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SNOW DAZE
List proves WSSUNOT dangerous campus Katrina Robinson Editor-in-Chief @krobinson110
Photo courtesy of Jasmine Bragg
Photo courtesy of Lilyanna Sum
Campus was closed and classes were delayed because of inclement weather throughout February. Winston-Salem got up to 6 inches of snow.
The website StartClass.net listed Winston-Salem State among the 25 most dangerous colleges Feb. 3. However, 16 days later StartClass.net revised the list — removing WSSU in the process — and issued an apology on their website. “…We identified an error in the original analysis of the data used in the Feb. 3, 2015 report on dangerous colleges in the United States, which resulted in an incorrect ranking of college. We’ve reached out to the various publications that ran stories using the original data to provide them with the updated rankings.” The first list included three universities from North Carolina, with WSSU ranking the highest at No. 10. The other two schools on the first list were North Carolina Central at No. 11 and Wake Forest at No. 23. State University of New York at Plattsburgh was ranked at No. 1. The new list excludes WSSU, NCCU and WFU, but added three North Carolina HBCUs: Shaw at No. 7; St. Augustine at No. 9; Livingstone at No. 19. A representative at FindTheBest, the company that owns the website, emailed the Argus. “We sincerely apologize for any confusion and inconvenience this data issue has caused.” The representative also said to direct any concerns to FindTheBest’s director of public relations, Hillary Foss.
Campus Crime Blotter Tuesday Feb. 3 Communicating Threats At 3 a.m. a female student needed a campus police escort from Gleason-Hariston Terrace Hall to Martin-Schexnider Hall. She said she was afraid of her roommate because she threatened to kill her. The parents of the threatened student are in the process of pressing charges against the roommate. The case is pending.
Wednesday Feb. 4 Harassment by Phone At 3:57 a.m. in MartinSchexnider a female student told campus police that she was getting harassed by a male student through text messages from unknown numbers. She said she and the male were study partners, but he wanted to do more than study. She did not feel the same way, so he harassed her. The case was sent to Student Conduct.
Wednesday Feb. 18 Disorderly Conduct At 4:37 p.m. in Hall-Patterson during class male student called a female classmate “slow” as she walked out of the classroom. When another female student defended her classmate about the comment. He then started yelling at her, and she responded, “Oh, you going to fry me now?” The argument escalated. The professor called campus police. The case was sent to Student Conduct.
Foss could not be reached for comment. Virgil Lessane, the person responsible for compiling the list of all the criminal activity at WSSU, said the report was absolutely false and the site should not be considered credible because it does not state clearly what classifies a university as dangerous. “The list says ‘most dangerous’ but our crimes aren’t violent,” Lessane said. StartClass.net measured the crime rates per 1,000 students at universities with an enrollment of at least 1,000. WSSU enrollment is approximately 6,200. Neither lists included an criminal activity. The data used for the list is from 2011 to 2013. StartClass.net said they retrieved their data from the Office of Postsecondary Education, which Lessane said really means they logged onto the WSSU website and collected data from crime logs. The most common criminal offenses at WSSU are petty thefts and simple assaults. Anyone can access that data from the crime logs by clicking under the administration tab on the website. “We got things like stealing parking decals and throwing Dr. Pepper bottles at [one another],” Lessane said. “But we’re a violent campus?”
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Sunday Feb. 22 Communicating Threats At 2:56 p.m. in MartinSchexnider Hall two males, one a student, were in the lobby yelling and being disruptive. The RA told them to be quiet. One male responded, “I’m going to drop your b*tch a**.” The other male said, “You heard that. That was a threat.” Campus police was called. The case was sent to Student Conduct.
Monday Feb. 23 Affray At 12:03 a.m. in Wilson Hall female suitemates were trying to have meeting about issues that were going on in the suite. During the meeting a female said something that made her upset. She ran to her room and closed the door. Another female ran behind her and asked, “What is the problem?” They argument escalated, and the female hit her in the face and pinned her to the bed. The case was sent to Student Conduct.
Source: WSSU Department of Police and Public Safety Compiled by Dysheada Reid
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Farewell to a paragon Trip ‘alternate’ for spring break
Jaquel Horne Multimedia Producer @jhorne111
By the end of February, Winston-Salem State will be losing a paragon in Student AffairsCampus Life: Theo D. Howard, assistant vice chancellor. Howard’s odyssey at WSSU began in 2003 when there were about 2,500 students. Twelve years later and a population of about 5,500 students, Howard has had a profound influence on the growth of campus life. “I feel like I really played a major role in transforming campus life for students,” Howard said. Heather Davis said, “He has a great respect for the traditions here at WSSU, but in the same breath he wanted to take things to another level.” Davis is the director of student activities and engagements. Among Howard’s projects was to embellish the Whitaker Outdoor Recreation Courts, also known as “the pit.” His plan made “the pit” more suitable for day and evening events by adding lights and seats. “I noticed that’s where [the pit] we always did our probates, and I said ‘We deserve something better’,” Howard said. Howard served as the chair of the planning committee for the award-winning DJR Center. “He [Howard] was really a driving force behind the creation of DJR. That is his building in terms of the layout, design and what it’s intended to do,” said Trae Cotton, vice chancellor of student affairs. Howard developed homecoming activities and created new job opportunities on campus. He co-founded positive programs
for black male students such as Renaissance Male Mentoring Program and Talented Tenth Male Mentoring Program. He was also a mentor for Black Men for Change. “I feel obligated to show them [mentees] that you have to pick up and leave sometimes so that you can continue on your journey toward professional or personal growth,” Howard said. Howard is scheduled to start his new position as Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at NC Central University March 2, 2015. “I think it’s [Central] a jewel it allows me to grow more professionally. I’ve been responsible for half of the student affairs here [WSSU]...at Central I’ll get to supervise the other half of the division of student affairs. After having that experience I’ll feel more comfortable sitting at a vice chancellor’s role and getting the ‘assistant tag’ off my name,” he said. SGA President Olivia Sedwick, wrote a letter of recommendation to NCCU for the position. In an email correspondence, Sedwick said, “Mr. Howard is one of those people that will leave an indelible mark on places he’s been and has worked. He will always be remembered for the great things he’s done here and for his appreciation for people.” Davis said, “I commend him for going to the next step in his career because we try to teach students that comfort zones are dangerous, and they should always challenge themselves to go to the next level. That’s exactly what he is doing. He’s strengthening his profile as a professional.” Cotton said a national search will be conducted in March to fill the vacant position. “As we all know that no one can truly take Howard’s place,” Cotton said. “We hope to get someone on board for the summer so when fall semester rolls in they’ll be familiar and prepared.” Howard said that he wants to be remembered as the gentleman who genuinely cared about students and as someone who did all they could to fight for students. He will.
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For students, spring break is usually a chance to soak up the sun rays along the beach or go home to make a little extra money. This year, 15 Winston-Salem State’s residential students will participate in the first “Alternative Spring Break Trip.” The trip is a substitute for “traditional” spring break plans, but only for students who live on campus. It is sponsored by the Residence Hall Association, Housing and Residence Life, Women In Science and Health, Women in Leadership and Development and Live to Serve. The students paid $250 for an all-inclusive [transportation, hotel and food] trip will travel south for a week beginning March 8. The group including three trip advisers, Melissa Brown, Shemika Withers and Jeremi Cheeks, will travel to Nashville, New Orleans, Birmingham and Atlanta. They will stay in Nashville and New Orleans for three
nights each. The students will partner with two non-profit organizations to provide service missions in those cities. The students will volunteer through Students Living with A Mission in Nashville and Camp Restore in New Orleans. Possible community service includes building homes, feeding the homeless, completing flooring installments and sorting clothes. The students and staff will stop in Birmingham to experience the Civil Rights Institute and tour the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. On the way back to campus, the group plans to stop in Atlanta for sightseeing. When the students return they will turn in their volunteer hour logs to the University’s Project G.I.V.E. (Getting Involved through Volunteer Experiences). The volunteer service program will then sign off on their logs and credit will be given to the students in need of volunteer hours to graduate. “We hope that the students gain experience in more diverse perspectives and
List continued from Page 1 Lessane said that just because a college or university reports all of its criminal activities that shouldn’t classify the institution as dangerous. The public should be more concerned about the colleges that don’t. “We report any crime, no matter how small,” he said. “That’s what The Clery Act was for. Jeanne Clery’s parents sent her to that school [Lehigh University] because they assumed that it was safe. Come to find out, they had 38 major crimes that they hadn’t reported.” Clery was raped and murdered in her residence hall in 1986. The law in her name requires all colleges and universities that participate in federal financial aid programs to keep records and disclose information about crime on
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and near their respective campuses. The Clery Act is receiving attention across the country because of the recent sexual assault going unreported on college campuses. (Visit http://www.thenewsargus.com/news/view. php/403380/Shocking-statson-college-sexual-assault) Lessane said he hopes the public would consider these conditions and use common sense when they read a list like the one on StartClass.net, but it seems as if the damage has been done. WGHP Fox8 cited the article on their website and posted it on Facebook. Comments on Facebook included: “Winston-Salem State and NC Central honestly don’t surprise me in the least.”
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learn about addressing issues and make serving a part of their lives,” said Withers, hall director for HRL. According to the HRL press release, “This trip demonstrates WSSU’s commitment to our motto ‘Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve’ by teaching students service skills through an interactive experience. It begins a tradition common at many other institutions to turn a time off into a time of learning for students. By giving back to the nation, WSSU broadens their impact beyond WinstonSalem, North Carolina.” Students attending are excited about the trip and the impact they will have on people. Danny Johnson, a sophomore marketing major, said, “My plan is to affect at least one person in each place we visit. I hope to accomplish this because growing up I always had people there to motivate and reach out to me, so I just want to continue to pass on the knowledge that I have.”
“Doesn’t say much for Winston-Salem.” “North Carolina Central and Winston-Salem State. SHOCKER! NOT!” “Reasons why I went to App and not WSSU even though I’m from Winston-Salem.” Fox8 updated the article. A source from Fox8 said he had no reason to believe the information in the first list was unreliable. In response, Lessane dropped two names, “Bill O’Reilly and Brian Williams.”
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The News Argus, the official student newspaper of WinstonSalem State University, is produced in conjunction with two classes in the Communication and Media Studies Department. Any full-time WSSU student is eligible to join the staff or become a contributor. The Argus is published and circulated twice monthly on Mondays during the fall and spring semesters. The Argus is not published during holidays or University breaks. The News Argus online (www.thenewsargus.com) is updated regularly throughout the fall and spring semester. The newspaper is not published during the summer sessions. The News Argus affiliations include: Uloop College Publisher, College Media Advisors, Society of News Design, North Carolina College Media Association, Southern University Newspapers, Associated Collegiate Press, Black College Communication Association
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The News Argus
Opinion
Monday, February 23, 2015
www.thenewsargus.com
Equality isn’t equal
Hey, you know that thing in Hollywood where all the celebrities go to decide if
that light-skinned man named Oscar would finally acknowledge their careers? Did you watch it? No? You’re not the only one. So I’ll just sum it up for you. It was a strange Hollywood version of C-SPAN and Woodstock. And I was thoroughly entertained. Katrina Robinson Those moments that make the producEditor-in-Chief ers cringe because a loose tongue said @krobinson110 something that can’t be undone are teachable to me. Like when Sean Penn asked, “Who gave this son of a b!@#$ his green card,” when presenting the Oscar for best picture to Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, and it sent Twitter into flux. Or Best Supporting Actress winner Patricia Arquette’s controversial post-acceptance speech: “[It’s time for] all the women in America and all the men that love women and all the gay people and people of color that we’ve all fought for to fight for us now.” These comments didn’t upset me. As I said, teachable. These celebrities, who prove to have eyes and ears confirmed my suspicions. Equality isn’t equal. As in all things, inequality is complex and has many layers. But many people fail to realize that. A Black or Muslim woman in America is not making the same money as a Black, White or Hispanic man. A gay person who is either White, Latin or Asian can’t get married everywhere in America. An award-winning director who is Mexican will always be The Mexican director. People all around the world need to realize that equality does not segregate. We are fighting stereotypes just as much as we’re fighting racism, which some could argue are the same thing. The few people who got it right were John Legend and the father of my children plus fall commencement speaker, Common, when they accepted the Oscar award for best original song in Selma. “We wrote this song for a film that was based on events that happened 50 years ago, but we say Selma is now, because the struggle for justice is right now. We know that the voting rights, the act that they fought for 50 years ago is being compromised right now in this country today,” Legend said. Let’s put the ALL back in equality.
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As a matter of policy, The News Argus will publish corrections for errors in facts. The corrections will be made as soon as possible after the error has been brought to the attention of The News Argus at
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The News Argus is a student publication of Winston-Salem State University. The News Argus encourages written comments to the editor and guest columns, but some rules apply: q A signature, address and phone number must accompany all letters. Letters should be double-spaced and no more than 250 words. q Letters will be verified by The News Argus by a phone call prior to publication. If The News Argus is unable to contact the writer of a letter, the letter will be held until contact is made. Letters intended as advertising will not be published. q The News Argus does not publish “form letters”or letters sent to multiple newspapers outside the Triad unless the issue discussed in the letter is of importance to the WSSU community. q The News Argus reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for clarity, length and libel. The News Argus will edit letters that are grossly inaccurate or cross the boundaries of good taste. q The News Argus allows readers to reply to someone’s response to any earlier letter only once. q Guest columns may be no more than 400 words. The News Argus will accept endorsements of candidates, but only one per writer per candidate. The letter may challenge a candidate’s record, but no intensely personal attacks will be printed. The News Argus permits candidates to write letters to the editor to specifically respond to another letter. Photos and Interviews by Argus Staff
WSSU students, faculty and staff are selected randomly to answer a provocative question from The News Argus. Comments do not represent the opinions of the Argus staff. To see and listen to the complete responses visit www.thenewsargus.com.
It’s coming… Spring break March 9 through 13. Some students say it’s the best part of their academic year. It can be a week of relaxing. It can be a time students use to go home to switch winter clothing for spring outfits or go to the beach.
This issue’s Campus Crew asks...
What are your plans for spring break?
SETH BARBER VZOJI NWANAJI PHYSICAL THERAPY NURSING WALBURG, NC CONCORD, NC I’m going to the mountains to I’m participating in the look at venues. My fiancé and I University’s alternative Spring are looking forward to mapping Break program. out the rest of our wedding plans and doing some cake tasting.
JEFF CAROTHERS SPORTS MANAG. CHARLOTTE My plans are to go to Panama Beach. I’m looking forward to going since it’s my last year as an undergrad.
ALIX MALPASS PHYSICAL THERAPY HIGH POINT This year for spring break, I’m going to Miami to lie on the beach and to experience Miami’s night life.
BRANDY PITTMAN POLITICAL SCIENCE ROCKY MOUNT, NC
Initially I wanted to go to the beach, but friends dropped out. So now I’m going home to make money.
Sports Page 4
The News Argus
Monday, February 23, 2015
www.thenewsargus.com
Hargett: ‘She’s a very versatile player’
By Demetrius Dillard 2nd take member
Mercedes Hargett Thirteen-year WinstonSalem State Softball Head Coach Lataya Hilliard-Gray has high hopes for this season “We have to play at a different level,” said Gray, a three time CIAA coach. Though the Lady Rams have had a competitive schedule, the offensive execution still needs improvement, said Gray. Out of the many talented athletes on the WSSU softball team, Gray chose Mercedes Hargett, a skilled 5-foot-9-inch pitcher, as this issue’s recipient of the Coach’s Game Ball.
“She’s a very versatile player,” Gray said. Pitching isn’t Hargett’s only position: she also plays first base, third base, and catcher on occasion. “She’s performing at a level that I’m expecting.” Notable accomplishments Hargett has accrued include making the allCIAA rookie team last season after finishing second in the conference in strikeouts, while recording the highest batting average (.435) and slugging percentage (.522) on the team. Hargett, a sophomore exercise science major from Havelock, N.C., excels because she believes in Gray’s vision and trusts in “the process,” which is why she admires her coach. Gray noted Hargett’s competitive nature and selfmotivation are what make her a unique athlete.
I played other sports, but as I got older my passion grew for softball. Argus: What drew you to WSSU? Hargett: Winston wasn’t my first choice, but when coach called me and I visited, the environment was great, and that’s what attracted me.
Argus: When did you begin playing softball? Hargett: I began playing softball in the sixth or seventh grade.
Argus: What area of your game has improved? Needs improvement? Hargett: To me, my pitching has become the greatest improvement.
Argus: What do you like most about your team? Hargett: I like the competitiveness of the team and the family atmosphere. We’re all willing to take care of each other. Argus: Is softball an undervalued sport? Hargett: Even though softball is the fastest growing sport for women, it’s still overlooked and undervalued by society because it doesn’t generate a lot of revenue.
My batting needs improvement, even though my average is great this season. Argus: What would you like to accomplish this season? Hargett: Definitely a championship; that’s the No. 1 goal. I would also like to be the CIAA Pitcher of the Year. Argus: Any pre-game routines? Hargett: I always have to listen to Meek Mill before I play because it gets me focused. And I have to straighten my hair before a game. I’m just superstitious about it. Argus: What are your hobbies off the field? Hargett: I love to go to the beach, tan, read mystery books and watch documentaries. Argus: Who has helped you become successful? Hargett: Everyone who I’ve crossed paths with.
Photo courtesy of Sun Journal Sophomore
and CIAA winner, Hargett That includes my parents, friends, coaches and teammates have helped me become who I am today, on and off the field. Argus: What are your plans following your collegiate softball career? Hargett: I would like to try out for the pros. If that fails, then I’d like to go to graduate school and get a masters and pursue a career in athletic training.
YOU SERVE, YOU LEARN It Really Is That Simple.
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