Tiger's Roar (April 2014 edition)

Tiger’s April 2014

Roar

The Independent Student Voice of Savannah State University

Savannah, Ga

OrangeCrush “Which day should you go to Orange Crush?” Follow the flowchart inside to find out.

NEWSLINE NEW SSU women’s center

a degree without value

Bonita Bradley establishes new womens center to Provost Reynold Verret responds to The Atlantic uplift and empower women on campus. She hopes Magazine report that claims a degree from SSU is enter can introduce a positive alternative to the worth less than not going to college at all. Page 6 negative influence the media has on women. Page 2

New security For wi-fi New restrictions on wireless internet connections cause frustration among campus community. Page 6

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News

Bradley Establishes New Center for Women on Campus

by Brittany Rosette-Jones

Contributing Writer

Bonita Bradley, special assistant to the vice president of student affairs and interim housing director at Savannah State, created The Center for Women’s Programs and Resources. The center focuses on concerns for women, such as body image, career and health issues.

“The Center for Women’s Programs and Resources will function out of the Center for Leadership and Character Development because right now it is the only physical space available,” Bradley said. She hopes to one day have a designated area specifically for the Women’s Center, where women will feel safe to talk and have tea.

As a graduate of Savannah State College, Bradley said she wanted to make sure that she is doing her part so that the women that graduate from SSU are knowledgeable and skilled.

“The idea of creating a women’s program came from the concern in the change in the women that are coming to college as far as behavior, them getting along, and self-esteem issues,” said Bradley.

Men’s initiatives are flourishing as well at SSU. There is now a Men’s Clinic every Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the Harris McDew Student Health Center where men get priority treatment. Also Men of Bostic, an empowerment group of freshman dorm students, has recently been revived.

Bradley said when it comes to building a better woman,

Photo by: Jarrel Arnold

MORE STUDENTS, MORE CRIME

by Diamonique Cooper and Shauna Pierre-Louis Contributing Writer Over the past couple semesters, the Savannah State Police department has had many noticeable upgrades all due to the police force growing in reflection to the growth of SSU’s enrollment.

New cars, trucks, carts, bicycles, and four-wheelers have all been added to the police’s arsenal of vehicles.

it is not only important to get along with each other but another view of who they are, where they come from, also the opposite sex. “I plan on working with the African and who they can become.”

American male initiatives to do collaborations because at some point we will have to learn how to get along with each other,” said Bradley.

The overall goal of it is to build better women. Bradley hopes the center will help enhance the product that graduates from SSU. “I love this,” said Charmiska Jones, a junior. “There is a change in the women that are coming to college and those ‘old-school’ virtues need to be instilled in women today.”

Along with its own initiatives, The Center for Women’s Programs and Resources will collaborate with the women’s organizations in order to build better women and bring awareness to these organizations. Bradley said that by August, there should be a full list of initiatives from The Center for Women’s Programs and Resources.

Bradley wants the center to establish a sisterhood among female students and also have it serve as a networking opportunity. She said she hopes to boost women’s selfesteem as they engage in the different programs.

Photo by: Litus Marshall Bradley said the media plays a big part on the negative Bonita Bradley Vice President of Student Affairs andinterim impact in the way women today see themselves, but the housing director. center can introduce a positive alternative.

She says, “the women’s programs here can give them “Many of the new vehicles you see were actually surplus vehicles from the state,” said Sgt. Lawrence Brown. “Once state patrol officers have had these cars for a few years or have racked up enough miles, they take them off line and other state agencies (like SSU) will get them for free.”

Brown said the new bikes and four-wheelers around campus were either purchased through grants or they come directly out of the police department’s budget.

“Being that Savannah State has increased enrollment, the call for service increased,” said Cpl. Dwight Williams.

In the fall 2013, the SSUPD staff consisted of a chief, chief deputy, lieutenant, sergeant, police dog, two dispatchers, five corporals, eight security officers, six gate guards, a senior communications specialist, four communication specialists, two building attendants (BA) supervisors, four BAs, a secretary, a fire safety inspector and 15 officers.

Since then, three officers with bicycles have been added to the staff. The force also went from having four sedan cars to having 10 sedan cars and trucks, three tractor mules, two electric cars and one four-wheeler.

In an effort to make campus safer, identification card readers have recently been added to the force equipment, but in return they are slowing the process to enter campus.

“Identification scanners are being used to quickly identify unauthorized students and visitors when the

gates are closed,” said Walter Brown, SSUPD officer.

Williams said, “There have been problems with traffic when the scanners are in use, having complaints from students and city of Savannah, but we are working to find a solution, keeping the scanners in effect.”

Brown said, “The scanners are used during closure of gates, at the moment when needed, but will soon come into effect permanently.”

“By now students should know they checking ID’s one way or another, so why hold up the lines, having it backed up on Skidaway, get your IDs out before approaching the security post!,” said Tony Brown, a senior criminal justice major.

Sgt. Brown’s Tips for Students Partnership is key- Police need students’ help in order for them to help the students Respect the Law- Police are here to enforce the laws and keep campus safe (yes the law still applies on Savannah State Campus) Campus closes at 7 p.m. so have those IDs

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Editorial

The Tiger’s Roar Staff

SSU Is What You Make It!

Ronald T. Shields II Editor-in-Chief

SSU gets a lot of bad press every year around this time for its students’ association with the annual beach party Orange Crush.

This year April came with a double dose of bad press when the Atlantic Magazine claimed a degree from here is worth less than going to college at all.

Both allegations prove the power of the media and how a few negative voices often shadow the positive. Like any other university, SSU is what each individual student makes of it.

Brinson Livingston

Managing Editor Diorlena Natera

Copy Editor

Taylor Roberts

Layout Designer Photographers

Jarrel Arnold Litus Marshall Maurice Pierce Brittany Swan Ashe’

Contributing Writers Aaron Casper Diamonique Cooper Bianca Johnson

Shauna Pierre-Louis Brittany Rosette- Jones Brittany Stewart Briana Walker

April Edition Word Search ORANGE CRUSH

BICYCLES

PAY SCALE

BRADLEY

RICH HOMIE QUAN

Kareem McMichael Jessica Sparks

DEGREE

SAFE CONNECT

DIVERSITY

SCANNERS

About Us:

EASTER

SECURITY

ENGINEERING

SSUPD

HBCU

TAYLOR

INTERNET

TIGERS ROAR

MORGAN

YOUNIVERSITY

The Tiger’s Roar is the Independent monthly student newspaper of Savannah State University.

We welcome and encourage letters to the editor and staff. All letters must include an address and phone number for confirmation. We reserve the right to edit all published content for purposes of length, style, grammar and libelous material. Ideas expressed in editorials do not reflect the opinions of the editors and staff.

The Tiger’s Roar adheres to the Associated Press Stylebook guidelines for stories and headlines.

Phone: (912) 358-3379 Fax: (912) 351-6588 P.O. Box 20634 Savannah, GA 31404

Email: tigersroar@savannahstate.edu

The truth is, in this day and age, it is hard to find a job whether you graduate from an Ivy League school or little ol’ SSU and every institution has its group of underachievers.

It is upon the shoulders of each student to use their time at SSU wisely and make sure they get the tools necessary to succeed in their field of choice. We are blessed to attend an institution with ample interning and networking opportunities. Take full advantage and you too will see how ...

“You can get anywhere from here.”

ATLANTIC

Advisers

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www.facebook.com/SSUTigersRoar

@SSUTigersRoar

April 2014

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Which Day Should You Go to O Do you like Rich Homie Quan?

April 12

Gotta go to church Easter Sunday?

Are you a college student?

Made early reservations?

Yes No

Midterm Grades?

April 19

No worries

I should be studying now

Are you an environmentalist?

Wish you had more time to work out?

Next Year

Never

Are you over 30?

Yes

No

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Orange Crush?

Don’t want to get arrested?

Don’t want to wait in traffic for two hours?

The day Tybee Island residents want everybody to go?

Religious Concerns Lead to Multiple Orange Crush Dates

by Bianca Johnson & Brittany Stewart Contributing Writers As Orange Crush nears, Tybee residents are bracing for the beach party that draws thousands of college students to the coast of Georgia.

According to an article in the Savannah Morning News, problems around Orange Crush include the way the event is organized. Tybee City Manager, Daine Schleicher is quoted as saying “Our issue is behavior... respect the rules. It’s not about the influx of people. “ Although the event was officially sponsored by SSU at one point, the university is no longer associated with Orange Crush.

This year, confusion surrounds what date Orange Crush will take place. April 19 was the original date promoted but recently focus has been changed to April 12

instead.

The main issue concerning the original date of Orange Crush is it falls on Easter weekend in which a lot of college students travel home for the religious holiday.

“I believe having Orange Crush the same weekend of Easter is inappropriate and disrespectful to the holiday,” said Javaughn Sanders, a senior at Savannah State University.

Savannah resident Jamal Hilbert believes there may be other reasons surrounding the event. Outside of planning and execution, He draws comparison to Savannah’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

“There was traffic, trash, and tons of drunken belligerent individuals being taken to jail so what exactly is the difference,” he said.

Orange Crush vs St. Patrick’s Day A comparison of arrests Orange Crush St. Patrick’s Day Data from Savannah-Chatam and Tybee Island Police

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News

New Security Tool for Wi-Fi Network

by Briana Walker Contributing Writer

Friday March 28, Savannah State University went live with Safe Connect, a Network Access Control (NAC) tool.

In this first stage of adopting SafeConnect, all devices will be required to signon or go through an authentication process to access the campus wired and wireless networks. Prior to the launch, Bart Hunter, information security officer of SSU, sent various emails out to students, staff and faculty warning them of the changes to come.

“SafeConnect is a Network Access Control (NAC) system that will be deployed in an effort to control what computers and mobile devices are allowed on SSU’s campus-wide network,” said Hunter. “SafeConnect NAC provides us with real-time visibility of who is on our network at all times.”

SafeConnect is checking if users are: • •

Successfully logged in using a network user ID and password.

Running a Peer-to-Peer (P2P)

•

program in violation of the Copyright Law. If you are you will be issued a warning only. You will still be allowed access to the network.

Using a Windows and/or Macintosh notebook, users will be prompted to install a policy key to log into the network when a browser is opened.

The initial email announcements of the new change to the network caused immediate reactions due mostly to fact that the email included a long list of devices that were to be denied access to SSU’s networks, including most mobile devices and all gaming devices.

In this first email Hunter said, “These devices should have their own independent data plan (i.e. Verizon, AT&T, etc.) and therefore it is unnecessary for them to gain access to our network.”

When asked how they felt about the new security tool, students were outraged. “I use the Wi-Fi for just about everything!

They can’t just take away our access. It’s

not right,” said Jamira Redden, a junior at SSU. “Just about the majority of the students, faculty, and staff on campus own mobile devices and rely heavily on the schools Wi-Fi network.”

Screen shot of SafeConnect login

Another email was sent out to the students later that day stating that Hunter had spoken with the SGA Leadership Team about network access control using Safe-Connect.

“Due to the overwhelming response

from students, parents, and some staff members concerning the Wi-Fi, plans are now being revamped, so we are back to the drawing board,” wrote Bart Hunter.

And those drastic changes were not made.

In this first phase of the implementation of SafeConnect mobile devices will continue to be allowed as long as not in violation of any of the policies SafeConnect is checking for.

Those devices include iPads, iPhones, Macintosh Notebooks, Microsoft Tablets, Microsoft smartphones and notebooks,Android Tables and smartphones, Chrome books, Palm smartphones Blackberry smartphones, Nokia mobile devices, and Linux mobile devices.

Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony gaming devices will be required to be registered online.The first phase is being monitored for the use and quality of service of the campus networks. Any additional adjustments will not be made before the fall semester 2014.

THE DEGREE WITH NO VALUE

by Ronald T. Shields II Editor-In-Chief

Recently, the Atlantic Magazine released a study highlighting colleges where students graduate with degrees that are less valuable than obtaining a high school diploma. Among these colleges is Savannah State University.

Ranked number three on the list under Shaw University and Fayetteville State, Savannah State University graduates are said to have a negative $30,000 return on investing in a college degree.

“When I first heard about it, I didn't believe it,” said Wilford White, a junior at Savannah State. “I thought it was just something negative that people had to say about our school, but I feel like a degree from SSU might not look as good as a degree from somewhere else but it still has value.”

Savannah State University Provost Reynold Verret, identifies the statistics

presented by Pay Scale as “unreasonable” and points out that “the full picture and data set in incomplete.”

Incomplete or not, news of a worthless degree does not sit well with current Savannah State students.

“I was already upset that my degree program was not accredited,” said Jarvis Brewer, computer science major. “Then to hear about the article really made me question my choice in attending Savannah State.”

John Murphy, a sophomore civil engineering and mathematics major, said the report is “very inaccurate. SSU is a pretty good school for STEM majors. For example, I went to a national conference in Washington, D.C., and I met smart kids from Syracuse, Texas, the University of California and they knew about SSU. They knew about the history and stuff.”

Photograph by Kareem McMichael

Reynold Verret at a press conference outside of Hill Hall responding to the report by the Atlantic Magazine.

Despite pointing out that college graduates, according to the National Labor Board, make a million dollars more than noncollege graduates, Verret does acknowledge how the news could impact the interest of prospective students to Savannah State.

“It could have a negative impact,” said Verret, “but the way we address this is by making sure we are preparing students for the long term and not just for their time here.”

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Battle for the Crown

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Miss SSU Campaign: Interviews with Taylor Pecot and Morgan Wilson

by Aaron Casper & Ronald T. Shields II Contributing Writers

Q: Why should people vote you as the next Miss Savannah State University?

Please, explain your platform.

Wilson: My platform is “Rising to Unlimited Possibilities One Flight at a Time” with “One” standing for officiating change, navigating new relationships, and encouraging our campus and community.

Pecot: My platform is Dare to Dream S.eeking T.odays O.pportunity and R.eaching the YOUniversity (STORY)

by Embracing Equipping and Empowering. This platform is so much deeper than what it says. Early I shared my story and that was the foundation of my platform however I want to know the students story because it is so much to the individual student than just going to class everyday and getting there degree each person has a story to tell. How can someone implement so much on campus and not know the students story and relate to them without I cannot be the voice of SSU it is imperative to know this information. Being that we attend an HBCU it is important build each other up not break each other down, by Embracing Equipping and empowering the individual that person can do that for the next individual and so on and so forth until the point where the entire university has received the message and they are applying it to their lives in order to help them matriculate through college successfully.

Q: What makes you different from your opponent?

Wilson: Though I am not too familiar with my opponent at this time I would say that my platform is different and original in correlation to Savannah State University; it really encompasses what we are all about and really stresses the bond between Savannah and Savannah State University. I look to get the students more involved with

community service projects around Savannah. As Miss SSU, I would like to get a bus that comes on campus every two weeks to transfer students to and from community service projects after sending out emails informing students of particular times that community service will take place. There is no room for excuses when it comes to being proactive in the community anymore.

Pecot: What makes me different from the other candidate is I honestly feel both of us are good candidates and both can fulfill this position however I feel as though my platform alone relates to the student body on a personal level. Honestly I want people to vote for me because I want it to be known that we can truly change the face of what a queen is and truly define the crown. It is not about shape, size or look but it is about what the person can do to serve the student body not just as an ambassador but become the true voice for SSU. I know that I have been well equipped to do the job of Miss SSU , through serving my campus through many organizations I have been a part of.

Q: Why do you want to be the next Miss SSU? Wilson: I want to be Miss SSU because I feel that, as Miss SSU and even before possibly becoming Miss SSU, I have made such an impact on so many people’s lives and in the community through my service, scholarship, and all of my work. I believe I can make such a difference in so many lives. I really want to go out into the community more and that’s what the whole concept of “One” is about: “One” is about everyone on campus coming together, “One” is about us serving the community and having the community come be “One” with us having that bond.

I’ve talked with so many alumni and professors who have told me that Savannah and SSU use to have such a strong bond that is no longer around. The other day in the news they said that our degrees are worth nothing, and it’s shameful because our degree is definitely worth something! I really want to show them that we are very serious people with a job to do for our school and community that we love all the same. So, being Miss Savannah State University will definitely give me the opportunity to work with other individuals outside the campus as well as help many people around the campus.

Pecot: The reason I want to Miss SSU is because initially before campaigning began I wasn’t going to run because I was operating off of total fear! I thought people would judge me based on my look and not the content of

my character and what I have to offer the university. I have realized that so many young women have had the desire to run over the past three years I have been here but didn’t because they let fear and stereotypes hinder them. Once I caught on to the pattern I said to myself this has to stop I want to be an inspiration to others and show them through my actions that they should “Dare to Dream.” Chase their dreams and don’t allow stereotypes to keep them from prospering. We are all queens and we should define the crown and not allow it define us!

Q: What do you want to be remembered for if elected Miss SSU? Wilson: I want to be remembered for being myself at all times. I consider myself to be a very bubbly person as to why I chose yellow and blue as my colors; blue signifies being very loyal while yellow represents being very vibrant and happy. This is how I view myself; I am a very happy, outgoing person who loves to make others feel good. I just want to be remembered as that queen who brought and made positive change in your life, and that is what my platform is all about.

Pecot: If I am elected I want people to remember that Taylor Pecot was the woman who genuinely had a heart for the people and she took the time out to reach out to the student body by Embracing, Equipping, and Empowering the individual. I want them to remember that this position to me is not about the crown, sash, or any other necessity that comes with the body. I want everyone to remember my story and allow it to encourage them to go after your dreams no matter what it is.

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Eye of the Tiger

Photos by: Brittany Swan Ashe’, Landon Brown, Kristie Ferrell, Maurice Pierce