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VOLUME 106, ISSUE 1 919 530.7116/CAMPUSECHO@NCCU.EDU WWW.CAMPUSECHO.COM
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Campus
Beyond
A&E
Feature
Three Words event combats youth suicide
Are required freshman readings too left-wing?
Art Museum mounts Isabel Chicquor tribute exhibition
Downtown Durham’s Fellowship Hall “a world of its own”
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Hands-up art honors Brown BY CHRISTINA ARRIOLA & LEAH MONTGOMERY ECHO STAFF REPORTER & ASSISTANT EDITOR
Black and white paintings of young people clad in blood-splattered clothing cover the windows of the Fa r r i s o n - N e w t o n Communications Building. Each portrait depicts a student with their hands up, mimicking the now famous protest pose that has come to signify police brutality against unarmed people of color. The provocative art pieces come courtesy of the N.C. Central University Art Club. The idea stemmed from adjunct art instructor, Chad Hughes, who wanted the art club to do something in response to the protests in Ferguson, Mo. While walking down the street with his friend, unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown was gunned down by Ferguson Police
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Chrisette Michele rocks campus
Officer Darren Wilson. Ferguson community members and people across the country protested for weeks in response to the “justifiable homicide.” Hughes bumped into art club president, Thurmond Goins, and explained his vision. Goins said Mike Brown’s death was not his only inspiration. He was also inspired by a story he heard of a black man who was shot dead for stealing two bottles of soda. Soon after, Goins held an art club meeting to share with his members Hughes’ idea for the posters. “We were trying to express ourselves creatively” said Goins. “I’m glad we are doing something; it’s a real experience.” Goins said he was inspired by online photos of mass protestors in with their hands up.
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Chrisette Michele sings, shouts and ministers to students at the opener of the 2014-2015 Lyceum Series. MELQUAN GANZY/Echo opinions editor
STORY
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ALEXANDRIA GLENN
ECHO A&E EDITOR
Thurmond Goins and Vandell Jackson pose beside their “Hands Up” portraits. KIMANE DARDEN/Echo photo editor
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hrisette Michele, Grammy-Award-winning R&B and soul singer-songwriter, rocked the B.N. Duke Auditorium Friday, performing some of her hit singles, “Blame It on Me,” “Charades,” “Epiphany” and more.
“I am a huge fan of Chrisette Michele. I absolutely love her music,” said mass communi-
cation junior Briana Lawrence, a volunteer at the event.
Lab closings stun, anger campus
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Eagle Excellence 40 under 40 gala honors alumni
BY JAMAR NEGRON ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Returning to campus after a summer hiatus always yields surprises. N.C. Central University students were particularly surprised this fall, however, to see all computer labs in classroom buildings dark, locked and inaccessible. On Aug 13, students received an email from Chief Information Officer Leah Kraus. The subject line read, “Welcome Back!” In the email, Kraus detailed several changes that are “underway and planned.” Among the first listed were new wireless capabilities and a more seamless registration system. The email then addressed the labs, specifying lab closings in “HEC 223, COM 341, PEC 210, NNB 1115, NNB 2309, SOE 1092, CJB 111,
CMB G18, and HSB 155.” Spanish sophomore Kayla Busby found out about the lab closings when she arrived on campus. Busby said an English teacher told her class to make sure they found somewhere to print, because the computer lab in Farrison Newton would be closed. “I was very shocked,” she said. “I felt like [a computer lab] was a necessity that should have been provided by the institution.” Busby said she had to buy a printer to so she could print material for her classes. Having to adapt in the absence of accessible printing makes matters “terribly inconvenient,” according to English senior Yoni McKoy. “I was really upset about that,” McKoy said. “We already pay a lot of money to go to school here. We can’t just afford to run out and buy
BY JAMAR NEGRON ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
NCCU has permanently closed nine computer labs across campus. KIMANE DARDEN/Echo photo editor
a printer.” McKoy also found out about the lab closings by word of mouth. She said in a building like Farrison-Newton that houses
writing-intensive majors, it didn’t seem fair to close a lab that was heavily used. The sudden lab closings have not just rankled students; faculty also have
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Forty of N.C. Central University’s youngest and most successful alumni gathered together to receive honors for their post-collegiate work Sep 12. The Forty Under Forty Awards Gala highlighted NCCU alumni from a wide range of fields, from law, to science, to education. Over a hundred possible honorees were considered, yet only the top forty in attendance made the cut. The accomplished alumni celebrated their nominations with one another, many having not seen their fellow Eagles in years. Honorees like celebrity fashion stylist and hon-
oree Wouri Vice were in attendance. Vice majored in clothing in textiles at NCCU. He’s since had his styles worn by stars like Janelle Monae, Taraji P. Henson, and Alicia Keys. Vice began styling clothes through the NCCU fashion troupe Bon Vivant. He said gaining that experience through the troupe was important for his progress into the career he now has. “I’m proud to be an eagle,” he said. “I would not trade my NCCU experience for anything in the world.” Jade Fuller, a 2001 NCCU graduate who now works for the N.Y.C. Department of Education as an attorney said she
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expressed their confusion. Some took to email to voice concern. Bruce dePyssler, a professor in FarrisonNewton, gave his two bits in an email sent Aug 27. “Let’s just imagine the situation we’ve put our students in: Perhaps you need to print a class assignment,” he wrote. “Walk to the library. Perhaps you need to do some research on the internet. Walk to the library… Think to yourself: ‘shouldn’t they be improving satellite computer labs, not tearing them down?’” Rachelle Gold, assistant professor of English who teaches in Farrison-Newton, said the lab closings “could really jeopardize the students’ ability to perform.” “This is for me an issue of justice,” Gold said, commenting that in a school where
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Pearson’s progress
Saunders-White tells her story of faith and religion her talk about the impact of faith on her life. Saunders-White told the biblical story of Deborah and how she listened, prayed and believed in God. Deborah was rewarded for being a woman of God and was noticed for keeping to her faith. Chancellor SaunderWhite said dedication to faith is key. “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are going to get,” she said, quoting the famous line from the movie “Forrest Gump.” “Even in our darkest hour, it is God that gets us through.” Saunders-White spoke about how she kept the faith when her mother was suffering from pneumonia last November. The doctor told Saunders-White that her mother would not make it and to call loved ones. When the family arrived, they began to pray and resolved to keep their faith in God. Saunders-White said the family’s faith healed her mother. At the conclusion of her speech, Saunders-White challenged the audience to adhere to their faith even in uncertain times. “I ask you to grow in your faith, step out on it Chancellor Debra Saunder-White speaks about how faith changed and let the world know rains are coming but blessher life Sunday at St. Mark’s A.M.E. Zion Church in Durham. ing and favor will prevail,” KIMANE DARDEN/Echo photo editor she said. Debra Saunders-White on BY TAVARIUS FELTON “In life you never know Sunday as the honorary what you are going to get ECHO STAFF REPORTER speaker for their Women’s and you are going to get Durham’s St. Mark Day. tested. But you have to A.M.E. Zion Church welChurch members, guests believe and keep your comed N.C. Central and supporters of faith, and you have to work University Chancellor Saunders-White listened to through adversity.”
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Students leave W.G. Pearson Cafeteria after their lunch on Saturday. KIMANE DARDEN/Echo photo editor
BY ADRIENNE STEPHENS ECHO STAFF REPORTER
A vegan station, an expanded bakery, a Chick-fila, and soon, a Subway – it’s all happening at W. G. Pearson Dining Hall. “We’ve added a vegan bar, which is out every day, and we’ve added more items to the salad bar as well,” said Tony Hall, Sodexo’s general manager. “We have really added and increased the usage of the rotisserie oven, so there are a lot of rotisserie meats.” According to Hall, “We look at food trends and what’s popular with students.” Unpopular items are removed from the menu. Every day, Sodexo serves about 400 breakfasts, 1350 lunches and 900 dinners. Hall said Sodexo plans to rearrange the entree and grill stations over Christmas break. “As anybody who has been
here on a Chicken Wednesday knows, it gets clustered,” he said. Hall explained that the changes will help spread everyone out. “I want to make sure that we are giving the students what they deserve here on campus.” Students say they welcome the changes. “The items on the menu are better than what they were,” said junior Lanetta Bowser. “I usually go to the salad bar because that’s my favorite place to be. Even though I don’t eat from the dessert bar, it looks very pretty and it makes you want to eat it.” Pre-med Sophomore Katherine McKoy also like the changes at the cafeteria. “As far as the caf appearance, it’s more inviting now,” McKoy said. “I like the dessert bar — they make it more inviting because you basically eat with your eyes first.”
Chick-fil-a, and soon Subway, will join Pizza Hut and World of Wings as campus-based commercial fast food restaurants. Pizza Hut and World of Wings are located in the lower level of the Alfonso Elder Student Union. According to Timothy Moore, director of Business and Auxiliary Services, the decision to allow outside vendors to operate on campus is made jointly by the University and Sodexo. “Several factors come into play when identifying food partners, including market demand, availability of space and projected profit/loss margins,” said Moore, adding that the University receives a percentage of gross sales from commercial restaurants. While many students say they are happy to see the Chick-fil-a in the cafeteria, some complain that the Chick-fil-a only offers chips and chicken sandwiches.
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many students rely heavily on financial aid, computer lab closings could deepen a digital divide between students who have access to technology and students who don’t. Gold said she received an email July 1 detailing “lab upgrades.” “I wasn’t aware that upgrades meant closing labs,” she said. Gold said the faculty was not asked to give their input on lab closings. “I thought there would have been some period of deliberation,” she said. Mass communication and political science junior K.J. McEachin echoed this sentiment. “The school is supposed to be supporting me,” he said. “It would have been nice to have my input put in with
NCCU College of Arts and Sciences “The PRIORITY is Student Success” Carlton E. Wilson, Dean • Army ROTC – Military Science • Aerospace Studies • Art • Biology • Chemistry • CREST/NASA Centers • Environmental, Earth and Geospatial Sciences • History • Language & Literature • Mass Communication • Mathematics & Physics • Music • NC-Health Careers Access Program • Pharmaceutical Sciences • Theatre/Dance For more information call 919.530.6798
regards to something that affects me every day.” Kraus said in hindsight, the lack of communication was something she got wrong. “I did make some mistakes,” she said. “I could have, should have communicated more in the spring.” Kraus said ITS is taking steps to accommodate NCCU students in the wake of the lab closings, including installing printing kiosks in the communications, school of education, criminal justice and law school buildings. She said that more printing kiosks will be created in the future. Kraus also said a lab survey conducted in fall 2013 showed that students were not using the labs as frequently as expected, and that students and faculty’s claim
that labs were constantly used was not supported by the survey. She said the closing of the labs also helps to refocus Information Technology Services resources and makes the center of campus –the library—the ITS headquarters. She also stressed the importance of moving forward. “I want to focus on what’s coming,” she said. “We had to make a change so we could provide these other services.” She expressed faith in the direction in which the campus is moving, and called the outcry about lab closings a “technical growing pain. “ I know it’s going to work,” she said. “ITS is committed to student support and services.”
Health Careers Center 40th Anniversary Find out more about the opportunities we offer. Our special programs include the Boston University Early Medical School Selection Program, the NCCU Pre-Dental Program and the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine 3+4 Program, and more N.C. Central University
For more than 40 years NCCU’s Health Careers Center staff has been developing pre-health professional students into viable candidates for health and medical careers by providing: • Advocacy • Counseling • Enrichment Activities • Health Career Network Access • Health Career Recruitment • Information • Internships & Shadowing Experiences • Standardized Test Prep Workshops • Contact us for more information 919.530.7128 1242 Mary Townes Science Complex Durham, NC 27707 Alfreda D. Evans, Student Services Specialist Kaye Thompson-Rogers, Ph.D., Director
Artists that worked on the project said they wanted to show how an incident that occurred in Ferguson affects us here, miles away, in Durham, N.C. “Wake up and see that if injustice doesn’t happen to us directly, it doesn’t mean it can’t happen,” said Hughes. He called the images “emotional,” and said he feels that everyone can connect with Mike Brown’s murder. Ten art students had their black and white, polarized pictures taken before spending four hours painting their self-portraits. Eight of those portraits were chosen to be set on display the next morning. “Art is like a peaceful way of protest,” said sophomore, art club president,
Ayana Jarvis. “Art can create a political statement. It can make a difference.” Family and consumer sciences sophomore Deborah Willis said Mike Brown’s murder is not something that should be taken lightly. “We are all Mike Brown,” said Willis. “It could happen to any of us.” Vandell Jackson, who is no stranger to painting selfportraits, said the art the art club has worked to create is important. “Working on a project, I feel like I’m making a difference,” he said. More information about the Mike Brown project can be found on the Art Department’s Facebook page
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Michael D. Page Campus Minister For more information contact Rev. Michael Page at 530-5263 or by e-mail at mpage@nccu.edu
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Chambers’ legacy NAACP offers $5,000 scholarship in honor of Julius Chambers BY JAMAR NEGRON ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
In 1958, Julius LeVonne Chambers walked across the aisle at North Carolina College and graduated summa cum laude. Three decades later, after a long, turbulent, yet successful career as a civil rights attorney, Chambers, now a vaunted litigator and civil rights activist, returned to his alma mater, now N.C. Central University — this time as its chancellor. Over his eight-year tenure, Chambers would help transform NCCU from a small teaching institution to a medium-sized institution with a growing presence in research. Chambers also laid the groundwork for the Biomedical/Biotechnology Research Institute, the Mary M. Townes Science Building and the Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise building. In honor of Chambers, who died Aug. 2 of last year, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund will award a $5,000 scholarship to an NCCU undergraduate. The application deadline is Oct. 15. “This is not something that we do often,” said Joon Bang, manager of the fund’s program operations. “[President Ifil] has an incredible amount of admiration and respect for Julius Chambers.” Bang said the purpose of the scholarship is to “support a student at NCCU who embodies the characteristics of Julius Chambers.” The fund’s president, Sherrilyn Ifil, worked under Chambers as an attorney at the NAACP
Legal Defense Fund, which Chambers directed from 1984 to 1993. She said Chambers was a “common man of extraordinary intellect and talent” who truly cared for the common man. “His principal lesson was always about the centrality of the client,” Ifil said. She said he taught his lawyers that when representing someone, always ask, “What would your client say?” Ifil said a successful candidate would be committed to civil rights and social justice. Ansel Brown, director of the University Honors Program — and law school graduate — said having a scholarship in honor of the Chancellor Emeritus is “huge.” “It is only fitting that we would have this scholarship,” Brown said. “A lot of the growth we’ve seen on this campus, he laid the groundwork for. “He truly personified Eagle excellence, even before we coined the phrase.” In addition to helping create a research presence on campus — and doubling NCCU’s research funding — Chambers improved the campus in other ways. He increased the number of NCCU’s endowed chairs from one to 14, which helped raise NCCU’s endowment from $1 million to $25 million. Chambers also persuaded the state legislature to fund the H. M. Micheaux School of Education building. “He was an outstanding leader,” Brown said. “He showed visionary leadership that prepared us for the next century.” Sticking to his visions
Divine 9 lend a hand to Early College Fraternity mentors high schoolers “I can honestly say, if I hadn’t gone to early college, I probably wouldn’t have gone to college” CARLOS BENITEZ MEMBER OF PHI BETA SIGMA, GANGAM CHAPTER
BY BRANDI ARLEDGE ECHO STAFF REPORTER
Julius Chambers at his desk in 2001, two months before he retired from NCCU as its chancellor. Echo file photo
sometimes put Chambers in danger. In his work as a civil rights attorney, he went undefeated in eight Supreme Court cases, including the landmark 1971 case, Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, which forced integration in Charlotte and Mecklenburg county schools. However, opponents of his work made their dislike of him known. In January 1965, while Chambers was at a speaking engagement in New Bern, N.C., his car was bombed.
In November of that year, Chamber’s Charlotte home, along with the homes of three other civil rights advocates, was bombed. In 1971, his downtown Charlotte law office was firebombed. “He contributed so much to the civil rights movement, but he also sacrificed an incredible amount,” Bang said. Bang said the scholarship’s original June deadline was pushed back to allow as many students as possible to apply. Applications for the scholarship are available at naacpldf.org.
In keeping with its three founding principles — brotherhood, scholarship, and service — The Gangnam Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma at N.C Central University has decided to “adopt” Josephine Dobbs Clement Early College High School. Many of the organization’s 50 members graduated from the Early College program. During one of the fraternity’s weekly meetings, fraternity members Carlos Benitez and Joshua Efik proposed adopting the school. Benitez and Efik started helping at the school by mentoring and tutoring the students. Benitez is an Early College alumni; he graduated from the school in 2011. Benitez said tutoring and mentoring Early College students was important to him because attending Early College help motivate him to go to college. “I can honestly say, if I hadn’t gone to Early College, I probably would-
n’t have gone to college,” said Benitez. Efik, a pharmaceutical science senior, said he was influenced by his fraternity brothers and fellow Early College alums Benitez and Jalen Baker. He called Benitez and Baker “absolutely great leaders.” The fraternity had to register through Durham Public Schools to qualify for adopting the college. The process included proving the fraternity had no prior misconduct records, and required them to fill out a volunteer time sheet. Fraternity member Julian Norris said the fraternity aims to focus mainly on the Early College’s juniors and seniors. However, he said freshmen and sophomores are also important. “We cannot forget about the sophomores and freshmen because they also need to be prepared,” Norris said. “When they get to the point of being juniors and seniors they won’t run into issues.”
Hardy lands young adult book contract with HarperCollins JAMAR NEGRON ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
By the time you graduate from college, you will have read “The Odyssey.” But you’ve never read “The Odyssey” quite like this. “Argos,” new book by Ralph Hardy, adjunct instructor in the department of language and literature, retells the epic poem through the eyes of
an unusual character: Odysseus’ dog, Argos. “The Odyssey is 12,000 lines long, and the dog is mentioned in 17 lines,” Hardy said. Argos is a puppy when Odysseus leaves for war, and an old dog by the time Odysseus returns. In the book, he learns of Odysseus’ travels and journeys through other animals. Hardy’s re-telling of
Homer’s classic tale landed a generous book deal with HarperCollins Publishers LLC, one of the world’s largest publishing companies and one of the “Big Six” English-language publishers. Hardy said he was “elated” when he heard the news in mid-August. While he demurred to reveal concrete figures, Hardy said that his financial compensation for
“Argos” was large. “The size of the advance indicates to me that they’re going to put some marketing behind the book,” Hardy said. Hardy’s novel “The Cheetah Diaries” (2012) which he self-published, features a young female protagonist. He said he wanted to find an unusual protagonist for his next story. “[“Argos” is] really a
story of a boy and his dog,” Hardy said. He said the book, targeted for upper middle-grade students, will give students a way to process “The Odyssey” without being confused by the language of the original work. Hardy said that by the time students get into the upper middle grades, they will have started to foray into the complex world of Homer.
“This is a way to give [students] an understanding of “The Odyssey without the difficult language,” Hardy said. “Argos” is currently undergoing edits for its final release in 2016. Next week, he will travel to New York to meet his agent, George Nicholson, and discuss details about the release.
NCCU’s OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS STUDY ABROAD • First Thursday Study Abroad Information Session. This information session is held in Room 202 of the Lee Biology Building during the 10:40 break on the first Thursday of each month. Students get informa tion about international engagement through study abroad. • Pre-departure orientation for all students going abroad in the spring 2015 semester will be held on Thursday, November 20, in Room 202 of the Lee Biology Building from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Events • NCCU celebrates the 2014 International Education Week (IEW) – November 17-21. Groups/organizations planning programs in celebration of IEW are requested to submit their events to OIA by October 2 to ensure that their event is in the calendar of IEW events at NCCU.
Deadlines for study abroad applications • September 24: Applications due for the 2015-2016 Fulbright U.S. Student Program, Sept. 24 • October 1: Applications due for the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship to study abroad and interns in spring 2015.
expand your horizons
STUDY ABROAD
Contact Dr. Olivia Metzger Jones at ojones@nccu.edu or 919.530.7713
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Student’s words to live by
Eagle Access
Students mark National Suicide Awareness Week with short messages of hope
New web show targets students
Students hold up cards with three-word messages aimed at potentially suicidal people as part of a Sept. 10 campus event to commemorate National Suicide Awareness and Prevention week. JUSTIN DOBIE/Echo staff photographer
BY JAMAR NEGRON ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
In honor of National Suicide Awareness and Prevention week, N.C. Central University’s counseling center held its Three Word Campaign in front of the Pearson cafeteria Sept. 10.
The campaign challenges students to write a threeword message that encourages someone contemplating suicide to continue living. Students wrote down their three words of encouragement and had their pictures taken. According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide accounts for 20 percent of all annual deaths among 15to 24-year-olds. In 2010, the CDC reported the suicide rate for African Americans of all ages at 5.37 percent, slightly less than half the overall U.S. rate, which was 12.08
percent. Jody Grandy, a clinical counselor in the NCCU counseling center, said events like the Three Word Campaign help to bring light to mental health issues in minority communities. “[As a community] we tend to overlook it,” Grandy said, mentioning that a mental health stigma in minority communities is “very real.” “If we look over it we tend to think we can do everything without getting help,” she said. She said the stigma associated with suicide and mental health within minority communities, causes many suicides and suicidal thoughts to go unreported. According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, 59.7 percent of African Americans who have had suicidal thoughts did not seek or receive clinical help in the year prior to having suicidal thoughts. Grandy said student involvement is key to reducing this stigma. She was impressed with student response to the campaign. “We tend to listen more to our peers,” she said. At the event, clinical mental health graduate Whitley Grant worked the table and helped get students involved in writing their messages. Grant said mental health is more than anxiety or depression. “To me, mental health is total mind, body and spirit wellness,” she said. “Everybody needs mental health.” She encouraged students to take advantage of free mental health services on campus, and that an important step to preventing suicide is to ask for help. “It may not just be the blues,” she said. “Asking for professional help is not a bad thing. It’s OK to ask for help.”
BY KRISTIN ELLIS ECHO STAFF REPORTER
For several years, the Office of Public Relations at N.C. Central University has used social media to connect with current and potential students, their families, faculty, and the community. This fall, the office launched a show aimed at current students: a campus-based web series, “Eagle Access.” The series’ aim is to be NCCU’s virtual hub for campus events and information through interviews with students, faculty, and community on a variety of topics. The hosts of the show are English junior Deatrin Sutton, history and political science junior Omari Collins, and mass communication junior Clarke Tanner. Before becoming hosts, Sutton, Collins and Tanner participated in such organizations as the Student Activities Board, Student Government Association, C.O.L.O.R.S, COEXIST, and class councils. All three aspire to work in the entertainment industry. Tanner hopes to become an on-air radio personality. Sutton and Collins both want to be television hosts. “I have aspirations to do a show like “106 & Park,” said Collins. He especially admires Terrence J, former host of BET’s “106 & Park” and current host of “E! News.” Sutton became involved with the project after hosting a mini-talk show series similar to “Eagle Access” for a student who was creating a videography portfolio. Collins and Sutton originated the show through the Office of
Public Relations. Tanner auditioned along with some 20 other women. “I was the lucky one,” she said. The show is one of NCCU’s first projects to target the student body. “It’s access for the students,” said Sutton. “It’s here to show them that there’s more to campus, more to life, and more resources out here where we go to school. Collins said, “The show is the heart of a student here.” Collins came up with the concept for the show, and brainstormed with his mentor, Chinasa Nworu, former assistant director of the Centennial Scholars Program, and his Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity line brother, Jamil Cherry. Collins took the idea to Chioke Brown, a former Campus Echo photographer who is now a visual arts specialist in the Office of Public Relations. Brown provides students working on the show with cameras, lighting and other production equipment. “It is something I try to have everyone be handson with,” Brown said. “Even the hosts; I like them to have an input.” He sees “Eagle Access” as an ongoing project. “Hopefully it’s a show that will go on even as the hosts that we have now graduate,” Brown said. “I hope we have new hosts that can come in later in the future to keep the show going.” “Eagle Access” has Twitter and Instagram accounts with the same name: @eagle_access. Episodes of “Eagle Access” can be viewed on North Carolina Central University’s YouTube channel.
40 UNDER 40 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 owes all of her current successes to her years at NCCU. “That was my foundation,” she said. “I consider my four years at central to be the best four years of my life.” Fuller majored in political science as an undergraduate student at NCCU. She said being able to build relationships with professors helped prepare her for life after college. Fuller said she finds it “really unfortunate” that HBCUs are sometimes considered second-class institutions that can’t give students the adequate education. She challenged students to take their education into their own hands, despite the country’s negative perception of HBCUs. “You have to set goals. Don’t be afraid to reach out
and to network. Don’t be afraid to go to professors,” she said. Sherise Malachi, who graduated with an English degree and now heads special event partnerships with CBS Radio, said the professors and staff made attending NCCU “a great experience.” “They weren’t just teachers, they were your friends,” she said. “They really care about the students, and that makes a difference.” Malachi was an opinions editor for the Campus Echo, and went on to work at several record companies, including Atlantic Records and Columbia Records. Malachi said she too owes a great deal of success to NCCU. “The person that I am today is because of going to NCCU,”
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she said. In a speech at the gala Chancellor Debra SaundersWhite recognized “the youngest, yet most talented members” of the NCCU alumni community. Saunders-White said the accomplishments the honorees had achieved humbled her. “They just received their degree just a few years ago,” she said. Saunders-White said the forty honorees’ successes provided great significance to the NCCU community at large. She also thanked the honorees for remembering their place in the community. “Our place in our community is to truly become leaders of the world,” she said. “But that’s what we do at dear NCCU.”
Forty Under Forty honorees Tomeika Bowden, class of 2000, Sherise Malachi-Wright, class of 2001, and Wouri Vice, class of 2001 at the Sept. 12 reception. JAMAR NEGRON/Echo staff photographer
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Beyond NCCU
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Colleges reject charge that freshmen reading lists have political bias BY LARRY GORDON LOS ANGELES TIMES (MCT)
Freshmen at colleges around the country for years have been assigned to read the same books as a way to bond at orientation and to encourage intellectual interactions rather than just social ones. But this year, some of the reading selections are under attack. In South Carolina, for example, the state Legislature tried to cut funding for two state universities that selected books with gay themes. The conservative Young Americans for Freedom compiled a list of books it contends offer only leftleaning perspectives, including “Americanah,” a novel by a celebrated Nigerian writer that was picked this year at Pomona College, Penn State, Duke University and Macalester College. The National Association of Scholars had another beef. It advocates the classics and argued in a recent report that by frequently selecting contemporary literature, “colleges are implying that students have little to learn from the past. Or perhaps they simply think students’ attention spans are too limited for them to want to pick up such a book and read it on their own.” The group suggested schools should instead assign such alternatives as James Fennimore Cooper’s “The Last of the Mohicans,” Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man,” Shakespeare’s plays, and selections from the Bible. Colleges deny any political intent. They say they seek high-quality books that provoke debate and that they are encouraging it as an academic experience among all the other events and parties during those first few days on campus. Since many schools invite authors to campus, classics by long-dead writers don’t fit the bill and there are other opportunities to study them, colleges say. A common book “is a tangible bond but it has intellectual heft as opposed to just wearing the school colors,” said Cheryl Spector, director of academic firstyear experiences at California State University, Northridge, where this year’s common reading is “The Postmortal,” a futuristic novel by Drew Magary
Author Drew Magary chats with a group of freshmen after California State University Northridge’s freshmen convocation at the school’s Oviatt Library on Sep. 4, 2014. His book “Postmortal” is this year’s common assigned reading for all freshmen. LAWRENCE K. HO/Los Angeles Times (MCT)
about possible immortality and a cure for aging. Critics misunderstand the programs’ goals, she said: “The fact is we are not trying to pick literary masterpieces primarily, although we don’t mind it if we hit them. But we do want engagement with students. We want to invite them to a love of reading.” Nearly 40 percent of colleges ask students to participate in such readings, according to a recent survey by the Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education. At Pomona College, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s “Americanah,” a novel about Nigerians who immigrate to the U.S. and Britain and return home, was selected from 40 nominated books by a panel of faculty, students and others. Copies were mailed to incoming freshmen’s homes. Pomona’s dean of students, Miriam Feldblum, said Young Americans for Freedom badly mischaracterized the book. The novel, she said, offers multiple perspectives of racial topics and American and Nigerian societies and emphasizes that people should not make
assumptions about culture and history. Beyond its cross-cultural themes, it’s a good book for young people because it examines long friendships and life’s unexpected turns, she said. The college aims for political balance, Feldblum said, pointing to the 2008 selections of autobiographies from both presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain. During Pomona’s orientation recently, freshmen gathered in an auditorium to watch an online TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) talk by Adichie. (She is to lecture in person on campus next month.) They then broke into smaller groups to discuss the novel. History professor Samuel Yamashita coaxed his group to grapple with characters, plot and issues concerning cultural barriers and romance. Some students were talkative and others reluctant at first but most eventually participated. Later, freshman Lauren Bollinger praised the reading effort as “another step to unite the freshman class, socially and academically.” She said current books like “Americanah” were more likely to trigger interaction
Calif. mandates cellphone ‘kill switches’ BY PATRICK MCGREEVY LOS ANGELES TIEMS (MCT)
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed into law a first-in-the-nation requirement that smartphones made in the state eventually be equipped with “kill switches” that allow owners to remotely render them useless if stolen, in reaction to a spate of violent robberies. “The governor signed SB 962 to deter smartphone theft,” said Jim Evans, a spokesman for the governor. The measure applies to phones made after July 1, 2015, to allow the industry to adjust. It was supported by criminal justice leaders including Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck and San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, who note that some phone owners have been injured in robberies. Democratic state Sen. Mark Leno introduced the measure.
“California has just put smartphone thieves on notice,” Leno said in a statement. “Our efforts will effectively wipe out the incentive to steal smartphones and curb this crime of convenience, which is fueling street crime and violence within our communities.” The legislation was opposed by some industry groups who argued phone companies were voluntarily taking steps to improve security of phones. But others said government action was needed. “Once again, California is leading the way on important issues surrounding individual privacy and public safety,” said James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, noting smartphones contain a great deal of personal information.” The Leno bill was one of 25 bills signed Monday by the governor. Brown also signed a measure to encourage the state education board to
include the 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama in the state’s social studies curriculum. The state board is expected review new school standards during the 2015-2016 school year. Democratic state Assemblyman Chris Holden said he was pleased Brown signed his measure, AB 1912, which he said “underscores the importance of his presidency — the historic nature of it.” The governor vetoed a measure by Democratic state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier that would have required every report submitted to the Legislature by any state agency to include a statement signed by the head of the agency that the contents of the report are true, accurate and complete. Brown said in his veto message that rather than improve communications, SB 1337 would “likely impede communications between the executive branch and the Legislature.”
than the classics assigned in high school. Besides, she said she probably will major in English, and the classics will be “a big part of my education.” In South Carolina, legislators originally sought to cut funding from the College of Charleston for assigning “Fun Home,” an illustrated memoir by lesbian writer
Alison Bechdel, and the University of South Carolina Upstate for “Out Loud: The Best of Rainbow Radio,” a compilation of gay-themed stories. After much protest over academic freedom, lawmakers instead required the schools to devote $70,000 _ the cost of the reading programs _ to teaching about the U.S. Constitution and other founding documents.
The goal should be introducing students to college-level readings, particularly as campuses reduce corecourse requirements, said Ashley Thorne, an official at the National Association of Scholars and the main author of its report, “Beach Books.” Too many common readings are new books about those overcoming adversity or aiding others, which leaves no room for more challenging works that have been “tested by time,” she said. Colleges, however, emphasize that it’s also instructive and exciting for students to have the authors on campus. At Cal State Northridge, for example, Magary addressed the freshman Convocation and spoke more about creativity and overcoming youthful mistakes than about details of his 2011 novel. Colorado College this yer embraced a classic, Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” While that might please traditionalists, the school also invited a theater troupe to perform a satirical send-up of “Hamlet,” including puppets and a goldfish in a bowl symbolizing tragic heroine Ophelia. Students still grappled with issues of “loss, grief, revenge and isolation,” said Regula Meyer Evitt, an associate dean. Behind the royal successions and murders, freshmen found relevance in a play about “a guy who is miserable at home and wants to go back to college and a young woman who is terribly in love with him.”
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Jhordan “Jaguar” Perry of We Are Venom performing at the Fellowship Hall.
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Situated in a depressed area of Durham, Fellowship Hall provides a release for local artists. Here, rapper Jason “Suttin Else” Palmer prepares his spray can for tagging.
Dwayne Jordan, drummer of We Are Venom, entering the venue.
Photos & story by Alexandria Sampson n Mangum Street where the vestiges of the historic Old Five Points remains is a block of decrepit buildings. A faded behemoth with a line of smashed windows that was once a religious center overlooks the street. The sign fixed on its front bears three crosses that look relatively untouched by time. “The true way church of God in Christ Jesus” it reads. The other buildings stand in similar disarray with their discolored bricks, broken windows and closed signs. But the grit and the grime holds a glory that refuses to fade. A glory that 717 N. Mangum St. captures perfectly. Fellowship Hall, a venue for musical acts, embraces the depressed environment to create an outlet for unconventional musicians, artists and individuals. “Fellowship Hall is a world of its own,” said Jhordan “Jaguar” Perry, lead of the band We Are Venom. “It exists outside the conventional world, in a realm where all possibilities are plausible. “It’s where the cool kids hang out.” Strategically placed in the barred display window of the shop are 10 “broken” TV screens that switch from static to the occasional flashes of cult classics. On the door is a frame of Desiderata, a 1927 poem
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The shop’s display holds several “broken” TV screens.
Mike Graham, guitar player for We Are Venom, tagging a wall in the alley.
DJ Dana J spinning tracks at the Revenge of the Losers show on July 11. The show featured acts from We Are Venom, Domo and several other artists.
about the beauty and troubles of the world. Painted at the very top of the door is a poignant message: “Bless this mess.” A contradicting and beautiful mess. The walls of the venue are covered in surreal depictions of the 12 Apostles, all drawn by the proprietor Andrew Miller. Surrounded by the religious art, those who frequent the shop clutter together in the back to smoke a certain illegal substance or stand outside to drink malt liquor straight from the bottle. The alley behind the building is cluttered with spray cans, graffiti and a ladder the regulars use to climb onto the roof. Mosquitoes infest the alley but even in the process of being bitten, the members of We Are Venom along with their friends, who they describe as more like family, shake their spray cans and tag the empty spaces on the brick walls. Covered in quarter-sized mosquito bites and sweating from the lack of air conditioning, everyone is a literal hot mess. But they don’t notice and if they do, they don’t complain. In a corner of N. Mangum Street, is Fellowship Hall. A mess no wants to clean up. A mess that’s been blessed by the art, passion and freedom of “the cool kids.”
The wall art, drawn by the proprietor, bears religious significance.
The venue’s regulars toss back malt liquor straight from the bottle before the show.
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Hopscotch dominates downtown Downtown Raleigh music and art festival features 160 bands at 13 venues BY L EILA H ASHEMI ECHO STAFF REPORTER
More than 160 bands participated in Hopscotch Sept. 4 in downtown Raleigh. The three-day music and art event, held at 13 adjacent venues, is now in its fifth year. The venues featured large outdoor and intimate indoor settings for rock, hip hop, folk, experimental and other artists. Locations included Lincoln Theatre, Tir Na Nog, Contemporary Art Museum Raleigh, City Plaza and nine other popular Raleigh venues. Almost half of the performers were local. “Hopscotch is a great opportunity for the city to show outsiders and locals what the music scene has to offer,” said Craig Reed, owner and founder of Younger Brother Productions. “Raleigh is a strong music city which is becoming increasingly better known nationally as a center for groundbreaking music.” As No. 10 on the Billboard 200, indie-rock band Spoon created a buzz in this year’s lineup; they also played at the Lollapalooza and Outside Lands music festivals. Mastodon, a hard-rock group with a “progressive flair” and “hardcore grit,” was a headliner this year. Hip Hop legend De La Soul wowed fans with old favorites and new creations. Johnny J. Jones of Toon and the Real Laww, a Durham hip-hop group that
opened for headliner De La Soul, said he was honored to be there. “It was like walking in the clouds with hip hop gods,” said Jones. Jones also directs the annual DURM Hip Hop Summit. SiteWork, a local, artistled cooperative which helps artists share ideas and create new concepts, showcased a series of projects by local, national and international artists in 2013. The projects explored the relationship between independent music and contemporary art. This year, SiteWork revealed two of those projects, one of which was “The Shredder Sessions” at Lump Gallery, hosted by artist and composer David Colagiovanni. The sessions, which Colagiovanni recorded, featured musicians from this year’s Hopscotch lineup, jamming out on a structure made of unusual sound-making items including paper shredders, fire bells, blenders and cymbals. Hopscotch also presented Posterscotch, a visual exhibition and market which featured artwork and posters. Skillet Gilmore, founder of Posterscotch and graphic designer and screen printer, exhibited his eclectic mixand-match posters. Gilmore created posters for such bands as the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Raleigh’s The Love Language. For the second year, The Chit Nasty Band participated in the festival.
Mark Kuzio, guitarist for Ghostt Bllonde, plays a free day party at The Pour House in downtown Raleigh for the Hopscotch Music Festival Sept. 5. This is the band's first time playing at Hopscotch. LEILA HASHEMI/Echo staff photographer
“This festival does exactly what it needs to do,” said Christian “Chit” FousheeGreen, the band’s singer, songwriter, and keyboardist. “It takes underground music and brings it to a more mainstream experience.” John Faltass, Chit Nasty’s
Trippy sounds at Fellowship Hall
Jhordan “Jaguar” Perry adds Jaiyeola Ladipo’s portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the Fellowship Hall collection Friday night. ALEXANDRIA GLENN/Echo A&E editor
BY ALEXANDRIA GLENN ECHO A&E EDITOR
Young people gathered around turntables on Friday, nodding their heads and jamming out with rap freestyles and live electronic beats. The event, Trippy Sound Knightz, held at Durham’s Fellowship Hall, showcased local music producers, DJs, music and art, Painter and drawer Jaiyeola Ladipo sketched a portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which was added to the building’s art collection. Producer, soundsmith and N.C. Central University alumnus Trenten “Brassious Monk” Powell was a promoter and performer at the event. “We wanted to try to
expose people to a different kind of setting instead of a club or kickback,” said Powell. “We wanted to have a place where people can come and vibe to a different kind of sound while watching movies and live paintings in the midst of being in a really cool environment.” 25-year-old Durham resident Raheem Williams heard about the event through Powell. “I love the artistic scenery of this place,” said Williams. “It’s almost like a clubhouse where you can escape from the real world. It’s my first time here and I would definitely come back.” Trippy Sound Knightz was conceived by mass communication senior Jhordan “Jaguar” Perry, who met
Fellowship Hall owner Andrew Miller through DURTY Durham Art Collective through people he met working on the Durham Tech Civil Rights History Mural Project. Miller also is a painter and a member of two bands. “We met and immediately hit it off,” said Perry. “I went down to the Hall; I painted and threw a couple of shows.” Miller told Perry that his band would be going on tour for the year and would not be able to keep the lease. “They suggested that I take over the spot, and so I did,” said Perry. Perry said he plans to build a restaurant in the back with the help of his friend and executive chef, Steven McRey.
guitarist said, “We get to get out there and see bands we don’t usually get to see. “We get to open up and branch out with a new audience and community. “We get to mingle and connect with other local musicians. “You can see headliners
walking down the street and even attending your show.” During a day show, a newly formed group and first-time Hopscotch performers Ghostt Bllonde took the stage at The Pour House. The band formed a little over a year ago, but the crowd couldn’t tell by the
way it rocked the stage with its fuzzy, dirty, throwback garage pop. “This has always been the best time of the year for me. It’s humbling,” said Billy Barns, the band’s drummer. “And now there are only 365 more days till next year’s Hopscotch and I can’t wait.”
CoCo’s underground BY L EAH M ONTGOMERY ECHO A&E EDITOR
Students stood, squatted and sat around the stage in the dimly lit building enjoying live performances at the historic CoCo’s Jazz Club on Sept. 5. N.C. Central University students Kenneth ‘Sir Lampkin’ Lampkin, a mass communication senior and business administration sophomore, Diamond ‘Gaudi’ Harkless spearheaded “The Campaign,” an event which showcased the talent of their peers. “It all comes from love,” said Lampkin. Lampkin and Harkless created the event to highlight NCCU’s underground scene through art shows, and live music. “I feel like it doesn’t exist but we are building it,” said mass communication senior, Tyrell ‘Black Mamba’ Smalls. Visual communication sophomore Mondre Boone said he spreads the word about shows and events whenever possible and tries to go whenever he can. “I love it,”said Boone. “Completely support it, 100 percent.” The event was structured like a talent show, with enough time for each act to perform two to three selections of their music. Students performed everything from Slam Poetry to Hip Hop to Progressive Rock. There was also talent from outside of Central in attendance that evening. Painter and self-proclaimed troubador, Isti Kaldor lead the house band on his acoustic guitar. “I bring music to the community, dah dah!” said Isti. His work can be experienced at IstiKaldor.com, which also features his
Former N.C. Central University student, Meshach Chavis, performs an originial spoken word piece KIMANE DARDEN/Echo photo editor
documentary titled “Moment of Clarity” directed, produced and edited by Kevin Callen. Backing the talent show was CoCo’s owner, William McLaughin. McLaughin built CoCo’s in 1979 as a pharmacy. Although he practiced pharmacy for 42 years before retiring, he said his passion has always been music. As a result, after he retired from pharmacy, he converted the building into a jazz café. “Music is a universal phenomenon,” he said. “I’ve studied music like I studied pharmacy.” He said he fully supports events like The Campaign because it “establishes the ancestors of our culture” and helps create a holistic experience of music, food and art.
By doing this, he says, it allows young African Americans the opportunity to get in touch with their culture. “We have been so disconnected from our her itage,” he said, and argued that through programs that showcase music, food and art young blacks can gain empowerment. “[African Americans] are at the bottom of the totem pole with empowerment issues,” he said. McLaughin stressed that giving young blacks the opportunity to “connect the dots” and allow themselves to be empowered is a main reason he has created a partnership with Lampkin and Gaudy. “We’ve got a lot of problems in our community,” he said. “My only desire is to empower you. That’s what this is all about.”
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The mask behind the art
NCCU art museum features the work of former professor
Above, an untitled charcoal sketch by Isabel Chicquor. Above right, a photograph from Isabel Chicquor’s “Delirious Rhythm,” a series taken in Cuba. Photo courtesy of NCCU Art Museum
ISABEL CHICQUOR
B Y B RANDI A RLEDGE ECHO STAFF REPORTER
The art of former professor Isabel Chicquor is on display at the N.C. Central University Art Museum through Oct. 25.
Born in New York City, Chicquor received her Master of Fine Arts in studio art from SUNY College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Chicquor came to NCCU in 1977 and retired from teaching in 2007. She died from cancer in 2011. Art professor Melvin Carver described Chicquor as a “craftsman.” He said her work was noted for its visual composition. Chicquor was a beloved teacher who often travelled with her students around the globe. In 2001, she organized a trip to Cuba with students. She also organized annual three-day student excursions to museums and galleries in New York City. In a short memoir, she wrote that while she began teaching out of economic necessity, “within three years I realized that teaching was an art form like any other. It required practice, dedication, and commitment.” With one of her university classes, she produced a 24-foot alphabet that was eventually donated to C.C. Spaulding Elementary School in Durham. In 2002 Chicquor won the Universitywide Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2005 she received the UNC Board of Governors Award, the highest faculty award given by the UNC System. The exhibit, officially titled “Isabel Chicquor Tribute Exhibition,” includes works in a variety of media, including black-and-white and color photographs, and charcoal and pastel drawings. Her photography includes work from Barbados, Cuba, Puerto Rico, France and Italy. According to museum director Kenneth Rodgers, many of Chicquor’s works are untitled and, as a result, force the viewer to engage in her world.
CHRISETTE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Earlier that day Michele spoke to students in the music department about branding and team building. “School is the place to learn the tools to help you when you get out,” said Michele. “Now is a great time to tryout different things and experiment.” Michele encouraged the students to build their team now and network with other students who are aspiring producers, videographers, singers, and graphic designers. “In college I was against social media but now things are different,” said Michele. “Social media is your base and you all should be building your social media and creating websites to help market yourselves.” Michele encouraged aspiring artists to perform and record whenever possible. She also advised them to never turn down any opportunity to get their name out. “Do not get discouraged when you hear the word no,” said Michele, who had been told ‘no’ countless times while working under Def Jam Recordings. “To hear a musical perspective and receive helpful input from not just a performer but actual singer was amazing,” said music industry senior Christina McNair. Music industry senior
Sophomore, Dottie Fuller, opens for Chrisette Michele. MELQUAN GANZY/Echo staff photographer
K’La Moore said it was one of the best press interviews that she ever attended. “I loved how humbled and elegant she was,” said Moore. “She had such a great presence.” Moore has hopes of one day starting her own record label and said Michele’s advice on the transition from college to the music industry helped tremendously. Lenora Helm Hammonds, director of the N.C. Central Jazz Vocal Ensemble and assistant professor of voice and jazz
studies was also pleased with the outcome of press interview. Hammonds said that she was grateful that Michele put on an event that helped the students. She said she could see inspiration on their faces. “Here is someone who is intriguing and who is actually here to encourage and help to see that the students succeed,” said Hammonds. “She gave the students hope towards pursuing their dreams and she was very humble in the process.”
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NCCU’s newly recruited QB gets the shine “I want to be able to lead my team to a MEAC Championship this season. The boys have been working hard in the offseason and the summer workouts to be where they need to be. They are dedicated hard workers,”
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$2 million for Coach LeVelle Moton
QUINN BILLERMAN NCCU QUARTERBACK
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Quinn Billerman
Going through the process of recruiting and trying to fill a huge role on the offensive side of the ball is a difficult task to do. After playing his final season at N.C. Central University, Jordan Reid left that role wide open. But, finding new talent is a task that can be accomplished and N.C. Central University’s football coaching staff think they accomplished. NCCU’s up and coming football program, headed by Coach Jerry Mack, have recruited a promising quarterback by the name of Quinn Billerman. He serves as the starting quarterback for this football season. Being a quarterback is not an easy task, especially when playing in front of NCCU’s passionate fans and students is factored into the equation.
That did not seem to bother Billerman; he said being closer to home would be an advantage for him. “I chose N.C. Central because I thought me and Coach Mack had a good personal relationship. He pushes me and is extremely honest while also bringing the best out of me. I also wanted to be back on the east coast and closer to home,” he said. Billerman wears jersey number 8 this year and has plenty of talent along with his leadership. Billerman is a solid 6foot 3-inch, 210 pound quarterback from Raleigh, N.C. He transferred from New Mexico Military Institute and was named the “MEAC Newcomer of the Year” by the Sporting News. Billerman is classified as a junior at NCCU for this academic school year. Last year, Billerman led NMMI to an 8-4 record while breaking the singleseason record for passing yards and touchdowns at 2,962 and 34 respectively. Quinn has been playing organized football since the age of 6 and says he’s never been the yelling type of quarterback and leads by example. “I’m the person to just encourage and help my guys and keep a positive atmosphere in the locker room,” he said. Quinn has the Mid Eastern Athletic
Conference championship scheduled on his mind for the team to participate in at the end of the season. He has faith that his teammates can help him make the dream come true. “I want to be able to lead my team to a MEAC Championship this season. The boys have been working hard in the offseason and the summer workouts to be where they need to be. They are dedicated hard workers,” Billerman said. In actuality, football is not Billerman’s first passion. “My first passion was actually basketball. I won a state championship at my high school, Ravenscroft High School, but I always played football as well,” he said. While growing up, Billerman couldn’t go through his trials and tribulations alone. Quinn looked up to his older brother as a role model. “My big brother, Sean Billerman, played a major role in my life. He kept my head on straight and kept me humble along the road,” he said. Sean Billerman is now a senior basketball guard for the United States Military at West Point, also known as the Army Black Knights. Quinn will play in his third game against Towson University Saturday, Sept. 20.
North Carolina Central head coach LeVelle Moton works with his team during their practice on Thursday, March 20, 2014, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The Eagles are making their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and will face off against Iowa State tomorrow night. ROBERT WILLETT/Raleigh News & Observer (MCT) BY MELODY BROWN-PEYTON ECHO SPORTS REPORTER
Last April N.C. Central University’s head basketball coach, LeVelle Moton, received a contract extension worth $2 million through 2022. This makes him the highest paid coach in NCCU’s history. Moton’s annual base salary will be $250,000 for the next eight years. He will make $35,000 less per year than Chancellor Saunders-White, who earns an annual salary of $285,000 per year. But Moton makes $20,000 more than newly selected chancellor of Elizabeth City State University, Stacey Franklin Jones, who will start on Oct. 1 at an annual salary of $230,000. “Paying such large salary takes away from other pro-
grams for students and really sends the wrong message to students,” complained a faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences who asked to remain unidentified. The faculty member said that he had been at NCCU for 20 years and earns $80,000 per year. Some students said this money could be better spent. “I am happy that the coach has received a raise,” said junior Monrika Lender, “but more resources should be devoted to computer labs.” But compared to other basketball coaches in the Triangle, Morton is at the bottom of the list. Duke’s coach, Mike Krzyzewski, earns an annual salary of $7.2 million. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s
coach, Roy Williams, earns an annual salary of $1.72 million. And N.C. State University’s coach, Mark Gottfried, earns an annual salary of $1.2 million. Moton coached the team to the 2014 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and took the team to the NCAA March Madness tournament for the first time in the school’s history. Coach Moton will soon release a book co-authored with sports journalist Edward Robinson III, called “The Worst Times Are The Best Times.” The book is available for pre-order on Sept. 2. An e-mail from Kyle Serba, NCCU director of sports information, read that Moton has not been conducting in-person interviews with media regarding his contract.
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The Rice dilemma BY
AVERY YOUNG
ECHO SPORTS EDITOR
In February 2013, Ray Rice, former running back for the Baltimore Ravens, helped his team defeat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. At the conclusion of the 2013 NFL season, Ray Rice and his then-girlfriend, Janay Palmer, were caught in a domestic violence altercation by an elevator camera of the Revel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Both Rice and Palmer were arrested that night. When the first video was released of the altercation, viewers could only see Rice dragging Palmer out of the elevator then staring at her while she lied on the ground unconsciously. The second video shows Rice spitting on Palmer before stepping into the elevator. She reacted by swinging at him but did not make contact. After stepping onto the elevator, she hit him with her left forearm. Ray then immediately answered back with a
left jab. Palmer rushed him and he struck her with a heavy left handed punch to her face, knocking her unconscious. Ray Rice’s dominant hand is his left hand. Ironically, Palmer and Rice got married on March 28th, nearly a month after the incident. Four months later, on July 24th the National Football League dished out a two game suspension for Ray Rice following the arrest. Although Rice was allowed the privilege to play in the preseason leading up to the 2014 season, on September 8th, TMZ released a second video of what actually occurred on the elevator. Since then, Rice’s contract with the Ravens has been terminated and he was suspended indefinitely from the NFL. The ensuing media storm involving commentary on Ray Rice, the NFL’s domestic abuse policy, and domestic abuse itself has gone on for weeks. Students at N.C. Central University also weighed in
on the incident. Mass communications senior Raven Williams said that instances of domestic violence are not uncommon; however it was shocking to see an instance so clearly caught on camera. “Honestly, I think that it was a crazy event that occurred. It sheds light on more situations that happen often; it just so happens that Ray Rice was caught in the act,” she said. She did, however, think his termination from the NFL was too harsh. “I think it was an extremity for his contract to be terminated by the NFL. I think he should have been suspended for half the season,” she said. Pharmaceutical science senior Janie Outlaw questioned Palmer’s willingness to stay with Rice. She said, “Personally, I would not have married nor have stayed with him. Although everyone has their own opinion but I am not a strong believer in domestic violence.” There were other ways that Outlaw thought of that
Ravens running back Ray Rice, right, and his wife Janay talk to the news media May 5, 2014, at the Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md, regarding his assault charge for knocking her unconscious in a New Jersey casino. On Monday, Sept. 9, 2014, Rice was let go from the Baltimore Ravens after a video surfaced from TMZ showing the incident. KENNETH K. LAM/Baltimore Sun (MCT)
Ray could have done to avoid this current issue. “I do not think it was ok for him to strike her but he could have showed his retaliation through shaking her,” she said. Business senior John Leftwich Jr. questioned the rationale behind releasing
the video. He said, “Since there wasn't a case built and or charges were pressed I don't believe that the video should have been released”. Political science senior Norman Jones Jr. was very critical of Rice. “Whether she charged him or not, using
brute force on a woman and eventually knocking a woman unconscious is cowardice and despicable”, he said. The latest information released shows that Ray Rice will appeal his indefinite suspension by the NFL and try to return this season.
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Campus Echo WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2014
A pox on black women? Sexism against women is discrimination in numerous ways, from the infamous wage gap to the strategies women must employ to succeed in the business world. All women have to fight harder for success, but the road is rockier for women of color. We must also combat the racialized stereotypes projected on us. Amanda Oftentimes, stereotypes such Holmes as “black women are ratchet and loud” and “black women have bad attitudes” are used to denigrate black women’s strengths. What is a “strong black woman” once she’s slandered as “ratchet and loud?” Female Eurocentric beauty ideals plague black women, and the media adds fuel to the fire. Unbelievably, a black woman is expected to have both a small waist and large breasts. Her complexion is expected to be light, her hair straightened. But where is my uniqueness and individuality in this picture? Since I’ve gone natural, many have suggested that I use a relaxer. Black men, I’m sometimes told, like straight hair.
What is a “strong black woman” once she’s slandered as “ratchet and loud?”
Why am I expected to do things to my body based on what a man wants? Why should I reconfigure my body to be similar to those of another racial group in order to satisfy the whims of black men? Since when has it been OK to presume that black women should be mirror images of white women? I am a woman who carries my own image, and there are so many women of different races, creeds, and origins. Sexism has moved beyond the struggle for the right to vote. Sexist issues have strayed far from women fighting for their right to vote. It gets worse when you take into account white women’s experience with sexism versus black women’s. I am confident that many of you have seen the countless videos that parody black women. Most of these videos are made by black men. These parody videos make fun of black women. As black women, we can wear our hair in various ways, from a weave to the natural. Our facial fea-
tures, the way we talk and act is different for every single black woman. No one acts and talks the same way — our lives are painted differently, although people attempt to paint our lives as filled with fighting, dealing with multiple “baby daddies,” etc. Many of us laugh at the foolery and consider it a petty style of comedy. Truthfully, the black woman has become a caricature that some people have simply taken as a joke. The constant underlying sexist and racist undertones that exist about, toward and against us reduce our voices and images. Stereotypes in general are powerful, and are made stronger by the media. For example, the video, “She Racheet” features YouTube celebrities Emmanuel and Phillip Hudson portraying black women. The two wear purple and mahogany weaves while talking about weaves, fighting other women, and receiving child-support checks from their “baby daddies.”
There are a lot videos. YouTube sensation TJ Sotomayor, known as sotomayortv5, has posted a variety of videos of him bashing black women. In one video, “Bastard Babies are a Black B!tch’s Hustle,” he states that black women have children in order to obtain child support checks and other government assistance. No other races of women are laughingstocks as much as black women. Unfortunately, our black brothers display the mockery which encourages other individuals to make the same statements. The ladies at N.C Central University must continue to work against negative representations. If we don’t, we’ll be held back from our greatest potential. Our society is dominated by men, but I have faith that we can contribute an equal amount. In any ethnic group there’s no cultural monolith. Everyone is different. This may seem like a simple concept, but many of us forget the power of the truth. The truth is that women have the power. Power in puss! A black woman is an individual with her own story to tell. In the words of Dianne Reeves, “I am a woman, and I know where my voice belongs.”
#HaveSeveralSeats Apparently, it isn’t a secret that N.C. Central students do not read the Campus Echo, but I hope you’ll get into this read. I advise our student body to take several seats — literally. Our student body has become unaware of its purpose. We can’t even seem to sit still long enough to Melquan attend campus Ganzy – events planned Opinions for our benefit. At N.C. Central Editor University’s SGA Inauguration Thursday, B.N. Duke Auditorium was only onequarter full. I approached the auditorium anticipating a long line, in the vein of the storied “Chicken Wednesday” lines. There was no line. Obviously my expectations of the students of NCCU were too high. I entered the auditorium
Each NCCU student has the potential to dominate. We must understand our value.
severely underwhelmed. The student body is the reason the SGA exists. If our students continue to disrespect the offices of SGA President, Vice President, Class Presidents, Royal Court, etc., the student body will become the powerful unit it could be. Over time, the SGA will begin to act on its own, leaving the rest of the student body behind. Our apathy is detrimental to our institution. In the “real world,” people make time for important affairs. Our student body must invest time and effort into our dear old NCCU. Everyone complains about NCCU’s devolution, yet everyone is consistently involved in non-beneficial events such as 10:40 breaks and Chicken
Wednesday. People would rather be seen in the caf with their basic Jordans and fly gear than at SGA Inauguration or council meeting, voicing their concerns. Nothing happens when nothing is done. People may attempt to justify not attending such events with excuses such as: “I didn’t know anything about the inauguration,”and, “It wasn’t promoted well enough.” Unfortunately, the inauguration was not the first essential event held on campus. Speeches and debates, coronation, class council meetings, etc. always have a scarce turnout. But Thursday’s 10:40 break at night was packed to the gills. Our student body is always
ready for a little “turn up.” But even when it’s time have a good time, they sit and stare at the few people who are engaged and enjoying themselves. At last Thursday’s 10:40 break, most of the crowd was sitting there attempting to be pretty while a few others were doing the Shmoney. We’re always contradicting ourselves. The student body is pressed for a turn-up at NCCU but never shows Eagle Pride! Some students are eager to make an impact on our yard, striving to become educated individuals who positively influence younger generations. Some students have an objective to become a legacy for our university, And then there are those that don’t value each other. Each NCCU student has the potential to dominate. We must understand our value. And really turn up.
Illustration by Krystal Porter
Sound Off How do you think students can enhance their knowledge of black history? “I think we should listen to the stories of influential black individuals who’ve experienced hardships in our community.” — Jasmine Holeman, Junior
“By taking the time out to do research and connect with our ancestral roots.” — Orin Robinson, Sophomore
“By taking a variety of black history classes as a requirement.” — Keyanna Wright, Senior
Sound Off by Melquan Ganzy
N ORTH C AROLINA C ENTRAL U NIVERSITY
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Illustration by BJ Taylor