COURTBOUILLON A DILLARD UNIVERSITY student production
5 February 2009
www.ducourtbouillon.com
DU enrollment drops 12.3% in fall
NEWS
Applications double as administration promotes new recruitment strategies Meet Dr. David Taylor, DU’s new provost and VP of academic affairs
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the past five years. And the reduction since Katrina amounts to a decline of 53.7 percent in three years. The good news is that applications to Dillard have more than doubled since last year, officials told the Times-Picayune in a Jan. 30 article. And Dillard officials told the Courtbouillon they
Dillard enrollment declined slightly again this spring after the student census experienced a 12.3 percent drop in fall 2008, compared to the previous fall,
according to officials. With a pre-Katrina enrollment high of 2,092 in fall 2003, the fall 2008 numbers amount to a 59.3 percent decrease over
Provost says he’s confident of OK by SACS
Congratulations, Mr. President!
Roanna Stroman
Poet Nikki Giovanni gets degree, gives personal book collection in visit
EDITORIAL
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President’s grassroots efforts seek to bring communities together
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SPORTS Crosstown Classic ends in defeat for Blue Devils by Xavier on Jan. 24
INDEX
Dillard University’s provost said he is confident Dillard’s progress with strengthening internal financial controls will mean the lifting of accreditation probation within the next academic year. Dr. David Taylor, who also is vice president of academic affairs, said the university has turned in its audits and other paperwork to the Southern Association for Colleges and Schools, or SACS, and now is awaiting an on-site visit from a SACS team. “I believe that Dillard has nothing to worry about,” said Taylor in a recent interview. “The staff has spent countless hours reorganizing the financial structure.” SACS, the regional accrediting body for more than 13,000 schools in the United States and overseas, accredits schools to signify that they have achieved certain standards in both ad-
See SACS on 3
Photo by Associated Press Barack Obama made history when he became the first African-American president of the United States on Jan. 20. Look for Inauguration eyewitness accounts from DU faculty and students in the Feb. 19 issue.
expect the university census to be “right-sized” within the next couple of years. Dr. Toya Barnes-Teamer, vice president for Student Success, reported 829 students are enrolled for spring 2009, compared with 851 students in fall
See Enrollment on 2
Free AIDS tests set to promote DU awareness Free confidential HIV testing will be provided from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday by Excelth Inc. in the Dillard University courtyard to mark the ninth year of National Black HIV/ AIDS Awareness Day. New Orleans is No. 8 in the nation in AIDS case rates;; Baton Rouge is No. 4. Desiree Byrd, spokesperson for Student Health Services, “Everything is confidential. Students deal strictly with the agency providing the testing,” and test results are received within 30 minutes. The number of HIV/AIDS cases reported in Louisiana by the end of December 2006 reached 17,740, with New Orleans accounting for 8,902 cases, or slightly more than half the number, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC. In 2006, Louisiana ranked fifth nationally in the rate of AIDS cases and 12th in the country in
See Testing on 3
9 Pay, new look part of Courtbouillon revamp
Campus news ................................................2 Editorial ................................................8 Perspective ‘08 ..............................................10 Classifieds ..............................................12
The Feb. 5 issue of the Courtbouillon marks the revitalization and revamp of Dillard’s student newspaper, including a dedicated budget and staff stipends. “We’re very pleased to be able to offer a new look, more substantial content and more publication consistency as a result of upgraded administrative support,” said Dr. Cleo Joffrion
“We have been now been given the resources to make our vision a reality.” -- Dr. Cleo Joffrion Allen, adviser Allen, assistant professor of mass communication and new adviser to the Courtbouillon. “As our new provost (Dr.
David Taylor) has been known to say, ‘A vision without resources is hallucination.’ We have been now been given the resources to make our vision a reality,” she added. The student publication will have six issues this semester. In addition to the current issue, the paper will publish on Feb. 19, March 12, and April 2, 16
and 30. Starting in fall, seven issues per semester are planned. The paid staff for the spring semester includes senior Brittany Odom of New Orleans, editor-in-chief; junior Charley Steward of New Orleans, managing editor; junior Jeannine Cannon of Dallas, sports edi-
See Courtbouillon on 2
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DILLARD UNIVERSITY
COURTBOUILLON Volume 72, Issue 1
EDITORIAL STAFF Editor-in-chief .................... Brittany N. Odom Managing editor ...................... Charley Steward Sports editor .................... Jeannine Cannon Photo editor ......................... David Pittman Faculty adviser ..................Cleo Joffrion Allen, Ph.D., APR
BUSINESS STAFF Advertising manager ....................... Jazmine Boutte
CONTACT US News ..............dunews1@gmail.com Features .......... dufeatures@gmail.com Opinion ......... duopinions@gmail.com Sports ............dusports1@gmail.com Photos ............ duphotos@gmail.com Advertising ..... duadvertising@gmail.com
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DU Courtbouillon Dillard University 2601 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70122
New provost has big plans for Dillard Channing Bias On a bright, cold November morning as a holiday weekend approaches, few walk Dillard’s grounds, but activity is evident in Rosenwald Hall, the administration building. The sound of heels clang down tiled floors. A quiet hum emanates from the second floor offices of the university’s most powerful personnel: The Office of the President and the Office of the Provost/Academic Affairs. Dr. David V. Taylor, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs since Aug.1, smiles as he sits down to talk, clear braces making his grin resemble that of a teenager. He wears a pewter-colored pinstriped suit. To the left are pictures of his grandchildren on the bookshelf. “The challenge at Dillard is trying to recreate a sense of community that was disrupted by Hurricane Katrina,” Taylor said calmly, who most recently was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Morehouse College in Atlanta. His presence reflects the accuracy of the statement since his position has been filled twice postKatrina. (Taylor succeeded Dr. Betty Parker Smith.) As head of academic affairs, Taylor’s office is responsible for
Dr. David Taylor academic development and enhancements that are “central to everything that goes on,” he said. “We need to jumpstart the learning community intellectually,” he said. “Getting students to be more than they thought they could ever be comes from exposure to ideas, speakers, controversial people.” A major change Taylor proposes is the re-implementation of classes on Fridays, effective for the fall 2009 academic calendar. A decision is expected soon. His rationale is that students in many classes, such as language, math and science, need more time to engage and interact in the classroom. For example, he said, math and science students meeting twice a week often tend to have trouble
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tor/copy editor;; and junior David Pittman of Kenner, photography editor. Senior Jazmine Boutte of New Orleans is advertising manager. All are mass communication majors. English major Farah Akbar of Atlanta has volunteered to serve as online editor. And students in Allen’s writing classes will serve as reporters along with interested student volunteers. Prior to approval of an independent budget for the Courtbouillon, the newspaper had a rely
Room 146 Cook Center Phone: (504) 816-4107 Fax: (504) 816-4089
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E-mail: ducourtbouillon@gmail. com
ABOUT US The Dillard University Courtbouillon is produced by mass communication students at Dillard University. The Courtbouillon publishes seven issues per semester. Publication dates for spring 2009 are Feb. 5 and 19; March 12; and April 2, 16 and 30. If you have a story idea, news tip or calendar event, contact us at the numbers or e-mail addresses provided above. To advertise, contact our business and staff members.
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Enrollment FROM PAGE 1 2008, a slight reduction of 2.6 percent. The fall 2008 numbers, 851, were down by 12.3 percent when compared to fall 2007’s numbers of 956. Barnes-Teamer noted that enrollment already had begun to drop prior to Katrina. From the high in fall 2003, the number of students dropped to 1,961, or 6.3 percent, in fall 2004. By fall 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit, Dillard had
A major change Taylor proposes is the re-implementation of classes on Fridays, effective for the fall 2009 academic calendar. A decision is expected soon. retaining the information. Other topics and goals: • “We need a commitment to develop and expand faculty and a commitment to finding the best student mix.” • He wants to see a full resurgence of Greek life on campus, but in a responsible way. • He suggested revitalizing the global studies program, with a twist: “It would be unique if every Dillard student had a passport. You have to think beyond the box, but with a passport, you can leave the box.” A native of St. Paul, Minn., Taylor has more than 35 years’ experience in education. He earned his doctoral degree at the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in
on small printing grants through the Student Government Association and the Division of Humanities, with no money for staff stipends nor the ability to roll over revenue. Allen called the prior arrangement a recipe for failure. She added that the last time in recent memory the newspaper staff had any paid positions was in the 1960s, according to Dr. Gail Duskin, who now teaches English and was a student staff member at the time. And having the ability to roll over revenue will mean an improved ability to make upgrades and attend and compete at conferences, Allen said. “We are very encouraged by the changes made,” Allen said. “We now have a recipe for success and hope the Courtbouillon not only will
1,838 students, another 6.3 percent decline. When students returned the year after Katrina, 1,124 were enrolled that fall of 2006, representing a decline of 38.8 percent compared with the previous fall. In an e-mail communication, Barnes-Teamer referred to a recent Times-Picayune article in which Dillard reported a 110 percent jump in applications, the highest of all area colleges reporting. Dillard has had 2,497 applications this year, compared with 1,189 a year ago. She said that her office and the office of Dr. David Taylor,
history from the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota. He started out as a teacher. Prior to joining Morehouse, Taylor served for 16 years as dean of the General College at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He was associate vice chancellor for academic affairs for the Minnesota State University System in St. Paul. He was held administrative posts at the College of Charleston (S.C.) and at Macalester College in St. Paul. A scholar in the field of African-American history with emphasis on the African Diaspora, he has written two books, “Cap Wigington” and “African Americans in Minnesota.” and received numerous honors and awards for his work. Taylor says his work experience has taught him discipline and “no excuses.” “My word is my bond,” he said solemnly. And then it gets real. “My experiences have been that there are more politics than need to be played at HBCUs,” he said. “We need to move beyond that to get what we’re after.” Taylor reflects on his wishes for Dillard’s future: “Making this a better place is all you can hope for.” (Tierra Nash contributed to this report.)
serve as an information source and means to generate discussion on a range of issues, but also that it will be a valuable recruiting tool for potential mass communication majors and others at a time when recruiting is so crucial to Dillard.” The provost said he has great faith in the university publication. In the future, Taylor said, he hopes the Courtbouillon will be able to generate intellectual thought and engaging conversation. Students interested in volunteering to write may contact Odom or Steward at ducourtbouillon@gmail.com and 817-4107. (Angelica Boyd contributed to this report.)
provost, are addressing the issue of retaining students while the office of Danneal Jones, dean of enrollment management, is addressing new student enrollment. The university has an “enrollment recovery plan” and has hired new staff for more aggressive recruitment. “If we do not retain the students we have, it makes it harder to grow enrollment, as all we are doing is replacing the ones we lose,” Barnes-Teamer said. She added that students also can play a role in assisting in this effort, starting with preregistering for classes “so we
are not expending as much energy” on getting solid numbers and, instead, can focus on new students coming in. Other requests BarnesTeamer made of students: • Focus on maintaining “appropriate” grade-point averages and course loads to graduate. • Volunteer to assist with recruitment in your areas and at your high schools. • Participate in extracurricular activities so new students can see an active campus life. (Brittany N. Odom contributed to this report.)
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Testing
SPIKE LEE VISITS DILLARD CAMPUS FROM PAGE 1
the number of AIDS cases reported. The rate of HIV diagnosis was nearly seven times higher for black men than white men and more than twice the rate of black women. However, the rate for black women was 20 times that of white women. And among youth ages 13-24, blacks accounted for 61 percent of diagnoses in 2005, according to the CDC. Nearly one-fourth of those living in Louisiana with AIDS and HIV contracted it through heterosexual contact. Getting tested and knowing your status is important in preventing the spread of HIV/ AIDS, along with the use of condoms to significantly reduce the risk not only of contracting HIV/AIDS but also other sexually transmitted diseases. The No/AIDS Task Force of Orleans provides free condoms around the city; for more information, call 821.2601. “Abstaining from oral, anal and vaginal sex altogether or having sex only with a mutually monogamous, uninfected partner are the only ways that individuals can be completely protected from the sexual transmission of HIV,” according to CDC materials. Other suggestions from the CDC include: • Talk about HIV and other STDs with each partner before you have sex. • Learn as much as you can about each partner’s past behavior (sex and drug use), and consider the risks. • If you’re planning to get pregnant or are pregnant, get tested as soon as possible before you have the baby. • Having another sexually transmitted disease increases your risk of getting HIV, so if you think you’ve been exposed to one, get treated. According to the sponsors of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, the 18 cities with the highest prevalence of HIV/AIDS in black communities are Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Newark, New York, Oakland, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, San Francisco, Trenton, N.J., and Washington. (Katrina Jordan contributed to this report.)
David Pittman | Courtbouillon Award-winning director Spike Lee, right, walks with English major Farak Akbar and Humanities Dean Danille Taylor on campus last Friday. Lee spoke to theater and mass communications majors about his career and shared clips from his filming of the Broadway musical, “Passing Strange.”
Better service to students focus of new CFO Gabrielle Boykin
agencies. Prior to his appointment, E.J. Dr. Gerald Williams moved Phillips served as inover from Southern University, terim and auditor New Orleans, to become Dilthrough June 2008. lard’s new chief financial officer Williams, who Sept. 15, and University Presiworked with SUNO dent Marvalene Hughes says from 1990-2008, she is pleased to have Williams most recently was as a part of her team. vice chancellor for Williams said his biggest administration and challenge so far as been to orfinance. Over the chestrate a budget cutback of years, he also served $1.4 million while becoming as director, assistant familiar with campus policies director, counselor, Dr. Gerald Williams and procedures. He added that comptroller, execuhis No. 1 goal is to improve stutive assistant to the dent services and to improve technology chancellor. He has experience in cost acon campus. counting, cost analysis, internal agency auWilliams leads a staff of 11 and manag- diting, institution, operations management es all financial affairs at Dillard University and financial management. and ensures compliance with all regulatory Williams received a bachelor’s degree
SACS FROM PAGE 1 ministrative operations and education. Accreditation not only validates the quality of education, but determines whether or not federal financial aid can be provided to students who attend. SACS placed Dillard on probation last June 27 because of the need to strengthen internal controls, meaning the university could not track and trace all of its financial resources. It was given a 12month deadline to resolve the problem. Prior to this action, according to the university Web site, the university had been placed on warning for six months by SACS
in accounting from SUNO in 1971 and a master’s degree management at Troy State University. In 1999, he received a DBA (accounting) at Nova Southeastern University. Williams started out as a secondary school math teacher after graduation in 1971 and then moved on to accounting and business law classes at SUNO. Williams was a cost analysis for Ford Motor Co. from 1978-1983. He also served the vice president at Corpus Christi Parish Credit Union. Williams, who said he became a big supporter of Dillard through his children’s participation in the Dillard Science Academy, said he believes the Dillard position is the perfect match for his qualifications. Williams said restructuring how services are provided requires both the support of the staff and student body, and he encourages everyone to help out.
pre-Katrina, with the warning lifted once the required financials were submitted. Taylor said the university is restructuring its business and finance office and has a new chief financial officer. It has retained an experienced accounting firm to write financial control policy and procedures, and personnel are being evaluated and trained. The administration issued a statement on its Web site noting that Dillard remains fully accredited and enrollment nor students’ eligibility for government funding, scholarships and/or grants unaffected. It also noted that this issue was inherited by the current administration (Charley Steward contributed to this report.)
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New student union, professional school to be completed in 2010 Roanna Stroman Construction of Dillard’s new $14.9 million Student Union and its $40 million Professional Schools and Science Building are both expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2010, according to Dr. Edgar Chase, vice president of facilities and planning. Work on the pilings for the 57,000-square-foot, three-story Student Union began in January, two months behind schedule, Chase said, while construction of the 127,000-square-foot, three-story Professional Schools building got under way in November 2007. Both should complete around the same time because the union is much smaller than the classroom building, he said. The new Student Union, to be located near the duck pond and adjacent to the Cook Center, is a design-build project being constructed by Landis LLC. Campo Architects designed the structure. Both companies have New Orleans offices. It will include a bowling alley, theater, exercise room, yoga center and wellness clinic, said Dr. M. Denese Short-Bridges, assistant vice president of facilities planning and the HBCU Capital Program Project. The Professional Schools and Science Building, behind the Cook Center, was designed as a joint project by the architectural firms A line drawing shows the Professional Schools and Science Building, under construction adjacent to Cook Center. Madison & Madison International of Detroit (owned by minority women) and Sizeler, Thompson and Brown of New Orleans. It will house the divisions of Natural Sciences, Nursing and Business as well as the departments of Computer Science, Public Health and Mathematics. The new building will include classrooms and state-of-the-art laboratories, faculty offices and a 400-seat auditorium/multipurpose space for lectures and assembly. A water feature is planned in front of the building. Officials said the Professional Schools building, which is about 10 percent complete, has experienced delays because of hurricane season. When complete, the building will be certified as “gold” by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, a green building rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. “Gold” is the second level in the rating system. Certification indicates energy and water efficiency along with a safe and healthy A line drawing shows how the new Student Union will look when complete. It will include a bowling alley, theater, building environment. exercise room, yoga center and wellness clinic. Both buildings are being funded through the HBCU Capital Funding Program, a federal initiative to provide funding to improve the infrastructures of HBCUs. Specifically, the program is intended to repair/renovate old buildings and construct new ones. Funds also were allocated to Xavier University and Southern University of New Orleans.
Lawless chapel upgrade to be complete this month Kandyce Franklin Some $3 million in renovations to Lawless Chapel are scheduled to be finished this month, the first major upgrade since its 1955 dedication, according to Jay Calcote, former facilities management official. Woodward Design plus Build is contractor for the project, which began last March. Used not only for worship, but also for the popular Christmas concert and others, assemblies, courses and community service opportunities, Lawless is receiving a major interior upgrade, according to the Rev. Gail Bowman, chaplain. The one major change outside will be making the clock operable and repairing the chimes, she said. The building will keep its “historic look, but the clock will work. No one really notices there is a clock
because it hasn’t worked in years.” She added, “The chapel will have a 20th century look, but will operate The Rev. Gail Bowman in the 21st century.”. U p grades will include new audio equipment and theatrical lights along with bigger restrooms, refinished pews, new furniture and new draperies. In addition to an updated look, the most noticeable physical changes will be in the choir stand (singers will face the audience rather than each other) and in the social room.
Newly remodeled lounge offers student ‘chill’ spot Kiandra Metoyer Flat-screen televisions, a pool table, table football, couches and a colorful setting are some of the comforts of the newly reopened “chill” spot for Dillard students in downstairs Kearny Hall. The newly remodeled student hangout, which opened in November, “is a place to cool down and just relax,” remarked senior Meaquell Lewis. “The new look is nice, too.” Kearny’s second floor is the cafeteria, but “downstairs Kearny,” as students call the lounge area, had been closed since the end of spring 2008 for refurbishing. Now there’s cable television, tables where students can have a bite, study or just socialize. Freshly painted red, blue, yellow and green walls and new carpet round out the new look. Another change is the connection to the school’s post office. Previously, one had to walk around the building to enter Kearny in front near the oaks, but now one can enter through the back of Kearny near Dent Hall. Guylene Nsiewe, a junior transfer student, said she usually doesn’t hang out in downstairs Kearny, but sees a lot of students taking advantage of the spot. “There is always someone here when I pass by; it seems that students are getting a lot of use from this section of the building.”
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Dillard honors staff members with Eagle Award Jeannine Cannon
Dianne Lane is Dillard’s first recipient of the new Eagle Award. Lane is a switchboard operator.
Zena Ezeb was recognized as the second Eagle recipient this spring.
Zena Ezeb, a Humanities Division administrative assistant, has been named Dillard’s second Eagle Award recipient for excellent customer service, following Dianne Lane’s selection last fall. Ezeb was recognized by the Dillard University Staff Institute on Jan. 15. A graduate of Tulane University, she has worked at DU for 21 years, the last three of them with Dr. Danille Taylor, dean of Humanities, when Ezeb came over to replace four administrative assistants who didn’t return post-Katrina. “She does an extraordinary job at her position,” Taylor said of her “right-hand” staffer. “She is doing the job of four people.” Taylor added that Ezeb “doesn’t settle for mediocrity.” Lawrence J. Weber Jr., grants coordinator for the
Mass Communication Department, has been working with Ezeb for three months, but knew her when he was a Humanities student. He called her “the glue that holds this building together.” The school’s first honoree, Lane, has been a switchboard operator for information technology and telecommunications for 17 years, prior to coming to Dillard, the New Orleans native worked for AMOCO Corp. for 16 years. “I love my job and what I do, and I love the people,” Lane said. According to the vote made by the Reward and Recognition Team and her co-workers, Lane was chosen because of her dedication to Dillard, her care and compassion in interactions with customers and co-workers and her demonstration of excellent customer service that goes above and beyond the call of duty.
Terry Simon, director of telecommunications, said he has worked with Lane for nine years and described her as being “a very dedicated and hardworking person who consistently gives 100 percent.” The new Employee Rewards and Recognition Program’s aim is to enhance morale and create a sense of harmony among the Dillard University community, President Marvalene Hughes said on the DU Website. The Reward and Recognition Team consists of Audrey Clements, ITT; Monica Givens, business and finance;; Orenthal Goudia, ITT; Eula Lynch, business and finance;; Rachel Mercadel, business and finance;; Crystal Pierson, business and finance;; Curtis Smith, postal services; Jackie Thomas, postal services; Robin Toliver, business and finance;; Andrew West, ITT; and Bryant Williams, business and finance.
Wanted: 10 more volunteers for DU Ambassadors Robyn Murray The DU Ambassadors Program is still looking for 10 dedicated volunteer campus tour guides, according to program adviser Rebecca English. English, who notes she was an ambassador herself while attending DU in 2001 and 2002, said Dillard has 38 ambassadors and 28 campus tour guides. Guides offer tours to campus
visitors while ambassadors perform other functions as well, including traveling for recruiting and ushering at Christmas parties, fashion shows and other special events. The program started in 2000. Students are rewarded with 30 service hours each semester. Ambassadors and campus tour guides also have a uniform to wear while recruiting. They wear a royal blue polo shirt with
DU Ambassador on the right and their full name on the left. They are also given a T-shirt to wear but khaki bottoms must be worn with both. Both volunteer positions come with 30 service hours each semester but no pay or scholarship. Participants simply do it for the love of their school, English said. Tour guides are required to speak well and know the university well, English said,
with an interview being the deciding factor. Student ambassadors also must have a 2.75 GPA, be enrolled fulltime and have three recommendations English says applicants for campus tour guide or for an ambassador’s position next school year may visit her office in Rosenwald or e-mail her at Renglish@dillard.edu. Ambassadors are recruited at the beginning of each academic year.
Uninhabitable Gardens units repaired, filled, DU official says Sixty-six student apartments in Gentilly Gardens that couldn’t be used in the fall are available and in use this spring, according to Warren Atkins Jr., director of residential life. The 66 units, which is more than two-thirds of the 94 total in the complex traditionally for upperclassman, were unavailable in the fall semester because they required repairs. When asked how many students are now living on campus with the addition of the apartments, Atkins said he was not sure since registration has just ended and final numbers are unavailable. The status of Straight Hall and Camphor Hartzel, dorms that housed freshman prior to damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina, are uncertain at this time. The buildings currently are not scheduled for residential use, he said. “The good thing is that they’re (Gentilly Gardens Apartments) back online,” Atkins said. Some upperclassmen, like Marcus McNeil of New Orleans, are upset about having had to live in the “Duals” last fall. McNeil said he had been waiting for three years to live in the Gardens. (Jamil Davis and Juan Barnes contributed to this report.)
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IN BRIEF Dillard Review schedules deadline for spring issue Original creative works will be accepted Feb. 13 to March 6 for consideration for publication in the spring 2009 Dillard Review. Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy, director of creative writing, said students may submit art, essays, lyrics, fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, plays, screenplays, research and/or songs. All topics, issues, art and designs will be considered, but all work should be original, unpublished and in English. Contributors selected will receive two free copies of the journal. Send your work by e-mail in Microsoft Word (no layouts, please) to msaloy@dillard.edu with the subject line “4 The Dillard Review.”
Up to $25,000 available in PFLAG-N.O. scholarships The deadline to apply for up to $10,000 from the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG, of New Orleans is Saturday, Feb. 10. Julie Thompson, chapter president, said scholarships of $1,000 to $10,000 are being offered to students 17 years or older who are a Louisiana resident, plan to attend or currently attend a post-secondary educational institution and self-identify as being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered. At least $25,000 in scholarships will be awarded, with notification set for April 25. To apply, download an application from www.pflagno.org or pick up a hard copy at the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. For more information, contact Dr. Alain Durocher, assistant professor of philosophy and religion, at 816-4496 or adurocher@dumail.dillard.edu.
SGA election schedule set
David Pittman | Courtbouillon Seniors Ashlee Yates, left, and Nicole Collins walk in Gentilly Gardens. All 66 that required repair last semester are now in use, officials said.
An election informational at 7 p.m. Monday in Kearny Hall will start off the election schedule for student government. The deadline for nominations will be Tuesday. Elections will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 9, with inductions on March 12. In the interim, election speeches are scheduled at 7 p.m. Thursday and Feb. 16 in Stern. And the Mr. & Miss Dillard Pageant is set for Feb. 18.
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Nikki Giovanni visits Dillard campus Poet-educator donates books, gets honorary DU doctorate Brittany N. Odom Editor-in-chief
She appears to be a woman of contradictions: an English professor with a “thug life” tattoo. A poet who loves science and space. A petite woman with an oversized personality. Nikki Giovanni exhibited all that and more when she came to Dillard University on Jan. 16 to donate her entire personal collection of books to the Will W. Alexander Library archives and receive an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from the university’s board of directors. Clad in a lilac buttondown shirt, pink tie, purple pants and red shoes, Giovanni spoke to students, faculty, staff and community members about her love for hip-hop culture, her battle against lung cancer and a speech she gave at NASA headquarters. Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tenn., on June 7, 1963, and raised in Cincinnati. In 1968, she graduated with honors from Fisk University and published her first two books of poetry, “Black Feeling Black Talk” and “Black Judgment” that same year. Giovanni’s talents have been rewarded over the past 30 years: Her autobiography “Gemini” was a finalist for the National Book Award, and she was given NAACP Image Awards for her books “Love Poems, Blues: For All the Changes” and “Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea.” She was nominated for a Grammy award for her “Nikki Giovanni Poetry Collection,” is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and holds some 25 honorary degrees from colleges
across the United States. Now, Giovanni has an honorary degree from Dillard, joining past recipients such as Ray Charles and Bill Cosby, a man she criticized for focusing on the negative aspects of black culture in the media rather the positives. Giovanni said she was “pleased to be at Dillard for a number of reasons,” citing her love for the city of New Orleans and the Dillard community as two, and she praised President Marvalene Hughes, the administration and even the students for their persistence in bringing Dillard back to its Gentilly home following Hurricane Katrina. Giovanni even recited a poem she dedicated to President Hughes titled, “A Daughter Comes Home.” “It is not about the physicality, it’s about the spirit,” Giovanni said. “That is the spirit of Dillard University.” Giovanni spoke positively about her experience surviving lung cancer, saying it allowed her to quit smoking: “It’s a good time to be alive; I recommend it.” Though she kept the audience in laughs throughout most of her speech, Giovanni took a more serious turn when she began to speak about her visit to NASA headquarters, where she gave a talk about her plan to sent every 10th person in the world to space and why scientists should look at the struggle of blacks during the African slave trade to figure out how to get to Mars, saying blacks “built a community from the most horrendous conditions known to man.” “We have to change the way we look at things,” she said. “We have to go to Mars because it can’t come
Poet Nikki Giovanni, in top photo, shows her “thug life” tattoo she received in honor ot the late Tupac Shakur. At right, President Marvalene Hughes and Giovanni share a light moment. And below, junior Maime Butler and senior Abraham McNeil join Giovanni in looking at the installed collection.
Photos by David Pittman | Courtbouillon
“We have learned most of our behavior, and that means we can unlearn it.” Nikki Giovanni, Award-winning poet and educator here.” She recited her poem that she wrote for the organization called “Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea (We’re Going to Mars)” to close out her speech. Giovanni also took questions from the audience and spoke out against gun violence, saying she believes no one in the world should have a gun and gun violence must be “de-esca-
lated.” “We have learned most of our behavior, and that means we can unlearn it,” Giovanni said. She pledged her support toPresident Barack Obama and her love of hip-hop culture before taking pictures and signing autographs for audience members. Her newest book of love poems, “Bicycles,” was re-
leased on the day of her speech. It was inspired by the deaths of her mother, sister and dog Wendy and by the shootings at Virginia Tech University, where Giovanni has been a professor since 1987. “It’s a book that makes me smile,” Giovanni said. “Love requires trust and balance and a bicycle requires trust and balance.”
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EVENTS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS Every Tuesday Free HIV testing: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Student Health Services. Monday-Thursday through Feb. 26 Art exhibit: Barbara Nesin’s “Cryptablos: Creole, Black & Jewish,” 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Cook Center Art Gallery. Monday and Wednesday through March 11 Intramural basketball: 7:30-9:30 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday, Dent Hall gym. Today CPR training: 9 a.m. to noon, Student Health Center. Writing Proficiency Workshop: 12:15-1 p.m., 148 Cook Center. SGA Throwback Thursday: 10 p.m., Kearny.
Senior Roxie Wilson and freshman Chrishira Perrier practice a scene from “Crowns” recently.
Chris Robinson
Musical ‘Crowns’ to take stage at Cook in March Brittany N. Odom Editor-in-chief
Dillard’s Theatre Department will kick off its spring season with the six performances of the musical “Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats” in March, followed by a one-act student play festival in April, according to Cortheal Clark, department chairman. Junior theater major Canae White stars as the play’s main character Yolonda in Regina Taylor’s “Crowns,” scheduled for the first two weekends in March in the Cook Theater. Performances are set for 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 6-7 and 1314, along with matinees at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 8 and 14. A special showing for Dillard students, faculty and staff only is set for at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 5. The play, written by Regina Taylor, is the story of six women through the church hats they wear to church. It revolves around Yolanda, who has been sent from the big city to a small Southern town to live with her grandmother after her brother is
killed. While trying to find a way to cope with her brother’s death, Yolanda finds comfort in the church and its parishioners. The play is being directed by Sherri Marina, co-chairperson of the Speech and Theater department. Junior Erin Waddell is the play’s musical director. Other members of the cast
“We look at what’s popular on Broadway, the subject matter -- if it’s interesting, thought-provoking, challenging.” Cortheal Clark, Theater department chair include: senior Roxie Wilson as Mother Shaw, sophomore Yashicia Collins as Mabel, junior Kari Cojoe as Jeanette, freshman Deri’Andra Tucker as Velma, freshman Chrishira Perrier as Wanda and senior Ombrey DeGrate as Man. The one-act play festival will feature plays chosen and directed by seniors, Clark said. Performances will be held at 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, April 2225, with a matinee at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 26.
Clark said the department does at least one piece of classical theater each year. That piece was “Macbeth,” performed in the fall. “We look at what’s popular on Broadway, the subject matter – if it’s interesting, thought-provoking, challenging,” he said. “It’s not only for the university, but the community as well to show we are serious about theater.” The chairman said student attendance has declined post-Katrina, but he hopes the programming will draw in more students and members of the community. Tickets for “Crowns” are $5 for DU students with ID, $10 for senior citizens and other students with ID and $15 general admission. They are currently on sale, and special group tickets are available. Tickets for the special “DU Dollar Night” on March 5 are $2 with school ID. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the theater office at 816-4587 or visit the box office in Samuel DuBois Cook Fine Arts Center.
Friday United Way Agency Fair: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., in Dent Hall gymnasium. DU Volleyball Team Greek Stroll-Off and party: 8 p.m.-1 a.m., Dent Hall gymnasium. Saturday Free HIV/AIDS testing, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: noon to 3 p.m., Dillard Courtyard. Monday through Feb. 13 S.K.I.R.T.S Week. Monday Zeta Valentine Day sales: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kearny Hall. SGA Election Informational: 7 p.m., downstairs Kearny Lounge Bake Sale: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Writing Proficiency Workshop: 12:15 to 1 p.m., Room148 Cook Center. “. . .And Justice For All?”: 7 p.m., Room 106 DUICEF 106. Tuesday Zeta Valentine Day sales: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kearny Hall. “Carter G. Woodson’s ‘The Mis-Education of the Negro’ 75 Years Later: An Assessment”: 6:30 p.m., Stern Hall Auditorium. EJC movie night: “Coming to America”: 7 p.m. Room 106 DUICEF. SGA election nominations: 7 p.m., downstairs Kearny Lounge. SELD Events Management and Planning: 7 p.m. Room 105 Kearny. Bleu Crew’s Movie Night for Condom Week: 7-10 p.m., Room 110 DUICEF. Wednesday “Sellout: The Educated Negro”: 11 a.m., Kearny West Wing. Zeta Valentine Day sales: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kearny Hall. “The African Heritage of New Orleans”: 6:30 p.m., Stern Hall Auditorium. OSA/Deltas Valentine Forum/ Gathering: 7 p.m. Kearny Lounge. Melton Foundation International Movie Night: 106 DUICEF.
Opinion&Editorial
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Join Obama in efforts Our 44th president and the first African-American to hold the post, Barack Obama waged a heavy grassroots-style campaign, strongly encouraging citizens – old and young, white and black, rich and poor – to get involved with the electoral process. He stressed the importance of working together to accomplish change. With our first mission accomplished – his election – it’s time for everyone to become more engaged in what the President calls “a new era of responsibility.” “Obama anchored his presidential ambitions in his background as a bottom-up community organizer and in his belief that two people together are exponentially more powerful than two people alone…In the last 30 or 40 years, a lot of politics turned into marketing,” explains Marshall Ganz, a Harvard professor and community organizer who has worked with Obama. “Marketing is all about selling soup to individuals. It’s not about bringing people together. Obama’s model, which has made him the envy of a generation of political consultants, focuses both on selling the soup and on giving his supporters the tools to make soup together — for one another.” His inspirational journey was fueled by motivational slogans and phrases, such as “Yes, We Can” and “Change.” Obama’s campaign, playing on universal emotions, wants and hopes, called together people from every spectrum of American society, all of them moved by his strategies and that led to his victory. Obama successfully used his grassroots campaign to capture
the highest office in the most powerful country on Earth. He used traditional methods such as campaign rallies and visits to neighborhoods, diners, cafés and restaurants to reach voters (first time and regular voters) and nontraditional methods, like the Internet and e-mail, to connect with people. His vision was and is to bring Americans together to work to restore hope and confidence in a government of the people, by the people and for the people. With the election over, now comes the really hard part: improving the economy, stopping the hemorrhage of American jobs, finding a way out of two devastatingly expensive wars, and addressing educational deficiencies and a crumbling infrastructure. With an agenda that huge, he needs the support of this entire country, starting with each of us. A few years ago, a movie called “Pay It Forward” depicted a young boy who wanted to change the world, so he devised a plan: Do a good deed for three people, and those three would have to help three more people, and so forth. What if we forwarded our efforts toward change? Passed on positive messages and actions from person to person, from sea to shining sea? We challenge our fellow Dillard community members and fellow New Orleanians: Rally in your own way to make a difference in your communities, among your family and friends, and to continue what Obama has urged us all to do. Work for a stronger nation, a better nation, a changed nation, a brighter tomorrow. Yes, we can!
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The Courtbouillon is published by the students of Dillard University. Views expressed on the opinion pages are those of the individual writers, and not those of the administration, faculty or student body. The Courtbouillon reserves the right to edit all writings for space and libel.
5 February 2009
Stop AIDS denial, ignorance: Learn, get tested Charley Steward Managing editor
“When will it go out of style?” That’s the tagline written by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago to grab the attention of at-risk youth. HIV/AIDS is spreading through our communities like wildfires, shattering the lives of millions. New HIV infections are 40 percent higher than previously estimated, with the majority of cases occurring among blacks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. I mentioned this report to a friend who attends an HBCU in one of the top five cities ranked to have the highest rate of HIV/AIDS diagnoses, and he said more than half off the blood donated during a blood drive was thrown out because, as he said, “it was no good.” Blacks make up only 13 percent of this population, yet we account for almost half, 49 percent, of all new HIV cases. Of all groups and classifications in the United States, HIV and AIDS have hit AfricanAmerican women hard. We are at the focal point of this crisis, so why aren’t more black women paying attention to warnings about HIV? Who’s really to blame for this epidemic that’s killing so many of us?
As it stands, the “down-low brother” has become known as the one to blame. However, the annoyance and rage against men who secretly sleep with other men and the fact that their risky behavior is infecting multitudes of unsuspecting woman may prevent the spotlight from shin-
Charley Steward ing on other risk factors. We must become smarter as black woman and hold ourselves accountable. We can’t be willing to accept the unacceptable. Accountability is the responsibility of everyone who wants to change the direction of this epidemic. Every woman has a choice; we can’t continuously play the blame game and say the “brothers” are giving it to us. We have to be assertive and take responsibility for our bodies. After all, our lives are in our hands.
As the fight continues, we must recognize that the first step in stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS is to stop the spread of denial and ignorance. Here are the troubling facts as reported by the CDC: • AIDS is the No. 1 killer among African American woman ages 25-34. • Blacks accounted for 20,187 (50 percent) of the estimated 40,608 AIDS cases diagnosed in the United States. • Of all black female diagnoses, 74 percent came from heterosexual contact. • The rate of AIDS diagnoses for black women was nearly 23 times the rate for white women and the rate for black men was eight times that of white men. • Of all black men living with HIV/AIDS, the primary transmission category was sexual contact with other men. Allow these statistics be our wake-up call: Always practice safe sex, always use condoms, take no one’s word, get tested with your partner and learn as much as you can about his/her past. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is Saturday. Get tested. Know your status. No matter your demographic, AIDS does not discriminate. It affects us all.
5 February 2009
New coach Dale Brown says team ‘rebuilding’ Andrea Sylvas Dillard’s new men’s basketball coach says the team is in rebuilding mode in preparation for being seen “on a bigger level.” Dale Brown assumed his new post at Dillard in the fall, replacing Anthony Anderson, who is now assistant coach at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Brown, a former pro basketball player and University of Kentucky basketball star, most recently was head coach at Moss Point High in Moss Point, Miss., where he led the team to a district championship, a trip to the state semifinals and the best basketball record in the school’s history (32-6). He is returning home in a way. Born in Baton Rouge, Brown later moved to the Ninth Ward, where he attended George Washington Carver High. He moved to Pascagoula, Miss., during 10th grade and graduated from high school there. “I love Louisiana,” he said. “This is always home to me. Most of my family moved back to Baton Rouge after Hurricane Katrina, but I’m glad to be back.” Brown says his biggest challenge has been to restore the team’s confidence. The men’s team had a losing season last year, winning 16 games of 53 in the 2007 season. With 11 games remaining this season, the team is 4-3 in conference and 7-10 in non-conference games. The coach’s basketball career began at Mississippi Gulf Coast
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Community College in 1989. During two seasons there, he helped the Bulldogs win two consecutive Region 23 titles and a Top 20 ranking. From there, Brown transferred to the University of Kentucky, playing for coach Rick Patino, where he was a member of the 1992 Wildcats team that lost to Duke University in the NCAA Eastern Regional Final, described by Sports Illustrated and ESPN as one of the greatest college basketball games of all time. In 1993, he led the Kentucky Wildcats to the Final Four and to two consecutive Southeastern Conference championships. David Pittman | Courtbouillon He entered the National BasFreshman forward Lai’Ana Gill shoots a free throw during the Crosstown Classic at the New Orleans arena Jan. ketball Association, signing as a 24. Xavier University’s men’s and women’s basketball triumphed over DU. free agent with the Sacramento Kings in 1994, then returned to the University of Kentucky to obtain his bachelor’s degree in 2001. Brown coached the develop- Jeannine Cannon the Gold Rush and the Lady Cornice Wingate made five ment program for the Atlanta Sports Editor Blue Devils’ ninth straight loss three-pointers and led the DilHawks in 2003;; was associate to the Gold Nuggets. lard men (7-10, 4-3) with 22 head coach for the Southern The Blue Devils and Lady Syrena Edwards led Dil- points. Crescent Lightning in 2004, Blue Devils both were defeated lard (5-14 overall, 1-6 GCAC) Autrail Manning added 10 earning a World Basketball As- Jan. 24 by Xavier’s Gold Rush with nine points and a career- points, and the Blue Devils’ sociation Championship; and and Gold Nuggets in the All- high of 10 rebounds. Guylene leading scorer for the season, was head coach for the Missis- state Sugar Bowl Crosstown Nsiewe added eight points, and David Manning, scored seven. sippi Gulf Coast Bandits in Bi- Classic at New Orleans Arena. Meaquell Lewis added seven to The game against the Gold loxi, Miss., in 2005. The boys lost 59-47, and the the scoreboard. Chayla Green Rush was tied at 48 with 4:55 Honors include SEC New- girls 60-55. picked up a career-high of 14 left until Kelechi Okoroha, with comer of the Year in 1992; a More than 4,300 people at- rebounds. an overall score of 19 points two-time Defensive Player of tended the Crosstown Classic, Shayla Boyd led the Gold and 12 rebounds, made a 3the Year in 1992 and 1993; and which included performances Nuggets (14-5, 5-2) with 16 pointer with 4:42 remaining to induction in the Junior College by Xavier’s cheerleaders and lo- points, and Brittany Powell add- give Xavier (13-6, 5-2) a 51-48 Hall of Fame in 2006. cal artists, to witness the Blue ed 15 points to defeat the Lady lead. The Gold Rush defeated Brown said his plans include Devils’ seventh straight loss to Blue Devils 59-47. the Blue Devils 60-55. an emphasis on academics for his players: He said players have to stay focused in the classroom to achieve on the court.
Xavier defeats Dillard at Classic
EVENTS YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS Today: Dillard vs. Southern University at New Orleans, 5:30 p.m. (women), 7:30 p.m. (men). Saturday: Dillard vs. Bellhaven College (home) , 5 p.m. (women), 7 p.m. (men). Monday: Dillard vs. Louisiana State
University-Shreveport (home) 5:30 p.m. (women), 7:30 p.m. (men). Thursday: Dillard vs. University of Mobile (home), 5:30 p.m. (women), 7:30 p.m. (men). Saturday, Feb. 14 Dillard vs. Spring Hill College (home) 5 p.m. (women), 7 p.m. (men) .
David Pittman | Courtbouillon New men’s coach Dale Brown talks with players during the Crosstown Classic. Brown says he wants his players to stay focused both in the classroom and on the court.
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Perspectives’08
5 February 2009
COURTBOUILLON
Editor’s note
Perspective ‘08 is a collection of campus, local and issue stories from fall 2008.
Ashlee Yates, Marcel Harris reign as DU’s royals Jamika Davis Dillard’s king and queen for 2008-09 say they are determined to serve as role models as servants not only for the campus, but the entire Gentilly community. Ashlee K. Yates, a senior international business and Spanish studies major from Memphis, Tenn., and Marcel Harris, a senior public health systems major from Vallejo, Calif., were crowned Nov. 14 at the univer-
Kristi Coleman is first ‘Collegiate 100’ queen at DU
sity’s Homecoming coronation ball at the Astor Crowne Plaza downtown. Dillard has elected a queen for the past 53 years, but only in the past three has a king been selected to share the “throne of excellence,” as DU describes it. The royal court includes: Kristin Stein, Senior Class attendant, and escort Jason Alston;; Carmelita Foster, Junior Class attendant and escort Cornell Wallace; Brandi Clay, Soph-
omore Class attendant and escort Darius Miller; and Melanie Bolden, Freshman Class attendant and escort Juan Serrano. The new Miss Dillard, who has served in three previous courts as freshman, sophomore and junior attendant, said she wants to use her position to demand change. “I wanted to take part in boosting the morale of the university as well as restoring the prestige, elegance and excel-
lence back to the position of Miss Dillard University,” Yates said. She said her interests include “non-stop, consistent community service” and creating vehicles through students can voice their opinions. So far, Yates and Harris have combined their efforts to complete a Dillard beautification project, a school supply drive, participation in the United Negro College Fund Walk/Run and the KaBoom playground
DU queen to compete nationally this weekend
build. They also have been volunteering at local soup kitchens, they said. In addition, Harris also was instrumental in the formation of Dillard’s Collegiate 100 Black Men chapter to help African American males in the community, mentor youth and encourage leadership skills. Yates points to Federal Reserve executive Martha Perine-
See ROYALS on 11
100 Black Men chapter formed with 17 members
David Pittman
Jeannine Cannon
A sophomore mass communication major from New Orleans became the first “Miss Collegiate 100” at Dillard on Oct. 16 in Cook Theater, edging out four other competitors in the pageant. Kristi Coleman competed against four contestants before an audience of about 150 to win the position of female spokesperson for the new allmale organization. The pageant also was used as a fundraiser, generating an estimated $500 to promote DU’s Collegiate 100 Black Men chapter community projects. The runner-up was Sheena Sampson, a junior mass communication major from Dallas. The other three contents included: • Chrishira Perrier, a freshman theater major from New Orleans. • Jasmyne Fine, a junior biology/pre-dentistry major from Los Angeles. • Ralshella Washington, a junior theater major from New Orleans. Contestants were judged on business attire, swimwear, talent, formal wear, and questions and answers. The judges included Lagina Williams, Miss Xavier;; Ashlee Yates, Miss Dillard University;; Nick Harris, adviser to the Dillard chapter; and Mat Jones, president of 100 Black Men of Metro New Orleans.
Dillard University became the second university in the state, following Southern University, to have a chapter of Collegiate 100 Black Men when 17 members were inducted in the fall. The chapter plans to boost its membership wiith spring inductions. Raphael T. Richard, a Baton Rouge senior who chartered the organization on campus and is now its first president, identified the two other charter members as David McBride, a Birmingham, Ala., senior;; Marcel Harris, a senior from northern California. The other 14 members of the organization inducted on Sept. 21 are D. Michael Jenkins, a New Orleans senior who serves as treasurer; senior Ricky Ryan Lewis and sophomores Gerald Lee and Brandon Love, also all of New Orleans; sophomore Michael Kelley, Atlanta;; senior Jason Alston, New York; sophomore Darius Miller, Chicago; junior Cory Falade, Dallas;; sophomore Alan Carmel, St. Louis; sophomore Sherman Coleman and junior Joshua Mitchell, both of Houston;; and junior Rodney Graham and sophomore Ian Lawrence, both of Los Angeles;; and senior Michael McField, Carson, Calif. Nick Harris, assistant vice president of business services, is chapter adviser. To become a member of “The 100,” you must have a 2.5 GPA with at least 12 credit hours from Dillard, high moral standards and leadership potential, Richard said.
Jessica Forest, a sophomore mass communications major from Houston, will compete for Miss National UNCF in Greensboro, N.C., on Saturday. Forest became Miss Dillard UNCF in September.
Perspectives’08
5 February 2009
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Editor’s note
Perspective ‘08 is a collection of campus, local and issue stories from fall 2008.
Spelman artist shows work through Feb. 26 Atlanta artist Barbara Nesin will exhibit her work through Feb. 26 at the Dillard University Art Gallery in Cook Center as the second of four exhibits for the school year. Nesin, director of the Art Department at Spelman College who has been described as one of the best-known Haitian women artists working today, will show paintings and drawings depicting “Creolization,” described as the merging of two or more cultures. Nesin said her drawings and paintings investigate many aspects of multiculturalism in an increasingly global context. The student art exhibit in March will round out the art calendar for spring, according to Amy Bryan, art gallery director. Bryan noted two shows were held in the fall. The first, in October, featured Texas artists Adrian Jesus Falcon’s “Anarchic Xyloid” and D. Cedra’s “Hypostatic.” The second, in November in December, featured Jose Torres Tama’s “New Orleans Free People of Color & Their Legacy,” including pastel portraits on paper of well-known New Orleans Creoles of color. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday and by appointment with Bryan, who can be reached at (504) 8164853 or abryan@dillard.edu. (Gabrielle Boykin contributed to this report.)
Royals FROM PAGE 10 Beard, for whom she worked, as a role model, along with 2005-06 Miss Dillard Christy Malbrew. “I started interning for Mrs. Beard fresh out of high school,” said Yates, “Working for the bank with a philanthropist such as Mrs. Beard, I knew early on in my college career that the sky was the limit for me.” Yates said working with Malbrew on the court for three years influenced her vision of how to be effective in the position: “She consistently gave her best and handled her business academically and socially.” As the first of his family to attend college, Harris said his family has been his inspiration: “My mother and brother are my greatest influences because they keep me motivated and let me know that I am not only representing myself, but my family as a whole.” He added that 2005-06 Student Government Association President Cortez Watkins is among friends who spoke words of encouragement. “One day I said to Cortez, ‘Why don’t they have a Mr. Dillard?’ and he responded, ‘You’ll be there four years, so make a change.”
David Pittman | Courtbouillon Visual arts senior Simmone Tassie of Kenner works on a project in the art studio recently. Seniors will exhibit their work in the art gallery next month.
Xavier students, staff earn top spots in fundraiser Charley Steward
The UNCF 21st Annual Walk/ Run yielded more than 350 participants – local residents, students, faculty and staff – who helped raise approximately $14,000 for Dillard University scholarships and created bragging rights for winners in seven categories at Audubon Park on Oct. 5. The annual walkathon included seven categories each with a male and female winner who received a plaque: overall, teens, masters, grandmasters, race walkers, Dillard/Xavier students and Dillard/
Xavier employees. Xavier students Sidney Harris, 23, and Ebony Harding, 21, won first place again this year in the Dillard/Xavier students’ category. Kenneth St. Charles, 45, and Barbara Hughes, 72, earned the top spots in Dillard/Xavier employees’ category. Both are from Xavier. Other first-place winners were: • Overall: Jacob Schrieffer, 25, and Ebony Harding, 21. • Teen: Thomas Beavers, 17, and Anna Disouza, 18. • Masters: Ian Bordenave, 42, and Kathleen Welch, 52.
• Grandmasters: Jeff Gohd, 55, and Dora Thomas, 53. Although Dillard students did not win a top spot, DU students made an “exceptional turnout,” of, according to Paulette Hammond, DU senior manger for annual fund and prospect research. In its 21st year in New Orleans, the event had about 50 more participants, a 16.7 percent increase from last year’s 300 participants. Founded in 1944, the United Negro College Fund is a Virginiabased philanthropic organization whose focus is to “enhance the
quality of education by providing financial assistance to deserving students.” It provides scholarship funds to 39 private historically black colleges and universities and 900 institutions. In its 64 years, the UNCF has raised more than $2.5 billion to support 350,000 students. The 5-kilometer walk/run benefited Dillard and Xavier University students by raising money to provide scholarships to students in financial need. Dillard’s part will go into its general scholarship fund, Hammond said.
One of 10 Dillard students stressed, wellness chief estimates Kristi Coleman
More than 10 percent of Dillard’s student body used campus nursing last year for symptoms of stress and/or depression, Behavioral Health and Wellness Center Director Betty S. Brown estimated recently. Dillard’s fall Family Health Fair in Kabacoff Quadrangle included a booth on how to manage stress properly. The Louisiana Spirit Hurricane Recovery Program, created post-Katrina, handed out pamphlets to let people know where they can receive free professional help.
Louisiana Spirit supports individuals, families and groups with its 24-hour hot line at (800) 273TALK. It connects residents and diagnostic services, therapy, psychiatric treatment, substance abuse treatment and provides information about medications that can help. One of the most common mental illnesses, depression affects people of all ages, races and ethnic groups. Brown said freshmen and seniors appear to be most affected on campus. Freshmen tend to be homesick as they try to adjust to a new city
and greater academic demands, Brown said. On the other hand, she added, seniors face the stress of trying to complete course requirements to graduate and fill out job or graduate school applications at the last minute. The Center has offered assistance to students with a wide range of worries that are making them ill, from academic and financial stresses to alcohol issues to abuse. How does a person know he or she is getting depressed? Symptoms include: moodiness, fatigue, sleeping too much or not at all, irritability, jumpiness or nervous-
ness, anger, drinking too much, avoiding people, having thoughts of suicide. While medications are available to treat depression, other tips include: • Exercise regularly. • Improve your diet by eating more fruits and vegetables and less fat. • Eliminate or decrease intake of sugar, caffeine and alcohol. • Take deep breaths, focusing on something less emotionally charged. • Use positive self-talk.
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