The A&T
RegisteR FRee
voluMe lXXXiv. No. 20
FebRuARy 9, 2010
NcATRegisTeR.coM
SERVING THE AGGIE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 80 YEARS
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THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH CAROLINA A&T
Special Valentine’s Day Issue Black love: A closer look at three couples SYLVIA OBELL
V
News Editor
alentine’s Day is right around the corner and, whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, this is the season of love. The concept of “black love” was talked about quite a bit with the emergence of couples like the Obama’s. The country seemed shocked to see such a great, positive, healthy example of black love. The shock made me realize that there are not that many examples of black love in the media. Even here at NC A&T, it saddens me to listen to conversations and see trending topics on twitter on the topic. They all show that a lot of black men and women have negative perceptions of each other. So this Valentine’s Day
I wanted to shed some light on the topic in a positive way by showing examples of black
love right here in Aggieland. I’ve selected a few couples here at A&T whose relationships range from a few months to a couple years, and talked with them about relationships, black love, and each other. The Couples Malcolm Eustache and Angela Allen have been together since January 2009, the longest of any of the couples. He is a JOMC Print major from Charlotte; she is a Political Science major from Greensboro. They are both graduating seniors, and as a result their relationship is about to make the transition. A transition they both feel they are prepared to make. Matthew Diggs is a Junior Civil Engineering Major from Chesapeake, VA. Courtney Jackson is a first semester Junior JOMC Public Relations major from New Jersey. The two dancers are the newest of all the couples. They’ve only been serious for about two months and are excited to see where their new found relationship will take them. Come this Valentines Day, Melanie Patrick and Derrick Overton will have been together for 15 months. The Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering majors, respectively. The two graduating seniors say they are so in sync that they tend to finish each others sentences. I sat down with all three couples, to discuss their relationships, black love, their parents, and the status of rela-
tionships here at NC A&T. Sylvia Obell: Whats your favorite thing to do together? Angela Allen: Eat! Food just makes me so happy. Malcolm Eustache: If I say, ‘hey baby you wanna go somewhere to eat?’ it makes her day. We have some little spots... that we will not share. Sylvia: So its safe to say its not on summit? Malcolm: (laughs) it’s not summit, it’s not Williams cafeteria. Angela: Yea we like watching movies. We like to cook, drink wine. Malcolm: Oh yea we do that all the time. Before I met Angela I could cook but you know only for myself. Had my little go-to ‘man meals’ and what not, but when you have a girlfriend you really have to cook. So now I try to impress her. But yea we cook together a lot. Matthew Diggs: We mostly just chill. We don’t do much, we’ve gone to the movies once. Gone to a few get-togethers. We like to dance. We’re both aspiring dancers, so we watch throwback music videos. Courtney Jackson: We have a lot of fun together. I don’t have a TV in my room so you have to be really entertaining when you don’t have a TV to watch. Derrick Overton: Go out to eat. Melanie Patrick: Kabuto is our favorite, it’s a Japanese steakhouse. Sylvia: What is your favor-
ite thing about each other? Angela: My favorite thing is his ability to communicate and
his ability to force me to communicate, even when I don’t want to. Malcolm: Its so hard to just say one thing. Her smile. I feel like I can talk to her about anything. Theres nobody who knows as much about me as Angela does. There’s nobody I feel as comfortable talking to whether its my highest highs or my lowest lows. She’s the best listener I’ve ever known. I just feel comfortable. Angela: Aww that makes me feel so good. Matt: My favorite thing about Courtney is that she’s spontaneous. I don’t really have to convince her to do many things. I also like how enthusiastic she is. Courtney: My favorite thing about Diggums (laughs) is that he’s very genuine, he’s very caring. You always want somebody whose ‘ride or die till the wheels fall off’ and
that’s him. Melanie: His humor and his style. Derrick: Just her simplicity. She’s so smart but like everything is simple. Her character, and her positive attitude, and her motivation.
Derrick: Well, I love that black women have a history of being strong. I think all of them want to hone in on that quality, but they may not have the direction to put it out in the same manner. I only surround myself with positive people so I only meet positive black women. Melanie: I would say the strength aspect as well, just the need to do better and give a life to your children that you didn’t have for yourself. Also the uniqueness, their just like no other man. Angela: Its the undeniable bond I feel with black men. You see fine men all over from all different races but it’s just this sense of belonging and nurturing I feel towards black men. It’s something I don’t think we can find with anyone else. Malcolm: There was some type of comedic sketch thing
Black Love Courtney and Matthew exchanged a quick pound after her last comment. The pound was quick and instinctive, and not that significant to many. However, it was the same exchange between the Obama’s during the election that caused such a media craze. Most black people were unfazed by it, but other races saw it for the first time. It’s those type of simple exchanges between black couples that hints to something being so instinctive and natural about black love. The Obama’s were just one of the first positive images of it in the media. Matthew: I feel like black women are stronger than most women. Black people as a race have been through more of a struggle. So when it comes to that back bone support, black women definitely. Courtney: I love black men. I think they just have this presence about them. I’ve never dated any other race, but I have a lot of friends who Courtney Jackson and Matthew Diggs(left) Melanie are of other races Patrick and Derrick Overton(center) and Malcolm and black men Eustache and Angela Allen(right). definitely have a presence. See VDAY on Page 2
College of Arts and Sciences welcomes new dean “I want to see this college as a model,” said Goldie Byrd, new dean for the college of arts and sciences. She’s from Magnolia, NC and she received her undergraduate degree from A&T in professional biology and biology secondary education. Byrd then went to Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN where she received her Ph.D in microbial genetics. Before coming to A&T she was professor of Biology at Tennessee
State University for two years and held the same position at NC Central for 12 years. Byrd came to A&T in 2003 as a biology professor and the first female chair of the biology department. She has directed a number of student research training programs. Byrd is also engaged in professional and community-based service organizations including the Peace College Board of Trustees, the Alzheimer’s Association and the Board of Directors for Planned Parenthood in Orange and Durham counties. She has received much rec-
ognition for her work. She received the Nathan F. Simms endowed professor of Biology award, the Women in Business award from the Greensboro Business Journal, the Board of Governors award in teaching excellence and she was inducted into the HBCU alumni Hall of Fame. She also received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from President Barack Obama at the White House. “I want to contribute significantly to the success of students and faculty,” said Byrd. She
also said that the college of arts and sciences is a pivotal college across campus since all students will take classes in it.” We have 30 percent of the majors across campus,” she said. She said her role of dean of the college of arts and sciences is to facilitate the collaborative growth of each individual unit including faculty and staff. When it comes to students she plans to immediately address retention and graduation rates. For faculty she is focused on ensuring excellence in teaching, research and service. The first thing Byrd plans
to do is conduct several good assessments of the college to understand the potential, aspirations and resources it holds. She also plans to work on facilitating and increasing resources for the college, making the college into a much more technological and global society and to work on increasing student success. In the future Byrd wants to see the college as one that recruits and retains students who are capable of graduating in four years and who are able to retrieve a useful degree from A&T.
She said that a research internship or opportunity for all students would be ideal. She also wants to see a faculty that is more mentored, developed, scholarly and entrepreneurial. “Every unit is capable of a high level of research and it’s a part of being a member of the college,” she said. Byrd insists that all faculty should mentor students and remain scholarly because it is a major component of their tenure. Her advice to students: “Stay in school, become a life-long learner, stay motivated, get a mentor and give back.”
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