we just take a moment to look at the world of Star Trek.

I want to live long and prosper boldly, going into a better future for all. Don’t you?

drawing by Rashaun Rucker

Question: What did you think of Homecoming this year ?

“As a senior, this was my fourth and final Homecoming as an undergraduate. I enjoyed every minute of it and made memories. ” —Brian Kennedy

“I felt as if it was better than last year. However, not a lot of students came out to support.

Nevertheless I still had an ‘EPIC’ time.”

—Kamilah Barber “Don’t get me wrong, I love my school but I think Homecoming could improve with the entertainment and better events to attend.”

—Tyler Fleming Sound Off By Uyi Idahor