print_edition_february_27_2008 by N.C. Central University Campus Echo

FEBRUARY 27, 2008

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1801 FAYETTEVILLE STREET DURHAM, NC 27707

Campus . . . . . . . . Beyond . . . . . . . . Photo Feature . . A&E . . . . . . . . . . . Classified . . . . . . . Sports . . . . . . . . . Opinions . . . . . . .

VOLUME 99, ISSUE 10 919 530 7116/CAMPUSECHO@NCCU.EDU WWW.CAMPUSECHO.COM

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CAMPUS

Sports

BEYOND

PHOTO FEATURE

One student grapples with a life-changing fact: Her unplanned pregnancy.

Casey Daniel and Jennifer Hukill play their last game with the Lady Eagles

After 50 years, Cuban leader Fidel Castro is out. What’s next?

Our editor-in-chief ate here, liked it, and decided a photo essay was in order.

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Campus Echo IT’S OFFICIAL|CHARLIE’S IN CHARGE

Obama team Web savvy As Barack Obama’s campaign continues to leave a trail of wins across the United States, many believe that his success has to do with his smart use of online media like Facebook and YouTube. BY FRANK DAVIES SAN JOSE MERCURY (MCT)

WASHINGTON — Barack Obama’s ascendancy comes with a popular affirmation: “Yes, we can.” Maybe it should be “Yes, we click,” as his presidential campaign takes online politics to new levels. Obama became the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination this month after a string of primary and caucus victories, and his inspirational appeal and effective campaign organization are getting most of the credit for his stunning success. But there is another major factor: smart use of new technology, from record-breaking fundraising to Facebook widgets attracting new supporters and mass texting to keep his backers connected. While every candidate in this year’s presidential contest has used the Internet far more effectively than anyone who ran in 2004, Obama is so far ahead of other candidates in Web traffic, social networking and user-generated video that he’s in a class by himself. “Barack Obama is successful because he is Barack

Chancellor Charlie Nelms raises the University mace during his Feb. 22 installation. UNC system president Erskine Bowles presides over the event. BRYSON POPE/Echo Staff Photographer

NELMS TAKES HELM

Obama, and his message is spot-on with Democrats,” said David All, a Republican strategist specializing in new media. “But he is leveraging that with the most effective, comprehensive online strategy of any campaign. He’s using the tools that help you find and mobilize new voters.” Andrew Rasiej, a leading analyst of online politics, said the Obama campaign “has come the closest to achieving the Holy Grail of politics on the Internet — converting online enthusiasm to offline action.” Other candidates also have struck gold on the Web this election cycle: Obama’s lone remaining Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, has mobilized an army of socialnetworking contacts into an outreach campaign of cell phone callers. Democrat John Edwards developed a fervent following in the liberal blogosphere, and was one of the first candidates to hire popular bloggers. Republican Ron Paul’s backers pioneered “money bombs,” and set a one-day mark with a fundraising haul online of $6 million last year. Republican Mike

n See OBAMA Page 9

Eagleland hawks ’nalia Marvin Bass’ business marks 14th year BY NATALIA NICHOLE FARRER ECHO STAFF WRITER

BY GEOFFREY COOPER ECHO STAFF WRITER

At first, Robert Harris didn’t understand Chancellor Charlie Nelms’ vision for N.C. Central University. But after Nelms’ inauguration speech last Friday, the computer information systems senior from Maryland said he has a better understanding of what the school’s tenth chief administrator wants to do. About 2,500 people, including Durham mayor William “Bill”

n See NELMS Page 2

Some interns not ready

It’s easy to take school merchandise stores for granted, as school paraphernalia has become so commonplace that Eagle gear can even be found in area Wal-Mart stores. But when Marvin Bass opened the doors to Eagleland in 1994, students could only find the logo sweatshirts and tees that are such a fundamental part of the college experience in N.C. Central University’s bookstore. “Back in my day, there wasn’t a lot of NCCU merchandise

and paraphernalia,” said Bass. “Students were dissatisfied with the merchandise being only in the school store, so there was a demand and a need for Eagleland.” Prior to the store opening, Bass was just a vendor setting up shop at athletic events and graduations to sell merchandise to Eagles and Eagles-atheart. But his business grew so much that opening a store was the next logical step. The location chosen was 2501 Fayetteville St., a 10minute walk from campus.

n See EAGLELAND Page 2

Inexperience with audio, video equipment partly to blame BY AKILAH MCMULLAN ECHO STAFF WRITER

An internship at the right company at the right time can mean the difference between employment and unemployment for college graduates. However, complaints from perspective employers may leave N.C. Central University mass communication majors blacklisted. Many universities offer internship courses that

allow students to intern in exchange for college credit, preparing them for life after graduation. However, some NCCU students have left internship sponsors disappointed. “Overall, I would say that the experience [with NCCU interns] has been an average experience and I would rather it be an outstanding experience,” said Monica Barnes, director of community affairs for ABC-11

TV in Durham. Barnes also oversees the internship program for the news station. Barnes said NCCU’s lack of equipment and technology is preventing students from reaching industry standards. “I believe there are a lot of bright students, but the preparation is not there,” she said. Greg Pulley, mass communication senior, interns at ABC-11 and agrees that he was not

prepared to begin work. “The reason why I say that is because we didn’t have adequate equipment,” Pulley said. He said NCCU needs to be more in tune with industry standard technology so that students are not blindsided when they enter the workforce. Pulley said he is working hard to make a good impression of NCCU at ABC-11.

n See INTERNS Page 2

Eagleland owner Marvin Bass in front of his store. The sign to his right commemorates Denita Smith, an NCCU student and Eagleland employee who died in 2007. JACQUELYN HALL/Echo Staff Photographer

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INTERNS themselves for careers in communications. She said assertiveness and follow-ups are critical. “There are times when I have had NCCU students never follow up with me,” Barnes said. According to Johnnie Southerland, NCCU director of career services, proper internship preparation begins at the university level. “They [students] will determine if the company will come back and recruit here,” said Southerland. Southerland said NCCU interns have been well received aside from a few isolated instances. “We have had some instances where the communication between the student and the company weren’t together,” he said. Like Barnes, Southerland said that students can better prepare them-

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Eagle cards costly

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 “We have to make an impression on these people to let them know that Central students are prepared. I’m doing it for myself because I really need a job,” he said. “I don’t want to give Central a bad name.” Keith Lawrence, director of media relations for Duke University, said he is looking forward to nurturing a relationship with communication interns at NCCU. This will be the third year that Duke has offered NCCU students paid summer internships. “In large part, the students have been enthusiastic, full of energy and willing to learn,” Lawrence said. “We’re looking to have a long-term relationship with NCCU students.” Barnes said there are things that students can do to better prepare

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

$20 replacement fee; improvements in the works

selves by doing the basics. “Research the company, be on time and be proactive,” he said. “Seek out opportunity in the company and enjoy the job. “It’s important that students articulate what they can bring to the table,” he said. Charmaine McKissickMelton, associate professor and internship coordinator for the department of English and mass communication, said she is responding to complaints by adding more structure to the internship program. “There’s now an agreement in writing between the employer and the department as well as weekly evaluation forms for students,” she said. She said changes in the internship program also include midterm and final evaluations for students.

BY CHI BROWN ECHO STAFF WRITER

It is not unusual for 15 to 20 students to report to the Eagle Card office everyday because they’ve lost or damaged their N.C. Central University Eagle cards. And each one can expect to pay a $20 fee to replace the card issued at registration. Replacement cards are expensive for a number of reasons. According to Tim Moore, interim director of auxiliaries and business services, processing the card and programming the magnetic strip is costly. Also, the cards that provide access to residential halls, contain a computer chip. “The $20 is not there to make money,” said Moore. Once reported lost, the cards are terminated and can’t be reactivated. But what happens when your card works in some locations but not others? That’s what happened to health and physical education junior Nadia Hayes and nursing sophomore Rachel Lloyd. Their cards worked everywhere — except their dorms. “I just try my card as best as I can until someone comes to let me in or my card miraculously works,” said Hayes. According to Moore, if a card is not lost and is not obviously damaged, a replacement will be issued for free. “If the card is not defaced or scratched, and it’s intact, then it’s a configuration problem,” he said. “We will take responsibility for that and replace it free of charge.” Moore said the cards were designed to last four years. But determining whether

EAGLELAND CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Eagles’ Nest employee Margaret Johnson swipes a student’s Eagle Card in the Alfonso Elder Student Union. MITCHELL WEBSON/Echo Staff Photographer

the card has been damaged by a student or is simply not working can be tricky, as Hayes and Lloyd found out when they were asked to pay a $20 fee to replace their cards. “If you lose your card, that’s being reckless, but if the card works for everything on campus except the dorm, then that’s not your fault,” said Hayes. “I shouldn’t have to pay for a replacement before the year’s end,” said Lloyd. Moore is confident that these problems are not typical. He urged students to come in and sort the problems immediately. According to Eagle card office manager Farida Azam, “people need to report

cards lost immediately so that any funds on the card are not jeopardized,” Azam said. But the biggest worry. according to Moore, is security. When a card is lost, someone other than the student might get access to the student’s dorm. “We want to encourage students to become more responsible,” said Moore. Students can expect to rely more and more on their Eagle cards in the future. According to Azam, 94 vending machines will accept Eagle Card payments by the summer, reducing students’ need to carry around cash. Also in the works is a feature that allows students to “talk to” their cards using Banner.

NCCU alumnus founded Eagleland in 1994. The store is located at 2501 Fayetteville Street. JACQUELYN HALL/Echo Staff Photographer

Since then, Bass, who graduated from NCCU in 1972, has made it Eagleland’s mission to support and promote NCCU. “If you look on TV, you might see sweatshirts with UNC or Duke’s name on them. We want to progress to that point,” said Bass. Eagleland has a policy of hiring NCCU students to help run the business. “It’s one of our ways to give back to the school,” he said. “A lot of students are looking to go into business themselves, so working here gives them insight.” “It’s the concept of helping — students helping alumni, alumni helping students, and everyone helping the University.” The store struggled initially in getting support in the community and with students and alumni. Eagleland was banned

from NCCU’s campus for eight years as the University attempted to generate profit from the bookstore during a brief period when it was not being managed by an outside company. “We overcame that and we’re still here after 14 years,” said Bass. “It was hard, but in life you have to deal with hard times. The people that deal with them properly and efficiently will survive.” Bass has witnessed firsthand NCCU’s growth from a little over 5,600 in 1994 to its current enrollment of almost 9,000 students. He said that Eagleland’s growth has directly correlated with NCCU’s expansion. Bass hopes to build a “bigger and better Eagleland with all the amenities that a college store should have” within the next five years. Once he reaches retire-

NELMS

ment, Bass will be passing the business to his daughter, who works in the store from time to time, and his two grandchildren. Bass, born in Richmond, was schooled in Baltimore and has been in Durham ever since enrolling at NCCU in 1967. Bass’ former wife was Miss NCCU 1971-72. His daughter attended NCCU in the late 90s. His grandchildren attended NCCU’s Child Development Lab and will hopefully be Eagles one day. “NCCU is very close to me and I have a great deal of Eagle Pride,” he said. “I encourage all students to stay involved as NCCU alumni because historically black institutions have a problem with alumni giving back. We need to come together as alumni and keep NCCU alive.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Bell, county commissioner Ellen Reckhow and UNC Systems president Erskine Bowles, gathered in the McClendon-McDougald Gymnasium to watch Nelms become officially sworn in as chancellor. Nelms, in his inaugural address, stressed five changes he plans to make at the university. He wants to raise expectations for students, faculty and staff; embrace collaboration between groups within and beyond campus; create “wise” investments in academic programs and services; better utilize financial and human resources while creating more avenues to expand the University and create a

stronger sense of community within the school. “We must demonstrate [this] through the quality of our programs and services that we are competitive, relevant and responsive,” said Nelms, who asked the NCCU community to support his vision. “The question is not whether we can achieve the vision, but whether or not we have the will to do so.” Nelms stressed the continued importance of HBCUs while addressing the need to improve NCCU’s academic success, student life, community service and graduate education and research. He pointed out the need for continued financial

alumni support and plans to add additional staff to achieve that goal. Nelms’ inauguration was the culmination of three days of events, which included a forum, food drive and a student art exhibition. Prior to arriving at NCCU last summer, Nelms, 60, served as vice-president for Institutional Development and Student Affairs for the Indiana University system. After Nelms’ speech, Harris, the computer information senior, said he had a better understanding of Nelms’ vision. “He knows the way he wants the school to go,” he said.

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

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Popular vote? Group to host event March 3 BY MARK SCOTT ECHO STAFF REPORTER

In the 2000 presidential election, Al Gore won the popular vote. However, it was George W. Bush who was sworn in as president of the United States on January 20, 2001. FairVote, a national nonpartisan non-profit organization, is working to make sure that never happens again. The organization will host an information session at NCCU Monday at 7 p.m. in room 105 of the Edmonds Classroom Building. The United States uses a complex system to elect its presidents. State popular voting determines the vote of that state’s Electoral College members. A presidential candidate needs a minimum of 270 Electoral College votes to win the election. According to the Federal Elections Commission, Bush won 271 electoral votes and Gore won 266, but Gore received 543,897 more popular votes than Bush. FairVote, founded by Stanford University professor John Koza in 1992, aims to give the national popular vote the final say in who gets elected president. Torrey Dixon, N.C. director for FairVote, said he plans to bring students up to speed on efforts to promote national popular vote. Dixon said it’s in African Americans’ best interest to support this measure. “This is a way to get people involved in a movement,” he added. “The Electoral College is set up to work against minorities,” said Dixon. “It was initially used to help Southern states. Now it hurts them.”

Under the Electoral College system, states are won by the candidate with the majority of the votes in that state. With the proposed system, whether or not the candidate wins that state, whoever wins the national popular vote is awarded that state’s electoral votes. At Monday’s event, Dixon plans to discuss instant runoff voting, a voting procedure that allows voters to rank candidates in the order of their preference. This voting procedure would prevent the “wasted vote” phenomena that happens when a third party candidate runs for office. A bill proposing instant runoff voting is supported by both primary frontrunners Sen. John McCain (RAriz.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.). NCCU professor Jarvis Hall said campaigns would be different if the outcome was determined by popular vote. “It wouldn’t matter if a candidate wins any state at all. “It will all depend on the national popular vote,” said Hall. In May 2007, the N.C. Senate approved a measure supporting national popular vote and instant runoff voting. The N.C. House of Representatives will vote on the bill in May. Similar bills have already passed in four other states. Dixon said FairVote will change this so every American has a fair chance at democracy. More information about the organization and the event is available at 919286-5985.

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

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Around the globe Students learn from S. Korea / America exchange BY RAENA BOSTON ECHO STAFF REPORTER

Through N.C. Central University’s International Student Exchange Program (ISEP), two students swapped countries to gain the cultural experience of a lifetime. In 2006, NCCU business major Chauntee McMahon spent a semester at South Korea’s Ewha Woman’s University. Senior Ji Won Choi, a dentistry student at Korean University, is currently taking classes at NCCU. After seeing study abroad ads on AudioNet, McMahon contacted NCCU’s office of international affairs. She chose South Korea because it was only an hour flight from Japan — which was where she originally wanted to go, but her desired school wasn’t accepting foreign students. Growing up in WinstonSalem, McMahon was surrounded by Asian culture because her parents practice SGI Buddhism (the Nichiren school of Mahayana Buddhism). Choi chose the United States because she wanted to improve her English and to experience American culture first-hand. “I have been studying English for more than 10 years,” she said. “I wanted to be able to speak English, not just writing and reading.” While each woman’s experience was unique, McMahon and Choi shared one thing — culture shock. In South Korea, a largely homogeneous nation, McMahon said she got a lot of stares. “It’s kind of like looking at a black marble in a jar full of

International student in action: Ji Won Choi of S. Korea and Chauntee McMahon of the U.S. KENICE MOBLEY/Staff Photographer

white ones — you’re going to stand out,” she said. “It’s not really people being rude. It’s just curiosity.” McMahon said that in Korean culture, older women demand respect, shoes are removed in certain places and it’s not uncommon for people to live with their parents until marriage. Choi moved from a mass transit-heavy metropolis to a place where personal transportation was a necessity. “Yes, of course it was hard to adjust, and without a car it was horrible,” she said. “NCCU was my world until I got a car.”

ANDTHE WINNER

Both McMahon and Choi agreed that there are plenty of differences between their homes and exchange country, but that America’s influence exists no matter where one is. McMahon said hip-hop culture is huge in South Korea. “You see Korean guys with fake dreds and jerseys, b-boys and b-girls in the subway with cornrows and afros,” she said. Though hip hop has its roots in African-American communities, Koreans don’t necessarily equate dark skin with being American. “American to them is

white skin,” McMahon said. Choi was surprised by how friendly Americans are. “People are so kind here,” she said. “A lot of people say hello to me even though I don’t know them. “If you do that in Korea people, will think that you are insane.” Her only criticism about American culture is Americans’ love for loud music. “Sometimes they really love music, and turn it up everywhere,” Choi said. “That’s weird to me. In Korea, we always use our earphones.” Culture shock has not tainted McMahon’s or Choi’s experience of studying abroad. After graduation, McMahon plans to move back to South Korea and teach English to elementary students. Choi wants to move back to Korea and complete her dentistry studies. She would also would like a return visit to America. McMahon and Choi said others should study abroad. “I wish more AfricanAmerican students would go abroad,” McMahon said. “Our school should have a program where you have to go somewhere.” American students have an advantage when studying abroad, Choi said. “Everyone can speak English,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to study abroad; just go ahead and do it.” For more information on ISEP and NCCU’s other study abroad programs, visit the Office of International Affairs in the Lee Biology Building, room 103, or visit the ISEP website at www.isep.org.

2008 HBCU National News Media Conference Feb. 13 ~ 16, 2008 Papers judged are from Jan.1, 2007 ~ Dec. 31, 2007. FIRST PLACE

• Best Overall Student Newspaper (non-weekly; Editors Rony Camille and Shelbia Brown) • Best Features A&E Section (Joanna Hernandez and Brooke Sellars) • Best Overall Sports Coverage (Larisha Stone and Quentin Gardner) • Best Sports Game Story (Quentin Gardner) • Best Sports Feature (unidentified by judge) SECOND PLACE • Best Special Section (“Some of Our Best Teachers,” Rony Camille, Travis Ruffin, Shelbia Brown, Natalia Farrer, Geoffrey Cooper, Gabriana Clay-White) • Best Feature Story (“It’s a Family in the Shop,” Kenali Battle) • Best Use of Photography (Staff Photographers) • Best Sports Story (“NCCU Trounces FSU,” Quentin Gardner)

IS. . . Since 1999 the N.C. Central University Campus Echo has won a total of 122 national awards from organizations including the Black College Communication Association, the Society for Professional Journalists and the American Scholastic Press Association.

THIRD PLACE • Best Individual Page Design (“Denita Smith: An Immeasurable Loss,” Rony Camille) • Best Feature Writing (“If Colors Could Talk,” Kristiana Bennett) • Best Editorial/Opinion Section (Kai Christopher) • Best Sports Story (“Thanks for the Memories, CIAA,” Shatoya Cantrell) HONORABLE MENTION • Best Overall News Coverage (Rony Camille, Shelbia Brown and staff) • Best Feature Story (“Cerebral Palsy Slows Body, Not Soul,” Denique Prout)

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

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‘Why would they hire some pregnant girl?’ Campus Echo assistant editor documents her journey to unexpectedly becoming a mother In December, Campus Echo assistant editor Gabi Clay-White found out she was pregnant. It was not a pregnancy she planned, and she found the news very difficult to accept. When someone suggested that she share her experience with Campus Echo readers, she checked with her parents and her counselor. They liked the idea. Here, she opens her diary to Echo readers. This is the first of three installments. Introduction: I have always been the type of person to be organized. You know, have everything planned out. After I graduated in May, I would move to Houston, Atlanta or Charlotte and become a producer for a primetime news station. Yep, for the next five years, I would work my way up the broadcasting industry ladder; by 2013, I would be nominated for an Emmy. It’s funny how things change ... November 23: Thanksgiving was yesterday and I ate like a pig. I have never eaten that much — something isn’t right with my body. I’m always tired and my breasts are sore. Oh, and let’s not even talk about my back! I’ve missed my period, too. PLEASE God … don’t let me be pregnant! Naw, I can’t be pregnant. I just can’t. I think I’ll go get a pregnancy test. Pray for me. November 30: I am pregnant. Wait, let me rewind. I got home from Wal-Mart and didn’t open up the test for a week! Why did it take me so long? I guess I just couldn’t

take the fact that I would be a mother. I finally decided to do the test. And there they were. Two pink lines. So I drank a whole bunch of water, waited an hour and took the test again. Two pink lines. Right now, I’m numb. I don’t feel anything. I’m not physically sick — yet. I don’t know how I am going to tell my parents, friends, family. I’m so scared. I called my boyfriend to tell him the results. He was quiet at first but said he would support me and the baby. I don’t know if I’m going to keep it or not. I don’t know how I’m going to take care of a baby. I don’t have a job lined up and I doubt a news station would wait until I have my baby to hire me. Why would they hire some pregnant girl when there are hundreds of other candidates who will be able to work the day after graduation? Maybe I can just have an abortion and forget everything that has happened in the last week. But, according to my religion, having an abortion is wrong. I remember seeing people in front of Planned Parenthood back home in California with picket signs and post-abortion pictures. Those pictures showed everything — the bloody fetus and broken bones. But, I think I’m only eight weeks along. So the baby probably looks like an egg — which means that it doesn’t even have a heartbeat, right? Right! So, that’s what I’ll do. December 6: I saw an advertisement in the Campus Echo for free ultrasounds until the

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Information Sessions Cargill Monday, March 24

third month at Pregnancy Support Services. I don’t know why, but I want to see what’s growing inside of me before I got rid of it. My friend Brooke went with me. since I don’t have any relatives in North Carolina and I needed support. At the Pregnancy Support Services office, they took me to the back. This lady introduced herself as Joyce and started asking me questions about my health and my religious views. Then she said PSS is a Christian-based office. Oh great! I was hoping she wouldn’t lecture me about keeping my baby. I had already made up my mind and I’m NOT changing it! I’m just not ready to take on the responsibility of another life. After the brief and uncomfortable session, she gave me a cup and told me to go pee in it. After about 15 minutes of waiting, Joyce took Brooke and me aside to read the results. “Congratulations!” she said. I just looked at Brooke and put my head down. I wanted to cry but the tears just wouldn’t come out. Joyce told me that next week they will confirm how far along I am and do an ultrasound. I’m nervous but I know I have to tell my parents soon — or at least before I have an abortion. December 7: Before I call my parents, I called my friend Blair. She lives back home in California and she knows almost everything about me. As soon as she got on the phone, I just blurted it out. I couldn’t hold it in anymore. At first, Blair screamed. I guess she was in disbelief. Then she started crying, asking me all these questions like, “Are you gonna keep it?” and “I want you to come out here and have the baby.” I felt like saying, “Well, what do you think I should do?” But now that I think about it, it doesn’t matter what Blair or anyone else thinks – this is MY life. The last thing Blair said was, “You know I’m going to support you, Gabrisha.” That made me feel a little better, to know that I’m not alone. My mother called soon after I got off the phone with Blair. It was now or never. My mom always knows when something is wrong with me. I broke down and just started crying. I told her I was pregnant and all she said was, “It’s alright, baby. You’re not the first and you’re not the last.” My mom told my dad because I was too nervous. But he took it well.

I told her to let things go. It’s not our battle. It’s the Lord’s. Sit and think, keep your focus on God and everything will be fine. BLAIR POWELL CHILDHOOD FRIEND

When we went to Pregnancy Support Services, it was scary because we knew that in an hour her life could change forever. BROOKE SELLARS NCCU SENIOR AND FRIEND

I prepared her to be the best. I have watched her grow and mature. I’m confident that she will be an excellent mother. LINDA CLAY-CARR

Gabi Clay-White

GABI’S MOTHER

RAY TYLER/Staff Photographer

I told my mom that I wanted to have an abortion. I think she was a little disappointed because this would have been her first grandchild. I had to call Planned Parenthood back home to schedule my termination appointment on the 22nd of December. After I got off the phone with my mom all I could do was cry. I didn’t want this child to come into this world and not have everything that I had. My mother had me when she was 30. She was financially and mentally stable. I’m not. I don’t think I can be as good a mother to my child as she was to me and that scares me. December 12: My boyfriend and I went to Pregnancy Support Services this morning. They did an ultrasound and we both wanted to cry. I’m six weeks pregnant. I can’t believe that another life is growing inside of me. Oh, and get this – it does have a heartbeat! Now I don’t know what to do. But the little flicker I see on the screen makes me realize this might not be all about me anymore.

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Career Fairs

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NCCU Spring Career Fair Thursday, March 27 10:00 am-1:00 pm

For More Information, Contact Career Services William Jones Building, Lower Level Hours of Operation Mon. - Fri. 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Phone: 919-530-6337 Email: nccucareerservices@nccu.edu

For more information or to get involved in Campus Ministries contact us at 530-5263 or e-mail us at mpage@nccu.edu

Michael D. Page Campus Minister

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December 29: I flew to California for the holidays and my aunt, uncle and cousin came out from Oklahoma. The 22nd came and went and I’m still pregnant. I decided to keep the baby. After seeing that ultrasound my heart changed. I’m still scared but I know I have support and help from people in California and North Carolina. I’ve been extremely moody and irritable. I’m always angry and I have a low tolerance for people right now. I’m guessing it’s the hormonal changes going through my body. I’ll be glad when it’s over. January 14: School started last week. It should be a happy time for me since I’m graduating in May. But it’s not. I don’t feel like doing anything but lie in the bed. I don’t have any motivation to go to class or to be around anyone. I haven’t written anything for the Campus Echo, I quit my internship at ABC-11 TV and my position as secretary for Team Paradyce, a modeling troupe. What’s wrong with me?

Oh, and I found out that my insurance from back home isn’t covered in North Carolina so I don’t know what to do. This is so stressful. On top of that, my boyfriend and I don’t get along at all now. I cry all the time. I just feel alone. But I’m too scared to let people know how I’m feeling. I HATE my life! January 28: I’ve had enough. I can’t take this anymore. On Friday, I made plans to kill myself. I was driving down Fayetteville Road and all I remember is a vivid picture of driving into a wall. I pulled over to the side of the road and just started crying. All I could think of was my unborn child. I don’t know what triggered the suicidal thoughts, but I do know that I have been extremely depressed lately. I had a doctor’s appointment today. My doctor told me I’ve been losing weight. As soon as I left the doctor’s office, I started crying again. I called my mom and told her I needed her to come to North Carolina. She’ll be here tomorrow morning. I just hope I can make it

Beyond NCCU

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

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Castro to step down after 50 years at helm No one in the Western hemisphere has held power as long as the Cuban leader BY FRANCES ROBLES MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS(MCT)

MIAMI – Facing miserable salaries, high food prices and laws that make most profitable activities illegal, Cubans are increasingly hoping that Fidel Castro’s decision to step down will open the island’s doors to significant economic reforms. Castro’s announcement Tuesday that he will not to seek reelection as president may be just the break his brother Raul had been waiting for, experts say. Raul, 76, is considered a reformer whose hands have been tied by the looming presence of an older brother who stepped aside because of an illness nearly 19 months ago, but continued to voice his opposition to reform from his hospital bed through his recurring newspaper columns. The announcement marks the official end of 49 years of rule by one of the world’s last communist rulers and a steady thorn on the side of U.S. presidents, although the 81-year-old is expected to remain a powerful voice as long as he lives. His carefully-managed succession of power deals a blow to South Florida’s exile community, which had long hoped to see the Castro dictatorship toppled. Cuba’s National Assembly meets Sunday to choose the 31 members of the Council of State, the government’s top body. They’re also expected to elect the Council’s president, the title long held by Castro. Most experts say the actual decision will be made exclusive-

ly by the two brothers, with an eye toward maintaining a socialist revolution in the face of apathetic youth and a frustrated public. With one Castro out of the way, the big question now is who will be chosen as Cuba’s next leader, and whether that person will have the authority to make changes that will put more food on Cubans’ tables and money in their pockets. As South Florida exiles clamor for democracy and freedom for the island, Cubans there cry for better housing, buses and lives in a country where the average monthly salary is $15. “Nobody talks about Fidel Castro anymore,” said dissident economist Oscar Espinosa Chepe. “What everybody talks about is change, change, change. And they think Raul Castro has been blocked from making those changes.” Castro announced in a letter published in the newspaper Granma Tuesday that his health will not allow him to accept another term as president. He did not say Raul would succeed him, or whether he would step down from his other powerful post as head of the Cuban Communist Party. He suggested he had lost mental faculties at one point during his illness, and hinted Raul had pressured him into clinging to his title until this week even though his health was poor. “It would be a betrayal to my conscience to accept a responsibility requiring more mobility and dedication than I am physically able to offer,” the letter said. “Fortunately, our

Revolution can still count on cadres from the old guard and others who were very young in the early stages of the process.” His absence from the political scene raises many new possibilities for the revolution, particularly since nearly two thirds of the country’s 11.2 million people were born after 1959 and have known no other leader but Fidel. Yet Castro’s successor will take office amid increasing complaints against the system’s shortcomings, particularly high prices and low wages. “The most important thing now is Feb. 24th, and whether or not they will elect Raul or someone like Vice President Carlos Lage, who could be the face of change – someone who if he goes too far can be sacrificed,” said Uva Aragon, associate director of Florida International University’s Cuban Research Institute. “If it gets out of hand, Raul can step in with repression, and if it works out, he can take the credit.” Raul must know the stakes are high. “I don’t think that Raul and the leadership around him have any misconceptions about how much pressure is being generated just below the surface,” said Brian Latell, a retired CIA expert on Cuba. “He has allowed a certain decompression with the young generation, and now he’s going to have to deliver.” Cubans in Miami took the news in stride, with some dismissing Castro’s resignation as an insignificant development while main-

Anti-American socialist • 1959: Begins to collectivize farms, expropriate Cuban, as well as U.S. and other foreign industry; makes reforms that favor the poor, many landowners flee • June 1960: U.S. slashes imports of Cuban sugar; Castro nationalizes about $850 million in U.S. property and businesses

Fidel Castro

• 1962: U.S. imposes full trade embargo, which is still in effect (limited sales of food, medicine resumed in 2000, 2001)

Spreader of the revolution

U.S. Enemy No. 1

Cuba’s charismatic leader has announced his retirement; illness forced him to cede power to his brother Raul in summer 2006, and he never returned; he is one of the world’s longest serving leaders, having ruled for 49 years.

Early life • 1926: Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz born Aug. 13 on his family’s sugar plantation • Educated at prestigious Jesuit schools, graduated from Havana University as a lawyer • 1950: Opens law practice in Havana; is shocked by contrast between his family’s comfort, others’ poverty

Young revolutionary • July 26, 1953: Leads failed attack on President Fulgencio Batista’s largest military post, is imprisoned • 1955: Released from prison; goes into exile in Mexico where he starts the 26th of July guerrilla movement • 1956: Returns to Cuba with a small rebel band, including his brother Raul and legendary Argentine Che Guevara; creates base in Sierra Masetra Mountains • Jan. 1, 1959: Overthrows Batista

• April 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion In an effort to incite an uprising against Castro, about 1,400 CIA-backed Cuban exiles invade at Bay of Pigs and are captured by Cuban forces

Friend of the Soviets • 1960: Calls Soviet leader Nikita Khruschchev a “good Cuban friend”; says U.S. trade policy drove Cuba to the Soviet Union, which remains Cuba’s main financial backer until 1989

First Vice President Raul Castro, Fidel’s younger brother (76); stand-in leader since summer 2006

• October 1962 Cuban missile crisis U.S. spy planes find missile sites in Cuba; after tense negotiations, Soviets pull missiles from Cuba in return for U.S. withdrawal of weapons from Turkey

Mariel boatlift In 1980, Castro opened Mariel port, urged dissidents to leave; thousands took to the sea on makeshift boats; many drowned, others were granted asylum in U.S.

‘Noiseless atom bomb’ Castro describing effects of trade embargo during U.N. speech, 1995

Source: PBS: The American Experience, BBC, CNN, MCT Photo Service

Graphic: Pat Carr, Lee Hulteng

taining hope for future change. While thousands of Cuban Americans took the streets in glee the night of July 31, 2006 when Fidel Castro first announced his illness, only a few dozen gathered in Little Havana Tuesday. Reaction was also muted in Cuba, where the streets were business-as-usual. Zaida Cuza, a 95-year-old reached at her home in Havana, said someone must

continue Castro’s legacy. “I am very sad. I love him a lot,” she said. “I want to see Raul get the job, although I know there are others who can also do the job.” But Laura Pollan, a member of the dissident group Ladies in White, said this is Raul’s chance to prove he is really interested in reform by freeing the more than 200 political prisoners in Cuba. Pollan’s husband, Hector

• 1979-1990: Pro-Castro Sandinistas, led by Daniel Ortega, rule in Nicaragua, are opposed by U.S.-backed Contras • 1975-1989: Castro sends troops to support socialist Angolan government • 1998: Castro’s ally, socialist Hugo Chavez, elected leader of Venezuela

Divisive ‘despot’ • Cuban economy suffered after Soviet Union collapsed; Castro opened Cuba somewhat to foreign investment and tourism, but chronic food shortages, poverty remain • Positive effects of rule: 99 percent literacy, low infant mortality rate, good free medical care for all

Maseda, is serving a 20-year sentence. In Africa, a visiting President Bush said he hoped this was the beginning of democracy for Cuba. “The international community should work with the Cuban people to begin to build institutions that are necessary for democracy,” Bush said. “Eventually, this transition ought to lead to free and fair elections.”

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Beyond NCCU

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

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Poverty pushes Mexican migrants to U.S. Promise of U.S. jobs even lures migrants who vowed to stay in Mexico BY ALFREDO CORCADO

“But then reality wakes you, and you ask yourself and your country, ‘Mexico, where is the future here?’”

DALLAS MORNING NEWS (MCT)

SOSNABAR, MEXICO — Yolanda Arzola’s childhood home is a twobedroom shack of adobe brick, overlooking a dry arroyo and lifeless cornfield. Unless you’re from here, the place may not look like much, said Arzola, who returned with her U.S.born children last month for the first time in six years. She had hoped the move back would be permanent. She had grown tired of the harsh treatment abroad against illegal immigrants like herself. “The minute you arrive, the emotion is so overwhelming that anything seems possible,” Arzola said as her sister washed clothes in a stream, scrubbing shirts with a stone. “But then reality wakes you, and you ask yourself and your country, ‘Mexico, where is the future here?’” This week, Arzola will say goodbye to her 97-year-old grandmother, sisters and brother and head back to Texas, then Florida. Her children, having grown restless, had already returned with relatives. Across the countryside of Guanajuato and neighboring states, the last serenades echo for many of Mexico’s returned migrants. Mexicans who returned home, it appears, may not be staying there in the numbers some experts had predicted. And that underscores some of the challenges facing President Felipe Calderon, now on his first U.S. visit since taking office in December 2006. The five-day tour features several meetings with migrants, and aides say his stump speech is likely to offer a state-ofthe-union message on the challenges of his administration, such as creating jobs for them back home. “What Mexicans want to hear is that Mexico’s economy can accommodate them, that they can come home to good-paying jobs,” said Mario Ramirez, a native of Mexico and restaurant owner in Dallas. “And that’s not going to happen because the economic engine in Mexico needs a double heart bypass. The only economic engine working is called the United States.” In Mexico, “the regional economy remains stuck in time and in salary,” said Luis Miguel Rionda, one of Mexico’s top immigration experts at the University of

YOLANDA ARZOLA MEXICAN MIGRANT FROM SOSNABAR, MEXICO

Yolanda Arzola, right, prepares to say goodbye to her 97-year-old grandmother, Josefina, and return to the United States to work. She had planned to stay home in, a small town in Guanajuato state, after being away for six years, but changed her mind when she saw how limited opportunities were there. ALFREDO CORCHADO/Dallas Morning News (MCT)

Guanajuato. With the minimum wage at about $4.50 a day, “it’s not very attractive to work in Mexico.” In spite of the wishes of many Mexicans to return to Mexico to live and work, “the old migration springboards continue to work,” he added. So with the holidays gone and money running out, Mexico’s migrants are leaving again. More than 1.2 million Mexicans

were expected to return home for the holidays, according to Mexican government estimates. The number now returning to the U.S. is not known, but interviews with several migrants and with state officials in Michoacan, Queretaro and particularly Guanajuato — the largest source of workers for North Texas — make clear that the push north has begun again. “Once the romance ends, they’re

off again because they’re used to a new way of life that’s difficult to give up again,” said Primitivo Rodriguez, coordinator for the Coalition of Political Rights of Mexicans Abroad, which keeps track of immigrant movements. “Poverty forces you to swallow your pride.” Tearful goodbyes are again playing out among torn families. “Dios te cuide, mi hija,” whispered Josefina Rayas to Arzola, 32, as grandmother and granddaughter embraced, tears running down their cheeks. “May God protect you, my daughter.” Other siblings, including brother German, lowered their heads in silence. In nearby Dolores Hidalgo, another town rich with immigrant ties to Dallas, Emmanuel Alatorre, director of the office for migrant affairs, said that once January was over, “shiny new trucks headed north, the music and parties ended. The tradition of going north won’t end overnight, especially when the jobs and pay they’ve grown used to are not here.” Not everyone is sad about these departures. To the east, in the town of Doctor Mora, Guanajuato, Mayor Ruben Dario Pina Martinez is planning a trip to Texas and Arizona in the coming months to meet with expatriates and ask them to continue sending money home. “Your hometown’s projects depend much on your generosity,” he said. He has several road and sewer projects under way, and the remittances are “extremely important in getting things done around here.” In the nearby town of Lomas de Buenavista, friends play a game of coin toss. The men all grew up together and found jobs at the same carpentry company in Tucson, Ariz. They returned home in December, vowing to stay, they said, even if it meant trading $19-an-hour jobs for jobs that might pay as little as $10 a day. But they have a Plan B. If by summer they grow restless, they’ll head north again to either New Mexico or Texas. “Everyone else here, except us, was going to Texas, Dallas, Fort

Worth, Waco,” said Moises Miranda, 26. “That’s where I’ll go, too. Besides, it’s closer to home (than Tucson), there are plenty of jobs and you don’t have to cross the Sonoran desert.” Arizona’s Sonoran desert, a traditional migrant route, has claimed hundreds of lives over the years, including at least a half-dozen from this community. Meanwhile, foes of illegal immigration call on Calderon “to keep his people home,” said Jean Towell, president and co-founder of the Dallas-based Center for Immigration Reform. “The best scenario, which so many seem to want to give Mexico a pass on, would be for the country of Mexico to admit to their failure to take care of their own citizens and take responsibility that is theirs.” But the U.S. economy, particularly in North Texas, remains a powerful lure. Roberto Rubi, his friends and cousins _ six in all _ also returned to Providencia in December and intended to stay. Then they were bombarded with calls from relatives in McKinney, Texas, urging them to return. There were too many roofs to build, too many yards to landscape and tables to clean back in North Texas. Three weeks ago, they decided to return. But they were caught and deported by the U.S. Border Patrol. The men returned to Providencia, sat down and over a game of cards and plotted their next attempt to push north, this time, perhaps, through Eagle Pass, Texas, or El Paso, they said. “We have nothing to come home to,” Mr. Rubi explained. “What are we going to do here ... especially when we know the jobs await us there?” Watching them mingle near her grandmother’s home is Arzola, who has worked in North Texas, Houston and Florida. She empathizes with her neighbors. “There’s something about the water in the United States,” she said. “Once you taste it, you’re hooked for life. You miss it. You crave it. You’re hooked.”

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Beyond NCCU

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

Huckabee, on a shoestring budget, generated high Web traffic on his site by welcoming user-generated videos, many of them inspired by Huckabee’s tongue-in-cheek Internet ad with Chuck Norris. And John McCain, the likely GOP nominee who showed how online fundraising could fuel a campaign in 2000, has been a leader in search advertising. His campaign bought thousands of keywords on Google and Yahoo portals designed to lure users to McCain’s Web site. Eric Frenchman, an Internet strategist for McCain, estimated the campaign brought in $3 to $4 for every $1 spent on search ads. But the extent of Obama’s online fundraising prowess — $28 million in January, with signs that total will be exceeded this month _ has outstripped all competitors and stunned many political analysts. About 90 percent of that money came in donations of $100 or less, allowing donors to give again every few weeks _ up to the limit of $2,300 each for the primary and general elections. GOP strategist All said he knew Obama was onto something when he visited a friend in Ohio last summer who planned to contribute $10 or $15 a month to Obama. “That campaign understood ahead of everyone else that you don’t need to rely on mega-bucks and bundlers, and I’m afraid some Republicans still don’t get that,” All said. Obama’s huge donor base, now approaching 1 million, allowed a long-shot campaign to grow into a national force, outspending Hillary Clinton in state after state. And it freed up Obama to campaign while

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A sad note in NC history

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Book sheds light on ‘unspeakable’ injustice

Clinton had to spend time with fundraising events. “This is a wonderful, new development,” said Zephyr Teachout, a leader of the Howard Dean campaign in 2004, which raised a total of $27 million online over many months. “Instead of calling rich people for money, you can concentrate on your campaign.” The campaign invested early in Internet infrastructure, spending $2 million in 2007 on software and hardware. Some of Obama’s new-media leaders, such as Joe Rospars, came from the Dean campaign and Blue State Digital, a consulting firm. Steve Westly, a former eBay executive and California co-chair for Obama, said the campaign counted on tech-savvy supporters to “put together the very best online fundraising tools,” which really kicked in as Obama gained momentum. In California, the Obama campaign used the Webmanagement tools of Central Desktop to organize its field operation. But the Clinton campaign, using online networking and more traditional campaigning, relied on its army of cell phone users to make 2 million calls in the weekend before the primary. Clinton won California by 9 percentage points. The Obama campaign has gone beyond fundraising in its use of other new technologies. The goal is to foster a community that does more than give money _ writing e-mails and letters to superdelegates, attending house parties and other events, making phone calls and going door to door. It helps that many supporters are younger voters who are digital natives.

They helped make Obama speech clips and a “Yes We Can” music video as popular as Britney Spears on YouTube. Internet activists were also attracted to Obama’s early support for the free use of video content such as TV networks’ campaign debate clips. “Friends” of Obama on Facebook get automatic news feeds from the campaign sent to their profiles, which are then seen by other friends. The campaign mass-texts news updates (“CNN just projected Obama wins Wisconsin”) and reminders of where to vote in upcoming primaries. “The use of texting is a big thing, a very effective way to communicate and give people a way to take action,” said Julie Germany, director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet. Teachout, the Dean campaign veteran who has done some volunteer work for Obama, said Obama’s organizers learned from both the Dean and the George Bush campaigns of 2004 about ways to use the Internet to supplement field organizations. One Dean veteran who competed fiercely with the Obama campaign _ Joe Trippi, chief strategist for Edwards _ praised Obama for building the best Internet-driven, “bottomup” campaign he has seen in politics. “We were like the Wright Brothers (in 2004), a flimsy little thing with propellers,” Trippi told a New Democrat Network gathering last week in Washington. “Just four years later, they’re landing on the moon.” Staff writer Mary Anne Ostrom contributed to this report.

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ATTENTION!!! REVISED SUMMER SCHOOL DATES FOR 2008 1ST SESSION: May 19 – June 24, 2008 2nd SESSION: July 1 – August 4, 2008 DUAL SESSION: May 19 – August 4, 2008 TEACHER’S SESSION: June 2 –June 24, 2008

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BY LARISHA STONE ECHO STAFF WRITER

Junius Wilson was born into the world with two strikes against him in Jim Crow-ruled North Carolina — he was deaf, and he was black. In 1925, Wilson was accused of the attempted rape of a relative and found insane at a lunacy hearing. He was committed to the criminal ward of the N.C. State Hospital for the Colored Insane. There, he was surgically castrated and forced to labor for the state for more than seven decades. Historians Susan Burch and Hannah Joyner tell his story in their new book “Unspeakable: The Story of Junius Wilson.” They will read passages from and sign copies of the book Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Regulator Bookshop on Ninth Street in Durham. “Fundamentally, what happened to Wilson highlights the extent of what a society based on hierarchy and violence can do to its most vulnerable members,” said Burch. Using legal records, insti-

tutional files and extensive oral history interviews-— some conducted in sign language — Burch and Joyner pieced together Wilson’s story. The authors speculated that Wilson’s white jailer, judge, and jury likely saw the charge against him as proof of his racial inferiority. Joyner said, “Like the image of the savage black rapist in ‘Birth of a Nation,’ a movie that played to packed houses in Wilmington the week he was sentenced, Wilson seemed threatening.”

Burch and Joyner encountered some difficulty when gathering information for the biography. “Wilson left behind few precious clues — like diaries or letters — that show how he saw his life and the world around him,” said Burch. “The richest sources for us were the many interviews — some in sign language — that we conducted with friends, family and others who knew Wilson.” The authors’ purpose for writing the book was to shed light into the unexamined corners of American society and history. “African Americans from all walks of life remain in the margins of too many of our academic studies, as do deaf people of all walks of life; these two populations are both everywhere present and far too rarely seen,” said Joyner. “Institutionalized people are almost always left out of the story of our past, so it is certainly our hope that this book will encourage others to investigate people who at first glance seem to be unknowable or invisible.”

We Serve Halal

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

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PHOTO ESSAY

asib Abdullah wakes up every morning around 5 a.m. to head to Africa — not literally to the continent but to his restaurant, New Visions of Africa. But first he prays and thanks Allah for the new day. New Visions is nestled in the heart of the Durham’s historic Hayti district at 1306 Fayetteville Street. Abdullah opened his establishment four years ago. As you cross New Vision’s threshold you smell a medley of savory aromas: jerk and curry chicken, ox tails, lamb, goat, fish, greens, mac and cheese, rice, beans and yams. The traditional soul food menu reminds you of what grandma fixed for Thanksgiving, but better, because Abdullah has a purpose behind his business – his loyalty to the commnuity. It’s delicious and inexpensive. A typical meal of jerk chicken with rice and two sides costs about $7. The Newark, N.J. native explained why he came to Durham. “When I was young, I wanted to head South,” said Abdullah. “Durham is centrally located,” he said. “I like the mindset of the people.” Abdullah said he grew tired of the

SHELBIA BROWN street life in Newark. But he added having a “hustler mentality” helped him get New Visions started. Abdullah said he always thought of himself as an entrepreneur. Before opening New Visions, Abdullah and his brothers operated three grocery businesses in Newark. Even then, he said, he wanted to incorporate community values into his business just as he does today. To that end a group called “Believers United for Progress” was established in New Visions. “We never abandoned community life,” he said. “Without community life there is no life.” In the 1960s, Abdullah converted to Islam from Christianity, which, he said, was a change he needed. A white sign floats atop the restaurant with the words “We Serve Halal.” “Halal” in Arabic means “permissible.” The word is used to describe food that, in the Islamic culture, is regarded as pure and edible. Islamic dietary law forbids the consumption of pork. Abdullah said he does not regard New Visions as his establishment but as a community established under God.

Top left: New Visions of Africa is located in Durham’s historic Hayti District on Fayetteville Street, just blocks from N.C. Central University. Middle left: Kasib Abdullah, founder of New Visions of Africa, takes a break in the restaurant’s dining area. Bottom left: Abdullah stands by a sign that serves as the restaurant’s credo: “This establishment was set up by ALLAH (G’d).”

Top left: The dining room in New Visions of Africa displays African masks and other art on its walls. Customers are welcome to use the restaurants Wi-Fi service.

Top left: Abdullah serves up some chicken with beans and rice and a side of green beans and yams.

Top left: Abdullah puts the finishing touches on a pot of gravy.

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

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Sports

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

Director Undecided Board of trustees and chancellor to select next athletic director

Seniors bid farewell Lady Eagles leave Livingstone ‘pink’ BY QUENTIN GARDNER ECHO SPORTS EDITOR

Interim Athletic Director Ingrid Wicker-McCree continues to lead NCCU through its reclassification to NCAA Division I competition. BRYSON POPE/Echo Staff Photographer

BY ANIELLE DA SILVA ECHO SPORTS REPORTER

Many have said nothing but positive things about Ingrid Wicker-McCree, N.C. Central University’s interim athletic director. “The depth of Ingrid’s experience will continue to serve the University,” said Chancellor Charlie Nelms. A native of Durham and graduate of C.E. Jordan High School, WickerMcCree earned her undergraduate degree in criminal justice from George Washington University. She later received a Master’s degree in recreation resources administration from North Carolina State University. She is currently completing her doctoral studies in higher education adminis-

tration at N.C. State. Wicker-McCree has held a variety of leadership positions, most notably as president of the CIAA. Serving as a CIAA executive board member from 2004 to 2007, WickerMcCree became the second woman to ever hold that position in conference history. She has also served as a member of the NCAA’s Division II Legislation Committee since 2003. In recognition of her work, Wicker-McCree received the CIAA Leadership Award for services as executive board president and was named the CIAA senior Woman Administrator of the year in 2006. Now entering her 14th year at NCCU, WickerMcCree has been one of the driving forces behind

Former Eagle RB in ICU BY QUENTIN GARDNER ECHO SPORTS EDITOR

N.C. Central University’s all-time leading rusher Greg Pruitt, Jr. remains in critical condition after being critically wounded at a home in S h a k e r Heights, Oh. Sunday night. According to S h a k e r Greg Pruitt, Jr H e i g h t s police, Pruitt was visiting a friend’s house at 10 p.m. Sunday night when he was shot in the head. Three people were in the home at the time; however, Pruitt was the only one shot. The suspect fled the scene. Acting Shaker Heights police chief Scott Lee said Pruitt was alert and responsive while being transported to the hospital. Shaker Heights Councilman Brian Parker said five

detectives are investigating the case. Pruitt underwent surgery Monday morning at Huron Hospital and remains in the intensive care unit. Pruitt, Jr, the son of former Cleveland Brown and Oakland Raider running back Greg Pruitt, Sr., rushed for 3,008 yards at NCCU from 2004-2006. Pruitt, Jr. is the only player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in two consecutive seasons. He was also awarded the AggieEagle Classic’s Offensive Most Valuable Player Award in 2006. In his final game at NCCU, Pruitt, Jr. amassed 147 allpurpose yards against Elizabeth City State University en route to winning the CIAA Championship MVP award in 2006. On May 4, Pruitt, Jr. signed as a rookie free agent to the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.

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NCCU’s reclassification to NCAA Division I. She has overseen the internal operations of the athletics department since 1998. "It has been a great honor and privilege to continue serving NCCU and the Department of Athletics,” said Wicker-McCree. “This is yet another way my skills and abilities can best serve the most important aspect of this University –– the students." The first coach in school history to win conference championships in multiple sports, she captured the school’s first-ever CIAA titles in softball (1998) and volleyball (1999, 2004, 2005). A three-time CIAA volleyball coach of the year (1999, 2002, 2005) and former member of the NCAA Division II National Volleyball Committee,

Wicker-McCree earned 239 match victories in 12 seasons as a head volleyball coach. She was also inducted into the Alex M. Rivera Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 as head coach of the 1998 softball team. Wicker-McCree’s actions speak for themselves and inspires other individuals. “I think Coach Wicker is a diligent, hard-working woman in whom I confide, and who the majority of the athletic department go to for her opinions as a result of her trustworthiness,” said NCCU head volleyball coach Georgette CrawfordCrooks. The board of trustees and the chancellor will decide whether WickerMcCree will be selected to be NCCU’s next athletic director.

On Feb. 16, the N.C. Central University Lady Eagles finished their 200708 campaign with a home victory over Livingstone College 59-45. Throughout the game, NCCU displayed tough defense and good inside shooting to defeat the Lady Blue Bears. The Lady Eagles shot 42 percent from the field in comparison to Livingstone’s 39 percent. NCCU controlled the boards with 34 to only 25 for Livingstone. Many of NCCU’s offensive rebounds lead to 18 second chance scoring opportunities. Despite trailing 27-22 at the half, the Lady Eagles surged by scoring 37 points in the second half for the victory. The game was NCCU’s senior night where they said goodbye to senior guards Casey Daniel and Jennifer Hukill. Hukill led the Lady Eagles by scoring 15 points, including four of seven from three-point range. Hukill captured NCCU’s all-time three field goal record in the Lady Eagles’ win over Lincoln University on Feb. 8.

Hukill, a Greensboro native, mentions a few memories from her two-year career with the Lady Eagles. “It has been a pleasure to win the CIAA last year; one of my goals was to help a team win a championship,” said Hukill. “I was so thrilled to break the school record. I never imagined I would make that much of an impact at NCCU.” Friends, family members, teammates and coaches joined in to honor Daniel and Hukill after the game. Lady Eagles’ head coach, Joli Robinson was impressed with her teams’ performance in their season finale. “ There was a lot going on today,” said Robinson. The Lady Eagles wore pink uniforms to honor the Women’s Basketball Coaching Association’s “Think Pink” Initiative in efforts to raise breast cancer awareness. “It was historic to play in the pink uniforms. That might have been a distraction, but I wanted them to know how important this was.” The victory served as the Lady Eagles’ first straight home victory. NCCU finished the season with 6-20 record.

2008 NCCU football schedule BY QUENTIN GARDNER ECHO SPORTS EDITOR

N. C. Central University released its football schedule for the upcoming 2008 season yesterday. Last season, NCCU finished its inaugural NCAA Division I with a 6-4 record. This year’s schedule features five home and six road contests for NCCU. The Eagles are scheduled to play in Virginia, Maryland, Connecticut, South Carolina and California. In 2005, NCCU played 12 football games and never left North Carolina. NCCU will open the season at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium against Fayetteville State on Aug. 31 for the Labor Day Classic. On Sept. 6, NCCU will have its first road game against James Madison.

JMU has been in the playoffs three consecutive seasons. The Eagles will renew their heated rivalry against North Carolina A&T on Oct. 4; however, the location for the contest has yet to be announced. Last year, nearly 20,000 fans witnessed the Eagles and Aggies in Greensboro. NCCU will round out its home schedule with backto-back contests against Winston-Salem State and Savannah State in November. Presbyterian College will host the Eagles on Oct. 11. Last season, they had the third-ranked offense in FCS competition. NCCU’s Nov. 8 battle with Cal Poly will pit the Eagles against the 24th ranked team in the nation as well as mark NCCU’s first journey to California in 20 years.

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Senior guards Casey Daniel and Jennifer Hukill are pictured in McClendon-McDougald Gym, Feb. 16. Photo Courtesy of NCCU Athletics

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Opinions

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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2008

IVER SITY

Spend money, win Oscar f watching the Oscars this year has taught me anything, it’s that it pays to be deliciously evil. Moderately menacing or just plain bad won’t do. The two winners who everyone Kenice predicted, Mobley Javier Bardem and Daniel Day-Lewis, portrayed characters who play with the line of sanity and captivate audiences from the moment they appear onscreen. Past Oscars confirm a trend toward the deranged, notably Charlize Theron in “Monster,” Denzel Washington in “Training Day” and Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland.”

Recent conversations with my classmates have suggested that the show is out of touch with the general American public.

Other trends come to light after several viewings of the Academy Awards over time. Drama wins over comedy. Comedies may be nominated, but rarely get best picture or acting awards. People also can expect not to see science fiction or action films winning Oscars in the major categories. If the last two years are any indication, it also helps not to be too popular. Four out of five of this year’s nominees for best picture were not released in most theaters nationwide. This year, European

birth also seemed to be beneficial. All the awards for acting were presented to English, Irish, French or Spanish actors. Above all, it doesn’t hurt to have exorbitant amounts of money. In the major categories, only one film, “Once,” was produced for less than $10 million, and it only won best song. While large sums of money can help producers get the best talent or polish the overall look, the lack of it seems to limit access to this form of approbrium. As a result, more independent, urban, and honest pieces are often

left out of awards nominations. In addition to being expensive to create, films nominated by the academy are typically aimed toward a more educated, affluent audience. Recent conversations with classmates suggest that the show is out of touch with the general American public. And it seems that biases within the awards reflect industry-wide trends. While film production necessitates certain amounts of capital, do films, regardless of quality, need to be expensive to gain recognition or

popularity? Even with all the flaws in the Academy Awards (and the industry as a whole), the show is still watched by millions of people around the world and occasionally expresses a progressive ideology. While much of the country was embroiled in a debate over a Constitutional amendment to ban homosexual unions, the Academy recognized a film with a homosexual love story. “Brokeback Mountain” focuses on two cowboys who form a delicate relationship that spans decades. In many ways, the Oscars awards have improved in the last decade, awarding prizes to a greater variety of artists. I hope inclusion is a trend that will become more prevalent in future Academy Awards ceremonies.

Let’s do the housing shuffle “BEFORE WE GET STARTED… It is important to note that the number of applications received routinely exceeds the number of spaces available for housing. Although we will do our best to accommodate specific lifestyle, halls and roommate requests, it is important to note that the assignments process is based on available space and does not guarantee a specific room or accommodation for every applicant.”

Britney Rooks

Truth be told, making an early deposit doesn’t mean you’ll get what you want for your money.

hese are the opening words of encouragement from N.C. Central University’s guide to the 2008-2009 fall room signup process. Every student pays a non-refundable annual fee of $100 to guarantee housing for the next year, if he or she plans to return. So why does Residential Life “routinely” continue to accept applications long after the limit of 1,847 living spaces has been exceeded? Also, why are students encouraged to pay

their deposit early — as if this early payment will help get them a room or roommate of their choice? Truth be told, making an early deposit doesn’t mean you’ll get what you want for your money. Once again, this year’s housing sign-ups will take place on the University website. Last year, many students, including I, were misguided as to how to electronically sign up for their rooms. Many students followed a misleading link posted on the site.

N ORTH C AROLINA C ENTRAL U NIVERSITY

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This caused us to inaccurately apply for housing, and to be placed in a luck-of-thedraw shuffle game. Eventually I was told I could pick from two or three residential halls in which I had no interest in living. And I wasn’t alone — this reflects the experience of many students. Residential Life needs to communicate more and be better organized. If everyone has paid their money equally, I think it is only fair to treat every student equally when it comes

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to his or her housing. The process would be much more fair if students got to select their rooms on a firstcome, first-served basis. Students should be allowed to make their room selection the moment they pay their housing fee. Also, is it really fair that, regardless of classification, residents of Eagle Landing and Campus Crossings are allowed to retain their living quarters before everyone else? Why isn’t everyone required to start out fresh when they begin the sign-up process? Or why doesn’t everyone else get the opportunity to retain their room assignments? This year, I hope, more students will actually receive the rooms they selected.

drawing by Rashaun Rucker

Question: How do you feel about cell phone use in classrooms? “They should be on silent or they can turn them off, sometimes they go off in someone’s purse and it takes a long time for the person to turn it off.” — Tiara Rivers

“They should be allowed in class as long as they are turned off. Some teachers give out pop quizzes if a phone goes off in class.” —Ashley Fitzgerald

“They can wait till after class to use their phones, for the most part, unless it’s an emergency, I feel that it’s not that important. ” — Kevin McCloskey