February 26, 2014

N

FEBRUARY 26, 2014

O R T H

C

A R O L I N A

1801 FAYETTEVILLE STREET DURHAM, NC 27707

Campus. . . . . . . . . .

1-3

Feature. . . . . . . . . . .

4-5

Beyond. . . . . . . . . . .

6-7

A&E . . . . . . . . . . . . .

8

Sports . . . . . . . . . . .

9

Opinions . . . . . . . . .

10

C

UN

E N T R A L

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

I V E R S I T Y

VOLUME 105, ISSUE 8 919 530.7116/CAMPUSECHO@NCCU.EDU WWW.CAMPUSECHO.COM

@CAMPUSECHO

Campus

Beyond

A&E

Feature

Nice work if you can get it: Work study positions in short supply

Trayvon Martin shooter plays the victim, claims to have PTSD

Gay rapper Tim’m West is a voice for LGBT community

Bull City Revived: What’s new in downtown Durham

Page 2

Page 7

Page 8

Page 4-5

Campus Echo

Back to the Motherland

ARCHIBALD MOTLEY MASTERPIECES AT THE NASHER

Student-led project to take young African Americans to Ghana

BY ALEX SAMPSON ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

In summer 2012, Randy Person Jr. went on a lifealtering excursion.

Person, an N.C. Central University political science and history junior, spent six weeks in the Republic of Ghana with the Duke in Ghana Summer Program.

The annual two-course program allows Duke and non-Duke students an opportunity to immerse themselves in a complex, cultural experience.

Western images of West Africa often depict the region as uncivilized, crime-ridden and corrupt.

During his time overseas, Person – a Centennial Scholar – said the reality was different from what he expected.

“A lot of people say in poverty areas, that’s where crime comes from,” he

said.

“I saw the total opposite.”

Instead, Person received a culture shock.

What he saw was peace.

Person said that while the Ghanaians they saw were impoverished, the peace among them inspired him to reevaluate the materialism in Western society.

“I went over there with Jordans, Foam Posits, Nikes — and I left them,” Person said. “I went over there with clothes and I left them.”

What Person did bring back, however, was a sense of purpose.

Two years later, Person is on the cusp of recreating his experience.

Person plans to take 16 other young African Americans to the West African country for his Ghana Project 2014. The goal is to find 8 women and

n See GHANA Page 3

Archibald Motley’s oil painting, “Black Belt,” completed in 1934. Motley’s paintings of black urban life are considered hallmarks in black art.

Photo courtesy of the Hampton University Museum

STORY

BY

KENNETH MOORE

ECHO STAFF REPORTER

As Black History Month is wrapping up, one might consider visiting the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. There one will find 42 works of art by the AfricanAmerican jazz modernist Archibald John Motley Jr. Born in 1891 in New Orleans, Motley is considered a master of the black urban landscape of the early 20th century, yet is virtually unknown to the public.

“We are extremely proud to present this dazzling selection of paintings by Archibald Motley, a master colorist and radical interpreter of urban culture,” said Sarah Schroth, director of the Nasher Museum, on the museum’s

web site.

“His work is as vibrant today as it was 70 years ago. With this groundbreaking exhibition, we are honored to introduce this important American artist to the general public and help Motley’s name enter the annals of art

history.”

Some of Motley’s notable oil paintings include “Blues,” “Black Belt,” “Hot Rhythm,” “The Picnic,” “Barbecue,” and “Tongues (Holy Rollers)” – all of

n See MOTLEY Page 8

NCCU mourns fallen Eagle BY

JAMAR NEGRON

ECHO ASSISTANT EDITOR

Heddy herry herry herry herry herry herry herry herry herry.

Alex Sampson/Echo editor-in-chief

When music and mass communication junior Ashlynn Hailey left class on the evening of Monday, Feb. 10, a strange sight greeted her.

On Lawson Street in front of the cafeteria, a group of people huddled around a young man who had collapsed on the sidewalk.

Hailey and her friend walked closer to get a better look.

She was astonished to find that the man who had collapsed was her friend, 20-

year-old theatre sophomore, Devonté Squire.

“It just seems so unreal,” Hailey said.

“Who thinks they’re going to walk out of class to see their friend on the floor dying?”

Hailey said that after 15 minutes, EMS arrived to try to resuscitate Squire.

She said a police officer told her the situation was dire. “If I were you, I would pray,” the officer said.

Hailey said that after about 30 minutes of trying to

bring Squire back, an officer gave her devastating news — Devonté Squire was dead.

Early life Devonté Squire was born May 29, 1993 in Running Rapids, N.C. He grew up in Gaston, N.C. with his mother and three siblings: sister Jalisa, 18, and brothers Ramell, 14, and Jamon. 7.

Jalisa Squire said Devonté was a free-spirited and laid-back brother who always went out of his way to make sure she was OK. “He was the best brother

I could ask for,” she said.

Jalisa Squire said she could be hardheaded at times and that Devonté always supported her and helped her make the right decisions.

“Devonté would pull me to the side and say, ‘Jalisa this is not the way to go.’” she said.

History junior Teresa Powell grew up with Devonté, from elementary to middle school to high school.

Powell said her friend was humble and fun to be around.

n See DEVONTÉ Page 2

Dan River spill one of largest in US history

BY CRAIG JARVIS NEWS AND OBSERVER (MCT)

More than two weeks after a massive leak of coal ash from a Duke Energy power plant poured into a river along the North Carolina-Virginia border, the full extent of damage to the environment is still unfolding.

On Tuesday, state regulators said a second stormwater pipe at the company’s plant is spilling elevated levels of arsenic into the Dan River. And federal officials issued their first assessment of the disaster, raising the specter of long-

term harm to aquatic life, reaching as far as Kerr Lake.

The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Tuesday afternoon ordered Duke Energy to immediately halt discharges from the second pipe. Tests revealed the water was toxic, and a camera snaked into the pipe showed leaks – ranging from a trickle to gushing – where sections of the pipe joined together.

The state agency had expressed concern about the second leak on Friday, but regulators didn’t know what was in the water that was coming through the pipe and

into the river until Tuesday.

The Feb. 2 spill occurred when a 48-inch reinforced concrete and corrugated steel stormwater runoff pipe beneath the ash pond broke, drawing water and between 30,000 and 39,000 tons of coal ash into the river. The second pipe, 36 inches in diameter and built in 4-foot sections, also ran under the pond. The pond has been emptied of water, but coal ash remains.

In the interest of transparency, DENR on Tuesday posted online the video inspection of the pipe at http://alturl.com/yx5zq. The department is having a briefing for reporters on

Wednesday to answer criticism.

Environmentalists and others have complained of a cozy relationship between Gov. Pat McCrory’s administration and Duke Energy, noting McCrory worked for Duke for 28 years. The U.S. attorney’s office has subpoenaed records between DENR and Duke going back to 2010.

Democratic legislative leaders on Tuesday called on McCrory to release his correspondence with Duke Energy since he declared his candidacy for governor in 2011.

n See SPILL Page 6

A ruptured stormwater pipe led to thousands of tons of coal ash being dumped into the Dan River, endangering waterways as far as Virginia.

Photo courtesy of Waterkeeper Alliance

Campus

2 N

O R T H

C

A R O L I N A

C

E N T R A L

UN

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

IVERSITY

DEVONTÉ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“It doesn’t matter what you wear, it doesn’t matter what you look like.

Love yourself and love the life you’ve been given and live it.”

JALISA SQUIRE SISTER OF DEVONTÉ SQUIRE SPEAKING ABOUT THE LESSON SHE LEARNED FROM HER BROTHER

“He was really nice,” she said. “He kept me laughing.

Just by meeting him, you would automatically fall in love with him.”

Powell said Devonté was academically gifted and often helped his friends with homework.

“He could’ve been Einstein Jr.,” Jalisa Squire said.

“I don’t know where he got it from.”

Devonté at NCCU Devonté received a full scholarship to N.C. Central University.

Jalisa said she was very proud of her brother for getting into college and was happy he chose to major in something he loved.

“He loved acting,” she said. “That’s all he did.”

She said he would sing in front of the television, using the remote control as a microphone.

Theatre junior Toni Oliver said Devonté was dedicated to his craft.

“He just loved theatre,” Oliver said. “He was a really

good actor.”

She said he would commit to the character he was playing and put his full effort into his performance.

Theatre sophomore Sheldon Mba said Devonté wanted to teach theatre and start a theatre department at Northampton High School in Gaston.

Mba remembers Devonté as consistently positive.

“You could never know if anything really bothered him,” he said. “It’s the mask that we wish we could all wear.”

Oliver said Devonté was very happy and “never had a bad day.”

“There was never a day that he wasn’t himself,” she said.

Ashlynn Hailey met Devonté her freshman year.

They soon became close friends. She said Devonté was “one of a kind.”

“He was a good person and had a good heart,” Hailey said.

“He went out of his way to do things for people,” Mba said. “He was a really good

friend.”

Hailey, Oliver and Mba agreed that one of Devonté’s best characteristics was his ability to be himself.

“He was very confident in who he was,” Hailey said.

Friends and family react Oliver was on her way back to her dorm when she heard someone had collapsed and died on Lawson Street. She first thought it must have been an older man.

Mba was leaving his job when he heard the news; Powell was on her way to work.

“It was a state of shock,” Mba said.

Powell said Devonté did not seem ill or in danger of dying.

“You wouldn’t think that it was something that would happen to him,” she said.

At the scene of his death, Devonté’s aunt Danitra Squire lamented the loss of her nephew, who she considered her son.

“I know God don’t make no mistakes,” she said.

“But he was just too young.”

The news was especially devastating to Jalisa Squire, who turned 18 on the day her brother died.

She was at home when she received the news.

“I didn’t even know how to handle that situation,” she said, adding that he had called her that morning to wish her a happy birthday.

Oliver said in the days after his death, Devonté’s friends made sure to stamp out any outlandish stories they had heard about what had caused his death.

“We were very defensive about it,” Oliver said.

In an email about Devonté’s cause of death, University Police Chief Timothy Bellamy wrote that “it may be several months before an official cause of death is released.”

Jalisa Squire said her brother died of an aneurysm.

Devonté had been diagnosed with high blood pressure three years ago.

African Americans are especially at risk for high blood pressure, a contributing cause of aneurysms, according to WebMD.com.

Devonté’s family and friends said his life far overshadowed his unexpected death.

“I want them to remember him for his life that he lived,” Mba said.

“When you think of Devonté you can’t think of nothing but a smile.”

Jalisa said Devonté’s life

Devonté Squire died unexpectedly on Feb. 10. His friends and family remember him as a positive influence who loved acting.

Photo courtesy of Durham Family Theatre

was a lesson in love.

She said he taught her self-love.

“It doesn’t matter what you wear, it doesn’t matter what you look like.

“Love yourself and love the life you’ve been given

and live it.”

She said the family has been working through losing their loved one.

“It will never be the way it used to be, but we’re making it,” Jalisa said.

“He’s going to be missed.”

Work study shortage stresses students Unexpected work study opportunities send students into a frenzy

BY ALEX SAMPSON ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

On Jan. 22 at 2:58 p.m., the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid emailed N.C. Central University students about limited work study opportunities for Spring 2014.

The email notified students that they would be awarding 300 contracts for $500 each.

That same day at 4:27 p.m., the office sent another email announcing that they would no longer accept work study applications for Spring 2014.

“Work study for Spring 2014 has ended due to your overwhelming response. All funds have been awarded. We thank you for your commitment to work,” the email read.

According to Sharon Oliver, director of the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, 400 students responded to the email before the link to submit was closed. Of those 400, 295 were eligible.

Contracts were available to students on Jan. 28. They had until Feb. 5 to get supervisors to sign off and to return the contract to the office. By the deadline, 212 students had completed this process.

212 contracts, few jobs There was a catch, however.

Receiving a contract does not mean you have a job. And as it turned out, few departments had

open positions.

Tia Doxey, director of student life assessment and supervisor at the LGBT Center, said the Center received 12 new work studies this semester. She had to redirect 5 or 6 students and an unknown number of calls.

“Rather than say no, I started calling departments,” Doxey said.

Kesha Lee, director of student disability services, said eight to 10 students requested jobs, but she had no openings.

“I’ve never had this many calls ever,” Lee said.

Like Doxey, Lee directed students to other departments instead of simply declining.

In the fall, Lee hired four undergraduate and two graduate students, all of whom returned in the spring.

Lee said she prefers to keep her students busy, so she limits the number of students she accepts.

She said that since many work study students in her department return, it’s unclear how many positions she’ll have in the fall.

“Because in the fall we do extensive programming, I could see us taking on maybe two or three more.”

What about the other 188?

Criminal justice freshman Alexis Farmer was approved for work study in the fall, but couldn’t find a position. This semester, her application was not approved at all, even though her financial situ-

ation hadn’t changed since last semester.

She said depended on work study to support herself and her one-year-old daughter, who lives with Farmer’s mother in Rockingham, N.C. Farmer said her refund check went to books and other supplies.

“I needed work study for some things my child might need or I might need,” she said.

She lives on campus, hoping to save for an apartment so her daughter can stay with her.

“I was banking on [work study] but she’ll have to stay with my mama until I get back on my feet,” Farmer said.

She said she has sought off-campus employment, but that her chances are slim.

“I don’t have experience so no one is calling back,” Farmer said.

Work study requirements Oliver said not everyone who applies and shows interest in work study qualifies.

To receive an assignment, students must be receiving financial aid; be enrolled in the semester they’re applying for; have unmet financial need, and have a valid ID and birth certificate or social security card.

No set income amount is required. The student aid office determines each candidate’s need based on information in their financial aid application.

Oliver said students must

Jasmine Hardison, elementary education junior, on her work study shift with community service.

Kimane Darden/Echo staff photographer

understand that new contracts are usually not offered for the spring semester.

Contracts for continuing students are awarded in April and for incoming students in August. this year, the Office provided opportunities in the spring because they had extra money.

“If we can project that students

Kiddie Kollege Early Learning Center Preschool and infant/toddler locations just blocks from NCCU

PROMPT • PROFESSIONAL • COURTEOUS

NCCU STUDENT DISCOUNTS

919.688.2821 Discounts for NCCU employees and students

some restrictions apply

for reservations 919.682.0437 855.682.0437 (toll free) reservations@abctaxicabdurham.com all major credit cards accepted see us on the web at www.abctaxicabdurham.com

recycle this paper

• 5 Star Preschool • A Quality School Readiness Program • Pre-Literacy Curriculum emphasized • Spanish Language Program • Serving Durham since 1974 • Preschool and infant/toddler site just blocks from NCCU 618 Hope Street - Preschool ❋ 1708 Athens Ave. - Infant/toddler

www.kiddiekollegedurham.com

are not going to work their hours and fulfill their contracts, we definitely want to open up those opportunities for others, but it’s not our primary recruiting term,” Oliver said.

Should those who are awarded contracts not complete their work

n See WORK STUDY Page 3

Campus

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26 2014

N

O R T H

C

A R O L I N A

C

GHANA CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 8 men ages 18-24.

The project will cost $3,300 per person. There's a $600 deposit but $500 is refundable.

The charge for non-Duke students is $7,540, plus additional fees for books, transportation and meals.

“As a young AfricanAmerican man, I feel like this project is necessary because going to Ghana allowed me to see what life really was about,” Person said.

Person said that during his trip to Ghana, there was a disconnect between some of the white students, who comprised most of the group, and the black students.

Person recalled visiting the Prizenstein Slave Fort, a cramped room that held 100 prisoners at a time.

“It was traumatizing, but to see people who really didn’t get it…it kind of hurt you even more,” Person said.

In initiating this project, Person said he hopes young African-Americans will have a better understanding of the African diaspora.

“We’re just African people who’ve been dispersed,” Person said.

Person documented the 2012 trip on his site Ghana2012.blogspot.com. The blog includes photos and detailed accounts of the program.

For Ghana Project 2014, Person wants to have a more sophisticated documentary experience.

He said he wants the documentary to change views concerning young African Americans.

Person’s peers share an admiration for his initiative.

Ardell Sanders, interim director of the Centennial Scholars Program, said he’s amazed at the work that Person has put into the project.

What Sanders finds particularly noteworthy is that Person isn’t in the SGA or a fraternity and doesn’t hold any “student leadership positions,” yet is one of the biggest leaders on campus.

“He thinks outside of what the world thinks of him,” Sanders said.

Sanders has known Person for almost three

years, and said he’s seen a shift in him.

“I believe [the trip] honestly changed his life,” Sanders said.

Person intends to create that change in others.

He said he’s looking for people who can handle the financial responsibility and who genuinely want the experience.

"What I really want people who come, when they come back, to be able to take from this...is to be extremely motivated at whatever they do, but also be ready to transform their life as young African Americans."

To cover trip expenses, Person is accepting $1 donations in the bottom floor of the W.G. Pearson Cafeteria every Wednesday and Friday A donation box is also located in the CSP suite.

His goal is to raise $8,000.

Donations go through Believers United for Progress; contributors will receive a tax deduction.

Person also is accepting paper, pencils and other items to give to Ghanaian students during the trip.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 study line trying to get work study and missing classes, so that’s why we converted it to an online process,” she said.

Jasmine Hardison, an elementary education junior who works in the Academic Community Service Learning Program Office, said she stood in line at the student union in April 2013 from 8:30 a.m till noon, getting to class just in time

UN

IVER SITY

CIO tackles technology Kraus embraces challenges, change

WORK STUDY study, their contracts are cancelled in December.

Oliver said she prefers that supervisors notify her office when students are not working; this allows her staff to project how much aid money remains.

Oliver said email application was instituted this fall.

“We went to that process because some of the faculty were concerned that students were in the work

E N T R A L

3

to present a project.

When students have issues finding job positions, the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid also helps them contact departments.

Oliver said response to the online process has been mostly positive.

Applications for 2014-2015 work study positions will open around the second week of April.

Chief Information Officer Leah Kraus in her office at the School of Education, Feb. 25.

Greg Weaver/Echo staff photograher

BY MELQUAN GANZY ECHO STAFF REPORTER

“It’s about people, not technology,” said Leah Kraus, N.C. Central University’s newly arrived chief information officer (CIO).

Kraus, who has more than 20 years experience in technology, was appointed Feb. 3.

CIOs plan and information technology and computer systems that support an organization’s mission.

Typically, the CIO reports to the CEO (chief executive officer); at NCCU, the CIO reports to the Chancellor.

Kraus was assistant vice

chancellor for information services at UNC Wilmington with Chancellor Debra Saunders-White when she was UNC-Wilmington’s vice chancellor of technology systems.

Saunders-White has charged Kraus with assessing NCCU’s web site.

Kraus said his job is not all about technology.

“A lot of times people are good in technology but not great at leading,” she said.

Kraus said she is fortunate to have experienced life obstacles.

“Obstacles are challenges and opportunities,” she said.

Kraus said she wants to

mirror NCCU’s purpose in her career as CIO, and that she hopes to become a part of something different, something bigger.

Kraus, a Greensboro native, received an undergraduate degree in office systems administration and a graduate degree in education, supervision and instructional technology from UNC-Greensboro.

In 1998, Kraus began her career as a teacher at Ben L. Smith High School in Greensboro.

After teaching at Smith High School, Kraus worked as a help desk specialist for information services at Guilford College.

Campus Echo does it again!

For the 6th year in a row the Campus Echo brings home the most overall awards from the annual Black College Communication Association Student News Media Conference.

2014 HBCU National News Media Conference Feb. 6-9, 2014 FIRST PLACE

• Best Overall Sports Coverage, Jonathan Alexander and Tevin Stinson • Best Headline Writer, Matt Phillips • Best Individual Page Design, Matt Phillips • Best Overall Design, Matt Phillips, Alex Sampson & Campus Echo staff • Best Photo Story (“Operation Eagle Swoop,” Gabriel Aikins) • Best Online Video, (“Historic Stagville Plantation offers food for thought,” Ish Hinson) SECOND PLACE • Best Non-Sports Feature

(“Recovery a long struggle,” Alex Sampson) • Best Sports News Story (“Anything he can do, can she do it too?” Jonathan Alexander) • Best Editorial Cartoon (“Stranger than Fiction - North Carolina’s voting obstacle course,” Jhordan ‘Jaguar’ Perry) • Best Photo Story, “Sowing Good Seeds,” Jade Jackson) THIRD PLACE • Best News Series/In-Depth Reporting (“Students Struggle with Rising Costs,” Echo Staff • Best Sports Feature (Can’t slow King down,” Jonathan Alexander HONORABLE MENTION • Best Headline Writer, Alex Sampson

NOT YOUR DAD’S DOWNTOWN 4

N

O R TH

W

E D N E S D A Y

, F

C

AR O LIN A

E BRU A RY

C

26, 2014

EN TRAL

UN

5

IVERSI T Y

ABOVE: A view of the skyline that is visible from Durham Station.

Greg Weaver/Echo staff photographer

Left: A metal sculpture crafted by Cricket Forge.

Greg Weaver/Echo staff photographer

ABOVE: Durham Area Transit Authority (DATA) buses pull out of Durham Central Station.

Gabriel Aikens/Echo staff photographer

BELOW: Skaters practice tricks at the downtown park.

Greg Weaver/Echo staff photographer

ABOVE: Three storefronts on West Main Street.

Greg Weaver/Echo staff photographer

BELOW: Taberna Tapas advertises its participation in the Bull City Vegan Challenge.

Greg Weaver/Echo staff photographer

BELOW: Saturday’s Farmer’s Market in the Central Park Pavilion on Foster Street.

Greg Weaver/Echo staff photographer

ABOVE: One of the many new buildings under construction downtown.

Jasmine Holeman/Echo staff photographer

n recent years, downtown Durham has undergone a visual overhaul. It was once the seat of the most prominent cigarette production company in the nation, Bull Durham Tobacco Company (where Durham gets its “Bull City” moniker).

In the early and mid-20th century, Durham also boasted Black Wall Street, which hosted several successful black-owned businesses.

I

Over time, downtown's aptitude for fostering businesses and Duke University's investments in the area resulted in a healthy income. As a result, many old buildings and the tobacco factories were renovated several times.

This allowed business-savvy Durhamites to take advantage of the new property and create their own small companies, restaurants, shops, and law and architecture firms.

Many of the buildings have vibrant colors or creative signs to attract travelers. Some restaurants mount speakers on outside walls so pedestrians can hear the music being played within the walls.

After a request by Durham’s many skateboarders, the Durham Department of Parks and Recreation built a skate park downtown that gets a swell of traffic on any day, even in the cold.

In 2006, the City of Durham finished construction on a pavilion in Durham Central Park where the farmer's market sets up in the late morning to sell fresh, local produce.

Now, thanks to the new construction, downtown Durham hosts a variety of events, local businesses, art galleries, production companies, hotels, apartments, and many more activities, sights, and shops that attract people from across the

state year-round.

Who knows what downtown Durham will look like next year?

— Greg Weaver

Beyond NCCU

6 N

O R T H

C

A R O L I N A

C

E N TR A L

UN

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

IVERSITY

DAN RIVER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Federal officials estimate that a massive coal ash spill from a Duke Energy dump has coated the bottom of the Dan River for about 70 miles downstream. The spill is thought to be the third largest ever in the U.S. Officials say the coal ash is burying aquatic animals and their food sources.

Courtesy of Waterkeepers Alliance

Rare species endangered At a legislative committee meeting Monday, a Duke Energy representative said the smaller pipe would be removed even if it wasn’t found to be faulty. He said the state’s other coal ash ponds did not have stormwater pipes running beneath them.

Tuesday’s developments came a day after state regulators and Duke Energy told state legislators that the spill fell short of being catastrophic, since no fish kills had been discovered and the river posed no health threat downstream. The agency did say there was a danger to aquatic life as the ash settled onto the river bottom.

On Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued its first public assessment, reporting it has found extensive sandbar-like deposits of ash in the Dan River and traces of it all the way to Kerr Lake, about 65 miles north of Raleigh and 70 miles downstream of the spill, with the potential to bury fish, mussels and other aquatic life that survive in river bottoms.

The stretch of river is home to a rare fish and mussel that have been declared endangered, and another mussel that is being considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act, according to Fish and Wildlife.

Though no dead fish have been found, Fish and Wildlife reported that exposing fish and mussels to coal ash could also harm gill tissues, and there could be longer-term harm because

of elevated concentrations of metals in the water, Fish and Wildlife said.

The danger that the ash poses by settling on the river bottom is that it disrupts the habitat of species at the bottom of the food chain, which eventually works its way up the food chain.

“If it kills off the base of the food chain, you risk having the whole ecosystem start to collapse,” said Rick Gaskins, executive director of the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation. “Even if you don’t kill them off, heavy metals accumulate, and that shows up in the fish people are putting on their table.”

Fish and Wildlife officials have not been able to confirm public reports of dead turtles at two parks in Virginia. The agency found too-high levels of arsenic, selenium and copper but couldn’t say whether it was connected to the spill.

Crews also found a coal ash bar 75 feet long, 15 feet wide and up to 5 feet deep composed of ash and sand, as well as smaller bars at 2 miles and 9 miles from the spill.

The agency says it doesn’t know whether the ash bars will stay where they are or move when river flows increase, as happened in the recent snow melt.

Virginia issues warnings The Department of Environment and Natural Resources also reported that it is still testing along the river, and finding metal levels continue to decrease.

The agency is also monitoring Kerr Lake.

Virginia authorities are also monitoring the water-

ways. That state’s health department issued an advisory last week saying shortterm exposure isn’t likely to pose a threat. But while drinking water has been filtered in Danville and is considered safe, officials urge people to be cautious if boating, kayaking or swimming in the river because it might cause skin irritation.

Virginia already has an unrelated advisory from Danville to Kerr Lake, which includes parts of the Hyco River and Banister River, because fish in the two rivers have been found to have higher-than-normal levels of PCBs, a cancercausing toxin.

Duke Energy spokesman Jeff Brooks said the company is cooperating with the various agencies involved.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is also investigating.

“We’re all taking samplings at different points and of different types,” Brooks said. “All will be essential to develop a plan for the next step.”

Gaskins, from the Catawba Riverkeeper, welcomed the information from the Fish and Wildlife Service.

“It’s helpful to have an organization with the credibility of the Fish and Wildlife Service go in and thoroughly go through it,” Gaskins said. “It raises a lot of issues.”

Although the Catawba River basin is in the southwestern part of the state, nowhere near the Dan River, Gaskins said his group is concerned because a cluster of coal ash ponds is located along the Catawba.

Beyond NCCU

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRURARY 26, 2014

N

O R TH

C

A R O L I N A

C

E N TR A L

UN

7

IVER SITY

Zimmerman says he’s homeless, claims to have PTSD

BY PARESH DAVE

LOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)

George Zimmerman, the 30-year-old Floridian acquitted last year of murdering Trayvon Martin, says he’s homeless, jobless and struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Zimmerman made these comments in an interview with Spanish-language television network Univision that’s scheduled to air at 7 p.m. Sunday, a week and a half before the second anniversary of the shooting.

An English-language translation of the interview was

released Saturday.

Zimmerman was the neighborhood watch volunteer who encountered the unarmed 17-year-old at a gated community in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman said he suspected that Martin might have been the burglar responsible for a string of break-ins. Amid a confrontation, Zimmerman shot the teenager, later saying he did so in self-defense.

“In my mind and between God and me, I know that if I didn’t act, act the way I did, I wouldn’t be here,” he says in the Univision interview.

“I mean, he wasn’t playing

around,” Zimmerman says at another point.

Other notable moments in Zimmerman’s interview, seven months after the trial: •He says he never realized that Martin was unarmed, but that Martin was clearly trying to grab the gun from him.

•He initially thought that his bullet had missed Martin and potentially struck a neighbor’s house.

•He expresses no regrets about the shooting.

•He has a debt of $2.5 million owed to his lawyers, Mark O’Mara and Don West.

He has raised more than

$300,000 from online donors and said he hopes to collect additional funds through a lawsuit he’s filed against NBC News over an edited 911 call, which he alleges made him look racist because a question and answer were mixed.

•He says he hasn’t collected welfare and will work as a cook if he has to. He’s living off his family for now.

•He blames sensationalized media coverage for making him notorious, saying people recognize him everywhere because “of what the press did with the incident in 2012, in February.”

•He wears a bulletproof vest all the time.

•He has to watch where he goes, including the doctor’s office, because any business or person he associates with starts getting death threats.

•He says he wants to resume studying to become a lawyer, so that no one else has to suffer an injustice comparable to his.

Zimmerman ends by saying he expects the case to chase him forever.

He describes himself as “a good brother, a good son, a good grandson, a good friend” trying to live a positive life and said that he would like

everyone to give “the benefit of the doubt like I do, and want to forgive, want to go on with their own lives.”

“I’m prepared for the worst, and the worst part is that this could go on for my whole life. But I’m hopeful that it will start to decrease,” he says.

Zimmerman declines to answer some questions, citing a federal investigation into whether he violated Martin’s civil rights. He says he chose to do the interview with Univision because the network has treated his family with “integrity” and “respect.”

George Zimmerman, the acquitted shooter in the death of Trayvon Martin, leaves a first-appearance hearing on charges including aggravated assault stemming from a fight with his girlfriend, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013, in Sanford, Fla. With him is his defense counsel Jeff Dowdy.

JOE BURBANK/Orlando Sentinel (MCT)

United Christian Campus Ministry

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

525 Nelson Street, NCCU Campus

JOIN US! Get involved with Campus Ministries today!

Michael D. Page Campus Minister

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

Monday-Friday, 8:30 am to 5:30 pm 919 530-7128

Find out more about our Special Programs • Boston University Early Medical School Selection Program • Clinical Health Summer Program NCCU/Duke University Medical Center • Pre-Dental School Program at NCCU. An atriculated (BS/DMD) 3+4 Educational Program between NCCU and The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey culminating the granting of a baccalaureate degree from NCCU and a Doctor of Dental Medicine Degree from UMDNJ. More Opportunities are available. Contact us.

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

For more than 35 years NCCU’s Health Careers Center staff has been developing pre-health professional students into viable candidates for health and medical careers by providing:

NCCU’s OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS EVENTS • NCCU International Eagles Meet and Greet - Thursday, March 6, 10:40 -11:40 a.m., Room 144 of the AE Student Union. RSVP to Ms. Andrea Taylor ataylo42@nccu.edu or 919 530 7912 by Monday, March 3.

Student-to-Student Chat • Student-to-Student Culture Chat: - March 25. 5-6 p.m. Lee Biology 202

STUDY ABROAD • First Thursday study abroad information session – April 3, May 1. 10:40 break, Lee Biology, 202 • Academic unit/class/Small group/study abroad information sessions are available on request • Departure Orientation for students studying abroad summer and fall 2014 – Thurs March 27, 10:00-12:30 p.m. Lee Biology, 202

Country Focus • Advocacy • Counseling • Enrichment Activities • Health Career Network Access • Health Career Recruitment • Information • Internships & Shadowing Experiences • Standardized Test Prep Workshops • Other services and activities

• Country Focus: Colombia – March 19; Uruguay – April 16. 4-5 p.m.

Lee Biology 118 (for faculty and staff)

Deadlines for study abroad applications •To study abroad in the spring semester September 1 •To study abroad in the summer February 15 •To study abroad in the fall semester February 15 •To study abroad for a full academic year (fall and spring semesters) February 15 expand your horizons

STUDY ABROAD

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

A&E

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

NO

C

R TH

A R O L I N A

C

8

E N T RAL

UN

IVERSITY

Tim’m West headlines LGBTQIA event Spoken word artist, singers and rappers celebrate true COLORS B Y A LEXANDRIA G LENN ECHO STAFF REPORTER

Spoken word performer at an NCCU LGBTQIA event.

KENNETH LAMPKIN/Echo staff photographer

On Monday, Feb. 11, Tim’m T. West, a local spoken word artist, along with other special guests, visited N.C. Central University for the lesbian, gay, and bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex and allied (LGBTQIA) week.

The week’s events were organized by members of the on-campus LGBTQIA support group Creating Open Lives for Real Success (COLORS.) “COLORS is dedicated to creating a safe equitable community for all,” said Deatrin Sutton, COLORS president.

B.N. Duke Auditorium was crowded with students as West and the special guests delivered a spoken word performance.

Their act, “The Front Porch: Strength, Courage, Wisdom,” discussed LGBTQIA issues, the culture

of masculinity and fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Sutton said having West on campus was a great way to kick off the week.

West kicked off the show with song “Full Moon” and others.

Then he explained the inspiration for his act’s name.

“People would gather on the porch because it was a place where country folk could find themselves welcomed,” he said.

“Here on the stage, we, as performers, can come together with all different types of genres of music and express ourselves.”

West introduced Nia Sutton, who gave the audience a powerful spoken word message on love, with pieces like “Freedom” and “The Skin I’m in.”

The next performance came from former NCCU student Diamond “Gaudy” Harkless, featuring mass communication junior Ayodeji “Ayo the Humble”

Owolabi.

The duo performed their song “You a Star.”

NCCU Alumna Patricia Jones, known on stage as PM Jones, performed “The Pulse of the Bull City.”

NCCU student rapper Vincent “Vinnie D” Finney III performed “Who Do You Belong To?” After the performances, West and four other spoken word artists charged the stage, taking turns reciting their pieces on the topics of love, same sex love, and relationships.

West expressed how pleased he was with the outcome of the show.

“The main goal of this event was to inform the audience that whether you love gay or straight, we all experience the same thing and we all have a lot in common,” he said.

“I am really impressed with the progression of the students who are advocating the LGBIQA rights on Central’s campus.”

COLORS advisor Tia Marie Doxey said the LGBTQIA community is widespread.

“Wherever you go, you are gonna come in contact with LGBTQIA, and this organization helps prepare students to work with those people,” Doxey said.

“I believe Eagle excitement is an exclusive excitement.”

Doxey believes that all students should have an equal and comfortable environment where they can succeed and thrive.

“At NCCU, Truth and Service is our motto, and it is our job to bring truth and excitement to all types of students,” she said.

Junior Mia Hardy said she enjoyed the open mic event.

“I have never been to an open mic or spoken word event, but I really enjoyed it and I would definitely attend another open mic event again,” she said.

MOTLEY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“Barbecue” by Achibald Motley, c. 1934.

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY GALLERY

B Y K ENDRICK M OORE ECHO STAFF REPORTER/WRITER

which capture everyday African American city life and culture in the early 1900s, including the jazz nightlife scene.

The exhibit displays work from 1919-1960 and reveals much more about the African American identity than one might expect from oil paintings.

In “Barbeque” (1934), for instance, Motley captures

the essence of black culture in the busy jazz city of Chicago.

“Barbeque” shows how Motley breaks the academic rules of art with his signature use of color.

He depicted both an evocative, urban black culture that had little resemblance to the conventional and marginalizing, unsophisticated images of black Southerners popular in the cultural eye.

It is important to note, however, that his works do

OF

“Tongues (Holy Rollers),” by Archibald Motley, 1929 COURTESY CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM

ART

not represent Motley’s own community.

The artist was part of the affluent, elite black community of Chicago in the early 20th century.

He studied at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1914 to 1918, where he learned —and went beyond—the rules of color and composition.

“He had fun with that … pushing and pulling with that,” said Richard Powell, curator at the Nasher Museum.

Powell said Motley’s paintings were sometimes controversial because they showcased major issues of the time, such as racism and the economic struggle of the black community.

He said Motley pushed beyond traditional notions of representation, and was ahead of his time in his use of color.

After graduation, Motley worked as a waiter on trains –where his father was a porter—to make ends meet.

In Chicago, Motley lived in a predominantly white neighborhood a few blocks from the black community known as Bronzeville.

His study of urban black life and culture, including black elites and Southern black immigrants escaping Jim Crow.

Motley went on to win a Guggenheim Fellowship, which enabled him to study abroad in France from 1929 to 1930.

In 1933, his work was exhibited in the Exhibition

of Works by Negro Artists at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. A documentary, “The Last Leaf: A Profile of Archibald Motley” was produced in 1971.

He died in Chicago in 1981. W.E.B. Du Bois described him as “a credit to his race.”

The exhibition is on display at Duke Nasher Museum of Art through May 11.

From there, the exhibit moves to Fort Worth, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

Campus Echo Online campusecho.com

follow follow follow follow follow follow follow follow follow follow follow

us us us us us us us us us us us

on on on on on on on on on on on

twitter twitter twitter twitter twitter twitter twitter twitter twitter twitter twitter

@campusecho @campusecho @campusecho @campusecho @campusecho @campusecho @campusecho @campusecho @campusecho @campusecho @campusecho

Sports

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

N

O R TH

C

A R O L I N A

C

E N TR A L

9 UN

IVERSITY

Coach, recruits gear up for spring Football team looks ahead after tumultuous 2012-2013 season BY

AVERY YOUNG

ECHO SPORTS EDITOR

Since being named head coach of N.C. Central University’s football team on Dec. 19, Jerry Mack and his staff hit the ground running.

On Feb. 5 (National Signing Day for college football), they welcomed 16 recruits.

The work the coaching staff put in to recruiting the 2015 class was noticed by From the Press Box to Press Row, the only nationally syndicated sports talk show that focuses on HBCU sports.

The show ranked NCCU sixth among the top ten HBCU Football Championship Subdivision 2015 recruiting class, talent-wise.

Mack said he was honored to be recognized so quickly.

“I think that us being ranked 6th in recruiting for HBCUs is a testament to our coaching and support staff,” he said.

The coaching staff recruited young men with excellent high school records.

This year’s recruiting class includes 12 high school seniors and four junior college transfers.

Eleven of the seniors played in the state playoffs; five played on state championship teams.

Thirteen recruits are from North Carolina. The rest are from Georgia, Mississippi and Texas.

Mack and his staff spent hours reviewing film and comparing players to decide who was fit for the football program.

“We tried to address the needs from what we saw on film and the information we received from some of the coaches from last year,” said Mack.

Mack’s vision of “Teamwork makes the dream work” is coming into play. He emphasized the skill of his coaching and support staffs (the sports administration office).

Mack said he was thankful for the students who welcomed the new recruits, especially the transfers, to the yard.

“They showed that it is a family atmosphere across the campus of NCCU,” he said. “That’s the kind of thing that is important to me.”

Quarterback Quinn Billerman is a junior transfer from New Mexico Military Institute.

He broke that school’s passing yards (2,962 passing yards) and touchdown (34 passing touchdowns) record his sophomore year.

Billerman, originally from Raleigh, N.C., wanted to be closer to home, so he chose NCCU over

Homosexuality in the locker room BY

ROBERT LEWIS

ECHO CO-SPORTS EDITOR

All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and projected third-round NFL prospect Michael Sam helped lead the University of Missouri to a 12-2 record after a losing season in 2012.

He is also openly gay.

Sam came out publicly shortly after the end of the 2013 season, but his teammates knew before the season started. During a teambuilding exercise, his coach asked players to say something about themselves that others might not know.

Sam took the opportunity to come out to the team.

He is the first openly gay player to enter the NFL draft. His sexual orientation has caused controversy in the sports world.

Locker room dynamics have been a major issue for some players.

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma said on CNN that a team might not accept a gay player.

“I think that he would not be as accepted as much as we think he would be accepted,” Vilma said.

“Imagine if he’s the guy next to me, and you know, I get dressed, naked, taking a shower, the whole nine, and it just so happens he looks at me. How am I supposed to respond?”

Vilma later clarified his comments.

“I was trying to explain that whenever you have change into something that’s been set in stone for so long, something that’s been going for so long, that change always comes with a little resistance,” he said.

In light of the Sam case, new N.C. Central University head football coach Jerry Mack discussed the tone of his locker room for next season and how he expects his players to conduct themselves.

"We constantly stress to our students that everyone should be treated fairly and equally,” Mack said.

“We do not condone discrimination or any lack of

respect for a young man's personal beliefs.

“We have a leadership council on our football team that assists in guiding the pulse of our team. These young men help make sure our locker room and overall team conduct is a reflection of the vision of our coaching staff.”

Men’s head basketball coach LeVelle Moton could not be reached for comment.

In a 2012 Gallup poll of 206,186 Americans, 3.5 percent identified as LGBT. All states were within two percentage points of the average. North Carolina came in at 3.3 percent. The poll was the largest of its kind.

The Eagles Pride’s website lists 290 student athletes.

According to the poll, at least 10 are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

A COLORS (Creating Open Lives for Real Success) member who wished to remain anonymous talked about interactions with athletes in dorms and elsewhere.

“Statistically, there’s at least one gay person on one of the teams. Let’s look at the context in which players might use a slur. I’m not accepting of it but I try to be understanding of what they’re trying to do on the field,” the source said.

“I don’t want athletes to represent NCCU, Durham, or the U.S. with that antiquated thinking.”

Hip-hop artist, poet and youth basketball coach West, who spoke at NCCU for LGBT week, talked about the challenges of being a gay man in sports.

“I’ve never been aroused in the locker room,” West said.

“The idea that a gay man can’t turn ‘that’ off is wrong.

“If a gay player is going to win you a game you’re going to want them on the court. If a gay soldier is going to help you win a war you want them on the battlefield.

“Michael Sam challenges the stereotypes of the ‘gay man.’ With him coming out, it has created a space to have a conversation.”

New recruits defensive lineman Richard Mitchell (left) and Quarterback Quinn Billerman (right) stand with head coach Jerry Mack on signing day.

Photo Courtesy of NCCU Athletics

Savannah State University.

Defensive lineman Richard Mitchell transferred from Holmes Community College in Southaven, Mississippi. He recorded 39 tackles (24 solo) and 3 sacks last season.

Billerman and Mitchell are extremely excited about this year’s recruiting class and the team that is

being formed now.

“It is competition everywhere you go and I love it,” Mitchell said.

“If you aren’t competing against someone that is good then what is the point of competing?”

Billerman has high expectations for next season because of the leadership of the mid-year players.

“I expect a lot out of the four of us because we came from junior colleges,” he said.

“I heard a lot of good things about the rest of the recruiting class.”

Mack said he looks forward to seeing what the team can do as they prepare for the rest of the offseason activities.

The team has started its

offseason conditioning program.

Spring practice begins March 18.

The spring maroon v. gray game happens April 11 at 6 p.m.

The team expects a lot of fans (students, faculty and surrounding community) to attend.

Women’s team has high hope Despite rocky season, Lady Eagles prep for March tournament BY

GLYNNIS HAGINS

ECHO STAFF REPORTER

The Lady Eagles basketball team began its 2013-14 basketball season with high hopes. They had big wins over teams like UNC Asheville, Gardner Webb, Wofford, and Western Carolina.

However, they fell into a couple of 4-game losing streaks.

Jessica Freeman, a transfer from UNC Wilmington, a guard for the Lady Eagles, said she overcame these obstacles by keeping her attitude consistent.

“I didn’t allow the losing streak to get to me,” she said.

“I didn’t dwell on the losses. It’s, ‘let’s get this next win.’ Make some changes to get wins.”

Racquel “Rocky” Davis, center for the lady Eagles, also stayed optimistic in spite of the losses.

“I used it as motivation for the next win.”

Freeman and Davis average points in the teens each game, but they both learned something of greater value.

“I learned how to become a better leader,” said Freeman.

Davis said she learned about herself this season.

“I improved in taking

criticism and being open to feedback from coaches that will help improve my play,” said Davis.

Davis said Eagle excellence “starts with having a positive attitude and being accountable to one another.”

In her second year as head coach of Lady Eagles’ basketball, Vanessa Taylor says the team has made some improvements and carried over important characteristics from last year.

“The team improved in terms of number of players as well as the level of play at each position,” said Taylor.

“They play extremely hard.”

Improvements and determination have helped the Lady Eagles build confidence for the rest of the season.

Wins in key conference games have them excited and ready to begin the tournament.

Still, Taylor is looking for improvement before the tournament.

She wants her team to improve in protecting the ball and making sure turnovers are kept to a minimum.

She said her team also must continue to defend better and to rebound con-

Are you looking for a rewarding career where you can use your major and help people?

Residential Services is currently looking for Direct Support Professionals to work in our group homes for children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Entry-level positions available, no experience necessary! Gain valuable experience beyond the classroom and make a difference in the lives of others. Part-time ($10.10/hr.) and full-time positions ($11.00/hr.) available.

Apply online at www.rsi-nc.org

The Lady Eagles basketball team practiced Monday in preparation for the MEAC tournament that beings March 10.

Kimane Darden/Echo staff photographer

sistently.

She also wants the team to take advantage of every day.

“I hope that we will win the rest of the games, giving great momentum [for the team] going into the tournament,” said Taylor.

Her team is currently 4-8 in the conference.

Freeman is pinning her hopes on winning the tournament.

“I really think we can win,” she said.

Davis agrees. “I want us to win the MEAC championship,” she said.

Taylor hopes to recruit quality student athletes in order to continue the Eagle

Excellence established during this season and to help NCCU women’s basketball reach become a perennial program in the MEAC. She also extends gratitude. “I have really enjoyed my experience as an Eagle,” she said.

“The sixth man for the team has been the outstanding staff that I work with daily in women’s basketball and in athletics.”

The Lady Eagles will play Savannah State at home on March 3.

The MEAC tournament is set for March 10 through March 15 in Norfolk.

EAGLELAND T-shirtswsweatswpolo shirtswdecalsw license tagswtote bagswlicense framesw baseball capswbuttonswmugswcapswcar flagsw penswpencilswpennantswpom pomsw bagswceramic eagleswtowelsw NCCU framed print, and much more.

Serving N.C. Central University If we don’t have it, we will get it.

If we can’t get it, it’s probably not worth having!

We have the best prices on Earth.

We do custom orders.

And we deliver on occasion!

Marvin Bass, Owner 2501 Fayetteville St. Durham, NC 27707

919 956-5393 eagleland@hotmail.com

Opinions

10 NO

R T H

C

A R O L I N A

C

E N TR A L

UN

Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014

IVER SITY

#OccupyUterus nce upon a time, little boys grew up and became men.

They sought their rites of passage by finding a job, finding a wife, and then starting a family. My, my, my how times have changed.

It seems the men of our society would rather make money and reproduce, and skip the marriage part.

Oh, you may Angel think I’m being Brown over the top.

Yet my experiences and observations influenced this simple theory.

Hell, I’ll even call it an epidemic, because I think it’s an infectious disease.

It’s rather sickening to see that many men think so highly of you to bear their seed, but not their last name.

And people think I’m nuts because I don’t want to have children.

I know the plea oh, so well: “Nothing is guaranteed nowadays, not even marriage.”

Save it! I’d rather take the risk of being married to a guy I fall in love with and having his children than having one I can only see as a “good father” and

O

“It seems the men of our society would rather make money and reproduce, and skip the marriage part.”

barely a boyfriend.

You can call me crazy, even old fashioned.

A good friend shared her recent dating experience with me.

She had been dating a guy for a while and everything was going great, but for some reason he kept bringing up having kids.

I’m at the age of career blossoming, engagements, weddings, and the first signs of baby fever. Most of my friends are 27 and up.

As she’s sharing her dating story, she reveals that he eventually asked her to have his child.

He asked her not just once but three times, She nicely rejected him, telling him she was not trying to be a baby mother first.

He told her that she was letting society dictate her way of thinking, which is the biggest sack of manipulation manure.

How dare she want to raise her children in a two-parent home like the one she was brought up in!

She did not belittle his request, but explained to him that that was not how she was raised.

Me neither, and I commend her for not knocking him the hell out.

I am sure he was respectful and even sweet when talking to her about his desires, but to me that is some rude (insert obscenity here).

You can have the gall to ask a woman to have your child, even tell her how you think she would make a great mom, but you don’t want to be her husband first?

Sir, that is a huge request.

That’s why most people would rather marry before starting a family.

That’s a reasonable order, at least I think so. But not today.

When I have discussions with my guy friends, they refer to their “future baby’s mama” instead of “future wife”.

This makes me wonder what the heck is considered a healthy relationship now?

I guess it’s all about #OccupyUterus.

Who needs a healthy and loving relationship to have kids now?

You might as well ask a woman, “Can I use your uterus to carry my seed?

“I promise you only a 9month lease and then we can be cool.”

That’s such a nice way to show our daughters what to look for in a mate.

It’s as if we’re saying maybe they should just look for a procreation partner.

I can just see the conversation in 5 years between mom and daughter: “It’s OK if he wants to impregnate you but not marry you, sweetie.

It’s probably better that way.”

Please, don’t try to twist what I am saying into an antisingle-parent rant.

I salute any single parent who raises his or her child alone or who has even preserved a friendship with the other parent.

But I do not believe this was something they wanted to do voluntarily.

I’ll probably ruffle a few feathers with this, which is still ironic.

But hey, I can’t help I’m #OccupyMyRingFingerFirstFo ol.

Do you even write, bro? s mass communication majors, we naturally hear a lot about media.

In many classes, we’re encouraged to read some sort of news publication daily.

Many of us have experienced a few dreaded “current affairs quizzes” in our time as mass comm. students.

In fact, one of the first things Jamar we see when Negron walking into the building is the live broadcast of CNN, courtesy of the first-floor flat screen.

As future journalists and broadcasters of the world, we also are privy to opportunities that run the gambit from access to special internships, to scholarships, to job opportunities.

Yes, it seems as if the Farrison-Newton regulars are awash in our future profession, with chances to grow and explore the wonders of the field in our reach.

A

“Many students in our department — to put it bluntly — are just posers. ”

So why does it seem as if many of us are not seizing these opportunities?

Many students in our department—to put it bluntly— are just posers.

I can be sure that there are far more mass communication majors with journalism concentrations than those who walk through the Campus Echo door.

Where are you all?

You can come out of hiding; it’s okay to get practice in your field.

It’s more than okay—it’s essential.

We need you as much as you need us.

If you haven’t heard it in class already, allow me to let you in on a nugget of mass communication gold—what employers in this business want is experience.

They want to see clips of

N ORTH C AROLINA C ENTRAL U NIVERSITY

Campus Echo Alex Sampson, Editor-in-Chief

Monique Lewis Jamar Negron India Wagner Leah Montgomery Robert Lewis Avery Young Brandi Arlege Destiny Owens Chelsee Pompey Jamila Johnson Brandon Wright Tiara Jones Kenneth Lampkin Greg Weaver Jhordan “Jaguar” Perry

Assistant Editor Assistant Editor Opinions Editor A&E Editor Sports Editor Sports Editor Staff Reporter Staff Reporte Staff Reporte Staff Reporter/Photographer Video/Multimedia Staff Photographer Staff Photographer Staff Photographer Cartoonist

Faculty Advisor - Dr. Bruce dePyssler Alumni Advisers - Mike Williams, Sheena Johnson

Letters & Editorials The Echo welcomes letters and editorials. Letters to the editor should be less than 350 words. Editorials should be about 575 words. Include contact information. The Echo reserves the right to edit contributions for clarity, vulgarity, typos and miscellaneous grammatical gaffs. Opinions published in the Echo do not necessarily reflect those of the Echo editorial staff.

E-mail: campusecho@nccu.edu Web address: www.campusecho.com Phone: 919 530 7116tFax: 919 530 7991 © NCCU Campus Echo/All rights reserved The Denita Monique Smith Newsroom Room 348, Farrison-Newton Communications Bldg.

NCCU, Durham, NC 27707

your work.

You can’t show up for a journalism job interview and not have proof that you did anything even remotely related to journalism.

I’m sure this goes not just for print journalism but I can only speak for what I see.

Or rather, what I don’t see.

And what I don’t see are students who “want” to be in this line of work clamoring to write stories for us.

I’m willing to bet that more than half of you don’t even read the paper anyway (which you really should, guys.

We put a lot of hard work into this. Please excuse my soapbox moment).

And it’s not as if we don’t have spots for you all—the Campus Echo is a walk-on team.

We’re what I like to call perpetually understaffed.

I would probably say that even if we weren’t understaffed, because the truth is, our toughest challenge should be having too many student reporters to choose from and too many stories to fit into the Echo.

If this editorial makes you mad, consider why.

Ask yourself; are you a mass comm. student?

What is your concentration?

What have you been doing to get more experience in that concentration?

If you find yourself floundering to answer the last question, you know what to do.

Whatever experience you lack, I’m sure our department has your back.

And to my dear, beloved journalism concentration peers, I send out this fervent SOS: Do not be afraid!

You are not alone.

Come write for the Campus Echo.

We work hard.

And contrary to popular belief, we do have a little fun.

But keep this in mind: One clip will not save your resume.

drawing by Rashaun Rucker

Question: What is your favorite moment in black history?

"My favorite moments in black history are the civil rights movement and the black power movement.”

—Nakita Vincent, Sophomore

"My favorite moment was the time when schools became desegregated.

—Jasmine Smith, Sophomore

“My favorite moment in black history happens to be the time when Rosa Parks sat at the front of the bus.

—Keona Hawkins, Sophomore

Sound Off by India Wagner