THE STUDENT VOICE OF FLORIDA AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL UNIVERSITY
“The Number 1 HBCU Newspaper” According to the Black College Communication Association
66
www.TheFamuanOnline.com
Monday, February 28, 2011
VOL. 112 ISSUE 24
CESTA dean will be MIA BYRON JOHNSON STAFF WRITER After nearly 15 years at the College of Engineering Sciences, Technology, and Agriculture Abdullah Dean Makola
NEWS BRIEFS INTERNATIONAL
Abdullah clears his desk and heads for a new work space at Florida Memorial University. Abdullah was recruited by new FMU President Henry Lewis to be the university’s provost and vice president of academic affairs. According to a CESTA newsletter, he is scheduled to start his new job on March 7. Sam-
velopment of university affairs at FAMU for over three years, became vice president of institutional advancement at FMU on Feb 11. Abdullah’s departure means that at least four dean positions are vacant. The FAMUFSU College of Engineering,
uel Donald, who has served as director of CESTA’s land grant programs, will take over as interim dean. Abdullah is the second key FAMU employee to be recruited by Lewis, who quit as the dean of the college of pharmacy last fall to lead the HBCU located in Miami Gardens. Adriene Wright, director of de-
CESTA 3
Gov. Scott spares state parks
AP Photo
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The astronauts aboard the orbiting shuttle-station complex said Sunday that gearing up for their first spacewalk and accomplishing other chores kept them too busy to pay attention to the Academy Awards back on Earth. SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
TODAY’S ONLINE CONTENT: “State of cycling in Florida.” “City stomps out Diabetes.” “Bing Energy comes to Tallahassee.” Hadley Museum photo gallery.
WEATHER Today
81 57 Tuesday
78 56 Wednesday
74 47
Courtesy To The Famuan Lake Talquin State Park along with others in the area, will stay open after all. Gov. Scott announced he would not close any state parks because, “we have beautiful parks,” Scott said.
JORGE RODRIGUEZ-JIMINEZ STAFF WRITER After a lengthy tour of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Gov. Rick Scott has decided not to close any of the 53 state parks previously listed for closure. Following guidelines given by Scott, Florida State Parks, an entity within the FDEP, released a budget proposal that will cut their spending 15 percent. To do so, the department listed 53 state parks that would be closed to the public saving the sate almost $7 million annually. The proposal would have closed three state parks in Tala-
hassee: Lake Jackson Mounds Archaeological State Parks, Lake Talquin State Park and Letchworth-Love Mounds Archaeological State Park. After his tour of the department, Scott ended by holding a book with all of Florida’s state parks vowing not to close a single one. “No, we have beautiful parks,” Scott said. “As you know, we’ve gotten two gold medals for our parks. I think we have 20 million-plus visitors. So, no, we’ve got great parks, and we’ve got to make sure we preserve them and take care of them.” Florida is the first state to ever
be awarded two gold medals from the National Recreation and Park Association while other individual parks have won awards all their own, according to the Florida State Parks website. Last year marked the 75th anniversary of Florida’s State Parks was awarded the 2010 National Dorothy Mullen Arts and Humanities Awards. “The Governor understands and values the importance of Florida’s 160 state parks to local economies, job creation and making Florida the ultimate tourism destination,” said STATE PARKS 3
Student Senate gets new leader JANAY COOK STAFF WRITER When former Senate President Iman Sandifer stepped down from his position, student senate protempore Marcie Jackson stepped in and business resumed. “I think I’m the first person in history to go from senator to Judicial and Rules chair to senate pro-tempore to senate president,” Jackson said. The 22-year-old business administration student from Wewa, Fla. has been placed on the fast track to leadership with the student body, but if you ask her, her qualities of leadership have been present since she was child. As the youngest of five, Jackson never let her older siblings intimidate her. In fact, Jackson said she was an outspoken child who was ambitious and business savvy. She recalls selling snacks to her neighborhood for pocket money at the age of nine. Although she graduates in April, Jackson doesn’t see her short term as a deterrent to fulfilling her ideas of leadership. Jackson said she plans to unify Student Government Association and the student body, conduct structured meetings, update legislation on the SGA website and release biweekly news articles for the Famuan. However, Jackson’s main concern is communication between SGA and students. “We are for the students, to govern in a certain way to associate with others to get things done,” Jackson said. Jackson said she looks forward to more surveys and SENATE 3
Thomasville man keeps black history alive in his museum JASON LAWRENCE METRO NEWS EDITOR On a mid-February afternoon in Thomasville, Ga., Jack Hadley woos Girl Scout Troop # 450 with, surprisingly, a history lecture. At first, the girls appeared exhausted, because according to Hadley and their troop leader, Teresa Harris, they had been touring the 5,000-square-foot Jack Hadley Black History Museum for about 40 minutes. By that time, Hadley had only taken the all-black troop through the first three galleries, marking the end of the first-leg of the tour. The group appeared restless as Hadley guided them through
Jason Lawrence The Famuan Hadley stands in front of his museum , housed in a oncesegregated high school.
Gallery 4, featuring the black achievers of Thomasville and Thomas County. Hadley began to explain the exhibit showcasing the notable
black women in the city’s history and all of a sudden, he was cutoff in mid-sentence as one of the girls shouted: “Hey...That’s Ms. Teresa!” The group of girls
Opinions
Lifestyles
FAMU v. FSU Debate leaves out one element that would have spelled success for its organizers: facts.
Gaines Street boasts a new life-sized mural for community members to express themselves.
Opinions| 5
Lifestyles | 4
frantically searched the room for Harris, who stood quietly in the distance with a gentle smile, satisfied that Hadley was finally receiving the groups’ undivided attention. “The museum is important because a lot of black history is lost, many of the girls I brought with me today don’t even know about slavery,” said Harris, who is also a member of the Grady County Board of Education. “No history books in any of our schools have this much history, especially our local history.” This, in part, is why Hadley decided to open the museum in 2006, which houses artifacts dating back to slavery. HADLEY 3
2 Calendar
TheFamuanOnline.com famuancalendar@gmail.com
The Famuan Monday, February 28, 2011
Events and Announcements Announcements The Upsilon Psi Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. presents the 28 days of Black History. For the duration of this month the events consist of: Support a Black Business “Staff the Caf” today from noon - 1 p.m. For further details, please contact Bodae Vogt at 404-680-0014 or UpsilonPsi.net. The FAMU Women’s Center is hosting a series of workshops with the Nationally Acclaimed “Men Can Stop Rape” organization. We are seeking males and male organizations to participate in a minimum of one workshop during the month of March. If you or your organization is interested, please contact Ms. Chika Ofuani at 599-3145.
The Florida A&M University Chapter of Progressive Black Men, Inc. hosts A Safer Spring Break: An engaging drinking and driving awareness seminar to kick off spring break on March 3, 2011. It will take place in Gibbs Hall at 7:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served. For more information please contact Dwight at 850450-9687. To place an announcement in the Calendar, e-mail your submission to famuancalendar@gmail.com at least two days prior to the desired publishing issue. All submissions must include the student organization along with information in paragraph format to include “who, what, when and where.” A contact number will be published with the announcement, indicate so in your e-mailed submission and provide an alternate method for readers to obtain more information. If
you do not follow the paragraph format then your submission will not be able to be published.
Classifieds
Pre Pharm or Pharm major? See the social side of this career and make sure it’s one for you! visit www. pharmatrail.com Bartenders Wanted!!! $250/day potential. No experience necessary. Training provided age 18+ okay. Call (800) 965-6520 ext. 189
Corrections In the Feb. 9 issue, The Famuan incorrectly identified Verian D. Thomas. For corrections please email Famuancalendar@gmail.com.
Monday, February 28, 2011
HADLEY
Throughout this month, Hadley said he has touched over 1,500 people through his museum. On Jan. 23, the Black History Museum received honorable mention from the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries, “for its mission or preserving the history of AfricanAmericans and instilling knowledge in all children.” “This museum expands on what’s already in the history books,” said Hadley. “It’s important that people take advantage of this, and other museums, especially children.” Inside the museum, pictures of Henry Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point and a Thomasville native; President Obama, Muhammed Ali, giant newspaper clippings, and displays of topics on the
famuannews@gmail.com
1968. In 1979, Hadley was based at the Lindsey Air Station in Wiesbaden, Germany. It was there that his son Jim came home one day, troubled that the school he attended had failed to acknowledge what was then, Black History Week. And according to the decorated 28-year veteran, this incident is what really fueled his career as a curator. It prompted Hadley and Christine, his wife of 53 years, to start saving Ebony and Jet magazine articles, along with books about Black American achievers for their three children. Hadley has since taken his collection hobby full-scale. After 32 years of research and appraisal, it has grown to over 3,000 artifacts, which have been featured at the Moody Air force Base, and Southwestern State Hospital and other locations
Jason Lawrence The Famuan This minstrel art-work shows the true origin of sagging pants.
American black diaspora adorn the walls. “We’re here to serve our community and more importantly, our young people,” Hadley said. A native of Thomasville, Hadley was born on Pebble Hill Plantation, about 30 miles north of Tallahassee in southern Thomas County, where 36 percent of the residents are black, according the U.S. Census Bureau. “I grew up in the ‘Jim Crow’ south,” he said. “Growing up in this era, before the Civil Rights Movement, you knew your place in society.” But it was not until Hadley joined the Air Force in 1956, after graduating from the now-defunct Frederick Douglass High School, now home to the museum, that he realized just how segregated society was. While on a military tour in Spain, Hadley began collecting newspaper articles from the European Stars and Stripes, following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in
News 3
TheFamuanOnline.com
TheFamuan
throughout south Georgia. When he opened the museum, Hadley said many were surprised the collection was so well-received by Thomasville residents. “They’re very supportive,” Hadley said of his townspeople, both white and black. “There’s nothing wrong with Thomasville.” Of all the artifacts, Hadley said he would not classify any of them as being among his most treasured. Although, he did show-off a rare set of slave chains he came across during a trip to South Carolina. He almost didn’t buy them. “It took me a whole week to decide if I wanted to buy this set of slave chains. I ended up putting it on my credit card and I’m glad I did,” said Hadley, who added that his interest in slavery was evoked by James Eaton the late founder and curator of Florida A&M University’s Southeastern Black Archives. According to Hadley, Eaton would carry the chains wherever he presented his
CESTA the school of nursing and the college of pharmacy are led by interim deans. Earlier this month, Dean Ching-Jen Chen of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering announced his retirement. John Collier, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineer, has been named interim dean. During his tenure at FAMU, Abdullah served as the associate vice president of research prior to being appointed to the $160,000 a year position as dean of CESTA. Before that, he was a faculty member out of the FAMU/FSU College of Engineering, where he taught courses in research and civil engineering. Abdullah is credited with promoting a positive environment at CESTA. “From the first day he arrived as dean, he created an atmosphere of openness,” Community Resource Development Specialist Sandra Thompson said. “He always had an open-door policy and never made you feel like your job wasn’t important no matter what your position was.” According to the CESTA newsletter, SENATE socials during “Fried Chicken Wednesdays” to resolve student worries, but with all the plans she has set on the table, she still has big shoes to fill as Sandifer was praised for his role as senate president. Under Sandifer’s leadership as senate student relations committee chairman, the senate was noted for
Mock trial team suffers defeat; learns real lesson NI’TAVIA JOHNSON STAFF WRITER
Jason Lawrence The Famuan Hadley teaches black children about a rich history.
exhibits. “Until this day, I have yet to come across another set...the only other pair I know of is housed down at FAMU.” Like Eaton, Hadley will take the slave chains with him as he tours South Georgia and North Florida with a number of other artifacts this year. In the early 1990s Hadley approached the Meek-Eaton Black Archives with his interests which led to him co-writing a book titled, “African American Lives in the Southern Hunting Plantation,” with FAMU professor Titus Brown, who specializes in Georgia history. “The Jack Hadley Museum is easily the most significant display of the African American experience in Southwest Georgia,” said Brown, who specializes in the state’s history. He went further, positing that Hadley’s first-hand experience of southern culture makes the work he’s done impossible to achieve by an outsider. Brown said Hadley certainly is a stalwart of his field. “He won’t give up, he has a passion,” Brown said. Also housed in the museum, is a family heirloom of sorts; a bullhorn played by Hadley’s grandfather, born in 1823 as a slave. “We try to share as much as we can about slavery and how the slaves were treated.” said Hadley. Today at 2 p.m., Hadley will showcase those precious artifacts at Thomas University as a part the “TU Talks” program as the first to keynote the program. Hadley will turn 75 this year and despite his love for curating, he said it can be challenging. “You have to have a passion for doing this, it takes work,” Hadley said. “Once your name gets out there, you have to work; and most times you won’t make a dime for it.”
under Abdullah’s leadership, the college increased enrollment by 20 percent with 445 students joining the program, increased external research dollars to fund research and academic programs to $9.5 million and contributed $75,000 to the FAMU faculty staff endowment. “At FAMU, of the $50 million that the university does in external funding about 20 percent of that comes from CESTA and I’m very proud of that,” Abdullah said. Abdullah has also been able to involve more undergraduate students in research and extension activities in the college through CESTA’s scholars program, one student said. Jamesa Marshall, 22, a senior civil engineering tech student from Chicago, said Abdullah organized CESTA’s “Industry Day.” “We’ll definitely have something to recognize his service to FAMU during Industry Day this year,” Marshall said.
BYRON JOHNSON FAMUANNEWS@GMAIL.COM
having the most successful Coleman Library Showcase to date with over 800 people in attendance, raising $2400 for Coleman Library’s AfricanAmerican Collections in fall 2009. But Jackson’s peers don’t doubt her ability to lead the senate successfully. “Marcie is a professional and straight-forward leader,” said Senator and Chair of the Internal Development
This hasn’t stopped Hadley, who likes to think he could run the museum forever, but realizes that someone with experience in curating must eventually replace him. “This [curating] isn’t a plaything, you’ve got to be serious. I wouldn’t expect someone to just go into this field like I did,” Hadley said. The daily operation of the museum can be tiring for Hadley at times, which is why his wife works with him sideby-side, as a receptionist in the museum. “My husband loves what he does, he gets a thrill out knowing he can help people and educate children,” said Mrs. Hadley, who added that she wasn’t much of a talker. Hadley concurred, and said words could not describe his wife’s support for him and his venture. They have three children and five grandchildren, one a freshman at FAMU. Hadley said he doesn’t have any special projects planned for the museum in the nearfuture, but hopes to come across more artifacts. “I wouldn’t mind having a Klu Klux Klan uniform,” said Hadley. At the end of the tour, Girl Scout troop #450 made a complete three-sixty, going from tired and indifferent, to eager and inquisitive. Hadley ended, showcasing the minstrel artwork used to depict blacks during the Jim Crow era, using an old image of a young black boy with exposed buttocks. “Jim Crow taught us how to be clowns, and when you see black men walking with their pants hanging, we’re doing ourselves an injustice,” said Hadley. Read the full story at thefamuanonline. com.
JASON LAWRENCE FAMUAN.METRO@GMAIL. COM
After two days of fierce competition and battle of wits, the verdict is in for Florida A&M’s mock trial team. Though it may have lost, the team is already preparing for next year. “I’m sad the results weren’t different, but I’m very proud of how they performed at the competition,” said Attorney John Washington with the pre-law professional program. “I’m very excited about the prospects we have for next year. We have a really good stock of returning students for next year. ” The FAMU Mock Trial competed in the two-day American Mock Trial Association regional competition in Orlando. The competition was held at the University of Central Florida where two teams put their wits to the test about the facts and law of a case. Washington said the team’s losing results did not give an accurate depiction on how great the students did at the competition. Each team had three mock attorneys and three mock witnesses. According to a press release, the team was undeterred even with the loss of attorney Courtney Turner 10 days before the competition. Matthews agreed to switch from witness to attorney within one week to the competition. The team competed admirably but came up short in the final round losing both ballots to Furman University, which will advance to the AMTA national competition which they will also serve as host. But the team did not come back completely empty handed. Lunis received the “Best Witness” award. “I was really surprised and excited at the same time. It was my first time participating and I won an award,” Lunis said. “The case is so detailed and you have to really become that person whose role you are assigned. It was a great experience.” Lunis hopes to be an attorney and said that the mock trial has helped give her insight into how it is done in real life. “It gave me exposure to technical terms, and provided me with an experience of how the court room really works,” Lunis said. 24-year old, Reamonn Soto said although he is studying physics, he joined the mock trial team in the fall of 2009. “I chose physics because it helps you to think abstractly and teaches you how to solve extensive problems. All these things helped me become a better asset to the mock trial team,” Soto said.
NI’TAVIA JOHNSON FAMUANNEWS@GMAIL.COM
STATE PARKS Kristin Lock, Florida Department of Environmental Protection public information specialist. “Florida’s state parks are an invaluable asset that serve more than 20 million visitors and have a statewide economic impact of more than $807 million annually.” The loss of any state parks could have had a severe impact on the state’s economy. State parks bring 16,000 jobs to communities statewide while roughly 100 private businesses operate out of the state parks. After Scott stated that he would not close any of the state parks, he turned his focus to the Florida Department of Community Affairs. The DCA aims to ensure that all building growth complies with the state’s growth management laws. “On the campaign trail, I’ll tell you the one that everybody’s fed up with. It’s DCA,” Scott says. “It’s really impacted people that want to build things. Their attitude is,
Select Committee Alexandria Collins. “She’s made it clear to us what she plans on doing for the senate and the direction she sees the senate going in down the line.” Jackson describes herself as dependable, resilient and loyal. She said these characteristics qualify her as president. Student Relations Committee
‘How can somebody in Tallahassee tell my local community what we want, and DCA sits there and tells us we can’t do it?’ … I’ll tell you, it’s really killing jobs.” JORGE RODRIGUEZ-JIMINEZ FAMUANNEWS@GMAIL.COM
Courtesy to The Famuan
Chairman Korbin Miles has known Jackson for two years. “Her professionalism is very admirable and she is always willing to give her all to help others,” Miles said.
JANAY COOK FAMUANNEWS@GMAIL.COM
The Famuan
TheFamuanOnline.com
Monday, February 28, 2011
famuanlifestyles@gmail.com
Lifestyles 4
Mural livens arts community Sentrell Marsh Correspondent
Florida State University’s Department of Art Education, in collaboration with the Seven Days of Opening Nights and the City of Tallahassee, recently splashed a little color on Gaines Street with a mural celebrating the arts. The mural was the idea of Steve MacQueen, director of “Seven Days of Opening Nights.” MacQueen approached Dave Gussak, chair of Florida State University’s Department of Art Education, with the idea last April. Together, they explored Tallahassee looking for the perfect location before settling on a building close to the intersection of Railroad and Gaines Streets. “The intention of this project was to create a piece that would be a bridge between all of us while simultaneously celebrating the incredible arts that emerged from this city,” said Gussak at the official reveal of the mural onFeb. 22. FSU President Eric Barron and Tallahassee Mayor John Marks attended, along with faculty and students from Florida A&M, FSU and the local community. Matthew Paltoo, 31, president of the National Art Education Association, volunteered to assist with the painting of the
LaGretta Johnson The Famuan Gaines Street looks a lot more colorful with a mural painted by Florida State Univerity’s Department of Art Education.
n o i s s e r p
revitalization and what the mural brings to the street. “This mural is about more than a work of art,” said Marks. “It represents all that is good about Tallahassee:
x E f l Se
mural. “The mural is communitybased,” said Paltoo. “Anyone could help.” Marks spoke about keeping Gaines Street as a hub of creativity, its current
our appreciation of the arts, our vision of Gaines Street as a community gathering place and our success at working together with our local universities and students to make a meaningful difference.” Jaclyn Mosing, 24, a FSU Art Therapy graduate student from Lafayette, La.,
designed and chose the color scheme for the mural. “When
this project started, it was really my baby,” Mosing said. “Dave and Steve came to our department and said we need a sketch and we need your help. I ran with it, but something really beautiful and magical happened along the way. Something that was mine suddenly became ours. It’s part of the community now.” The panoramic mural centers around a musician with notes flying out of his
saxophone; below it, the comedy/tragedy mask; to the center right is a female singer holding a microphone and a guitar player. Spanning the bottom of the mural is a film reel, with dancers to its right. “I can’t stress that enough the emphasis on how important the arts are,” said Mosing. “Not only to show beauty in places where there needs to be beauty like this revitalization project, but also bringing the community members together.” Sentrell Marsh Famuanlifestyles@gmail.com
Activist professor empowers students Ranata Hughes Staff Writer After sitting in numerous jails for civil rights, working in the Pentagon and returning from two Vietnam War tours, Charles Ervin Jr. is still impacting lives. Ervin is a professor at Florida A&M in the College of Education, where he was chosen as “Teacher of the Year” for 2005 – 2006. Ervin was appointed by former Gov. Charlie Crist for two consecutive terms to the board of directors for the Florida Fund for the Minority Teachers Foundation. He is also vice president of the board of directors for the Big Bend Homeless Coalition. “Dr. Ervin was the first to really open my eyes about culture in the classrooms,” said former student Joseph Mclemore, a 4th grade teacher at Bond Elementary School. “He prepared me for education as a male.” Sheena Thomas, 22, a senior English student from Miami, agreed, and added that his mentorship extends beyond merely the classroom.
“One thing I admire about Dr. Ervin is that he is very knowledgeable and can carry on a conversation about anything or any topic,” Thomas said. “He’s just smart like that.” Ervin was born in a small town in Western North Carolina and was the first in his family to attend college. While in school to obtain his Bachelor of Science in sociology at North Carolina A&T State University in the early 1960s, Ervin had two purposes: finishing school and fighting for civil rights. “Several times I was jailed for attempting to integrate the movie theaters, local lunch counters and restaurants,” said Ervin. “Our goal was to weigh the financial system down in the segregated city because each time they jailed us, it would cost them.” He reminisced about his experiences with student leaders on campus, including working with Jesse Jackson, renowned civil rights activist, who was student body president at the time. “I remember Jesse would often tell us to bring our tooth brush to school when he would say that we knew he had something for us to do and we would not be going back home that night,” said Ervin. After graduating from North Carolina A&T, Ervin joined the U.S. Army. He specialized in infantry, and
later became a lieutenant colonel and battalion executive officer during his two tours in Vietnam. “It was like the jungle out there,” Ervin said of his military experience. “We would hear tribes of monkeys coming down through the bushes; it would sound like rain. Vines were everywhere, the temperature was very hot and the smell out there was that of human waste.” May 5, 1967, stands out to him as one of the most memorable days during his first Vietnam tour. “I was standing on a rice patty dike and as I started to walk away I stepped in a booby trap,” said Ervin. “With that first step there was an explosion, instantaneous pain, and I went flying through the air. When I landed, all I remember hearing was gunshots.” Shrapnel was lodged in Ervin’s right ankle, and he was also shot in the right leg. He vaguely remembers being airlifted to a hospital where he spent almost four weeks recovering. His worst experience during the Vietnam War, however, happened on Nov. 30. “My 26th birthday was the one day when I had the greatest loss of members in my unit as a company commander,” said Ervin. “I lost 11 people. So, for a number of years, I just kind of put that birthday out of my mind.”
During Ervin’s military career, he and his family visited and lived in several different countries. His family includes two sons Rev. Charles P. Ervin III and Todd Ervin, and one daughter, Eunice Anita Ervin. After leaving the military, he attended Central Michigan University, where he graduated with a Master of Arts degree in personnel management. He later received a Ph.D. in social foundations of education from Georgia State University. Outside of teaching, Ervin is a certified chef, enjoys marathon running and is fluent in Korean. Despite his multi-faceted interests, Ervin said teaching always takes first priority. “One of my favorite things about teaching is seeing my students graduate,” said Ervin. Do you have a Professor you would like to see profiled in The Famuan? Send your suggestions and a brief bio explaining your choice to famuanlifestyles@gmail.com.
Ranata Hughes Famuanlifestyles@gmail.com
Tallahassee hosts final Black History Month celebration Brittany Barriner Correspondent
The city of Tallahassee’s Black History Month Festival is ending its month-long celebration with a bang. The Black History Month Festival Finale will be held Monday, Feb. 28, from 4 - 8 p.m. at two locations: the Smith-Williams Service Center and the Walker Ford Community Center. The event is free and will consist of leading black history organization and honorees from the Tallahassee Community College’s 2011 AfricanAmerican History Calendar. Priscilla Hawkins, festival program coordinator, said the purpose of the event is to honor organizations that are making a difference within the community.
“We want to give and adults an to meet and of note on on-one s a i d Hawkins. Hawkins s a i d s t u d e n t s know about trailblazers in history, it is even important to meet history-makers right here in the community.
local youngsters opportunity greet people a onebasis,” said
while should renowned b l a c k m o r e Graphic By Kenya Mawusi
The festival will also consist of food, face painting, vendors and live entertainment. The entertainment portion will come from Joe Bullard (96.1 FM), DJ Dap (102.FM) and Jay Green (Heaven 1410) of Cumulus Broadcasting. Hawkins said, while this festival formally ends black history month’s festivities, it does not end the celebration of black history.
For more information, visit www. blackhistorymonthfestival.com. For full event coverage, also visit thefamuanonline.com.
Brittany Barriner Famuanlifestyles@gmail.com
TheFamuanOnline.com
The Famuan Monday, February 28, 2011
EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: jordan1.culver@gmail.com Jordan Culver
COPY DESK: copydeskchief@gmail.com Julian Kemper
OPINIONS EDITOR: famuanopinions@gmail.com Khristanda Cooper
LIFESTYLES EDITOR: famuanlifestyles@gmail.com Clarece Polke
SPORTS EDITOR: famuansports@gmail.com Royal Shepherd
Advocates for gun rights want to invade campus BIANCA SALVANT COLUMNIST
If you worked in an office, how comfortable would you feel knowing that your coworker faithfully brought a gun to work? Or that your classmate packed a gun in his backpack? I don’t know about you, but I’d be terrified. Florida lawmakers have recently voted on a resolution that would go against Florida Senate Bill 234, allowing college students all over the state to have firearms while on school grounds, the vote passed with a 52-17 approval. “This is not rocket science — this is the Second Amendment,” said University of Florida student Sen. Carly Wilson, the chairman of UF’s College Republicans, who thinks the bill should be passed. It is understandable that having a weapon once you are 21 is in the Constitution but there is a time and place for everything. Drinking alcohol is also allowed at the age of 21, but it isn’t recommended to attend class or work drunk. Legal action is usually taken in situations such as these so why is it okay to allow a gun? It appears to me as if the Florida lawmakers aren’t looking at the situation on a larger scale. If the legislature passed the bill, they will fail to recognize that some students—and adults—are simply not mature enough to hold such a strong responsibility. A perfect example of this happened on Jan. 9, right here in Tallahassee. Ashley Cowie, a 20-year-old Florida State student, was killed while at a fraternity party because of another student who had a gun. She was accidentally shot in the chest and died immediately. The young girl’s father, Dr. Robert Cowie, attended the Senate committee hearing to express his opposition to allowing guns on college campuses. While he didn’t convince them to kill the bill, it did convince lawmakers to stall the bad legislation. Hopefully with time good sense or reason will prevail. Unfortunately, with some the other legislation being considered, I doubt it.
To read the rest of this story and more visit thefamuanonline.com.
famuanopinions@gmail.com
Opinions 5
Protesters rally at Capitol for state workers Over the weekend a prounion rally took place in front of the state Capitol. A small but vibrant crowd wasted no time in condeming Gov. Rick Scott’s budget plans to cut state employee benefits. The protesters’ motives were smiliar to what brought thousands of state workers demonstrating in the streets of Madison, Wis. The lower and middle classes are fed up with their government’s decision to cut their jobs, pensions, and benefits in an effort to reduce the state deficit. The participants, many of who dedicated their services to the state for decades, believe that GOP leaders are
mounting an attack on the hard working middle class in order to give tax breaks to the rich. Scott has called for $5 billion in spending cuts, which would eliminate 8,600 state positions and hurt the already high unemployment. But the idea of state employees paying 5 percent toward their pensions when they have received no raises is ridiculous, to say the least. It is a shame that during a time of financial uncertainty those who are paid the least have to suffer the most. Yes, it is true that a poor economy brings changes for everyone, but why not have
those with higher incomes pick up the tab? As a way to balance the budget, more taxes should be collected from coorporations than the lower and middle classes. Although these approaches seem to favor more liberal than conservative causes, it is only fair treatment to our teachers, fire fighters, and even small business owners. Scott’s cuts hurt those who are already having trouble making ends meet. Reducing or eliminating retirement makes the situation much worse for these emloyees. Therefore the alliance of the union workers and small
business owners is critical if they want to change Scott’s budget plans. The state House and Senate are controlled by Republican majorities who favor policies for the rich. But there are far more poor and middle class people who are being overlooked. If Republicans can huff and puff, then now is the time for state unions along with Democrats to take a stand and do the same. But realize the future of the state of Florida is at stake. Aaron Johnson Editorial Board.
BIANCA SALVANT
the
EDITOR IN CHIEF: jordan1.culver@gmail.com Jordan Culver COPY DESK: famuancopydesk@gmail.com Julian Kemper
SCHOOL NEWS EDITOR: famuannews@gmail.com Matthew Richardson
DEPUTY SCHOOL NEWS EDITOR: Simone Wright
METRO NEWS EDITOR: famuan.metro@gmail.com Jason Lawrence
POLITICAL TAKEOUT
OPINIONS EDITOR: famuanopinions@gmail.com Khristanda Cooper
DEPUTY OPINIONS EDITOR: Aaron Johnson
LIFESTYLES EDITOR: famuanlifestyles@gmail.com Clarece Polke
DEPUTY LIFESTYLES EDITOR: Tanya Glover
ASSISTANT LIFESTYLES EDITOR: Ivan Marchena
SPORTS EDITOR: famuansports@gmail.com Royal Shepherd PHOTO EDITOR: famuan.photos3@gmail.com Keenan Doanes
DEPUTY PHOTO EDITOR: Jasmine Mitchell
Mike Keefe, The Denver Post The thought that this bill was even considered is absolutely insane.
FAMU-FSU debate: Facts anyone? JASON LAWRENCE METRO NEWS EDITOR
Rarely do you see college students with opposing political ideologies participate in a constructive debate on the topical issues of domestic policy and how it affects the country in which they live. It is even more infrequent to have a crowd of young adults, numbering in the thousands gathering in one place to watch such discourse, with hundreds more vying for a chance to take part. Unfortunately, the students of Florida A&M and Florida State were swindled out the opportunity to witness a likely unprecedented event of this nature. The debate between the FAMU Debate Team and the FSU College Republicans took place last Thursday evening at an unspecified time; some said 7, others 7:30 p.m., on FSU’s campus. Besides the fact that there
was no clear start time for the debate, the venue was much too small, and this should have been expected since the debate had been publicized for several weeks. As a result, hundreds of students were left standing outside the large classroom where the debate was held. These students grew understandably rowdy and the debate was frequently interrupted by their apparent distaste. But those who missed the debate weren’t robbed of anything, certainly not of any valuable information. For the debate’s equivalent, the late-comers could have stayed home, turned on the T.V. and flipped the channels between the talking heads on MSNBC and Fox News. Doing this instead of attending the actual debate would have sufficed because, as both sides made their arguments, they did so without any facts -both sides would flirt with word throughout the night. They presented what many in the audience perceived as facts, even though the sources to back-up these “truths” were casually
omitted. Citing some expert source was key to the debate’s success, which hopefully wasn’t measured by the number of attendees. This is because members of the FAMU Debate Team and the College Republicans, although smart individuals, are not experts on the issues they argued. Thus, none of the arguments heard at the event can be granted with any merit. It seems the FAMU Debate team and the College Republicans simply made baseless arguments that garnered applause for their respective audiences - Rachel Maddow and Bill O’Reilly do a much better job at this, than did the aforementioned. And due to this, it is safe to say that despite the efforts of the FAMU debaters and the FSU GOP, no “progress” was made as County Commissioner Bill Proctor implied was coupled with the debate. Contrary to expectation Mr. Commissioner, the debate was the prototype of the political grand-standing
that has America its grips, posing the threat of societal regression. For example, on the question of whether the The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was effective, an FSU GOP member responded, “It’s pretty clear that it wasn’t effective at all. We knew the stimulus wasn’t going to work...bottom line, we knew that because the government spending money doesn’t generate the economy...why?, because its borrowed money, the borrowed money comes from the economy.” Let’s forget a moment that her answer was vague and to some degree tonguein-cheek and focus of the larger problem of it being void of facts.
Go to thefamuanonline.com to read more on Jason’s editorial about the debate and other opinions articles.
JASON LAWRENCE FAMUANOPINIONS@GMAIL.COM
Did you go to the debate? A) No. B) Yes. C) I tried...but they wouldn’t let me
FAMUANOPINIONS@GMAIL.COM
for
F U
THE
VISUAL EDITOR: famuangraphics@gmail.com Jeffrey Morris
GRAPHICS EDITOR: famuangraphics@gmail.com Kenya Mawusi
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR: famuanlive@gmail.com D.A. Robin
PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR: famuancalendar@gmail.com Byron Johnson
PROGRAM ASSISTANT: Valerie McEachin
ADVISER: Andrew Skerritt
FAX 850.561.2570 EDITOR IN CHIEF 850.561.2569 SECRETARY 850.599.3159 NEWSROOM 850.599.3011/ 561.2569
The Famuan, an Associated Collegiate Press 2003 Pacemaker Finalist, is published Monday, Wednesday and online only on Friday during the fall and spring semesters. The opinions do not reflect the administration, faculty, or staff of the University. The editorials are the expressed opinions of the staff and columnists. The Famuan is funded partially by activities and services fees.
Sports 6 Wrestling The Florida A&M wrestling team has been preparing this week for the Regional Championship. This weekend, eight guys and two girls will be competing in hopes to head to the National Championship tournament. “I hope to take as many as we bring to regional’s, to nationals,” said head coach Snowden. The team is led by junior captain Roland Pitts. They are also looking for big performances from sophomore Randall Gines and the core of heavyweights. The tournament will be held in Palm Coast, Fla.
Basketball The Florida A&M men’s basketball season is nearing an end and the team is current ranked sixth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Rattlers are preparing to attend the MEAC tournament, which begins on March 7 in Winston-Salem, N.C. Sophomore forward Amin Stevens is leading the Rattlers in scoring, averaging 13.7 points a game and is fifth in rebounding in the MEAC. Coming off of a loss against The North Carolina Central Eagles, the Rattlers hope to close out the season with a win over the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. The team is 10-2 at home and hopes to win their last home game Feb.28 in the Al Lawson Center.
Baseball Lady Rattlers softball scored 15 runs as they swept Savannah State University in a doubleheader on Saturday. Sophomore Jennifer Lindsey earned the win in the first game for Florida A&M. Lindsey gave up four hits, one earned run, and struck out nine in six innings. Sophomore Shannon Reno had the loss for the Savannah State Lady Tigers. For complete story check out thefamuanonline.com
TheFamuanOnline.com
The Famuan
famuansports@gmail.com
Monday, February 28, 2011
TWIN THREAT MARCUS JOSEPH STAFF WRITER Roland and Richard Pitts share more than just a last name and wrestling. The twin brothers share the passion to make each other better. Richard, 20, a third-year sociology student at FSU and Roland, a third-year criminal justice student at Florida A&M, were born nine minutes apart. The brothers are a part of the FSU-FAMU wrestling team, the only joint sports team between the two campuses. “They’re both cool, funny, and very active in ROTC,” FAMU coach Reginald Snowden said. “They’re disciplined. I can always count on those two guys to be on time and handle whatever I’m asking of them.” The Pitts brothers have two main things in common: wrestling and the plan to join the U.S. Army after college. “We share both army and wrestling together,” Richard said. “I got him into wrestling and he got me working on getting into the U.S. Army. We push each other in each event.” Roland said a fight with his brother inspired him to get involved with wrestling. “My brother started wrestling when he was in seventh grade,” Roland said. “I wanted to play football like everyone wants to do.
Courtesy To The Famuan Twins Roland and Richard Pitts are both on the wrestling team and also active members of ROTC.
We got into a fight one time and he started to put me into some wrestling moves. I could not move or get out of them. I took up wrestling because of that.” Roland’s achievements overshadow his late start. He is the captain of the FSU-FAMU wrestling team and has placed fourth in the state. He won district and regional championships while at First Coast High School in Jacksonville. He has also attended and wrestled for Citadel Military College in South Carolina. “I used to get beat all the time my freshman year, but
those guys were the best of the best,” Roland said. “My first year in college, those guys could last longer than me and they had good technique.” Richard wants to be an All-American and one of the seven best in the nation before he graduates. “As long as he keeps working hard with his brother, who is an AllAmerican, I think that is the best preparation you can get to become an All-American,” Snowden said. The brothers are also working toward much higher goals related to their military
careers. “My aspiration after college is to become an officer in the U.S. army,” Richard said. “My goal is to be in the army and lead troops.” “I’ve always wanted to join the army, because I always wanted to be U.S. Army Special Forces,” Roland agreed. The the brothers will all have their chance to come closer to a national position at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association regional tournament. MARCUS JOSEPH FAMUANSPORTS@GMAIL.COM
Rattlers suffer rare home loss CHARMAINE PETERSON STAFF WRITER Hoping to keep their home court-winning streak intact on Saturday, the Rattlers fell short in a 58-55 loss to the North Carolina Central Eagles. NCCU Eagles gave the Rattlers their first loss at home since a Dec. 4 loss to BethuneCookman. “This is a team that beat us before at their place. We loss by two points so it was a close game like this one,” sophomore forward Amin Stevens said. Offensively, Stevens led the Rattlers in scoring. He posted his seventh doubledouble of the season, in hopes of continuing the team’s eight game home win streak. Stevens chipped in 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but the Rattlers would need a little more from the supporting cast. “We’ve got to have other people step up,” Coach Harris said. “We shot the ball poorly as a team.” Stevens was the only Rattler to score more than eight points. The starting backcourt combined for six points on 2 for 10 shooting. Harris said the real problem for the Rattlers occurred at the
Keenan Doanes The Famuan The NCCU Eagles triumphed over the Rattlers, 58-55.
foul line. “You can’t win a basketball game when you only go to the
free throw line twelve times and the visiting team shoots 29 times,” Harris said.
In the second half of the close game, the Eagles went to the free throw line 19 times from 11 Rattler fouls. In the Rattlers only other home loss, the Rattlers sent the BethuneCookman Wildcats to the free throw line 30 times on 21 Rattler fouls. “I think there was more hand-checking and illegal screens that should have been called, but were not,” Harris said. Harris also added that shooting 3 for 21 at the 3-point line was also a mistake the team made. Defensively, the Rattlers were kept off balance with the up-tempo game of the Eagles, who scored 10 secondchance points and 13 points off turnovers. The defense held the Eagles to 14 points in the paint and outrebounded them 37-36. The Rattlers end their home schedule Monday against the South Carolina State Bulldogs on Senior Night. Larry Jackson, Rasheem Jenkins and Christopher Walker will be playing in their last home game as members of the FAMU men’s basketball team.
CHARMAINE PETERSON FAMUANSPORTS@GMAIL.COM
Simms’ clutch free throws seal victory for Lady Rattlers TOMMY HAWKINS STAFF WRITER Late free throws from Myeshia Simms sealed the victory against North CarolinaCentral in the Al Lawson Center on Saturday. Simms was fouled with 24 seconds to go, and went to the free-throw line for two shots. She made both free throws to give Florida A&M a three-point lead. “I was just hoping I made the free throws. I prayed they would go in and they did,” Simms said. The No. 3 offense in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference averages 64 points a game. The absence of Antonia Bennett weakened the Rattler’s offensive attack. “When we played them last time
Bennett had half the points and half the rebounds,” head coach Ledawn Gibson said. The Lady Rattlers defended their home floor with toughness, even without two of the team’s primary weapons. “We knew we didn’t have Bennett and {Quiana} Donald and we played harder. We had to hustle to get every rebound we could,” Simms said. Donald leads the Lady Rattlers in rebounding, but she was feeling fatigued at halftime. “I wasn’t planning to play her any more after halftime, but then I asked here was she ready to step up to the challenge and she did. I am very proud of her,” Gibson said.
File Photos The Famuan The Lady Rattlers defeated NCCU.
They fought back into the game tying the score 55-55 with three minutes left. Shekeira Copeland knocked down a jumper at the 2-minute mark to put the Rattlers ahead. The Lady Eagles missed one of two free throws, leaving them one point behind FAMU with less than a minute to go. Shekeira Copeland missed a gamesealing layup late in the second half and the Lady Rattler bench protested for a foul to no avail. “They missed a call but that’s expected. We never get a lot of calls at home or on the road,” Copeland said.
Gibson said she was clutch, with a key block, key layup and crucial rebounds.
TOMMY HAWKINS FAMUANSPORTS@GMAIL.COM