62.11 Spartan Echo

08.29.14

Vol. 62, I ssue 1

04.10.15

Vol. 62, Issue 11

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Stories Inside

Communication disconnection Page 2

New communications tower nears completion

by Antonio

Garland

The communications tower currently under construction will serve as the centerpiece for Norfolk State’s academic quad. One of its purposes is to assist in spreading information more efficiently to students and faculty on campus.

The tower will be 95 feet tall and will feature a digital clock and LED screens on its four sides to show campus announcements and upcoming events. It will also feature speakers to alert the cam-

pus of immediate situations.

Plans for the tower began back in 2008 as part of NSU’s master plan for the growing academic quad at the center of campus. The quad consists of the Student Center, Library, Nursing and Education Building, and the new Brown Hall, which is also currently undergoing construction.

Director of Capital Planning and Improvements, Terry G. Wood-

A new communications tower is being constructed outside of the Lyman Beecher Brooks Library. Photo by Tykhari Coles

• Continued on p. 3

SGA candidates share goals and aspirations

by Antonio

Spartan Spotlight: Alina Moriarty Page 5

Meleah Holmes ran for SGA President with her right-hand woman, Tionna Outen, who ran for Vice President. Photo from NSU.edu

Students in the business of business Page 6

The next Student Government Association (SGA) election is approaching. Two top candidates, Meleah Holmes and Tionna Outen, shared their goals and strategies during their campaigns.

Holmes, a junior mass

communication major who is running for SGA president, said she is running to see change. She said in her three years of being at Norfolk State, she hasn’t seen any significance of SGA presidents.

“I just haven’t seen

Garland

any change,” she said. “The most I’ve seen from past SGA presidents are usually events for the Greek Organizations. I haven’t seen any ratification towards our constitution.”

Outen, a sophomore political science major that is running for SGA vice president, said she also wants to make a difference.

One of her goals is to inspire people. She incorporates this through music and songs with politics, expressing how she feels life should be.

“I feel like I can definitely let people know about their rights, what to look forward to, any changes that they would like to make and just be there for the people,” said Outen.

Holmes said the voice that needs to be heard is that of every student at the university and not just voices of certain groups of students. She said she wants to be the voice for every student at NSU. From her potential presidency, Holmes wants to see change in the constitution, to see cohesiveness and to see clarification of what the SGA president does. She wants students to be aware of having someone they can turn to and not be ignored.

Outen wants to get people to take action and help them to find out what’s going on in the world to avoid them from getting taken advantage of.

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: spartanecho@nsu.edu

spartan news

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04.10.15

NSU student travels to Cuba

by Antonio

Over spring break, several Norfolk State students traveled to Cuba with Dr. Geoffroy de Laforcade as part of the travel abroad program. One student was Hilton A. Cole, a senior sociology major and president of the Honors College.

Cole described the trip as an overall great experience. He used his Spanish speaking skills to communicate with locals.

He also learned about their religion, race relations and the career of Fidel Castro.

Cole spoke about the Cuban Revolution and

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Russia’s involvement. He talked about misconceptions people have about the Cubans, such as Cuba being communist, which is only due to being forced on

by Russia.

“When people think of Cuba, they think about a war zone. Cube is not a war

zone,” said Cole. “It’s actually a very friendly place.

The only tank [and] machine gun that I saw was in the museum. The misconception of Cuba that we teach our children is false.”

Cole spoke of learning about Santeria, a religion brought from Afri-

ca, which was ingrained with Catholic and that the Spanish forced upon the Afro-Cubans. His group also learned about the Afro-Cuban deities and main pillars of religion.

• Continued on p. 3

Communication disconnection

by Antonio

Garland

As time advances, so does the way people choose to communicate with each other. Such as the case today, people rarely communicate face to face or take the time to get to know each other.

We live in a world where people are unaware that the person sitting beside them could become a valuable acquaintance.

It’s a heartbreaking thing when thought about, as people are supposed to work together and cooperate, but we all stay distant from each other. We never know of the connections we could make if we take the first step to speak.

There are times when you meet people who make a good impression. However, as you meet the person later, they will see you as a stranger, believing you two never met before, regardless of you knowing their name.

Sometimes you’ll hear, “Hi, how are you?” However, they walk by before an answer is given. People say they are too busy with their own lives; working, school, etc. Of course it’s for live-

lihood, however people aren’t machines and there is a human element there that can’t always be ignored.

We spend most of our time playing on our smart phones. We used to talk.

Our conversations have devolved to basic letters; ‘LOLs’ and ‘OMGs’. Many people say they absolutely cannot function without their smartphones.

You have to ask, “What did you do before you had a smart phone?”

If something were to happen that disabled our use of technology (i.e. strong solar flares), people would panic, as they wouldn’t know what to do.

Next time you see someone on their phone, notice how they zigzag as they walk. It seems even our hand-eye coordination goes out the window.

When people do share their lives, it’s done through social media, such as Facebook and Instagram. One wonders, why would anyone not speak to someone in person, but yet post their lives to the public where anyone can see it?

On those sites, we

make hundreds to thousands of friends; but how well would a person know those friends?

Technology in general has stolen our lives. People are no longer a part of the natural world. Kids no longer play outside as they once did, opting to playing video games or watch YouTube videos. We’ve become spoiled by our modern gadgets.

We no longer read books as often and have become lazy, to the point where our main exercise is tapping screens (smart phones, laptops, tablets, etc.). We’re no longer as eager to learn and allow for machines to do hard labor.

It seems we only care about being entertained.

This has also affected the classrooms all over the country. Students copy and paste what they find online.

In their defense, teachers are no longer as interactive with students, opting for them to learn on their own.

It’s ironic how there are so many people, but yet we are so distant from one another. We live in a spoon-fed world, where in-

formation is expected to be given.

As a whole, we’re heading down an isolated path. What has happened

to our society where we abandoned our humanity in favor of our current nonchalant natures?

It seems today’s society can’t function without consistent access to their cell phones. Photo by Reginald Thomas

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: spartanecho@nsu.edu

04.10.15

spartan news

Straight win for new SGA

Supreme Court chief justice

by Antonio

Garland

On March 16, Jasmine Dunbar, a freshman history major, became Norfolk State University’s new Supreme Court Chief Justice of the Student Government Association (SGA).

Running unopposed, she’s now the leading member of the conference, along with other associate justices, and is in charge of dealing with altercations and incidents that lead to the immediate suspension of students.

Despite being a history major, Dunbar found the workings of government interesting, which caused her to choose the position.

Her duty involves evaluating NSU’s policies and keeping them in standards with Virginia’s laws.

“There’s just something about it that kind of popped at me I guess you could say,” said Dunbar.

Over Spring Break, she received the call from the assistant dean of student activities, which gave her the opportunity to participate in a team meeting dealing with conduct of students. It was during that meeting she discovered she would run unopposed and won the position.

Dunbar’s goal is to show students that they can confide in her, along with the SGA and faculty members involved, to understand how it works and how it can help them.

“As of right now, most people don’t even know what I’m talking about when I bring it up. They’re

[SGA] there to help the students, get them through so they won’t have to go as far as being expulsed or anything over something petty. So my goal really is to bring more students in to prevent the most extreme thing from happening to them.”

Dunbar is reaching out to students by being socially active. “That’s honestly the best way to reach out to anybody, is just talk to them.”

Dunbar hopes her term will bring changes to how things are run at NSU.

“I don’t approve of everything. If I’m thinking future terms, [if] my child was to come here, I want them to have the best possible experience. I don’t want them to go through the troubles that I went through. So, change for the better.”

-Jasmine Dunbar

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• Continued from front page house, said he hopes the tower will be a recruiting tool to bring in new students. He also hopes the tower will give NSU its own personality.

“It will give Norfolk State a symbol on campus,” said Woodhouse. “You go to other schools all over the country and you see different kinds of towers, communication towers and clock towers. People will start to learn ‘that’s Norfolk State over there.’

You’d be surprised as some

of the vendors I talk to everyday really don’t know Norfolk state is sitting here, it would kind of give us an identity.”

“I’m pretty excited about the tower, especially watching it go up and how it’s constructed,” said Interim President and CEO Eddie N. Moore, Jr. “But what it does is it’s going to have a multipurpose; it will enhance our communication capabilities here. It will enhance our security. I just think it’s going to set

the quad off and be the focal point.”

Moore believes the tower will assist in campus communications from a high point. “We won’t be going through buildings, we’ll be raining down on buildings, so it should enhance communications.”

The cost of construction for the tower, along with the Nursing and Education building, was $1.7 million and it’s expected completion date is sometime in May.

• Continued from p. 2 Despite a language barrier, Cole said the people were focused on helping the group reach their destinations. There was a cultural trade, as Cubans wanted to learn more about Americans just as Americans want to learn more about Cuba.

Cole said he had a bad experience with the food that made him sick.

“As with any country, you got to be careful of what you eat. So, that’s one thing that anyone traveling abroad should be aware of, just be mindful of what you eat and what you touch,” said Cole.

If given the opportunity to travel back to Cuba, Cole said he would, but only if he had something to offer. Though he saw many people struggling, they were happy.

“I would rather help these happy people in Cuba than some people in America that are kind of bitter about their situation. If I go down there with a thou-

sand dollars, I could feed probably a whole neighborhood for maybe half a week.”

If a student was debating on traveling to Cuba for study abroad, Cole said there’s something for everyone.

“I would say go. It’s

going to toughen you up, you’re going to learn a lot, you’re going to build a lot of character, you’re going to have a lot of fun. But most of all, it’s a great thing to put on your resume. A lot of people don’t get the opportunity to leave the country.”

Honors College president and Sociology major Hilton Cole spent his Spring Break in Cuba. Photo by Hilton Cole

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: spartanecho@nsu.edu

spartan sports

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Mayweather to fight Pacquiao

by T’ney

04.10.15

Spartan Spotlight: Devin Hemmerich

Stallings

On May 2, many boxing fans will be watching as Mayweather and Pacquiao go head-to-head at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Mayweather announced the fight through social media by posting a picture of the signed contract captioned, “What the world has been waiting for has arrived.”

“The matchup between these two legends has been brewing for years.

But something, whether it was drug tests, the size of purse cuts or which cable network would air the pay-per-view, always put the fight on the ropes,” according to the Wall Street Journal.

The World Boxing Council decided to create a brand new championship belt for the winner. They held a public vote online and asked fans to vote on two different designs. Boxing fans worldwide have picked an emerald green, diamond encrusted belt to be strapped around the waist of the winner. The cost of the belt is likely to be $1 million.

Top Rank Chairman

Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, told ESPN.com “The Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao fight is looking to generate $74 million in live gate alone, part of a total package that could surpass $400 million.

Ticket prices range from $10,000-$1,500. A majority of the tickets will be for the fighter camps, promoters, Showtime, HBO and the MGM Grand. Each controls a share of tickets, which they will sell to their people and customers. Once the tickets are distributed, there will be a handful that will go on sale for public admission.

This fight is the most anticipated in recent boxing history.

“It came in a good moment and it will be an emotive event. Both are obviously putting their legacy at stake, to prove who is the best, satisfying an enormous created expectance.

They are also competing to be considered one of the best 10 fighters in the entire boxing history,” WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said on the WBC’s official website.

Boxers Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, and Manny Pacquiao, of the Philippines, walk away from each other after posing for photos during a news conference, Wednesday, March 11, 2015, in Los Angeles. The two are scheduled to fight in Las Vegas on May 2. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Norfolk native Devin Hemmerich was an all-MEAC second-team selection, a Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American in his rookie year with NSU, and he shows no signs of stopping short. Photo from NSUSpartans.com by

Derald Frazier

Sophomore Devin Hemmerich is one of the best young baseball stars in the MEAC. Hemmerich, is a six-foot left handed pitcher from Norfolk, Virginia that brings work ethic and talent to the Spartans ball club.

As a freshman, Hemmerich earn an All-MEAC second team and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American in his rookie year.

Devin Hemmerich had a good rookie season,

recording a 5-3 record, with a team best of 2.49 ERA, five saves, allowed 58 hits in 61 innings of work, walked 13 and had 38 strikeouts.

During his senior season at Atlantic Shores Christian School, Devin earned first-team All-Metro Conference and VISAA All-State Division 2 accolades, helping lead the Seahawks to their first-ever state championship. Hemmerich was the winning pitcher in the state cham-

pionship game.

He went 8-0 with a 1.65 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 55 innings and also batted .402 with 24 stolen bases out of the lead-off spot.

The Seahawks went 33-2 and were ranked number 39 nationally by MaxPreps.

He was lettered all four years and his high school pitching record was 19-4.

Devin and the Spartans started their MEAC Conference play on March 15 against Delaware State in Dover, Delaware.

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: spartanecho@nsu.edu

04.10.15

spartan sports

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Elevation Training Mask by

Sports are highly competitive and it is not uncommon for athletes to go to great lengths to gain an advantage in preparation for an opponent or competition. A popular training method for professional athletes is to live alongside a mountain top during training. This method has been adopted by Olympians and military. It is no coincidence that the United States Olympic Training Center is located in Colorado, a state known for its high altitudes. The high altitude’s thin air forces the body to work harder.

Unfortunately, not every athlete is able to reach the mountains for training.

Traveling cost time and money that the average person may not be able to afford. The method that was exclusively available to those in the military and

Olympic runners is now available for everyone.

The elevation training mask, made from a military gas mask, is made to simulate training at high altitudes for extended periods of time. The mask contains knobs that adjust the levels of altitude. The user can adjust the height from 3,000 feet to 18, 000 feet.

The diaphragm is a muscle that controls breathing.

The mask helps muscles work more efficiently as the body requires less oxygen to function.

The mask works as soon as the user puts it on; however, they must take precautions before wearing the mask for the first time.

Instead of the air thinning at a mountain top, the mask restricts the amount of oxygen someone takes in, similar to a gas mask. It will be very hard to breathe,

Derald Frazier

but the user should not panic. The effects of the mask will kick in once the body learns to adapt.

The mask has been one of the hottest pieces of sporting equipment in the past year. Initially, only fitness gurus and professional runners had even heard of the mask, but it has jumped in popularity recently. Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch gets credit for starting the trend on a larger scale. Lynch started using the mask during his pregame workouts after he was introduced to the mask by a friend.

“I put the mask on, and I probably did a lap around the building where we train, and, like, halfway through the lap, I had to take it off and stop,” Lynch told Sports Illustrated. “I was breathing hard, and thinking, ‘Man, this is a

The elevation training mask has helped many athletes increase their respiratory ability. Photo from Facebook.com/ElevationTrainingMask/photos/

little different than what I was expecting.’ So I get back and Troy is like, ‘Man, you just got to try and finish through.’ And I started to notice, three days of working out with it, like my wind got that much better.

And I was like, Whoa. It works.”

According to many users, the mask is easy to put on and comfortable to wear. Its appearance may draw unwarranted at-

tention. The mask looks like something Bane from Batman or Hannibal Lector would wear. If the user can get over the outward appearance, then they will have a valuable piece of training equipment at their disposal.

The elevation training mask is available at sporting goods stores for around $80.

Spartan Spotlight: Alina Moriarty by

Davonte Smith

Senior Alina Moriarty is becoming one of the alltime softball players ever to hit the mound for the Lady Spartans.

Moriarty, is a 5-foot-3 outfielder/second baseman from Chesapeake, Virginia that brings leadership and effort to the team.

As a sophomore, Moriarty earned First-Team All-MEAC, the first NSU player to ever earn MEAC First-Team as second baseman. Her junior year, Alina earned second-team

All-MEAC honors at second base.

Moriarty’s career so far at NSU has been amazing, batting average at .343, 148 games played (141 started), 478 at bats, 87 runs, 164 hits and 31 doubles.

“Ali is what every coach is looking for in a student athlete. She puts her school work first and then works on her game more than any player I have ever coached here at NSU,” said NSU Softball Coach Heidi Cavallo.

Moriarty is majoring in Biology and also a member of Honors College.

“Ali is a game changer for us, not just from game winning hits but by playing her heart out. When Ali is on watching her is so fun and it picks the rest of our players up and gets them going, ” Cavallo said.

Moriarty and her Lady Spartans started their MEAC Conference play on March 21 against Coppin State in Baltimore, Maryland.

Senior right fielder Alina Moriarty was honored by the conference office when she was named the MEAC Player of the Week for softball. Photo from NSUSpartans.com

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: spartanecho@nsu.edu

spartan lifestyle

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By Malaun House

When the topic of hip-hop or rap is brought up, there is often a huge debate on what “real” hiphop or rap even is anymore. Music today seems to have completely taken a turn from what it used to be. Though it is evident that everything changes as society evolves, certain types of music are somewhat considered pieces of timeless art, where no matter what the time period is, that type of music can and will still entice a crowd.

“I’m a big fan of Biggie Smalls. Even though I’m only 20 years old and didn’t necessarily grow up in that era of rap music, I

04.10.15

Let’s rap about it still rock to his rhymes because they had substance.

Biggie rapped about something, which is a lot more than I can say for these rappers now of days,” sophomore music major Aaliyah Brier said.

Many people, young and old, say that music today is all about living “the fast life”, sex, nice clothes and spending money. Many of the new rappers today make it big solely off of a one-hit wonder that he or she uploaded onto their YouTube channel.

“I remember back in the day when I was in middle school and I loved Soulja Boy! Now I look back like what in the world

was he even ever rapping about? His songs were so silly, but they did make me want to dance and I think that my generation of music is more so about keeping the crowd hype rather than having actual good lyrics,” junior psychology major Andre Keeblin said.

Rappers such as Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole are highly ranked rappers in 2015 because many listeners believe that they offer an old-school rap style, but they still maintain the ability to keep up with the new style of music that can pertain to the age of any listener.

Hip-Hop and R&B artists of old created music that stood the test of time and is now influencing younger generations today. Photo from Facebook.com/pages/90s-Golden-Age-Of-Hip-Hop/

Students in the business of business

By Io Chaney

Many people like the thought of starting their own business, but what separates those who want to and those who make it a reality is their willingness, drive and commitment. At Norfolk State University, there are many students pursuing that dream, whether they are business majors or not.

“I plan to open a full service salon that has a spa and nail area. This is something I really want to do. It’s not just a hobby or a way for me to make extra money. It’s something I really like doing,” senior business entrepreneurship major Jamica Butler said.

Jermaine Anderson

is a student who has created his own business, Career Creators. He is a career consultant who helps people write resumes, cover letters and also promotes social networking and teaches interview preparedness.

“I used to help people write resumes just because, then I decided to make a business out of it. So many people want a $40,000 salary paying job, but copy and paste information from the internet to their resume. A lot of people don’t understand the importance of resumes.” said senior business management major Jermaine Anderson.

Being an African-American business owner in the ever-so “cor-

porate America” may seem to be quite challenging, but many students at Norfolk State University are thriving in the business world.

Shammah Wallah is another student who has his own business called Speed Supremacy, LLC. “I raise money by selling snacks and the proceeds go toward mentoring the youth, which is what I do,” freshman marketing major Shammah Wallah said.

NSU prepares students for the corporate world, and those who wish to start their own business often find themselves in a better position than others because of the many skills they have learned at the university.

SGA Presidential nominee Shammah Waller talks about how he started his business and the changes he wants to make in the community through his business. Photo by Io Chaney

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: spartanecho@nsu.edu

04.10.15

spartan lifestyle

Spring into this season’s fashion

By Malaun House

Spring is finally here again, and though the weather is taking its precious time to warm up, the new spring 2015 trends are still beginning to surface.

Just as any spring season, floral and pastel colors are very in and trying to incorporate the new trends can take a lot of time and effort.

“I feel like fall fashion is going to try to creep into spring fashion. Even though it’s getting warmer I feel like denim on denim will still be in and bold outerwear, just a lighter piece of outerwear.” sophomore Brianna Andres said.

Based on the individual’s personal style, this spring will bring many different types of fashion ideas. For those that like the dressed up look, they may find themselves suits that are cooler colors like

khaki, white or light blue.

“In the spring, I like to wear just a simple dress shirt with the top two buttons undone, tucked into my tailored chinos. I like to put a little cuff in at the bottom too, just to show off my sock or my ankles if it’s warm out,” junior Denzel Kee said.

A new season of fashion promotes creativity because it can be difficult to keep up with the different trends. For many people fashion it not just something that happens; it can be a hobby and even a passion.

“I always loved putting together outfits and taking the time to plan each piece of my outfit.

I take a lot of pride in what I’m wearing because it represents me and my identity,” freshman Aniya Lee-Combs said.

Now that the weather is changing, so is the fashion for spring 2015.

Photo by Tykhari Coles

College relationship maintenance 101

By Malaun House

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editors Jason Gill Editor-inChief

Danielle Kirsh Online/ Managing Editor College years often test the strength of one’s bond and relationship with family, friends and lovers. Photo by Tykhari Coles

Many young men and women find themselves caught up in the fun, fast paced, party all day and night lifestyle of being in college. Then on the other hand, there are those students that try to maintain their relationships with their high school sweethearts or friends that they met during summer programs in the midst of making new relationships.

It can truly be difficult to maintain what is old when there seems to be so many more new things presenting themselves.

“I had a boyfriend my senior year in high school and we ended up going to two different universities, but we decided to stay together and try to make it work. The key word was ‘try’ because it was definitely very hard. Long story short, we ended up breaking up my sophomore year because we decided that we were just too young and there is just too much going on in college,” junior psychology major Aliyah Barner said.

The college years seems to be some of the craziest years in an indi-

vidual’s life. There are so many new things to experience and just as the seasons change, people begin to evolve and grow.

“I still keep in touch with a lot of my friends back home from high school, but a lot of them did not go to college so they don’t exactly understand that I have new friends in college.

They love the fact that I’m doing something for myself, but sometimes I think they do get a little jealous,” sophomore elementary education major Darius Bazemore said.

There are many different types of relationships that go through changes more so because in college students are growing and learning more about themselves, and what they like and do not like. Friendships, relationships with boyfriends, girlfriends and family are often hard to maintain; nevertheless, just as most things in life, if it is important the individuals in the relationship will do what it takes to make sure that it is maintained.

Antonio Garland News Editor

Malaun House Lifestyle Editor

Kazahna Joyce Sports Editor

Chantelle Polite Entertainment Editor

Tykhari Coles Multimedia Editor

Mario Lawrence Graphic Design/ Layout Editor

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: spartanecho@nsu.edu

spartan entertainment

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04.10.15

Beauty and the beast to become live-action film

By Chantelle Polite

It’s a tale as old as time as and certainly older than us all. Disney is planning a live-action Beauty and the Beast film set to release in March 2017. An 18th century fairytale that Walt Disney Pictures adapted into an animated classic in 1991, Disney’s modern day revamping of the tale will be told with Harry Potter’s Emma Watson as Belle, the kind-hearted, book worm who offers to take her father’s place locked away in a castle with an angry beast.

And Downtown Abbey’s Dan Stevens as the Beast

with whom Belle eventually falls in love.

Walt Disney Pictures has already seen past success with its previous animation-to-live-action-films such as Alice in Wonderland, Oz the Great and Powerful, and much recently, Cinderella. Now, Beauty and the Beast has become Disney’s newest project.

The film will be directed

by Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Breaking Dawn 1&2) and feature new recordings of the original songs from the first film as well as the beloved characters known

from our earlier years such as Ms. Potts the talking teapot, the arrogant hunter Gaston, and Gaston’s goofy sidekick and servant Lefou.

It’s not yet clear what other steps Disney is taking to ensure that the new Beauty and the Beast experience is a phenomenal one, but given Walt Disney Pictures’ long-running record of box office hits, it is no guessing that the fairy tale reboot will be an unforgettable one

Disney plans to release a live-action adaptation of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in 2017 with a star-studded cast, including Harry Potter series favorite Emma Watson. Photo from Facebook.com/DisneyBeautyAndTheBeast/

Netflix’s House of Cards returns for a third season

By Chantelle Polite

It’s better late than never, but President Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and wife Claire (Robin Wright) have finally made their way into the White House. The third season of Netflix’s gripping drama House of Cards was released on Feb. 27, allowing viewers to continue following the ruthless and conniving POTUS and FLOTUS on their political rise to power.

We first saw Underwood in the show’s first season as a power hungry congressman from South Carolina, determined to make his way into the Oval Office and his wife Claire right by his side, mowing and plowing down anyone

that got in their way. The show’s very first episode opened with Francis shamelessly killing a neighbor’s dog through strangulation after the dog failed to die on impact in a car accident.

Francis then empathetically states to his neighbors that the dog perished before he even arrived at the scene. Manipulative and cunning, Francis Underwood was already a Netflix series’ dream antagonist.

In season two, Francis had moved up in Washington, D.C. as the new Vice President with only one plan on his agenda: taking the White House. He then accumulated another vicious label under his belt aside from the others

his peers had most likely dubbed him, which was a murderer.

In the third season, new issues have arrived for Francis and Claire. Now that they’re in the White House, problems are testing the couples’ limits of just how far they will go for power and prestige.

By the end of the season, it may seem that the couples’ biggest enemy is each other. House of Cards is giving viewers more reasons to love and hate the Underwoods. Much like the mindsets Francis and Claire, things are no holds barred. There are no rules, and it’s perfectly ok to root for the bad guy.

Netflix released all episodes of House of Cards Season 3 in its entirety on February 27, 2015. Photo from Facebook.com/HouseofCards/photos/

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: spartanecho@nsu.edu