What What does does it it mean mean to be Native American American in in the the United United States. States.
see PAGE 5
THE A&T
REGISTER “The Cream of College News”
FREE
VOLUME CII NO. 10
NOVEMBER 15, 2017
NCATREGISTER.COM
SERVING THE AGGIE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 100 YEARS
WEDNESDAY
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH CAROLINA A&T
Racist joke taken too far... PATRICK BATTLE Editor in Chief
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s Chancellor, Harold L. Martin Sr. sent out an email to the university on Tuesday Nov. 7, 2017 stating that “a staff member at the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN) discovered a noose hanging in the school’s facilities.” JSNN is located in the Gateway University Research Park off Gate City Blvd. The school is an operating collaboration between N.C. A&T and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). Chancellor Martin’s statement also addressed that the individual responsible for
the disturbing act was an outside contractor who informed the authorities of N.C. A&T, UNCG, and Greensboro police departments that the noose was meant to be a joke. The contractor was terminated immediately and will not be allowed to work for the university or Gateway University Research Park in the future. Chancellor Martin ended the statement by stating, “I am deeply disturbed by this incident; such actions have no place at our university or in our society and certainly will not be tolerated. I am grateful to our police departments and our colleagues at JSNN for bringing the matter to a close.” Following the release of the statement, students were curious to know the name of the contractor and the company he worked
for. Students voiced their opinions via Twitter. “The fact that the contractor(s) found an ounce of humor in hanging a noose, they don’t deserve to work in no facility. WE NEED NAMES #NCAT,” said @ hilfiger_rich. “#NCAT This noose hanging incident is a reminder that though we attend a black school, even the evilness of racism can be witnessed there,” said @Queen_ Jessianna. The Student Government Association (SGA) saw the posted questions and concerns of students and responded with an informative statement that read, “White supremacy has targeted North Carolina
Agricultural and Technical State University, our home and our safe haven.” The organization stated their opinion on the matter by saying, “Not only are we infuriated, but also frightened by the blatant act of racism.” The company involved in the incident is Admiral Security Services whose parent company is Red Coats Inc. the company is out of Washington D.C. The name of the contractor responsible for hanging the noose is Lindsay Willett. Admiral Security Services chose not to comment. The students of N.C. A&T continue to stand against social injustices like the ones which transpired at JSNN.
Poly Sci revamped with History
Aggies support cancer patient #NCATstandsWithJacob
BRITTANY VAN PELT Culture Editor
COURTESY OF TWITTER
9 year old Jacob Thompson seated beside his favorite penguins in Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center.
Aggies grant a Christmas wish ELAIJAH GIBBS-JONES Lead Reporter
Jacob Thompson, a nine year-old with Neuroblastoma, has made only one wish for Christmas, and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University students have made efforts for his Christmas wish to come true. According to Thompson’s GoFundMe page, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma in February of 2014. He went through a variety of surgeries for the tumor to be removed; six months later doctors discovered his cancer was incurable. After learning of the news, Thompson’s family put out a Christmas request to the world for a “fast forward” to the Christmas holiday, and for people to send Thompson as many Christmas cards
theYARD
You’re now viewing the Yard
as they could. Caroline Cornish, the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center’s communications manager told the Sacramento Bee that Thompson has received over 40,000 Christmas cards so far. Thompson’s family uses the cards as decorations for the walls of his hospital room. Two Aggie students recalled seeing Thompson’s plea on their Twitter feeds. Alphonso Johnson and Jessica Weaver stated they had an instant desire to help. “I was very moved when I saw his story on Twitter. The fact that he was already claiming that he was not going to make it to Christmas really hurt my heart and motivated me to do something special to impact him and his family while they are dealing with an unbearable situation,” said Jessica Weaver, junior social work student.
theCULTURE
SGRHO celebrates 95 years See more
PAGE 3
Students on campus have been creating and donating their cards so Johnson and Weaver can send them off to Thompson before Christmas. Flyers flooded social media to encourage Aggies to create Christmas cards for Thompson on Nov. 12, 2017. Students were urged to give Weaver and Johnson their cards on this date with a popular hashtag created by Aggies circulating through the internet #NCATstandsWith Jacob. Johnson and Weaver plan to send all of the cards to Thompson’s hospital on Friday, Nov. 17, 2017. This remarkable gesture from students is hoped to warm the heart of Jacob Thompson and his family. “There’s too much hate in this world and we wanted to show people you do not have to do much to spread love and positivity,” said Weaver.
In continuation with the Fall 2016 reconstruction of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS), the Political Science, History, and Criminal Justice departments will be merging for the latter half of the school year. Under this new proposal, history and political departments will be combining under one new department. The criminal justice department, which currently operates with the political science department, will become a stand-alone department. Many students and faculty found out about the realignment through various unconfirmed sources before any conclusive word from the school was received. The university sent out an official memorandum about the department shifts on Nov. 10, 2017. Many faculty and staff who will be affected by the realignment were puzzled as to why they were not directly informed from the university about the departmental changes. Various political science students voiced their concerns and agitations on Twitter. “Imagine exploiting the legacy of the A&T Four for years and then shutting down the most politically engaged department on campus,” said @delaneypv15. “The Political Science Department is not being suppressed by the University. -Nicole Pride and NCAT administration,” said @ Nik_knight96. According to a memorandum sent by Dr. Beryl McEwen, interim Provost and Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, there are three core benefits to realignment: There is a significant precedent for organizing history and political science together across academia. Realignment is still pending for approval and final review by the N.C. A&T Board of Trustees. The shift is expected to go into effect for the Spring 2018 term.
theWORD
theSCORE
theSCENE
See more
See more
See more
Chivary in the 21st century PAGE 5
Aggie, Eagles classic PAGE 7
Twitter limit expansion PAGE 8
· Group & private study lounges
· UPGRADED cable & internet included
· 24-hour, state-of-the-art fitness center
· Professional BBQ grill
· Heated saltwater swimming pool & sun deck
· Fully furnished with leather-style furniture
· Private bedrooms & bathrooms
· Walk or bike to UNCG
Save $300 with reduced fees
Spring Garden St
S Mendenhall St
Tate St
THE PROVINCE
KO #812462 465
Fees, amenities & utilities included are subject to change. Limited time only. See office for details.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA GREENSBORO
THEPROVINCEGREENSBORO.COM
d ill R an M Free m
All-inclusive student living!
S Cedar St
Fulton St
theCULTURE The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Jean jackets rule Aggieland ELAIJAH GIBBS-JONES Reporter
On June 17th, 2017, Elahna Green posted a picture of her hand-painted jean jacket to display her jubilance for attending North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University in the fall. The image of her jacket went viral on Twitter and N.C. A&T students began flooding her direct messages to inquire about her product. Green, a freshman art student from Virginia Beach, Virginia, attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before coming to N.C. A&T. The idea of creating the jacket sparked from Green’s desire to amplify black students’ “coolness” in terms of fashion. As a student at UNCG, she recognized the prevalence of Spirit Jerseys at most predominantly white institutions but none for historically black colleges and universities. “I just felt like, coming from a PWI, there always seem to be such good clothing for them to wear, and with HBCUs, there was not enough cool stuff for us to wear. Even something as simple as a Spirit Jersey is not offered for HBCUs,” Green said. “I searched their website and could not find any for N.C.A&T. I know they sell some like it in Walmart but not the actual brand. It is kind of unfair, so I decided to design something that I think would be cool,” Green said. Green sells the jacket to all HBCUs. For example, she has sold numerous jackets on campuses such as Clark
Elaijah Gibbs-Jones/Register From Left to Right: Elahna Green is pictured with one of her customers, Daijah Thompson. Green paints the base color of her jackets in the predominately used school color, in which for Aggies
would be yellow.
Atlanta University, North Carolina Central University, Fayetteville State University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, Bowie State University, and Morehouse College. Green communicates to all customers that the flat fee for her jackets are $100, which includes your name, school logo or mascot, and anything extra you would
The A&T
REGISTER
3
want on the product. The process of creating the jacket begins with the customer providing their own jean jacket. Green then draws out the school’s logo, adds it to the back of the jacket and begins painting. She paints the base color in the predominately used school color, in which for Aggies would be yellow. Then she includes the student’s name below the collar and on the sleeve. Typically, she includes her signature which is paint drops at the end of each design. “I feel like the jackets are personal. You have a lot of apparel for schools, but this is personal because it has your name and school on it. Your name makes it very personal to you, and it’s something that you feel proud to wear because it shows pride for you school. That is essentially why I create them because they are unique to me,” said Green. Since fall has arrived, the jackets can be seen around campus on a variety of students. Her product is a great way to display Aggie Pride and be innovative at the same time. “I like my jacket because it is unique and fits me as it has my nickname ‘Lil Bit’ on the back of it,” Daijah Thompson, freshman sports management student said. She plans to launch a website that includes jean jacket orders and a variety of hats in the near future. For more information on Green and order inquires, follow her on all social media @yoshiandtoad.
SGRHO celebrates 95 years Brittany Van Pelt/Register
BRITTANY VAN PELT Culture Editor
The Gamma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. (SGRHOS) hosted their annual founder’s day program on Nov. 8, 2017, in the Dudley Multipurpose room. This year’s celebration was particularly special for the SGRHOS as they commemorated on “95 years of pure gold.” The event opened with a quick welcome from chapter president, Jordan Williams, followed by facts about the sorority such as their mascot, colors, motto, and nickname. Williams continued by acknowledging some of the Gamma chapter’s own history. This included their actual founder’s date, March 3, 1951, as well as some of their past program topics such as women’s empowerment, personal fitness, and talent shows. The theme for the program was “Living your life like it’s golden,” which is based on Jill Scott’s song, “Golden.” The song has an extra special meaning to the SGRHOS as it centered around one of their sororities principal colors. The guest speaker for the night was Nidra Ricks. She currently works as an IT training manager for Cone Health. Ricks is also a Spring 2001 initiate into the Omicron Eta chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Ricks began her speech by acknowledging and praising all the different Greek organizations in the room. Ricks provided the crowd with
Left to Right: Spring 2016 initiates into the Gamma chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho: Jalysa Cornelius, Brianne Green, and Jordan Williams. The Gamma chapter celebrated their founders day on Nov. 8, 2017.
a variety of inspirational themes throughout her speech. The bulk of her address was based on three principles that make up her personal philosophy: inspire others, desire to learn, and be humble. One of Ricks’ most motivational moments was when she talked about the assimilation that she has experienced as being a Black woman in a predominantly white workforce. She recited a poem that related to this experience as she acknowledges that we as humans do not fit in the mandatory boxes society tries to put us in. Ricks’ closed her speech with an encouraging statement that she herself said it took her years to finally discover. “Every situation you go through, there is a lesson and a blessing,” said Ricks. Representatives from all Divine 9 organizations were in attendance. At the end of the event, the current members of the Gamma chapter were graced with a variety of gifts, hugs, and congratulations from various other Greek chapters in the room for their founder’s day.
“For me, Greek unity is just a beautiful collection of black people helping each other succeed,” said Sage Wallace-Williams, president of the Zeta Alpha Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. “There is a genuine friendship between our two organizations and we just wanted to come out and support.” Even though this year the Gamma chapter celebrated their founders day early, the group still has a variety of programs in place to celebrate the establishment of their organization. “As a group, we just try to get everybody together to just be in each other’s company,” said Brianne Greene, vice president of the Gamma chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. For more information on the Gamma, follow them on Instagram and Twitter @gamma_1922. The Gamma Chapter will be hosting the annual crowning of their royal court at 7:22 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2017 in the GCB Auditorum.
Brittany Van Pelt is theCulture editor. Reach her at bnvanpel@aggies. ncat.edu
Celebrating Native American heritage month: Three Sister Soup SHAY SHABAZZ Contributor
Tribune News Service
Most of America’s favorite dishes are inspired by American Indian recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Native American tribes and nations have been farming since 1200 B.C. Today about 60 percent of the world’s food is of American Indian origin. Check out some these recipe to add to your holiday tradition:
Three Sister Soup A quick, easy, and delicious meal created by the Iroquois Indians, they cultivated the Three Sisters in their diet (corn, squash, and beans). Minutes to prepare: 15 Minutes to cook: 30 Ingredients: 2 cups canned white or yellow corn ( may use hominy to be more traditional) 2 cups fresh green beans 2 cups of peeled butternut squash 1 ½ cups diced peeled potatoes 5 cups of water 1 ½ tablespoons chicken bouillon granules 2 tablespoons melted butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon pepper Directions: Place corn, green beans, and squash into a pot Pour in water and chicken bouillon Boil until the vegetables are soft ( reduce from heat to low, should take about 10 minutes) Blend flour into the butter Stir blended flour and butter into the soup Increase heat from low to medium and cook for another 5 minutes, or until soup thickens Season with pepper Turn off the stove and enjoy!
Want to write for theCULTURE? Contributor’s meetings are held in GCB 328 on Wednesdays at 5 p.m.
Come join our team. And you can help make the world safer, too. Our company Savannah River Nuclear Solutions manages and operates the Savannah River Site, a U.S. Department of Energy site. We’re also home to the Savannah River National Laboratory.
Our location The Savannah River Site is a 310-square-mile facility located near Aiken, S.C.
What we do We operate diverse nuclear and research facilities, and manage infrastructure and support systems like those of a small city.
Opportunities We offer full-time employment in disciplines such as engineering, science, business, information technology and other technical fields. We also offer an extensive internship program in the same disciplines for uniquely skilled students who want to enhance their education with hands-on experience.
For more information
17CC00041KP
www.savannahrivernuclearsolutions.com Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr
theWORD
THE A&T
REGISTER Zila Sanchez is theWord Zila Sanchez is the editor. Reach her ather Word editor. Reach zsanchez@aggies.ncat. at zsanchez@aggies. edu ncat.edu
The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, November 15, 2017
The A&T Register is the student newspaper of N.C. Agricultural and Technical State University. The opinions reflected are those of the student editorial staff and not those of university administrators, faculty or staff. We, the staff, are students.
Is chivalry dead? PATRICK BATTLE Editor In Chief
Does chivalry still exist in 2017? That’s a question that often comes up in conversations today. Chivalry is defined as courteous behavior performed by a man towards a woman. Opinions on chivalry are often expressed on social media, specifically on the world’s digital diary, Twitter. Many are familiar with the famous phrase, “chivalry is dead.” Acts of chivalry include opening the door for a woman, taking her out to dinner and showing her you care through simple actions and gestures. There could be many reasons why chivalry is limited in the present. With rap songs defaming women and the image being portrayed by females on television being degrading, it can be argued that chivalry does not exist anymore. “Chivalry is no longer taught because there are so many fatherless upbringings or young men come to college to conform to those that don’t exercise it. Personally, I support chivalry and the acts thereof,” said senior Tony Jackson II, sports science and fitness Management student. Chivalry isn’t necessarily dead, but it‘s not being taught anymore. You might ask yourself, “Who should be held responsible for teaching a grown man how to be a gentleman to the woman he loves or cares for?” The answer is all of us. His friends are definitely responsible for teaching him. Pride is a big factor in the childish
5
What happens to people in legal states with non-violent marijuana offenses?
habits that some of us men have, although we are afraid to admit it. In addition, we are not limited to being friends with the same gender. Women who have male friends should definitely voice how men who don’t exercise chivalry affects them. “I wouldn’t say that [chivalry] is completely dead, but it’s definitely not a trend that most men want to follow. It’s the little things that men can do but they don’t. For example, give up their seat for a female if it’s no more seats or even holding the door open,” said junior child development student, April. In a society that’s heavily impacted by what’s “cool,” it can be noted that chivalry should be promoted as the right thing to do. Our generation has the tendency to adopt the morals and values of public figures we admire. These public figures are definitely our favorite artists that we constantly listen to. We have seen Drake and J. Cole showcase chivalry in their music while Beyoncé and Jhené Aiko have demanded respect. It’s possible for chivalry to have more of a presence in today’s society if both men and women work for it. Men have to realize that being a respectful leader is perceived as better than being a disrespectful follower. Women have to realize that taking control and demanding a respectful leader can change the whole perception of a man’s approach. Keep chivalry alive.
It’s time to decriminalize weed GABRIELLE COOKE Contributor
Everyone has heard the misinformation that ignorant people spread about weed, “It’s a gateway drug,” “It kills your brain cells,” or “It’s addictive.” Those statements are all false and taken out of context. The fact is, the United States government has done little to no research on the effects marijuana has on the body, and they have only recently begun exploring marijuana beyond its stereotypes. There is no evidence that support the statements “Marijuana is a gateway drug” or “Marijuana is addictive.” Now that more research is being done, it is proven that marijuana has many benefits and can help treat diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and epilepsy, as sited on the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. Furthermore, after the brain fully develops around age 25, marijuana has virtually no effect on the brain’s development. It’s reasons like these that led Colorado to legalize recreational marijuana in 2013 for those 21 and older. After seeing the billiondollar industry that recreational weed has become, states like California, Washington, Oregon and Maine soon followed. However, through all the talk about legalizing the fugitive that is “Mary Jane,” there is one question that is not getting a
Graphic by Devon James platform or any answers: What will happen to the people in jail for non-violent marijuana offenses? Keep in mind that on the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Drug Schedule, cannabis is ranked as a schedule one, alongside ecstasy, LSD, and heroin; below that, in Schedule Two, is cocaine and methamphetamine. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, 52% of drug related arrests in 2010 were for marijuana. Add this to the fact that African Americans are nearly four times more likely to be arrested than whites and you have a systemic problem that needs a systemic answer. It is great that states are becoming more progressive in their legislation and law making, but the conversation about decriminalization can’t happen without speaking on prison reform. In states like Iowa, D.C., and Illinois, where black people are up to eight times more likely to be arrested for just having weed, it is important to have the conversation on criminal justice reform and decriminalization in the same room. According to the criminal justice system, if you do the crime, you pay the time; however, there is always a better way to enforce it. Even though marijuana was illegal, now that it is being decriminalized, the option for appeal and reduced sentences should definitely be on the table.
What does it mean to be Native American in the United States?
co-government practice. The Congress of American Indians reported, During Nov., American -Aggravated assault among Indian and Alaska Native Heritage month, American Indians and Alaska Natives is about twice that of it is important to the country. remember the Native -One of 10 American Americans’ ongoing fight for human rights. Indians age 12 and older becomes a victim of violent According to the crime annually. United States Census -Only 59 percent of tribes Bureau, the first have a tribal judicial system. American Indian Day -Native people die at higher was celebrated in May rates than other Americans 1916. In 1990, President from tuberculosis, alcoholism, George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution diabetes, vehicle crashes, designating Nov. as “National injuries and suicide. -American Indian youth have American Indian Heritage the highest rate of suicide Month.” among all ethnic groups in the Like all people, Native US and is the second-leading Americans are entitled to cause of death for Native youth inalienable, fundamental aged 15 to 24. human rights. Additionally, -Only five percent of tribes have fundamental American Indians and Alaska collective human rights. Natives have received graduate According to the Native or professional degrees, and American Rights Fund, only nine percent of American the United States has only Indians have earned bachelor’s recently allowed tribes the degrees (compared to 19 right and ability to govern percent for the US population). the education of their tribe -The number of American members in tribal and federal ZILA SANCHEZ Word Editor
Indian and Alaska Native students enrolled in colleges and universities has more than doubled in the past 30 years. -Native Americans are becoming homeowners at an increasing rate, 39 percent more from 1997 to 2001. -Tribal wind can provide 14 percent of the nation’s energy need and solar energy potential can provide about 4.5 times the nation’s energy need. This Nov., it is important to remember the original members of this society and provide unique protections for Native collective rights, traditions, culture, and property. The Native culture is truly unique to this country, and it must be respected. They are a proud people with traditions older than this nation, and they deserve the rights granted to us, too.
Photo courtesy of Tribune News Service
CONGRATULATIONS
2017 NoCRSA STATE FLAG FOOTBALL CHAMPIONS Men’s Division
Brian Scarborough - Brandon Ethridge -Albert Thomas - Joshua Keku - Julian Stephens Jr- Jamarius Jones - Hassan Hammiel - Kevin Caldwell Khari Bonelli - Eric Pierce - Vernell Mackey - Anthony Curtis Head Coach Robert McNair
theSCORE
The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday , November 15, 2017
7
2017 Aggie-Eagle Classic Preview JOCELYN C. JONES SCORE EDITOR
After a hard fought season, the Aggies remain undefeated with one game of the regular season left. In an official statement released Monday evening, the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference (MEAC) announced the Aggies will be the representatives for the 2017 Celebration bowl on Dec. 16 at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in Atlanta, Georgia. After a final second loss to Bethune Cookman last weekend, North Carolina Central is out of the race for the MEAC championship, leaving N.C. A&T, and Howard University to battle it out for the championship title. Here are the possible scenarios that could play out this weekend; If N.C. A&T wins, MEAC outright champion with an 8-0 conference record, and 11-0 overall record, and the MEAC’s representative in the Celebration Bowl. If N.C. A&T loses and Howard wins, Howard and N.C. A&T will be named MEAC co-championship and N.C. A&T is the MEAC representative in the Celebration Bowl. Howard and other eligible teams in the MEAC can potentially be selected in the Football Championship Subdivision championship. If N.C. A&T and Howard both lose, N.C. A&T is the outright MEAC champion with a 7-1 conference record and will be the MEAC representative for the Celebration Bowl. The final game of the regular season for the Aggies will take place this saturday against North Carolina Central University. With the Eagles out of the race for a MEAC title, this game comes down to revenge for the Aggies. After losing to NCCU for the past three years, the Aggies are looking to leave Aggie Stadium with not only the MEAC title but a win and bragging rights for the next year. Come out and support the Aggies as they take on the Eagles this Saturday, Nov. 18, at Aggie Stadium at 1pm.
KEY PLAYERS
KEY PLAYERS
REGISTER Jocelyn Jones is the SCORE editor. Reach her on Email: Jocelynj2017@gmail. com
AGGIE RUNDOWN FOOTBALL N.C. A&T (10-0) vs SSU (2-8) Scoring Summary Savannah State Q1 0 Q2 3 Q3 7 Q4 7 Final 17
QB Lamar Raynard (#7)
QB Chauncey Caldwell (#12)
North Carolina A&T Q1 7 Q2 6 Q3 13 Q4 10 Final 36 FINAL SCORE 36-17
MENS BASKETBALL
WR Elijah Bell (#13)
WR Jacen Murphy (#2)
N.C. A&T (1-1) vs Clemson (2-0) Scoring Summary North Carolina A&T 1st 29 2nd 34 Total 63 Clemson 1st 41 2nd 46 Total 87 FINAL SCORE 87-63
WOMENS BASKETBALL
S Jeremy Taylor (#48)
DB Davanta Reynolds (#22)
Aggie-Eagle Classic Fast Facts The first ever game between the two rivals took place in 1924. The game ended in a 13-13 tie.
THE A&T
In 1994, the game was moved to Raleigh and the first ever AggieEagle classic game was born.
A&T leads the series 49-34-5. In the last 10 meetings, NCCU leads the series 6-4.
N.C. A&T(1-1) vs Elon (2-0) Scoring Summary North Carolina A&T 1st 12 2nd 14 3rd 11 4th 22 Total 59 Elon 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Total
28 27 13 22 90
FINAL SCORE 90-59
VOLLEYBALL N.C. A&T(14-13) vs FAMU(13-11) Scoring Summary Florida A&M (3) Set 1 25 Set 2 25 Set 3 25 NC A&T (0) Set 1 14 Set 2 21 Set 3 21 FINAL SCORE 3-0
theSCENE 8
THE A&T
REGISTER
The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Twitter doubles their character limit 280!
Brodrick Williams is the SCENE editor. Reach him at jbwilli5@aggies.ncat. edu
Tiffany Haddish makes history on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ Brodrick Williams Scene Editor
Denver Lark Reporter
Twitter is known for having many issues; so why is the company doubling its character limit from 140 characters to 280 characters? The 140 character limit has now increased 11 years after the founding of Twitter in 2006. Perhaps the extension will allow users to express more of their thoughts without running out of room to tweet. The new feature should automatically be promoted, if not, it can be updated through the app, or refreshed on Twitter.com. Twitter used data to analyze how character constraints impacted users differently, depending on their language. Unfortunately, people tweeting in Japanese, Korean, and Chinese will remain at the 140 character limit for now. Twitter says the density of their languages already lets them say more. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said in a series of tweets that the original 140 character limit was arbitrary, inspired by the 160 character limit for SMS messages over cellphones. He expected “the snark and critique” about the change and said most users likely won’t use the full 280 characters. In early November, Twitter released the double increase in character limit, and of course, attracted fans. The trial run in early September was not a success. The company has followed up with a previous study with data showing those who they released the feature to during the trial run, abused it. According to Twitter, only 0.4 percent of tweets in
English continued to use the 140 charcter limit causing the volume to drop to 9 percent. Many users tweeted to the full 280 character limit because it was “new and novel,” Twitter’s product manager Aliza Rosen wrote in her blog post. Once the novelty wore off, she said about 5 percent of tweets sent were longer than 140 characters and only 2 percent were over 190 characters. Many have said that the increase may make Twitter less readable because of the “flooding of the timeline.” “We are making this change after listening and observing a problem our global community was having (it wasn’t easy enough to Tweet!), studying data to understand how we could improve, trying it out, and listening to your feedback,” Rosen wrote in a blog post. Many will say that the feature comes at a crucial or awkward time when Twitter has been facing criticism and pressure from shareholders, Congress, President Donald Trump, and everyday people who use the app. Twitter has received numerous complaints about constantly neglecting and mishandling the daily harassmentW, as well as their illegal and distasteful influence on the 2016 presidential election. Could such announcements be a diversion from larger problems, such as the larger character limit allowing more inflammatory tweets? It will be pretty interesting to see what people like President Trump will do with the new limitations. Many tweeters might say this is a disaster waiting to happen.
Meek Mill sentenced to 2-4 years Victoria Turner Reporter
Rapper Meek Mill has been sentenced to 2-4 years in prison after violating his probation. Meek Mill went to jail for the first time in 2008 for a drug and gun case and served 8 months. Over the years, he has violated his probation before but no time was ever served once he fulfilled his community service requirement. Many are finding it confusing and unfair that Meek Mill is facing a 2-4 year sentence over a failed drug test. Some of his faithful supporters include celebrities such as Jay-Z, Kevin Hart,
and Angie Martinez. Most of all Meek Mill’s supporters just want to see him get the justice he deserves in the end. On November 13, 2017 supporters gathered together to protest against the judge’s decision to place Meek Mill in prison in Phildelphea, PA. According to CNN, 351,000 people held up ‘free Meek Mill’ signs. A petition has even been constructed to convince the judge to reconsider. According to the Hill, the judge who sentenced him is now being investigated by the FBI.
Tiffany Haddish made history last Saturday as the first black woman standup comedian to host ‘Saturday Night Live.’ The hit show has been on NBC for 43 years. Her monologues included jokes on President Donald Trump’s hair, Cardi B, and Mary J Blige trying out for roles in the upcoming Disney remake of The Lion King. She also played a character named Boo Boo Jefferies, a fighter in a Mortal Kombat video game who hates to fight, and a woman named Bianca Twerks, a former Instagram model who became a movie critic. While Haddish is not new to comedy, she recently became a household name after her role in this year’s movie ‘Girls Trip.’ Haddish will also be featured in Kevin Hart’s upcoming film ‘Night School.’
