THE A&T
FREE
REGISTER VOLUME LXXXVII NO. 16
FEBRUARY 26, 2014
NCATREGISTER.COM
SERVING THE AGGIE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 120 YEARS
WEDNESDAY
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH CAROLINA A&T
White House names two students as HBCU All-Stars ZIRIS SAVAGE
Register Reporter
Webster’s Dictionary defines an all-star as a performer who is famous or very skillful; outstanding performers or participants. According to the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (WHIHBCU), North Carolina A&T State University has two allstars. Leon White and Shakera Fudge are two of 75 students
to be named as HBCU AllStars and will serve as student ambassadors for the White House. By Executive Order 13532, President Barack Obama continued promoting excellence, innovation, and sustainability at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. This year makes the first class of HBCU All-Stars to demonstrate the White House initiative. White will graduate with a doctorate in mechanical engineering this summer, and
Fudge is a senior double majoring in animal science and laboratory animal science with a minor in chemistry. Fudge The winners will spend the next year advocating for HBCUs and their continued role in educating on a national scale as well as show-
casing the knowledge students gain from attending HBCUs. “Engaging with the next generation of leaders who White will graduate from HBCUs and go on to make meaningful contributions to society is crucial to the success of our community, our country and
our global competitiveness,” said George Cooper, executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs. “It is a privilege to announce these 75 students who have demonstrated a commitment to both their own academic achievement and making a difference in their communities, and we look forward to working with them as partners in advancing President Obama’s college completion goal.” The students were selected from a pool of
445 applicants. Fudge beamed with excitement when she received the news. “This is by far my biggest accomplishment.” White was equally excited in receiving the news. “I am honored to be able to represent North Carolina A&T through this initiative.” As HBCU All-Stars, Fudge and White will work together to create programs that promote academic excellence and stress the importance of See ALL-STARS on Page 2
Aggies develop social app
Black Music Guided by pioneers and visionaries
TAYLOR YOUNG
Register Reporter
PHOTO COURTESY OF D. CHERIE LOFTON • WNAA 90.1FM
CLARENCE AVANT talks to the media during the Quincy Jones Gala at the International Civil Rights Museum in Downtown Greensboro. He was honored by the center and received the trailblazer award.
UNIQUA QUILLINS
Register Reporter
Black music has made an impact on the world and holds great weight when discussing Black History Month. Clarence Avant is an individual who helped grow the Motown era, a musical phase and culture wrapped around the Civil Rights Movement. Avant, a Greensboro native who attended Dudley High School, is a renowned entertainment industry executive known for his profound business sense and unique dealmaking skills. He served as chairman of Motown Records and is considered one of the most influential African-Americans in entertainment business history. He received the BET Honors entrepreneur award
in 2013. Known as “The Godfather of Black Music,” Avant managed a club in Newark, N.J. called Teddy Powers Lounge where artists such as Donna Washington and Dakota Staton came to perform. However, one artist Avant recalled the most was Little Willie John who made the hit song “Fever” famous before Caucasian artist Peggy Lee made it a popular hit around the U.S. “Back in those days, a black artist made songs [and] the white artist picked it up and made it into a national hit,” said Avant. This also happened to R&B artist Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton when she recorded her biggest hit “You Ain’t Nothing but a Hound Dog,” which was taken and re-recorded by Elvis Presley.
According to Mondre Moffett, director of jazz and professor of black music studies, the stealing of black records happened so much that most artists refused to record in fear of their music being stolen. “It’s still being done today, I think, to some extent,” said Moffett. However, he said because of men like Avant and Robert “Bumps” Blackwell, music theft stopped occurring so frequently. Moffett feels music would not be as strong as it is today if it had not been for Avant, a musical pioneer and visionary. He explained how Avant was able to look at the components of African-American music and evaluate its needs. “It needed someone to define what it was from the inside-out rather than from the outside in, and he was able to do
that,” said Moffett. Black music would not exist today had it not also been for American composer and Avant’s favorite artist, Duke Ellington. “Duke Ellington to me was [someone] who requires you to think,” said Avant. One piece of Ellington’s in particular that Avant is fond of is called “Black, Brown, and Beige.” “The world is going black, brown, and beige as far as I’m concerned,” said Avant. Moffett believes Ellington is the most profound American composer of the 20th century and is the most prolific in terms of music composition and capturing the sound of African-American culture, putting it in a context of melody, harmony, See MUSIC on Page 2
Entertainment tax could affect ticket sales TAYLOR YOUNG
Register Reporter
The university now has to charge tax on all tickets sold through its ticket office due to North Carolina’s expansion of sales tax. In the past, colleges and universities were exempt from adding tax to admission charges, but this year, they were forced to comply. The 6.75 percent tax affects entertainment, including live events of any kind, a motion picture or film, museums, and plays. So, the tax will heavily affect large ticketed events such as homecoming. Sam Hummel, assistant vice chancellor of
finance, said meal plans were raised to cover the new tax laws. Tuition and fees will not be affected by the entertainment tax. As a student, the fees in tuition provide students admission to some campus and sporting events. “Previously, tickets were being charged a 3 percent “entertainment” tax. The new law repeals that tax, but implements a 6.75% sales tax,” Hummel said. “Student meals in dining facilities were exempt from sales tax. That was repealed, and just like eating a meal in a restaurant, student meals are now subject to sales tax.” Before the expansion of sales tax, student organizations were permitted to charge an entry
fee at the door for an event without actually selling tickets. Now, people must buy a ticket from the ticket office, or the organization must have the tickets at the door and report the amount of money made at the event. The tax will be taken out of the final amount, and the remaining profit will be given back to the organization. Personal income taxes were lowered as other taxes were raised. The only people who will benefit from this are people who earn a high salary because they get a tax break. For years, North Carolina had a three-tier system. The high-income earners would pay 7.75 percent income tax, the See TAX on Page 2
A&T students have developed a new app called Aggiesland that helps students locate parties. Aggiesland allows students to find parties and social events on and off campus. Everette Slocum came up with this idea during his freshman year. When Slocum was on the track team and he developed a crew for Aggiesland with some of his teammates. The vision expanded with the development team. The app also provides users with maps of campus with geographic locations, the option to promote businesses, and check available bus routes. Neejbeah Reeves, a computer science student, is the programmer for the app. He developed the actual application, and Slocum did the graphics. Keenan and Kendrick Smith helped push the idea as well. Juanita Weaver, now graduate, helped fund the app. New teammates were added once they realized they needed a connection with the clubs and parties. Brandon Jackson, Jeffery Lewis, and Sydni Cobb helped bring that connection. Slocum said that this was something they wanted to do. They saw a need and decided to fill it. The app was originally released on Jan. 16, 2014 for iOS devices only. The Android app is still being worked on. Reeves has come across a few complications when it comes to coding an app for Android. Coding an app for Android and iOS are completely different. When talking about the future of the app Slocum said, “We see this app being something of the norm that you would use on a daily basis, pretty much...a Yahoo for college students in a sense.” He sees it being used during new student orientation, at clubs, and even at the GTA bus station. Thus far, creating Aggiesland has only cost about $400. Keenan Smith, one of the masterminds that helped push this project, saw this app as an innovation. He stressed how it is changing the way that young people connect on campus since today’s society is technologically driven. Smith said, “This app gives me something that college, the education system, couldn’t provide. It gives me a sense of worth and power about myself, and it gives me the opportunity to actually explore into my imagination. This entrepreneurial route is empowering. It is empowering to work with my peers not even out of college yet.” It is available via iOS 7 and will be made available for Android users soon. —Email Taylor at tlyoung1@aggies.ncat. edu and follow The Register on Twitter @TheATRegister
ONLINE
theYARD
theWORD
theSCORE
theSCENE
SURVEYS AVAILABLE
SUICIDE RATES RISE IN COLLEGE
IS STAND YOUR GROUND JUST?
PERSONAL V. BUSINESS
SEVIGNY KILLS IN NEW SERIES
Keep up with breaking news on our Web site. Slideshows, videos and more are available online.
Suicide is the No. 2 leading cause of death among college students. How can this be stopped?
See what Brianna McFadgen has to say about standing your ground for all people.
Veterans say Michael Sam’s personal life should not disrupt the unity of a team.
Chloe Sevigny takes on a new role for A&E’s new dective series and she is making a killing.
www.ncatregister.com
PAGE 3
PAGE 6
PAGE 7
WEATHER
PAGE 8
WEDNESDAY
48° Low: 27° High:
THURSDAY: Sunny | High 52° FRIDAY: Partly Cloudy | High 43°