October 30, 2013 by N.C. Central University Campus Echo

OCTOBER 30, 2013

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A&E Sound Judgement: Is Drake’s latest drop dreadful or not?

College athletes deserve salaries

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Feature

Police HQ may move into the neighborhood

Pusha T. and more: Our best photos of this year’s Homecoming events

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Campus Echo

Surveillance riles allies

NSA ops described as ‘macabre’ BY MATTHEW SCHOFIELD MCCLATCHY FOREIGN STAFF (MCT)

BERLIN — In the recent German elections, Angela Merkel was swept back into the chancellor’s job with a campaign that focused on her as a “safe pair of hands.” To everyday Germans, the most common way to see those hands was in daily images of her with her cellphone, texting, making calls or just holding it. So when allegations emerged this week that the United States had been monitoring her phone, it was unquestioningly personal. In the words of an editorial Thursday in the

Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, “An attack on her cellphone is an attack on her political heart.” New details emerged Thursday that suggested the United States had been monitoring Merkel’s cellphone use since 2009. The chancellor’s office demanded a “no spying agreement” between the nations, and the Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador for a dressing-down. There was little mention of the White House’s denial Wednesday that Merkel’s phone is currently being monitored, even as the Obama administration

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Campus moms connect BY JAMAR NEGRON ECHO ASSISTANT EDITOR

Managing your own life in college is hard enough. Imagine caring for two. Suddenly, rations of ramen noodles and cereal seem a lot smaller than they already were. Welcome to the plight of a campus mom. The focus has shifted from the self; a new life must take center stage. At times the balancing act can be particularly steep — especially on a college campus. Moms may feel alienated in a setting where their needs are not a priority. N.C. Central

University’s Cradle Me 3 Project hopes to address this problem. “What we’re really trying to do is offer support and education to parents,” said public health education senior and Cradle Me 3 Project peer educator Lindsay Averill. Cradle Me 3 addresses three aspects of motherhood: pre-conception, pregnancy and planning. The organization held a meet and greet on Wednesday, Oct. 23 to initiate a campus support group for mothers and mothers-to-be. Cradle Me 3 is the only

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NCCU’s Department of Theatre perform “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” at the Hayti Heritage Center, Oct. 23. ALEX SAMPSON/Echo editor-in-chief

Hayti, NCCU partner up Collaboration will enhance cultural outreach to the community STORY

ALEX

SAMPSON

ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

n one mile of each other stand two of Durham’s most historical sites. Situated on Fayetteville Street near the Durham Expressway is what was formerly known as St. Joseph’s African Methodist Episcopal Church. Built in 1891, the church played an integral part in the thriving African-American community of Hayti.

In 1910, Dr. James E. Shepard — a guest of the church and one of the founding fathers of the Hayti District — founded the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua in the neighborhood. The church and the chautaqua, now referred to as the

Hayti Heritage Center and N.C. Central University, have joined hands. In order to strengthen their cultural resources, NCCU’s College of Arts and Sciences has created a longterm partnership with the Hayti Center. “It’s a rarity that you have

two very important historical institutions in close proximity,” said Carlton Wilson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Though the institutions have frequently interacted in the past, they didn’t have a formal relationship. Wilson said the College

hopes to formalize that bond. “I think this is a natural partnership we can promote,” Wilson said. The collaboration began this summer when Lenora Helm-Hammonds, commu-

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Artist, teacher, guardian

Spit that saves

Beverly McIver fashions art out of life’s struggles

Need exceeds supply with marrow, organ donations

Beverly McIver returned to the Craven Allen Gallery for the third time with “New York Stories.” ALEX SAMPSON/Echo editor-in-chief

BY ALEX SAMPSON ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The sensation of claustrophobia, a cocoon of city noises, and the swell of blisters from walking everywhere. When Beverly McIver arrived in New York, her

first thought was: “What have I done?” Living in midtown Manhattan on 34th Street, McIver constantly heard the sound of sirens outside her window which overlooked Macy’s. When she lived in Durham, McIver could hop

in her SUV for errands. Here, she had to tote her groceries in a cart for 12 blocks — until she learned to have things delivered. But in adjusting to the hectic city life, McIver found inspiration. “Just being in New York and walking a lot, and taking

public transportation, living in a small apartment…all of those things affected my art,” McIver said. McIver, N.C. Central University’s Suntrust Endowed Chair Professor of Art, lived in Manhattan for a year through a Marie Walsh Sharpe Foundation fellowship which provided her her own art studio in Brooklyn. In the compressed space of the Foundation’s art studio, McIver stepped into new territory as an artist. Her oil on canvas paintings with their thick brushstrokes of vivid colors — displayed as “New York Stories” at Craven Allen Gallery in Durham — begin as self-portraits. The self-explanatory painting titled “Turning 50” depicts McIver ringing in the milestone in a dotted birthday hat. In the nude work “My New Breasts,” McIver proudly displays her breasts after breast-reduction surgery with 3 pounds taken off each.

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Sophomore Sheldon Mba needs a bone marrow donor. INDIA WAGNER/Echo staff photographer

BY INDIA WAGNER ECHO STAFF REPORTER

Somewhere on the N.C. Central University campus there is a student who needs a bone marrow transplant. That student is sophomore Sheldon Mba. Mba suffers from severe aplastic anemia with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglo-

binuria. SAA is a disease that prevents bone marrow from producing enough blood cells for the body. PNH causes white blood cells to destroy red blood cells. Mba was diagnosed with SAA in May 2012. Before he

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

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Is it real or fake debate raises hair

MOMS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Panel discusses the division among natural, relaxed and weave

Ashanti Turner, Candace Gorham, and Ebony Murray represent the naturalistas at the Real or Fake program on Oct. 21. GREGORY WEAVER/Echo staff photographer

BY GREG WEAVER ECHO STAFF REPORTER

It’s an ongoing conversation, one that sometimes sets the black community at odds with itself — light skin/dark skin, kinky/ straight hair. This conversation was explored in an Oct. 21 program sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Kinky and Proud and 100 Black Women. The program was a continuation of the “Feds Watching” and “New Slaves” programs Alpha

Phi Alpha organized earlier in the semester. The program’s goal is both to enlighten and to encourage unity despite differences. SGA President Stefan Weathers, who hosted the event, said he set out to change minds. “We were trying to get to a deeper level with this program versus ‘Feds Watching’ and ‘New Slaves’,” said Weathers. “Success was measured by whether people left with some type of mindset change.”

The program followed a question-and-answer format. A panel composed mostly of women with different styles of hair (natural, relaxed, and those wear wear weaves) was positioned at tables facing the audience. Another table, of three men, was included to convey the male perspective. Questions ranged from broad and opinionated to specific and analytical. Topics included reasons for hair style choice, perceptions of black hair, the

history of social rejection related to black hair, scientific dangers of relaxers, and natural hair in the workplace. The sensitivity surrounding hair in the black community was clear at the program. Tensions rose as particular groups felt offended by panel and audience answers to piercing questions. By the middle of the program, virtually every respondent preceded their answer with a disclaimer. Many panel and audience answers encouraged doing one’s hair as one wishes, and not letting social strictures dictate what grows out of the body. Many others discussed European control of the image and standard of beauty in America, and how black women’s straightening their hair began as a desire to achieve an “ideal” image of white beauty. Nearly 200 people attended the event. Audience members were standing up or sitting in the lounge area of the student union to hear the conversation. Weathers said he had expected the large turnout. “It was right after homecoming and people were well situated into their schedules,” Weathers said. After the event, many people wondered whether the discussion would change anything. Biology freshman Christian Wortham said she wonders what the next step is for the black community. “It doesn't matter about how someone wears their hair,” said Wortham. “We should be united as a race in the end.”

SAAS promotes unity, sisterhood Organization seeks to expand female students’ social circle BY ALEXANDRIA GLENN ECHO STAFF REPORTER

The Student African American Sisterhood has begun to create its nest at N.C. Central University. The organization was formed to promote unity among young women at NCCU. “Our organization is dedicated to uniting African American women through sisterhood,” said Brittany Jackson, a psychology junior and SAAS’s president. Michael Johnson, former president of Student African American Brothers, asked Johnson to head SAAS. Students have complained in the last year that there was an organized brotherhood on campus but

not an organized sisterhood. SAAS’s goals include eliminating the idea around campus that all young women have to be in the same clique or group of friends. Another goal is to increase unity among female students and give them a chance to interact with women from different backgrounds. The organization is under the advisement of Chutney Guyton, a University College. academic advisor Organizers hope accomplishing these goals will help members understand why some young women behave and conduct themselves as they do. SAAS was founded in

NCCU’s OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS INTERNATIONAL WEEK, NOV. 11-15 Departments and clubs planning programs are requested to inform the Office of International Education Week Events EVENTS • Tues. Nov. 12, 10:40 break – Informational Session on the U,S. Peace Corps, contact: Dr. LaHoma Romocki. • Wed. Nov 13, 4-6p.m. – Global Education Day. Sponsored by the School of Library and Information Sciences. Contact: Dr. Ismail Abdullahi) • Thurs. Nov 14, 7 p.m. Pursuing a Career in Global Health. Sponsored

STUDY ABROAD • Study abroad information session – Nov. 7, 10:40 break Lee Biology, 202 • Study abroad presentation – Fundraising for Study Abroad – Nov. 12,10:40-11:40 Lee Biology, 202 • Departure Orientation for students studying abroad in spring and summer 2014 – Nov. 21, 10:30-12:30 p.m.Lee Biology, 202

Country Focus • Country Focus – Sierra Leone – Nov. 20, 4-5 p.m. Lee Biology, 118 (for faculty and staff)

Deadlines for study abroad applications • January 15 - To study abroad in the summer • February 1 - To study abroad in the fall semester or to study abroad for a full academic year (fall/spring semesters) expand your horizons

STUDY ABROAD

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

2006 at Indiana UniversityPurdue University Indianapolis by Khalilah Shahazz. Its six core principles are social unity, academic excellence, culture enrichment, financial affairs, service learning and personal development. Both Jackson and SAAB president Kenneth Lampkin — a mass communication junior — said both organizations look forward to working together to bring unity to young women and men on campus. Collaborative events include “Arts Beats and Eats” on Nov. 5. Future events include a free HIV testing clinic in the student union. SAAS and SAAB recently collaborated with the

Centennial Scholars Program to host “New Slaves,” in which a variety of students discussed the ongoing light skin versus dark skin problem in the African-American community. Jazmen Flagler, a psychology junior and SAAS’s director of public relations, is ready to begin working with her fellow Eagles. “I’m excited about women working together,” Flagler said. She plans to network with more young women on campus from diverse backgrounds. Flagler said she is excited about working with a combined brotherhood and sisterhood, alongside close friends.

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Mass communication senior Sie Lyons with her 2-year-old son at the Cradle Me 3 meet and greet on Oct. 23. LEAH MONTGOMERY/Echo A&E editor

grant-funded HBCU club of its kind in the country. Criminal justice sophomore Margaret Harrington went to the meet and greet with her 9-week-old son Aiden. She said her pregnancy was not something she was prepared for. “At first I was a little shocked,” she said, adding that she did not want to end up as one of “those teenagers” whose life takes a turn for the worse because of an unplanned pregnancy. She said a support system is essential for campus moms, and seeing others grapple with their new circumstances was encouraging. “It gives me comfort that there are others like me in this situation,” she said. Public health education senior and Cradle Me 3 president Ashley Cephas said a support system is essential. “It’s important to have someone to understand,” she said. “Everybody wants to be a part of something.” Cephas said moms and moms-to-be are a silent group on campus that needs to have their voice heard. She also said college campuses aren’t especially accommodating of pregnant students or mothers. “You don’t really put pregnancy or planning with college,” she said. Psychology junior and expectant mother Sabrina Howie said being pregnant

in college can be an alienating experience. “Being pregnant, you get treated like you’re a black sheep,” she said. She said that on top of that, young black mothers “are already slighted.” Cephas said health may not be a top concern in the black community. “As black women, we don’t take our health seriously,” she said. “Everything you do to your body affects you later.” Cephas said black women have the highest rate of infant mortality in the United States and Cradle Me 3 Project initiatives like conception training and pregnancy prevention are the organization’s way to cut these rates. Shinel Stephens, Cradle Me 3’s co-adviser, added that decreasing infant mortality is one of the organization’s key objectives. Mass communication senior and mother Sie Lyons said that although there is room to improve, she is excited that organizations like Cradle Me 3 are taking the initiative. “It’s a big change,” she said, noting that in the two years since she’s had her son NCCU has made some small changes to benefit mothers. Lyons also said more mothers and mothers-tobe need to have their voices heard. “Come out and make friends,” she said. “We’re all going through this together.”

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

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Police HQ may move next door NCCU trustees want new $46 million facility near campus

Site of the former Fayette Place Apartments may be Durham’s future police headquarters, a proposal supported by the NCCU trustees. ROBERT LEWIS/Echo staff reporter

BY ROBERT LEWIS ECHO STAFF REPORTER

N.C. Central University might have some new neighbors soon. City officials are deciding whether to build a new $46 million Durham Police Department headquarters, or to renovate the existing building. Two of the three proposed new locations are close to campus, at 600 East Main Street or nearby Merrick Street, where the Fayette Place Apartments once stood. According to the News & Observer, SGA President Stefan Weathers and NCCU trustees lobbied Mayor Bill Bell and the city council to choose the Merrick Street location, which is just onehalf mile from campus. Weathers and the trustees argued that locating the headquarters close to campus would provide a learning opportunities for students in the department of criminal justice. Sergeant David Buie of the NCCU police said having the headquarters at the Merrick Street site would also have a positive effect on the community. However, it would not substantially affect campus

police’s relationship with city police. “We already have a mutual aid agreement with the DPD,” said Buie. “When they become overwhelmed they call us to respond to the area.” Jesse Burwell, assistant chief of Durham Police Operations Support, said the site selection process is still underway. Burwell said the current headquarters was built as an insurance building in the 1950s. “It’s falling apart,” said Burwell. Burwell is on the committee that will recommend sites to the city manager. The city manager will then propose suggestions to the city council and the mayor for a vote after he reviews them. Burwell said finances and the site’s location in relation to major thoroughfares are among the biggest factors in selecting a site. “I don’t have any data on whether crime is lower around a police headquarters,” he said. “Crime is lowered based on how resources are deployed in the field.” Matt Dudek, who has lived in Durham’s Cleveland-Holloway neigh-

borhood for five years, said he has doubts about both sites. “The Main Street location could cause damage to the connectivity between East Durham and Downtown,” Dudek said. He said he supports the Fayette Place location as long as the immediate neighbors are comfortable with it. Dudek said he wants the current headquarters renovated. He doesn’t think residents want to feel like they live in “a military occupation.” For many years, East Durham has had the reputation of being a hotbed of crime. In 2007, DPD started Operation Bull’s Eye, which aimed to reduce crime within two square miles in East Durham. The operation used federal funds to pay officers overtime to work the area. A report analyzing crime data cited a 38.6 percent decline in violent crime in District One over a two-year period as a result of Operation Bull’s Eye. Data from the beginning of 2013 to October shows that the area in and around NCCU could use its own Operation Bull’s Eye.

DONOR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 was diagnosed, Mba said there were signs, but he didn’t think it was serious. “As an athlete or performer, you’re like, ‘suck it up,’” said Mba. Mba’s disease calls for a bone marrow transplant, which replaces damaged or destroyed bone marrow with healthy bone marrow stem cells. Most often, donors are close family members like a brother or sister. When family members are not a match, as in Mba’s case, doctors look for a matched unrelated donor, or MUD. Mba said the wait to find a MUD is nerve-wracking. “To be honest, it’s kind of making me impatient and anxious,” said Mba. “People can die from this disease if they don’t find a donor in time.” Mba is only one of thousands looking for organ and tissue donations. The issue is even more problematic in the African- American community. According to the federal Office of Minority Health, 14 percent of African Americans waiting for an organ transplant received a transplant last year. Genetic and ethnic background can affect the likeli-

hood of finding a donor. The low percentage of black organ donors doesn’t help. In a study in the Journal of the National Medical Association, 38 percent of African Americans stated they would not be organ donors, compared to 10 percent of whites who refused. When African Americans were asked why not, they stated that they wouldn’t get the right medical attention if they were. “I think it’s stupid and more people need to step up and donate,” said Devonté Squire, a theatre sophomore and friend of Mba. “If you can, then do it.” The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Be the Match, which manages the largest bone marrow registry in the world, are urging minorities, especially African Americans, to join bone marrow and organ registries. NCCU held a Swab for Sheldon Bone Marrow Drive on Oct. 18. Forty people were swabbed at the drive. That number amounts to less than 1 percent of NCCU’s 8,000-plus students. Mba said the turnout showed that NCCU should recognize the low availabili-

ty of minority donors as a national crisis for the African American community. “I feel that it’s important for NCCU to bring awareness about a serious issue,” said Mba. “These rare diseases are found a lot in African Americans.” Mba said he fears that many will associate a bone marrow transplant with movies like Seven Pounds, which depicted a painful and daunting process. In fact, donating bone marrow involves anesthesia and mild post-procedure discomfort. Mba encourages people to visit websites like dosomething.org for the Give a Spit Campaign, which hosts spit parties in order to identify potential matches for waiting patients. “It’s really sad when African Americans are faced with these life threatening diseases and we’re reaching out to our community for help and we don’t have it,” said Mba. More information about donating bone marrow is available at BeTheMatch.org. Becoming an organ donor requires visiting a local DMV office.

So far this year, District Four — which encompasses NCCU — has had about 1,000 reported cases of larceny or theft, 750 reports of burglaries or breaking and entering, 500 reports of assault, 140 motor vehicle thefts and 6 homicides. Burwell said Durham is divided into five districts and officers report for duty in those districts, not at police headquarters. “Headquarters is not an operational entity,” Burwell said. “911 calls are directed to each district.”

HAYTI CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 nity director for the College of Arts and Sciences approached Angela Lee, executive director of St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation. Helm-Hammonds said the College’s lack of visibility outside campus encouraged her to pursue a partnership. “We have an amazing art program that nobody knows about outside of NCCU,” Helm-Hammonds said. Once the first step was taken, Helm-Hammonds started talking to professors in the College. She said she was stunned to learn just how many had worked with the center. “Everybody was already doing things but they weren’t connected under one umbrella.” The mutual goal of the collaboration is to reach out to all of Durham, which is more challenging when done individually. Helm-Hammonds said while the community may be unaware of the services provided on campus, NCCU students and staff may also be unaware of the center. This is an issue the partnership seeks to alleviate. “It’s that old African principle of networking,” Helm-Hammonds said. “It’s not what you can do for me but what I can do for you.” Helm-Hammonds said Hayti Heritage Center also acts as an important segue for art students. Art students are typically told that they won’t get a solid job. Having their artwork

showcased at the center and working in the center’s offices, will help artists achieve entrepreneurial and professional experience. Nellie Riley, a board member with the foundation, also underscored the need for student participation at the center. With three full-time and two part-time workers, staff is limited. Riley said internships are vital to the center. “Being a nonprofit service, we need to continue to have programs and staff bringing in resources,” Riley said. Her priority, though, is preserving black history. “We also like to be sure that the larger community be exposed to and appreciate the work and contributions of the AfricanAmerican community without losing why we exist,” Riley said. Riley noted that many individuals from “Black Wall Street” frequented the Hayti church in the old days. The church was not only a religious center, but also was a place where blacks came for information. The partnership’s first official event took place at the Hayti Heritage Center on Oct. 23. The program included student art exhibits, a performance of “Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope” by the department of theatre and dance, a guitar duo by David Mills and Julia Pricex, and a vocal jazz ensemble featuring HelmHammonds and Arnold George.

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

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Dispelling the myths

Parade defies drizzle

Dating violence on college campuses a silent issue

Crowds ignore weather to view Homecoming parade

BY ALEX SAMPSON ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

October is a prominent month for Breast Cancer Awareness but it’s also synonymous with another national issue. Represented by the color purple, Domestic Violence Awareness Month addresses the aggression that plagues women, men and children. On Oct. 22, N.C. Central University did its part in generating a conversation about the subject. Students gathered in the Turner Law Building for a panel discussion about dating violence on college campuses. The discussion involved a live feed with NCCU, Fayetteville State University and North Carolina A&T State University. The panel consisted of Assistant Director for Interpersonal Violence Krystal George, Assistant Clinical Professor of Law and Supervising Attorney Deria Hayes, and Ombudsperson of Student Right and Responsibilities Belinda Simmons. George kicked off the discussion by breaking a popular myth about dating violence.

People typically think about domestic violence as it relates to older, married couples. George said this is not necessarily the case. “Domestic violence…it has no face, it has no age,” she said. George said a lot of the abuse begins prior to college. According to the CDC, 22.4 percent of women and 15 percent of men experienced some form of dating violence between the ages of 11-17. George drew attention to the fact that dating violence plagues same-sex couples. According to the Center for American Progress, 1 of 4 same-sex relationships is affected by domestic violence. “As long as there is power and control in a relationship against the other party in the relationship, you have domestic violence.” Hayes said when students come to campus as freshmen and sophomores they become so consumed by their newfound independence that they begin to tolerate certain behavior. “Sometimes college students…if they think they’re dealing with abuse, they deal with it in silence,” Hayes said.

Hayes mentioned that the social hierarchy of college can play into that silence. Hayes said sometimes people of popularity on campus such as Greeks or athletes abuse their power. If incidents of domestic violence are reported, the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities steps in. The victim has the option of deciding whether to report it to the police or pursue criminal actions against the aggressor. However, the university is obligated to investigate under Title IX of the Education Amendments. Enforcing the code of conduct specifically in cases of domestic violence includes sanctions such as expulsion, suspension, separation from housing and community service requirements. The perpetrator would have to undergo counseling if allowed to stay on campus and attend educational programs on dating violence. Hayes urged domestic violence to tell campus police and the university about their situation especially if the aggressor is another student. “The university needs to be aware,” Hayes said. “They can intervene, make sure they get counseling or kick the person out.”

The Marching Sound Machine shows some love for NCCU at the Homecoming parade. JAMAR NEGRON/Echo assistant editor

Chancellor Debra Saunders-White shows her Eagle Pride. JAMAR NEGRON/Echo assistant editor

BY BRANDI ARLEDGE ECHO STAFF REPORTER

The weather during N.C. Central University’s homecoming parade was windy with drizzling rain but that didn’t stop the enormous crowd waiting in anticipation. People arrived bright and early to watch the parade and to set up vendor booths for their businesses. Vendors set up along Fayetteville Street, by the Alfonso Elder Student Union and near the Alumni House gave away free breakfast to alumni. The parade started at 9 a.m. sharp. “The groups, the preparation from the audition, the organization and the great performances I look forward to but mainly I come to see the performances,” said Irene Watson Fourgurean, an NCCU alumnus of the class of 1968. The parade started with

NCCU’s Royal Court float featuring Miss and Mr. NCCU and the class queens and kings. The Marching Sound Machine followed playing “Fine China” by Chris Brown. “I look forward to NCCU Band as well as the high school bands. Their music choices and energy are always on point,” said NCCU alumna Yolanda Pryor. Louise Weeks, an NCCU alumna and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., mentors young women in the National Council of Negro Women at NCCU and young girls in the Durham community. “They’re young women that we mentor and I’m looking forward to seeing both of these groups in the parade and the Deltas,” said Weeks. The Durham Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta walked in the parade showing their colors and spirit. Their float featured

Miss Jabberwock 2012-2013, Janae Best. Best said she enjoyed seeing how happy the little girls at the parade were. She said she was also pleased to bring awareness of what Jabberwock is and others interested. Josephine Dobbs Clement Early College High School Principal Gloria Woods-Weeks drove the convertible that led their floats which featured their Royal Court with Miss and Mr. ECHS. The final high school performance was from Hillside High School’s band, the Hillside Marching Hornets. The band gave an energetic performance with their flag girls marching behind them. Shepherd Middle School cheerleaders also participated in the parade performing “Red Hot” and Shepherd dancers performing to “2 Step” by Ciara featuring Missy Elliot.

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NSA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 sought again Thursday to calm the anger. White House press secretary Jay Carney said President Barack Obama was “obviously aware” that privacy was an especially sensitive issue in Germany, given the history of the Stasi, East Germany’s secret police force. Merkel grew up in East Germany. “This is something that he knows from discussions with the chancellor, with whom he has a long and strong relationship, and he is certainly aware of her past and he’s aware of Germany’s past and East Germany’s past,” Carney said. Meanwhile, the uproar over National Security Agency surveillance programs spread, with Italy joining a now-sizable list of nations that are demanding to know exactly whom and what the United States has spied on, and complaining that confidences were shattered when the NSA reportedly swept up the communications of top leaders. The Guardian newspaper, which has broken many stories about the NSA surveillance based on documents it obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, reported late Thursday that one of the documents described how U.S. officials had turned over hundreds of telephone numbers that then were used for surveillance purposes. “The document notes that one unnamed U.S. official handed over 200 numbers, including those of 35 world leaders, none of whom is named,” The Guardian said. The numbers were immediately “tasked” for monitoring by the NSA, the news outlet said. By Thursday evening, the burgeoning scandal had

taken over a regularly scheduled European Council meeting in Brussels, where many of the 28 heads of state voiced dismay. “Spying among friends is simply not done,” Merkel said before walking into what looked to be a stormy meeting. “I told President Obama that during his visit in June, then again in July and yesterday during our phone conversation.” Others angrily denounced what they saw as U.S. misconduct. Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta called the news “inconceivable and unacceptable.” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said he backed Merkel: “I will support her completely in her complaint and say that this is not acceptable.” Finland’s Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen demanded “a guarantee that this will never happen again.” The news broke hard in Germany, where Merkel and her phone affinity are a commonplace sight in newspapers and news shows. The website of the newspaper Bild ran a series of photos of Merkel with her phones through the years. Thomas Oppermann, a Social Democratic member of Parliament and the head of the parliamentary committee on intelligence, called the alleged monitoring of the chancellor’s phone an outrage. “Who spies on the chancellor spies on the citizens,” he said. “What terrorists did the NSA hope to find on the chancellor’s cellphone?” Hans-Christian Stroebele, another member of Parliament, asked during an appearance on ARD television.

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Scientists rethink human family tree

BY MONTE MORIN

LOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)

In the humid foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, deep within a carnivore’s bloody lair, an early human ancestor fought a life-ordeath struggle, and lost. He had entered the den on a scavenging mission, possibly with several others. Their plan: Use a stone to scrape meat from the bones of freshly killed prey, then flee before a saber-tooth cat or other giant predator caught him in the act. “It seems that they were fighting for the carcasses, and unfortunately ... they were not always successful,” said David Lordkipanidze, a paleoanthropologist and director of the Georgian National Museum in Tbilisi. Now, almost 2 million years later, the stunningly intact remains of that failed foraging mission are causing researchers to question the shape of our ancestral family tree. Most notable among the fossilized relics are a cranium and jaw of an adult male that together comprise “Skull 5.” In a paper published Thursday in the journal Science, Lordkipanidze and colleagues say that skull and four other fossil craniums recovered at the site contain features previously ascribed to three different species of human ancestor: Homo habilis, Homo rudolfensis and Homo erectus. The explanation for this is clear, they say: All three species must be one and the same. Differences once perceived to be the mark of separate species are in fact the

result of normal variation in physical features, age and gender, they say. The assertion has struck a nerve in a field where some paleoanthropologists complain that peers are all too quick to classify small or badly crushed fossil finds as evidence of new species. “It’s a little like the Emperor’s New Clothes,” study co-author Christoph Zollikofer, a neurobiologist at the Anthropological Institute and Museum in Zurich, Switzerland, told reporters. “At some point you have to step out of a given perspective and take a new one.” Reaction to the paper has been strong. “This is significant,” said Tim White, a University of California, Berkeley, paleoanthropologist who was not involved in the study. “I think that years, even decades from now, this will be seen as a classic turning point. It’s not going to be received well by those who claim our family tree is more like a creosote bush than a saguaro cactus.” Others say that while the discovery of Skull 5 is a spectacular fossil find, the authors have failed to convince them that it applies to fossils recovered in Africa. Fred Spoor, a professor of evolutionary anatomy at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, said he’s not about to “say goodbye to Homo habilis and Homo rudolfensis.” Though the authors focused on the shape of the fossil craniums, that is not the sole indication of a species. Newly evolved fea-

tures, however, were. “Whether you’re talking about hominids, ants or frogs, you don’t make a species solely on the basis of overall cranium shape,” Spoor said. Ironically, Lordkipanidze and his team initially classified their fossil discoveries as a separate species — Homo Georgicus — in 2002. After further analysis, they retracted that classification and now describe the fossils as belonging to Homo erectus. All of the fossils were found in Dmanisi, Georgia. The Dmanisi hominids are the oldest ever discovered outside Africa, and researchers say they were probably among the first members of Homo erectus to begin migrating throughout the Old World. Evidence of Homo erectus has been found from Spain to Indonesia to China. It’s unlikely the Dmanisi hominids had much in the way of travel plans when they first arrived in Eurasia, researchers said. “People in Africa didn’t just pack their suitcases ... and leave for Dmanisi,” Zollikofer said. “It was dispersal. There was no aim.” Each of the recently found skulls is notable for its large face, heavy brow and protruding jaw, as well as a very small brain case _ about one-third the size of modern humans’. “This is a strange combination of features that we didn’t know before in early Homo,” said co-author Marcia Ponce de Leon, a paleoanthropologist. “The brain is much smaller than expected.”

The brain size came as a shock to many anthropologists. Previously, many believed that our ancestors required larger brains in order to survive beyond Africa. In addition to Skull 5’s final foraging mission, researchers said they could decipher other details from his life. At some point, he suffered a terrific impact to his head, which broke his massive right cheekbone. The wound healed and he survived, but the cheek was left permanently dented, like a car fender. It also appears that the left side of his jaw had suffered deformation from degenerative arthritis. These details and others, however, would not be useful to researchers unless they could compare the skull with others found at the site. “It’s the package that’s important as opposed to any one piece,” White said. “What’s often missed in an announcement like this, when the focus becomes the skull or the names applied to the skull, it’s the larger context. ... This is the very first evidence of the hominid expansion out of Africa.” The four other hominid remains found in the area of Skull 5 include a toothless senior, who researchers say may have been cared for by his peers; an adolescent girl; and two other adults. Lordkipanidze said it was possible that members of the group knew one another, but it was also possible that they ventured into the den separately and died at different times.

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Rip the Runway fashion competition first place winners Kerojo Modeling Agency Ltd. get crazy in their straight jacket inspired fashions. JADE JACKSON/Echo staff photographer

TOP: Alpha Phi Alpha‘s “Alpha Airlines” crash the stage with their step show performance. LEAH MONTGOMERY/Echo A&E editor

ABOVE: Hillside High School’s marching band shows up and shows out. JAMAR NEGRON/Echo assistant editor

LEFT: GeColby Youngblood shows his Eagle pride on the Centennial Scholars Program float at the Homecoming parade. JAMAR NEGRON/Echo assistant editor

ABOVE: Najah Radford, Tierra LeGrande and Jasmine Arline — futuristic robots of Alpha Kappa Alpha — transport the audience to the year 2108 for NCCU’s Annual Step Show. LEAH MONTGOMERY/Echo A&E editor

LEFT: Rap artist Pusha T performs to an intimate audience following performances by modeling troupes at Rip the Runway. JADE JACKSON/ Echo staff photographer

Alumni along with current and future Eagles flooded N.C. Central University’s streets and auditoriums for a week of homecoming events. Among the festivities was “Rip the Runway” featuring Pusha T, the homecoming parade and the step show. Even NCCU alumni like Atlanta Journal-Constitution political reporter and former Campus Echo editor-in-chief

Ernie Suggs lent a hand, conducting motivational speeches across campus. The “Rip the Runway” fashion competition awarded a $1,000 prize to Virginia State University’s visiting model troupe Kerojo. Following the runway show Rapper Pusha T performed numerous songs from his latest album “My Name is My Name.”

The step show, which is always a Homecoming hit, drew a crowd as fraternity and sorority heavyweights battled it out for first place bragging rights. On Saturday, the Homecoming Parade featured a variety of floats and marching bands before NCCU’s football game against Morgan State. — Jade Jackson

LEFT: Former Campus Echo editor-in-chief Ernie Suggs returned to NCCU to encourage and empower students with the Motivational Task Force. Suggs is a political reporter with the Atlanta-Journal Constitution. ALEX SAMPSON/Echo editor-in-chief

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

James Edward Shepard and the History of North Carolina Central University, 1875-1947 Read the introduction

AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WWW.HLSUGGS.COM READ THE INTRODUCTION FOR FREE. CHAPTERS CAN BE PURCHASED INDIVIDUALLY. For more information contact Henry Lewis Suggs at Suggs314@aol.com

James E. Shepard In this tour de force and inspirational account you’ll read about the genealogy of the Shepard family, Shepard’s early years in Raleigh and at Shaw, his trip to Rome to attend the the International Sunday School Association’s international conference. You’ll read about the birth of the National Religious Training School and Chautauqua and its development

into the National Training school in 1915, the Durham State Normal School for Negroes in 1925, N.C. College at Durham in 1947, and NCCU in 1967. You’ll read about war years, Shepard’s role in Republican politics, and the role area businesses, such as N.C. Mutual and the Scarborough Funeral Home, played in the growth of NCCU. And much, much more.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Chapter One ~ Genealogy Chapter Two ~The Prodigal Son, 1875-1907 Chapter Three ~ The National Religious Training School and Chautauqua, 1907-1912 Chapter Four ~ On a Fixed Road to Destiny: Education and Politics, 1912-1916 Chapter Five ~ War, Politics, and Race, 1916-1923 Chapter Six ~ The Rise of Durham State Normal and the Ascendancy of North Carolina College, 1923-1930 Chapter Seven ~ North Carolina College and the Great Depression, 1930-1940 (in progress) Chapter Eight ~ World War II and Beyond, 1940-1947 Conclusion

In tribute to NCCU’s Centennial. A portion of funds from book sales will be used to fund merit scholarships in history and journalism and a proposed Shepard Research Center.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Henry Lewis Suggs Henry Lewis Suggs is a distinguished and published scholar of American history. His academic concentrations are the American South, African American history, and African American journalism. He earned his Ph.D. in American history from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1976. At Virginia, he was awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. His first teaching assignment was at Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, North Carolina. He was WCU's first African American faculty member. An academic scholarship was later named in his honor. He taught at Howard University, Washington, D.C., for a number of years, and was selected for the faculty of Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, in August 1983. In 1992 he became the second African American faculty member at Clemson to be promoted to the rank of full professor. At Clemson, he taught American history, the American South, and African American history. In February 1994, he was selected as the first Dupont Endowed Visiting Chair at Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, Virginia. Also during his career at Clemson, he was selected for a twelve-week summer fellowship at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. In 1997 he was selected as a W.E.B. Du Bois Scholar at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Dr. Suggs retired as Professor Emeritus of American History from Clemson University in 2003. In August 2003, Chancellor James H. Ammons of North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, appointed Dr. Suggs scholar in residence at NCCU. His assigned duty was to write the history of NCCU. Dr. Suggs has edited and authored numerous books on African American journalism, and his scholarly articles have appeared in journals such as The Harvard University Business Review, The Journal of Southern History, The American Historical Review, The Journal of Negro History, The Virginia Historical Review, and many others.

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Catwalk competitors Pusha T and Rip the Runway kick off Homecoming events

East Carolina modeling troupe F.A.M.E. member at the conclusion of the group’s performance. JADE JACKSON/Echo staff reporter

BY JADE JACKSON ECHO STAFF REPORTER

Rap stars, high heels and even higher skirts crushed the catwalk Oct. 17 for the “Rip the Runway” fashion competition. The show featured seven modeling troupes and finished with a performance by hip-hop artist Pusha T. The crowd was pumped to experience each modeling troupe’s show, an array of hair, makeup, fashions, and

choreography all critiqued by a panel of judges. The judges scored based on uniqueness, creativity, runway skills, choreography, appropriate clothing and musical content. “The winning troupe was amazing,” said mass communication senior Naomi MarinRosario. “I could not take my eyes off them ... and neither could the audience ... everybody was watching them.” Fashion and textile junior

Ciera Franklin said, “I think it was amazing.” Franklin was event coordinator for the fashion competition. Franklin wore a little black dress and a modest hair style, both edgy enough to make it clear that she was there as a fashion authority. “There are a lot of personalities to work with when putting together this kind of event, especially when a prize is involved,” Franklin said.

The first prize of $1,000 was awarded to Kerojo Modeling Agency LTD. of Virginia State University. The winning troupe also got to walk the stage during Pusha T’s performance. Evelesco of N.C. Central University received second place. Third place went to DeHaute Allure, also of NCCU. While NCCU’s Bon Vivant and East Carolina University’s F.A.M.E were not top contenders, the crowd showed plenty of excitement during their performances. Long-standing inter-troupe rivalries were said to have caused drama in the days leading up to the event, but Franklin was confident that everyone could work together to make this show a positive experience for Central’s Homecoming. “I had to be very considerate of everyone’s needs and expectations,” she said, “but at the same time I did have to make sure that everyone knew their [troupe’s] business is their [troupe’s] business.” And that, Franklin said, was the best way to keep tensions between competing troupes to a minimum. “There was a temper tantrum here and there,” she said. “But everyone really did great overall.”

MCIVER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 With her adjustment to her new environment, the subjects shift. McIver said she became fascinated with subways during her stay. “Subways are always crowded,” McIver said. “Nobody stares at anyone.” In order to satiate her fascination, McIver pretended to play games on her iPhone while surreptitiously taking photos of subway riders. McIver makes use of the subway's compressed space in the painting "New York Subway." The piece shows a hunched-over woman sitting almost underneath a male passenger. It’s unclear what kind of relationship the pair has or whether they’re complete strangers, but McIver successfully captures the feel of New York’s subways. Quintin Neal is one of five students who visited McIver in New York. Neal said loves not only her technique but the emotion behind her works. “If she had a full biography for each painting, I would sit there and read every last one,” Neal said. Tight Spaces, Big Steps McIver is no stranger to

enclosed areas. Born in 1962, McIver lived in a housing project in Greensboro. The youngest of three daughters, McIver said she had to share a bed with her mother, Ethel, until she was teenager. With racial tensions stirring and the prominent threat of violence, McIver said her mother sheltered her daughters. The sisters didn’t have the freedom to run around and play outside. And for good reason. On Nov. 3, 1979, the Greensboro Massacre occurred in McIver’s neighborhood. An anti-racism parade and rally, “Death to the Klanwas scheduled for the Morning-side Heights housing project. When the Ku Klux Klan and American Nazi Party members learned about the march from police, tensions came to a head. With the assistance of the Greensboro Police Department, the white supremacists fired on the demonstrators. Five people were killed. McIver said she was working at McDonald’s that day. Her mother witnessed the massacre from their kitchen

window. “It was hard growing up,” McIver said. She gained some freedom when she was accepted into NCCU. She earned her bachelor’s degree in art in 1987. Though McIver drew as a child, she said she didn’t start painting until she came to NCCU. Despite her love of art, psychology was her first major. McIver said she only took art as electives until a professor encouraged her to pursue it. She switched her major during her sophomore year. McIver said she doesn’t regret it. “I’m very happy to be an artist,” she said. Sister’s Keeper McIver’s sister Renee is the eldest of the three girls but because of a mental disability she has the mental capacity of a 3rd grader. McIver promised her mother that if anything happened to her, she’d take care of Renee. In 2004, she made good on that promise when their mother died of cancer. McIver took Renee in while she was teaching at Arizona State University. McIver said becoming her sister’s legal guardian was

difficult. On top of that responsibility, McIver was still trying to make a career as an artist. The sisters survived the hardship, though. In 2009, McIver discovered a silver lining. While looking for an appropriate place for Renee to live, McIver came across a new assisted living apartment complex in Greensboro. It once seemed impossible but Renee now has her own apartment. She lives a couple doors down from her cousin and her other sister Roni lives nearby. “She has more support around her now,” McIver said. McIver said she speaks with Renee almost every day and sleeps over sometimes. Moving Forward McIver recently moved to a 3-bedroom, 3,000 square feet space in Durham. “I overcompensate for not having space when I was a teenager,” McIver said. McIver said she would love to live off the sale of her artwork and paint fulltime someday. “I’m living the dream,” McIver said. “The only thing that’s missing is a Porsche and a husband.”

United Christian Campus Ministry 525 Nelson Street, NCCU Campus

JOIN US! Get involved with Campus Ministries today! Michael D. Page Campus Minister

Campus Echo Online follow us on twitter @campusecho

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

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Trending Topic #FTW (For The Win) #WTF (What The ...) #FAIL

3DT R A S H

Drake Nothing Was The Same OVO Sound/Young Money Entertainment/ Cash Money Records/Republic Records out of on the 3 5 black hand side

Rapping over a haunting beat with a heavy bass, Drake tells his listeners on “The Ride” – the last song on his second album “Take Care” — “My sophomore I was all for it, they all saw it / My junior and senior will only get meaner.” Two years later, on the heels of that line, it seems he wasn’t lying. Earlier this month Drake released his third studio album, “Nothing Was The Same,” a collection of some of his most aggressive tracks yet. It’s not hard to see where Drake’s aggression comes from—what with him becoming a poster child and chief scapegoat for the mass clowning of “light-skin n*ggas.” But the bundle of rage he’s packaged for his fans seems to come from left field. It’s almost as if Drake is trying so hard to convince everyone—including himself—that he has

what it takes to survive in the rap game, that he deserves to be there. Drake expresses his anger well in some songs: tracks like “Tuscan Leather” and the anthemic “Started From the Bottom” are well-crafted. But most of the album comes across as jarring, fractured and abstract— even the album cover betrays the content inside. While airy emotional ruminations like “From Time” and “The Motion” would usually gel seamlessly with Drake’s other songs, on this album they seem to be puzzle pieces placed awkwardly in a set of songs in which Drake strains too hard to broadcast his machismo. (I know “Worst Behavior” is a popular song but come on, he screams out “HOLD MY PHONE”… really Drake, really?) In short, this album may not sit well with Drake’s faithful. The rapper’s attempt to own whatever “hard” persona he claims to have results in a disappointing album that awkwardly attempts to balance the familiar, sensitive Drake with this newfound “macho” Drake has many scratching their heads in confusion. It’s called “Nothing Was The Same,” but maybe it should never have changed.

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The reign continues Phi Beta Sigma and Alpha Kappa Alpha hold fast to their bragging rights

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated

LEAH MONTGOMERY/Echo A&E Editor

On Friday, Oct. 18, McDougal Gymnasium was filled with audience members anxious to watch what would be a surprise. Traditionally, all of the divine nine fraternities and sororities participate in N.C. Central University’s National PanHellenic Council Step Show. This year, however, many viewers were disappointed to see only six. “I felt as if the competition wasn’t as exciting as it should’ve been,” said Asyia White, mass

communication junior. “The rivalry just wasn’t there.” The excitement surged regardless of the “lack of competition,” and organizations that did participate offered such themes as the “Egyptian”-themed performance of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., the “Lost” theme of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and the “Futuristic Robot” theme of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. “The Zetas did good [to me]. They outstepped the competition,” said mass communication

junior Raven Williams on the performance. “I thought they should’ve won.” However, Williams was proven wrong by the board of judges who voted Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. as step show winners Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated displayed not only their skills of precision and balance in their stepping, but also in their pre-show video.

“There were a lot of theatrics,” said Jerome Flournoy, a Durham resident, regarding the Sigma’s video quality. “Although it is a step show, the Sigmas brought the performance to life by using lighting, sound effects, and stunts.” Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s win made it the second of a possible streak. “I didn’t think that their theme was that exciting from the beginning,” commented Bernatta Palmer, mass communication

senior, about the AKAs. “I didn’t think that they were one sound.” Prior to last year’s step show, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. held a ten-year streak. However, the sorority was among the three organizations (including Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.) that did not participate this year. In 2010, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. was at the end of a four-year streak that was broken by the Sigmas in 2011.

Sports

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2013

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College football's pay issue steep in contradictions COMMENTARY BY

J OHN J EANSONNE NEWSDAY (MCT()

It is a metaphoric, sophomoric pretense to continue arguing, as NCAA president Mark Emmert did recently, that paying big-time college athletes would destroy the purity of the enterprise. On the contrary, any honest evaluation of the billiondollar business must acknowledge what several studies have concluded for years: That major college football and men’s basketball players essentially function in high-tech sweat shops. They are the masses of employees, working long hours for their company, expected to go to school fulltime but whose priority is to deliver the product that brings in millions of dollars for their employers. Every day, it seems, another story emerges. On Saturday, the players from Georgia and Georgia Tech took the field in separate games with gear marked “APU” (All Players United) to protest the NCAA’s treatment of athletes on several issues, including concussions and compensation. Earlier in the day, Texans running back Arian Foster was quoted by Sports Illustrated as saying he took money during his senior year at Tennessee. Oklahoma State came under fire for alleged payouts to athletes in an SI report, and who can forget the uproar and half-game suspension that arose from Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel’s signature? The old argument, that they are adequately compensated by a full scholarship, no longer passes the smell test. It is typical — in the most successful “programs,” as college teams have come to be known — that the head coach wields the power to cancel a scholarship after a single school year, without regard to the athlete’s academic progress. Furthermore, research has shown that scholarship money rarely covers all of the athlete’s expenses. And a proposal to give schools the option of offering $2,000 stipends beyond tuition, room and board, books and fees has been put on hold by member institutions. Given that major college football coaches average more than $1.5 million in annual salaries, and that the football profits at the likes of Texas and Michigan are in the vicinity of $80 million and $62 million, respectively, the calls to give star jocks a cut of the revenues are getting louder. Ellen Staurowsky, a Drexel University professor of sport management and

author of the book, “College Athletes for Hire: The Evolution and Legacy of the NCAA Amateur Myth,” has noted the “moral dilemma that everyone associated with college sport is confronted with on a daily basis.” While the athletes provide the show for free, colleges in the top conferences share multi-year, billiondollar television contracts, and football weekends in college towns sustain cottage industries such as hotels, restaurants and bars, ticket sellers and stadium workers. Staurowsky further cites the layers of competing conflicts of interest: the corporate sector, gambling interests, fans and media. In declaring that NCAA athletes will not be paid, Emmert appears intent on riding the hobbyhorse of “student-athlete” hypocrisy, telling a Marquette University forum on Monday that “one of the guiding principles (of the NCAA) has been that this is about students who play sports.” This, in the face of mountains of evidence that it really is about athletes who often only dabble in being students, the most obvious example being those routine “one-and-done” college basketball players’ path to the NBA, in which some barely spend a semester on campus. Mostly in the gym. As Emmert noted, this “enormous tension that’s growing between the collegiate model and the commercial model” is “nothing new.” But the whole Manziel episode, in which the Heisman Trophy winner was investigated and ultimately suspended for half of Texas A&M’s opening game after being accused of accepting money for signing autographs, has brought the discussion to the Sept. 16 cover of Time Magazine. In a blog post, sports author and commentator John Feinstein this week called for a trust fund, from which a player, after graduation, can draw a share of the school’s profit in that player’s sport. Staurowsky’s model would be to simply split revenue-generating sports from the amateur, educational process. The players still could go to classes if they’d like, but the universities would be taken away from the role of promoters and brokers of athletic talent and of mass sports entertainment. The odds of any reasonable, thoroughly virtuous system appears long. But Feinstein’s warning that “the NCAA is going down in flames,” doesn’t seem entirely remote anymore.

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Reaping the benefits Players look to coach as a father figure BY

AV E RY Y O U N G

ECHO SPORTS REPORTER

David Nass found ways to renovate the campus of N.C. Central University in ways that no one could have imagined. Nass is not only a fitness instructor at NCCU, but also head coach of the women’s tennis team. He started working at NCCU in January of 1998 as a temporary instructor and tennis coach while the University searched for a permanent coach. Before this gig, Nass was a general manager for a large private tennis club. “I did everything I could do there and the time had come for me to try something else,” said Nass. He decided to make a job change and come out of the managing scene for a year to help friends with their work. Then the opportunity at NCCU came along. Nass jumped at the opportunity to coach at the college level. He also saw teaching as a chance to make a difference. As a coach, there is always something to learn from other coaches around the world; Nass did exactly that. He noticed that Hampton University’s women’s head coach, Robert Screen, was recruiting international players. “Dr. Screen was scorned and ridiculed in the Richmond Times newspaper and Hampton Press for giving American money to foreign students,” said Nass. Hampton went on to win 13 MEAC championships. Evidently Screen was doing something right. Following Screen’s lead, Nass brought international athletes to NCCU. “Rather than try to invent something, let’s just take a footprint that exists and see if we can make it work,” said Nass.

Head women’s tennis coach Davis Nass encourages his players to be successful on and off the court. Courtesy NCCU Athletics

Rebecca Wood, a physical education junior from Nottinghamshire, England, is one of Nass’s recruits. Wood said Nass has helped her improve on the court as well as in the classroom. “Coach says to us that ‘If you train hard at tennis you will also find the benefits on and off the court,’” said Wood. Before becoming the women’s tennis head coach, Nass coached NCCU’s men’s team. In 1998, he won conference championship in Division II CIAA with help from former players Robert Rusher and Jason Hampton. But it is not his players’ accomplishments on the court that makes Nass proud. It’s what his players do after they graduate. A prime example is

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Robert Rusher, now an M.D. and cancer researcher at Johns Hopkins University. “The highlights I will be talking about forever, but I am looking to where the students have gone,” said Nass Nass has high hopes of winning a MEAC conference championship this year and in the future. “We set that as a goal five years ago and hypothetically worked a way to achieving it,” said Nass. The women’s tennis team has been eliminated from the MEAC Conference Tournament twice and Nass believes they are knocking at the door to win it. “We just have to be persistent and consistent,” he said. Wood compared Nass to

a father figure for the team, always pushing them to do their best. “He is always there on the side of the court, trying to encourage you to win the next point,” said Wood. But more important to Nass and his team is the team’s academic success. His team has won the team academic award three years running. Nass’s role model has nothing to do with tennis or any sport. He admires Bach. Not just Johann Sebastian, but the entire Bach family. “That family line is always something that inspired me because they would never go away,” said Nass “And that is the way I like to see myself -- as I’m not going away.”

Students flock to wellness center BY ALEXANDRIA GLENN ECHO SPORTS REPORTER

The wellness center of N.C. Central University has grown tremendously over the past decade. The wellness center was shut down in May 2011 and all the equipment was moved to the weight room. During that process, Erica Dixon, director of campus recreation and wellness, and with her staff had inventoried the equipment. A year later, NCCU’s recreation center reopened, with a bigger workout area and up to 80 machines. Wellness center hours were extended from 9 p.m. Monday through Friday to

11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 p.m. on Friday. “Since January, a total of 43,634 faculty members and students have passed through the sign-in system,” said Reva Adams-Bell, administrative associate specialist. Dixon said she is pleased with the renovations and with the increase in the number of students and faculty who visit the wellness center since they reopened. “Not only does the new wellness center provide state-of-the-art equipment for the students but it provides more variety,” said Dixon. The increase in attendance has been accredited to an increase in the number of students living on

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campus, as well as the wellness center providing more weights and equipment. Business junior Shaheed Baxter is excited about the extended hours because they allow him to fit a good workout into his busy schedule. “The extended hours make it easier for me to work out whenever I want, without it conflicting with my class and work schedule,” said Baxter. The remodeling effort also has helped keep an accurate count of students and faculty members coming to the wellness center every day. According to Adams-Bell, before the center was remodeled there were no accurate attendance records.

It would be periods where they did head counts but they were not consistent. To help keep an accurate count, the center developed a sign-in system that requires all faculty and students to swipe their ID cards at the front desk. Criminal justice senior Travis Sydney believes the wellness center is a great alternative to working out outside or a montly bill for a gym membership. “The wellness center is people friendly,” said Sydney. “Compared to working out outdoors in the cold I could just workout inside, and there is also a better variety of useful equipment now.”

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IVER SITY

Natural hair woes

scary topic in the workplace, but usually a liberating topic on an HBCU campus, black hair has taken on a lot of attention by the media. News sources like the Huffington Post, New York Times and CNN all have discussed the phenomenon of India natural hair Wagner among AfricanAmerican men and women. Recently, 7-year-old Tiana was dismissed from Deborah Brown Community School in Tulsa, Oklahoma because the administration did not allow her dreds. The school later changed its natural hair policy, but Tiana did not return to the school. Other K-12 schools also are banning natural styles, calling them unacceptable and potential health hazards. Even Hampton University has banned cornrows and dredlocks for men in their

“Wearing your hair the way it grows from your scalp shouldn’t be the basis of your employment or your placement in school.”

MBA program due to negative attitudes toward natural hair in the business world. “All we’re trying to do is make sure our students get into the job,” said Dean Sid Credle in an article in the Huffington Post. Credle set the dredlock and cornrow policy ban in 2001. Many have experienced corporate America’s distaste for African American natural styles. There aren’t many written mandates against them, but many people are not hired because of their natural hair. As natural styles become more popular, the question is, why is black hair so scary? Wearing your hair the way it grows from your scalp shouldn’t be the basis of your employment or your placement in school.

I believe the debate about black hair has stemmed from a long history of racism and cultural intolerance. Even this long after slavery, African Americans continue to conform to their white counterparts. An article in Ebony Magazine argues that the issue of natural hair in corporate America is about conformity to the ways of “white folks.” Relaxing one’s hair into a straight style is just another way for African Americans to perpetuate their conformity to America’s predominately white culture. Our hair is just another thing that makes African Americans different from other cultures. Our hair is a part of our culture, something that many

African American women are just recently starting to become proud of. However, this isn’t true for all African Americans. Deborah Brown Community School is a predominantly black school founded by a black woman. Still, even black people are discouraging black people from being their natural selves. W.E.B Du Bois said it best when he spoke about double consciousness among African Americans. To this day, African Americans like me fight with the idea of our natural culture, and the culture we were forced into. I am a proud member of the natural hair family. I have joined in the debate about natural hair because I refuse to become a part of the cycle of racial intolerance. As college students, we should join debates like this as well — this is the society and economy we will lead. With the government shutdown, global warming and looming war in the Middle East, kinky hair shouldn’t be a big issue.

drawing by Rashaun Rucker

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Don’t assume I’m lazy...

y fellow Eagles, I am sending out an Eagle cry. I have finally, FINALLY reached my senior year and I have never felt like quitting more than now. I’ve considered quitting numerous times this semester. Not because I am lazy, but because the stress level is so high I could use Angel it to bench press Brown at the gym. I am writing this article to plead with the great professors of NCCU. Not all of your students are slackers or lazy. This is not by any means an effort to beg for a pat on the back or to ask you to ease up on the work you assign us. But please know when to back off. You never know what your students are going through at home. I know a lot of our profs will say, “Tough? You don’t know what tough is, lady!” This campus isn’t full of whiny, privileged rich kids. Many of the students here have to work. Some are parents. Some do not receive financial aid. We might lack

“I have been through almost everything you can think of financially while pursuing my degree. I’ve been homeless, jobless, carless/gasless and foodless.”

transportation, among numerous other issues things that could make our academic venture rough. I speak from experience. I have been through almost everything you can think of financially while pursuing my degree. I’ve been homeless, jobless, carless/gasless and foodless. Most are unaware of this because it’s not something I like to share. But for the sake of any student who is struggling right now, who feels that he or she will have to choose between getting a second job and school, I will speak up for you. Please don’t give up. Everything you go through is for a reason. Hopefully to inspire you, I’ll share some of my misfortunes. At the end of the spring 2012 semester, my car broke down. I had to take a taxi, bug people for rides and take the

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bus to finish the last few weeks. A few weeks later, I had to go to Charlotte to complete a summer internship with CBS Radio with no solid transportation. I was able to stay with two friends, which helped alleviate housing expenses. With the help of my friends and a taxi, I managed to get to CBS Radio every day I was scheduled and volunteer at events. Eventually I got my car fixed, thanks to God and financial aid. However, the same week I found out that I got my internship I also lost my job. Did the misfortunes of Angel Brown end there? NO. This year I had to commute between Greenville and Raleigh this summer until the first few weeks of school. I pressed forward and went to work with a positive attitude and smiling and once again God blessed me with a

new place. That 2-hour drive took a toll on me and I really was not able to afford the gas for the commute. I smile through a lot, and joke through a lot even, regardless of what’s going on. I realize that I am close to the end and I need a full-time job before I stroll across the stage in May 2014. I cannot accept failure. I am human and sometimes I will mess up. My financial woes are never-ending. Yet I will not let them stop me. I start my days early, exercise, try to meet my deadlines, meet with influential figures weekly, help with events, look for opportunities and am constantly equipping myself to be well-rounded in the media world. A lot of students on this campus are like me. That being said: Dear professors please, PLEASE know when to CHILL. Barking at us like parental figures is not necessary. We’re at the point now that we know when we are messing up. Offer words of encouragement instead of criticism. I’m just saying.

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