February 2015

February 2015

Vol. 2 Issue 2

HBCU DIGEST

FEATURES HBCU

DIGEST 5 Letter from the Publisher

6 ON CAMPUS 14 POLITICS 18 SPORTS 22 COMMENTARY Cover Art South Carolina State University

10 #KillTheBillSCState

By Jarrett Carter Sr. A chronology of the legislative effort to close South Carolina State University, and the response of the Bulldog community.

20 Human Jukebox Grants Wish to Fan with Cerebral Palsy

By Edward Pratt

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by Carter Media Enterprises, LLC. Jaymerson George had his wish

come true last month. He got to

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Letter from the Publisher Greetings, February proved to be a trying month for all historically black colleges and universities, centered around the attempted closure of South Carolina State University by state legislators. While the effort to shutter the school may be stalled, efforts are ongoing to rightsize the university's finances, stabilize its leadership structure, and to galvanize alumni and community members around its cause.

For many in the HBCU community, South Carolina State may be the precursor to similar threats against HBCUs in the near future.

Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina all have been at the forefront of higher education news, for commentary from legislators about the cost of college, and where historically black colleges and their mission fall in economic best interests for states.

While this issue chronicles the headlines from South Carolina which captured the attention of the nation, it should also serve as a primer on how to see the signs of fiscal and political turmoil for HBCUs. Leadership in flux, financial uncertainty and a lack of constituent advocacy all combine to make a terrible fate for HBCUs. It is not yet over for South Carolina State, one of the nation's largest and proudest HBCUs, it is far from solved or in a positive direction.

Yours in Advocacy, !

Jarrett Carter Sr.

ON CAMPUS Hampton, North Carolina A&T Named to National Engineering Consortium Hampton University and North Carolina A&T State University were last month named to the 'Pathways to Innovation' consortium, a 15member institutional consortium charged with analyzing and creating new methods of undergraduate research and education in engineering.

The two-year program, funded by the National Science Foundation, will bring faculty and executives from schools around the country to develop entrepreneurial approaches to engineering education. The network will review and produce best practices in how to produce a new generation of engineers, ready to create globally demanded products and concepts.

“This program fits well with Hampton University’s commitment to educating our students’ minds, hearts and hands," said Hampton University President, Dr. William R. Harvey. "It is not enough to teach theory; we emphasize active practice as well so that our students will be leaders in their disciplines.”

Hampton Choir Director Cleared of Sexual Battery Charges Hampton University Choir Director Omar Dickenson has been found not guilty of sexual battery charges, and has been reinstated to his position at the school.

WAVY-10 in Hampton reports that Dickenson, who had been charged in December, was suspended by Hampton and under review by the university's committee on sexual harassment and misconduct. In a statement, the university deemed the investigation closed, and that no school policies had been broken.

In December, Mr. Omar Dickenson was accused of sexual battery by a female student. The University suspended him pending the outcome of an investigation into the matter. The Hampton University Sexual Harassment and Misconduct

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Committee could not find a preponderance of evidence to support the complainant’s allegation of sexual misconduct against Mr. Dickenson.

Additionally, the City of Hampton General District Court found Mr. Dickenson not guilty of the charge of sexual battery. As a result of the outcome of the two hearing bodies, Mr. Dickenson has been reinstated as Director of University Choirs, effective immediately.

Knoxville President Fired After Three Months Knoxville College, a historically black private school with less than 100 students, a handful of operable buildings, hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and no accreditation, has fired president Jacob Savage three months after hiring him.

Board of Trustees Chairman James Reese declined to give any reason for the firing, but confirmed that the school was now being led by former University of Tennessee associate chancellor Jane Redmond.

In December, Savage was named president and commuted to Tennessee while still working as a professor at Alabama A&M University. He worked pro bono in the position, as Knoxville could not afford to pay him.

FAMU Officials: Underfunding Must End for College of Engineering to be Competitive According to the National Science Foundation, FAMU produced 154 African-American undergraduates who went on to earn doctorates in science or engineering between 2002 and 2011, just over three-times the number of black graduates produced by Florida State University.

And officials at Florida A&M University say the state must deliver funding equity to make the joint FAMU-Florida State University College of Engineering comparable in attracting students and federal research support.

The Tallahassee Democrat reported that FAMU trustees unanimously supported continuation of the joint school between the historically black and predominantly white institutions, but FAMU President Elmira Mangum told the board that

additional funding, totaling nearly $30 million to bring engineering faculty salaries and research equipment in line with those at FSU, would be essential to make the joint program attractive to a broader cross-section of applicants throughout the state and beyond.

"Florida A&M has been underfunded and not just in the engineering school," she told trustees in Jacksonville on Friday. "In order to be the partners Florida State and the Legislature wants us to be, we need additional resources and that will be a priority this year."

Last month, a study commissioned by the Florida Board of Governors estimated a $1 billion price tag to create separate engineering schools for the proximate universities, a hefty cost for the state to avoid potential violation of a Supreme Court decision outlawing 'separate but equal' support between publicly-funded HBCUs and PWIs.

“Howard University is committed to addressing the academic needs of our nation, in particular the needs of the African American community and underserved populations,” said Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick. “A large part of this commitment includes ensuring that the cost of attendance is not a barrier for students to turn their highest dreams into reality.”

The talks on strengthening FAMU engineering parallels the Florida Board of Governors new tenyear strategic plan, which calls for performancebased funding along racial, economic and programmatic achievement metrics.

Texas Southern Launches Commercial Real Estate Program

Howard Announces Tuition Freeze, Rebates for OnTime Degree Completion

Texas Southern University this semester launched a commercial real estate concentration, with a goal of bolstering black entry into the growing industry.

Howard University announced plans to freeze student tuition rates, and to rebate money to students who graduate early or within four years.

Howard trustees unanimously approved the tuition freeze for the 2015-16 academic year, with all programs seeing no cost increases with the exception of the HU Pharmacy doctoral program.

Undergraduate tuition will hold at $22,737 for the year, and graduate tuition will range between $30,000 and $42,000 for the year.

The rebate plan will offer early and on-time graduates 50 percent off of tuition costs for the final semester of study. Payments will be made to eligible May 2016 graduates on or after May graduation.

The Houston Business Journal reported on the new concentration in TSU's business administration bachelor's program, which will pair students with Houston-based, AfricanAmerican bankers and developers to provide real-world experience in real estate development.

"Houston is a growing, dynamic and diverse city," TSU School of Business Dean Ronald Johnson said.

"For our city to remain successful, we need to develop the people who are here or else we'll find ourselves in a spot where it will cost us a lot of money to import the best talent."

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Paul Quinn Announces Work College, Free Textbook Plans Paul Quinn College announced plans to become the nation's first historically black work college, a move that will potentially save its students more than $12,000 in tuition costs annually, and will reduce potential student loan debt to about $2,300 per academic year.

In front of more than 300 students and faculty members, Paul Quinn President Michael Sorrell introduced the new program, which will require students to work on campus in a variety of jobs for their first two years, and will pair students with corporate and private companies for tuition credit for their final two years.

"You're going to have work experiences that directly translate to you getting full-time employment when you graduate," Sorrell told the audience.

The college also debuted plans to allow the use of open source textbooks for all students, which school officials say will reduce out-of-pocket expenses even further for a campus where 84 percent of the student body qualifies for federal Pell Grant funding.

Dallas Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban is working with the school to develop the program, along with a new on-campus course in entrepreneurship. In a release, Cuban called the initiative a model for rethinking higher education costs.

“I’m excited to be working with PQC and President Sorrell to help remake the economics of the university experience. Our partnership will also include creating a unique approach to teaching entrepreneurship, with any and all materials available under an open source license for other institutions to use.”

The free event invited community members to access the center's archival collections and databases, in an effort to mass correct and make additions to Wikipedia entries with AfricanAmerican historical significance. MSRC Director Howard Dodson calls the event “Howard University is the ideal place to hold an edit-a-thon on this broad and underserved subject area. Howard has pioneered in the development of scholarship on the global Black experience, with hundreds of scholars and graduate students focusing on Africana-related themes.”

Founded in 1914, the MSRC is among the nation's oldest research centers for culture and scholarly works produced within the African Diaspora.

Central State Researchers Asked to Help Solve Problems on Lake Erie

Howard Hosts Black History Wikipedia 'Edit-aThon'

Central State University’s International Center for Water Resources Management participated in a statewide research project to create a forecasting model to predict the arrival and toxicity of algal blooms on Lake Erie.

Faculty and students at Howard University researched and rewrote Black History-related entries on Wikipedia during an innovative Black History Month event, held on Feb. 19 at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center.

Dr. Krishna Kumar Nedunuri, who is director of the Center and Chair of the Water Resources Management Department, and Dr. Subramania Sritharan, Dean of the College of Science &

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Engineering, were invited by the Ohio Board of Regents to work with three other colleges to examine Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms (HAB) and lake water quality. It was one of five key areas that were the focus of research projects announced by the Ohio Board of Regents. The series of research projects will use a dedicated $2 million in research funds to address water quality and algal bloom toxicity in the state.

dual position being affirmed by the board.

A group of more than 60 university researchers convened by Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor John Carey produced recommendations and a proposal on how to best utilize and invest the funds. The other research projects focused on drinking water testing and detection; agricultural land use practices, sources of enrichment, water quality, and engineered systems; human health and toxicity; and economics and policy reform.

Langston's Larzette Hale, Nation's First Black Female Accounting PhD, Dies

The researchers represented a number of University System of Ohio campuses. Dr. Nedunuri said the Lake Erie group consisted of researchers and faculty from Ohio State University, the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University. Dr. Ramani Kandiah, CSU associate professor of environmental engineering, and Dr. Xiaofang Wei, CSU associate professor of geology, also participated.

Dr. Hale's career as an accountant, college professor and researcher spanned more than 43 years. Along with teaching stops at Clark College and her alma mater, she was professor emeritus of accounting at Utah State University, where she led its school of accounting for more than 13 years.

Dr. Nedunuri said the Lake Erie group wanted “to see how best the model we have to use is able to predict the onset of the bloom – how soon, how late it will happen and at what level.” Their work included ground measurement and also measurement from satellite to make the model more robust, he said.

Southern Board Votes For Dual System PresidentFlagship Chancellor Position The Southern University System Board of Supervisors voted to consolidate the position of system president and chancellor of the Baton Rouge flagship campus.

The unanimous vote mirrors a similar proposal considered by the Board last summer, following the firing of former Southern University Chancellor James Llorens. That plan was endorsed by System President Ronald Mason, whose contract expires in June of this year and previously told board members that he would not accept an extension of his contract without the

According to the Baton Rouge Advocate, the system will also conduct the national search for the new president-chancellor without the help of a search firm.

The state will reveal its higher education budget next week, with some projections that cuts to public higher education will reach 40-60 percent.

Larzette Hale, a Langston University alumna who became the first African-American woman to earn CPA licensing and a PhD in accounting died last month. She was 97.

She served as president of the American Woman’s Society of Certified Public Accountants, and became the first African American appointed to the Utah Board of Regents of Higher Education.

A 1937 initiate of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Dr. Hale became the organization's first president-elect in 1964, and its 17th president in 1966. Among her organizational achievements is the launch of the AKA Heritage Series, a distributed archive of African-American achievers which the organization lists among its historic program initiatives.

The wife of former Langston President William Henri Hale described her career as a return on the investment of her mentors.

"When I look back, I think I was lucky to have found such persevering and caring mentors. I worked hard, and over the years I have received several awards for my teaching and leadership. It felt good to get the awards; knowing I have helped make a difference, though, felt even better. I would advise all young people thinking about public accounting as a career—especially African Americans: Work hard. Accounting is an excellent field to be in. If you are serious about it, you can go far."

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#KillTheBillSCState A chronicle of the legislative effort to close South Carolina State University, and the response of the Bulldog community.

Feb. 10 - SC House Subcommittee Votes to Close South Carolina State For One Year The South Carolina House Ways and Means subcommittee has voted to close South Carolina State University on July 1, and to reopen the university with new leadership on July 1, 2017.

According to WCSC, the plan calls for the firing of university president Thomas Elzey, for all employees to be fired and for its board of trustees to be disbanded. Students would be transferred to other publicly-supported institutions in South Carolina, and would receive full payment of their tuition and fees if they are able to maintain a 2.5 grade point average.

The university posted a response on its Facebook page shortly before 3:00 p.m.

University confirms House Ways and Means Subcommittee's recommendation to suspend operations at SC State University for one year.

However, several legislative hurdles must take place before becoming law.

SC State supporters vowing to fight to kill the measure.

Feb. 11 - SCSU Closure Effort Gains Support, Black Caucus Calls for Resignation of President While a measure to close South Carolina State University for two years picked up support in legislation today, members of the state's black caucus called for the resignation of school president Thomas Elzey.

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A House proviso subcommittee today advanced the measure put forward by a Ways and Means committee yesterday afternoon, moving the school one step closer to what many are calling an unprecedented state takeover of a flagship public black college.

Members of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus, who have opposed the measure publicly, today called for Elzey's resignation, voting noconfidence in his leadership.

In a statement, Elzey said that he will not resign the presidency he assumed less than two years ago.

"I will not resign," Elzey said. "Another presidential turnover at this stage would be detrimental to the University as it relates to our SACSCOC accreditation. It is obvious and unfortunate that our lawmakers have placed politics ahead of the best interest of the students of this great institution."

Gilda Cobb-Hunter, a state representative from Orangeburg, says Elzey's leadership has been ineffective.

“I can appreciate him wanting to finish the job.

What I want is for him to start the job,” CobbHunter said. “When will he start addressing the fiscal crisis at S.C. State with meaningful, workable solutions?”

Feb. 12 - New Bills on SCSU Move Through Legislature, No Moves From University Board South Carolina State University continues to face mounting pressure from state lawmakers, but an emergency meeting between the Board of Trustees and president Thomas Elzey today yielded no action.

WCIV in Charleston reports that new legislation was introduced or moved along today in the

House and Senate with direct implications on SCSU's future. A bi-partisan bill presented on the House was introduced today calling for the immediate removal of the SCSU board and president, and for power to be transferred to the state Budget and Control board.

A senate bill which would mandate a 20-day furlough at the university passed a second reading this afternoon, a move that was embraced by members of the board, who despite the turmoil, made no financial or personnel decisions during their three-hour meeting this morning.

The board did confirm two rallies with the hopes of earning statewide support within the threat of closure. From WCIV: Trustees said Thursday morning they were planning rallies in Charleston and Columbia in the coming days. The rally in Columbia will be at the Statehouse, officials said, adding it was being backed by the NAACP. The rallies will be "to ensure we'll be able to continue providing the important services we've been providing over the years," said the head of the Board of Trustees.

Feb. 19 - SC Legislature Abandons Closure Plans for South Carolina State South Carolina legislators have abandoned a plan to close South Carolina State University for two years, and have adopted a new plan for changing leadership.

The South Carolina House Ways and Means Subcommittee yesterday tabled its original closure proposal, and unanimously approved a measure to fire the SCSU Board of Trustees and to replace them with members of the state's Fiscal Accountability Authority, or their appointees.

The plan is similar to one presented by South Carolina State alumnus and US Congressman James Clyburn, who yesterday released a letter to SCSU alumni calling for the establishment of a new board, additional members to be added to the board with new selection guidelines, and for the removal of current president Thomas Elzey.

According to the Times and Democrat, some supporters applaud the measure to keep the school open, but are pessimistic about state control of the university.

Vernelle Brown, president of the National Alumni Association, says she’s concerned about any decision that could make matters worse for S.C. State.

Her fear is that the Ways and Means plan could affect the institution’s status with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The subcommittee's recommendation still requires passage through the full House and Senate, and approval from South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

Feb. 22 - SCSU President Thomas Elzey Placed on administrative leave.

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POLITICS Report: President Obama Criticizes HBCUs in Meeting with CBC A report from Congressional Black Caucus blog CrewOf42.com quotes several members of the caucus saying that President Barack Obama offered harsh criticism of black colleges during a meeting with the caucus earlier this week.

In his first meeting with the caucus in nearly two years, President Obama said that low graduation rates, not federal funding cuts or his community college free tuition plan, were the greatest threats to HBCUs. “He said there were some HBCUs that were not good at graduating students and if they did not improve they’d have to go by the wayside,” said Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA).

“In other words he didn’t show much empathy for struggling HBCUs. It was like show me the numbers and if the numbers aren’t where they need to be, that’s it. It was a somewhat callous view of the unique niche HBCUs fill,” Rep. Johnson, a graduate of Clark Atlanta University, said. Rep. Johnson said there needs to be a deeper discussion with the President on HBCU issues.

Other legislators shared the sentiments.

The CBC’s First Vice Chair, Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) said, “I was concerned about what the President said because it feeds into a narrative about the value of these institutions and whether they are equip to educate our students and what the cost is for doing so,” Rep. Clarke added.

“Many of these institutions have not had a maintenance of effort on the part of states or the federal government and over time that wears on their ability to maintain standards or even advance beyond a certain level. It was very clear that he doesn’t have the same level of appreciation for what these institutions have done and could do in the future given the right support systems,” Rep. Clarke concluded.

Since 2008, HBCUs have lost more than $300 million in tuition revenue due to changes in

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federal loan and grant programs, and reduced funding from federal contracts and grants. The remarks follow recent criticism from White House Advisory Board Chairman and Hampton University President William Harvey during its regular meeting in Washington D.C., in which he chastised the Obama Administration for a lack of connection with the board on pressing issues impacting higher education policy.

NCCU Institute for Social Change Targeted for Closure by UNC System A UNC higher education committee earlier this week recommended the closure of a North Carolina Central University institute which has advocated for voter equity within black and underserved communities.

N.C. Central University's Institute for Civic Engagement and Social Change is one of three institutes and research centers targeted for dismantling out of the University of North Carolina System's more than 240 centers of research and outreach.

In a New York Times report, many within and outside of the system question the political motivation of the recommendations, which target NCCU's voter outreach and education mission, an anti-poverty research center and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and an ecological diversity center at East Carolina University.

NCCU officials said in a statement that the work of its center, which has developed programming, community education resources and advocacy initiatives and helped to register thousands of new voters since its founding in 2006, would continue in spite of a potential closure decision.

"We remain committed to voter empowerment by not only educating, registering and encouraging people to vote in all elections, but by delivering resources and opportunities for discussion around critical issues from healthcare to education."

WRAL reports that state appropriations to UNC centers and institutes has declined by nearly 40 percent in the last six years.

MAKING HISTORY RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!

Jackson State University has a distinguished history that is rich in the tradition of educating young men and women.

Jackson State University is committed to educating and empowering men and women to excel in leadership capacities on every front. We provide an accepting, caring environment where students of all ages, races and backgrounds can flourish intellectually, socially and culturally.

Throughout our 136-year history, Jackson State has remained committed to our founding mission of challenging minds and changing lives.

www.jsums.edu Apple Distinguished School for 2013-2015 Recognized by Apple as a distinguished school for innovation, leadership and educational excellence.

SPORTS Former Jackson State Football Player Murdered Travis Woods, a former safety for the Jackson State University football team, was shot and killed outside of a party near Alcorn State University last month.

According to witnesses, he was shot after an altercation between two fraternities led to fighting outside of the facility.

Woods, a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., graduated from Jackson State in December, and started for Tigers teams which made appearances in two SWAC championship games.

Coaches and friends remember him as a tenacious player who worked hard to achieve.

From the Jackson Clarion-Ledger: "He was the example I used for all the young guys. He was 'The Little Engine That Could,'" (Former JSU Defensive Coordinator Darrin) Hayes said. "He was undersized, he wasn't fast, and not as big and pretty as you like them as a player. He was a little fella that worked hard, and he wasn't supposed to be here doing this, but he was doing it. "

Former Clark Atlanta Football Coach Files Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Citing inequitable work requirements, racial insults made by alumni boosters and derogatory treatment from university administration, former Clark Atlanta University head football coach Ted Bahhur last month filed a racial discrimination suit against the university.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bahhur says that his 20-29 record over four years with the Panther program was not ground for performance-based dismissal, given the team's 4-39 record prior to his arrival.

Livingstone Forfeits 18 Games Following NCAA Violation Livingstone College's undefeated women's

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basketball team forfeited 18 games following revelations of an ineligible player competing in the team's 22-game winning streak.

The Winston-Salem Journal reported this morning on the forfeited games, which will likely knock the Lady Blue Bears out of the national top ten, and may lead to additional punishment from the NCAA's Committee on Infractions.

According to the report, senior transfer Kyra Crosby was improperly certified for competition prior to competing this season, in which she led the Blue Bears in scoring and rebounding.

In a statement, Livingstone President Jimmy Jenkins announced personnel changes in athletics resulting from the investigation. “We rely on our athletics department to be vigilant in making sure our athletics programs comply with NCAA standards, and it is now clear to me that the department did not live up to our expectations. The protection of the welfare and integrity of our great institution is at the center of our mission. I have therefore, along with the actions already taken, accepted the resignation of the associate director of athletics-compliance (Malcolm Nelson), and I have issued a letter of reprimand to the athletics director (Andre Springs) and placed him on probation for one year.�

Report: Allegations of NCAA Violations, Player Mutiny at Bethune-Cookman Under Brian Jenkins Many in the HBCU community questioned why Brian Jenkins, a rising star in the NCAA midmajor coaching ranks and MEAC standard bearer would suddenly leave Bethune-Cookman University for Alabama State University and a $90,000 pay cut last month.

According to a report in the Montgomery Advertiser, his departure may have been tied to serious allegations of NCAA practice and rules violations and bullying of players and coaches during his five years in Daytona Beach.

According to the Advertiser, Jenkins on several occasions violated NCAA rules by extending practices beyond the 20-hour weekly limit, causing on one occasion for Wildcat players to refuse to practice after enduring three practices

in 18 hours prior to the start of the 2013 season.

The Advertiser also reports that Jenkins threatened two players with a steak knife during a pre-game meal, an incident which prompted an internal investigation at the university.

According to a letter Alcutt provided at the request of Bethune-Cookman officials as part of the investigation, a teammate accidentally spilled a drink and Alcutt began laughing. Because Jenkins doesn't allow talking at the pre-game meals, the commotion irked the head coach, Alcutt said.

"At this time, Brian Jenkins walked over to me and picked up a knife and pointed it at me and (Hudson) saying, 'Do I have to cut your (expletive) throats to get you to be quiet?" Alcutt wrote in the letter. Jenkins then stared at the two players for several seconds, he said.

Alcutt said he did not feel physically threatened and that Jenkins later apologized to the players, but Alcutt said he did feel disrespected — so much so that he quit the team a few weeks later and decided not to return for his senior season.

"I had my degree at that point, and I didn't feel as though it was worth it to be in that environment," said Alcutt, who graduated with honors with a degree in sociology. "It was a bad environment."

Other allegations include a lawsuit from a former coach and former trainer for more than $30,000 in non-payment, financial aid and campus housing being denied to players, which forced some to live out of cars or to illegally live with teammates, and one incident of a University of South Florida transfer being given money and transportation to collect transcripts, and playing in two games while ineligible.

The Advertiser says that Alabama State executives, including President Gwendolyn Boyd and members of its Board of Trustees, received conflicting information about the allegations against Jenkins prior to his December hiring.

"If it's true — and we don't know if it is or not right now — we'd have to act," (ASU Board Chairman Locy) Baker said. "But if there are NCAA issues out there, we'll have to wait and see what comes of them and make a decision."

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Human Jukebox Grants Wish to Fan with Cerebral Palsy

By Edward Pratt Jaymerson George had his wish come true on Friday. He got to see and hear the Southern University Marching Band, “The Human Jukebox.”

The famous Make-A-Wish Foundation granted George’s wish and Director of Bands Nathan Haymer said he was excited and proud that Southern University could make it happen.

How proud? Haymer had virtually the whole band, including the Dancing Dolls, there to perform for Jaymerson who suffers with cerebral palsy and his wheelchair bound.

Jaymerson’s mother, Lazell George, said her 17year-old son was asked several months ago what he would like to do more than anything else in the world and that the Make-a-Wish Foundation would make it happen.

Jaymerson, she said, is a band lover, likes to attend parades and to watch his twin brother James march with the Warren Easton High

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School band in New Orleans. Several opportunities were mentioned, “even Disney World, but he almost came out of the wheelchair when we mentioned Southern’s band,” she said, adding that her son watches SU band performances on his computer.

After communications between Make-A-Wish representatives and Haymer, the big day was arranged.

After Jaymerson and his family arrived on Southern’s campus in a limousine on Friday afternoon, they were treated to a concert in the Isaac Greggs Band Hall. Then with help of twin brother James, Jaymerson was able to be with the band as they marched around most of the campus.

Jaymerson, who is non-verbal, smiled a lot as the band played and marched.

Jamie D’Aquin, with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, said during the band’s march, “This is incredible. He is having a ball.”

Twin brother James was quiet. He spent most of his time tending to the needs of his brother, guiding the wheelchair into place so that Jaymerson could watch the band perform and pushing his brother the full two to three-mile march by the band.

“That’s the way he is. He does everything for this brother. He does it before we can do or say anything,” said Lazell George.

James did say he wants to be in Southern’s band when he graduates from high school. Haymer encouraged him to keep up his grades. “That’s more important than anything,” Haymer said.

As the event wound down, Annette Bertrand, Jaymerson’s grandmother, said, “Jaymerson really looks happy. I am so glad we came here and they did this for him. Everyone has been no nice.”

Haymer added, “This is one of the most satisfying things our band has ever done.”

Fayetteville State Football Spends Off-Season Serving Community The Fayetteville State University football team continues to visit Cliffdale Elementary and Luther "Nick" Jerald’s Middle Schools on the Friday before every home game to mentor and contribute to the daily lesson plans. The FSU football program sends 10 student-athletes and four coaches to each school. The Broncos also participated in the FSU Upward Bound program on Saturday, February 14th.

During the week of every home football game this season, the Broncos have split up to tutor students every Friday from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. The FSU football representatives engage in physical education activities and encourage the students to be more active.

This is the second year Broncos' football has volunteered at Luther "Nick" Jeralds and the first year spending time with the students at Cliffdale.

The Upward Bound program is designed to provide participants with academic support services and activities that will enhance their academic skills, thereby ensuring that they will complete high school and enroll in and complete a program of post-secondary education.

"Our program is about service and giving back to the community year-round," said head football coach Lawrence Kershaw. "I’ve always emphasized to my staff and our student-athletes the importance of being involved in our community. Service initiatives are essential."

The Broncos have scheduled their annual BlueWhite Intersquad Spring Scrimmage for Saturday, April 11th at 2:00 p.m. The contest will be played at Luther "Nick" Jerald’s Stadium; admission is free and open to the public.

Saint Augustine's Women's Basketball Wins SixthStraight CIAA Academic Award For the sixth consecutive year, the Saint Augustine's University women's basketball team captured a CIAA 'Highest Team GPA' award.

With a 3.39 overall grade point average, the Lady Falcons received the award at last month's CIAA Basketball Tournament Tip-Off Banquet held at the Charlotte Convention Center. SAU Head Coach Rachel Bullard, has captured the award every year since being hired in 2010.

"Many thanks go to our faculty for supporting these young ladies and allowing them the opportunity to make up assignments when we travel," Bullard said. "They are hands on and very helpful. They truly care about our students. We are getting it right at Saint Augustine's University."

Tennessee State Alum, Former NBA All-Star Anthony Mason Dies Tennessee State alumnus and bruising NBA forward Anthony Mason died last month after complications following a massive heart attack.

Mason, who averaged more than 28 points and 10 rebounds per game for the Tigers, finished his career as TSU's fifth all-time leading scorer and sixth all-time rebounder.

As a member of the New York Knicks, Mason was a low post force for one of the league's premier team's in the 1990's. He finished his 13-year NBA career in 2003, with one NBA all-star game appearance in 2001, and the league's Sixth Man of the Year award in 1995.

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COMMENTARY Alumni and students of South Carolina State University have made good on their promise of bringing hell to the state for threatening closure against their institution. Last Friday, the Coalition for Equity and Excellence in South Carolina Higher Education filed a lawsuit against the state, alleging harm done by underfunding and the state willfully duplicating programs which once were unique to SCSU at other state institutions, which created in South Carolina a publicly funded ‘separate but equal’ system of higher education for black and white students.

It is a familiar refrain from the suit brought against the State of Maryland in 2006, which seven years later led to a federal judge ruling the state’s higher education policies and programmatic efforts unconstitutional and in violation of Supreme Court civil rights precedence.

The lawsuit threat will likely force SC legislature to back off of its closure plans, and to scurry in funding and building up SCSU before a judge forces the issue with potential transfer of programs, new buildings, or mergers into its flagship public HBCU. In ten years, two groups of HBCU constituents have filed federal suits in the name of preserving historically black higher education. These suits are the offspring of landmark judicial action in Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. Each of the previous legal efforts contributed towards the march for parity and equity between historically black and predominantly white institutions.

South Carolina State, with the latest efforts by state legislators to close the school, may have the best case of all for a major financial settlement or development agreement forced by a judge, or to be brokered in mediation.

But in order for South Carolina to be the hill upon which higher education discrimination nationwide dies, it will first require trustees, alumni, students and black legislators in the state to be on one accord with how to move forward.

It is understandable why many have questioned the allegiances of Elzey and the SCSU Board of Trustees as operatives in a larger political game to shut down the school. On the surface, it seems

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unconscionable for the president and board to have met on several occasions since the vote to close the school, without action for financial rightsizing, personnel realignment, or formal institutional response to the legislative threat.

But when an institution has been underfunded for so long and operates at a minimal level of support, it is not easy to simply rightsize without doing harm to programs and services offered to students. Cutting back faculty or programs creates instant violence to prospects of increasing enrollment, which will lead to certain death of the institution with or without political influence.

It is just as unconscionable for SCSU alumni leadership to proclaim the school ‘alive and well,’ knowing damn well that life support is the antithesis of living well.

The board and president may be suffering from sinister political loyalties, and the alumni may be suffering from a lack of authentic information and bewildering optimism about the school’s state of affairs. But both sides must be willing to put all information and personal agendas out on the table, or else, everyone loses. The alumni and students will lose their school, and the trustees will lose all credibility and favor from legislature, once the doors are locked for good.

Most of all, Orangeburg will lose its unquestioned economic engine. Hundreds will be out of jobs, millions will be sucked instantly out of the city’s commerce, and the city will dramatically decline.

But the president and board are not the priorities. The priority is galvanizing the legal and political muscle from all corners of South Carolina’s municipal and state infrastructures to solidly oppose the closure efforts. South Carolina, much like Maryland, is too racist and arrogant to accept that is cheaper to fund black colleges than to publicly lose a disgraceful, costly lawsuit over HBCU comparability.

Every HBCU community is a microcosm of the HBCU landscape at large. For generations, public HBCUs have quietly fought with state leadership nationwide to be seen and supported as mainstream members of the state higher ed community. In response, states have always treated them as peripheral members of that community; unwanted appendages that grabbed only the helpless and unprepared for the discriminate rare air of higher education, only to be harshly judged for the failure of retaining,

graduating, and ensuring employment for that same student group.

But equitable funding is the only solution to reversing racist tones and labels used against black colleges. Several federal courts have made it undeniably clear - funding and supporting comparability and competitiveness among HBCUs and PWIs is the only way to establish for HBCUs an identity separate and apart from one of race and cultural separatism.

Wherever they are on the scale of resources, HBCUs must be made comparable to attract students regardless of race. They must be able to establish student-faculty ratios consistent with institutional caliber, to compete for state and federal contracts and grants, to appeal to alumni for support, and to offer unique programs of industrial benefit to the cities and states in which they are stationed. Tennessee State University is the best example of this kind of it investment, but even it has a long way to serve the state in the fullness of its capacity.

After all, Middle Tennessee State University, a PWI, operates just 30 miles from Tennessee State. The programmatic and enrollment impact of MTSU on Tennessee State is not dissimilar from the impact the University of Tennessee Nashville once had on TSU. If SCSU supporters can unite for a common cause, they will establish a new reality for state governments which firmly believe in segregated funding and education. Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina - states which are all past ripe for federal discrimination lawsuits - will have an easier time making their case for judicial intervention. They will only need to copy the filings from South Carolina and Maryland’s coalitions, plug in their own numbers, and brace for the public fallout.

Now is the time for concerted, strategic operation from all SCSU stakeholders. Because they aren’t just working to save a campus; they are working to lay a foundation for all public black colleges across the country.

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