January 22, 2014 by The A&T Register

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JANUARY 22, 2014

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Community service no longer required uniqua quillins Contributor

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Nobel Peace Prize. “Life’s most persistent and urgent questions is: What are you doing to help others?” is perhaps one of King’s most famous quotes. North Carolina A&T’s elimination of required community service hours have brought mixed feelings to campus. The Division of Academic Affairs implemented the Civic and Service Education program, known as C.A.S.E., in 2006. The program required students to complete 50 service-learning hours prior to graduation, and transfer students were required to complete service hours based upon the rank they entered the university. The purpose of the program was to

develop the skills, citizenship, and values of each student in hopes that they would become constant contributing members of the local and global communities. According to Sharon Hoard, assistant director of Leadership and Engagement in the Office of Student Development, 303 students signed up through the university to participate in the MLK service day, C.A.S.E. hour approved. Hoard explained that in the past when C.A.S.E. hours were required for students, the Office of Student Development had almost 1,000 students who signed up to volunteer for service day. “I think there are probably students out there with organizations that are doing other [community service activities],” said Hoard. However, C.A.S.E. hours are no longer required for the classes of 2016, 2017 and

beyond. Freshman marketing major, Bashti Hinton, believes the class of 2017 should have C.A.S.E. hour requirements because it forces students to actively participate in the community. “I think it’s a good way to get out there, meet people, and make connections,” said Hinton. Upperclassmen are a bit confused as to why community service is no longer required. Some students like the idea of community service, but do not believe it should be required for graduation. Junior Class President Dorian Davis believes that C.A.S.E hours are necessary, but should not be required. “It should be something that is instilled in us,” he said. Davis explained that u See SERVICE on Page 3

Photo by SYMONE’ AUSTIN • THE A&T REGISTER

a young girl holds up a sign as she participates in the Martin Luther King, Jr. parade n on January 20, 2014 in Greensboro.

Citizens form police review committee

Honoring the Legacy: Franklin E. McCain, Sr. taylor young

Franklin Eugene McCain, Sr., a member of The A&T Four and a name well-known on North Carolina A&T’s campus, passed away on Jan. 9, just six days after his 73rd birthday. McCain was known for being one of four A&T freshmen who took a bold stand against segregation and all injustices. Alongside McCain were Ezell Blair, Jr. (now Jibreel Khazan), Joseph A. McNeil, and David Richmond.

On Feb. 1, 1960, the four young men walked one mile from A&T’s campus to F. W. Woolworth Store in downtown Greensboro where the International Civil Rights Museum now stands. The four freshmen did the unordinary. They sat down at the “Whites Only” lunch counter and waited to be served. They were ignored, but they stayed until closing and came back the following day. The next day, more students accompanied them as well as reporters. This movement helped spark sit-ins

laci ollison

across the nation. Because of their bravery, these four men helped rid the country of segregation and helped start a movement that will be remembered. Khazan and McNeil were at the memorial service that was held on Jan. 16. Richmond passed away in 1990, and his son, David Richmond, Jr., sat in his place as he has done with all Feb. 1 events. The A&T community as well as family members, city

u See MCCAIN on Page 3

Photo by chad king • ayantee yearbook

wendell and franklin mccain, jr. speak at their father’s memorial service held in N.C. A&T’s Harrison Auditorium on January 16, 2014. To the left of them are (from left to right) Sandra D. Hughes, and the survivng members of The A&T four (Joseph McNeil and Jibreel Khazan) and David Richmond, Jr.

Nock becomes first student from an HBCU to receive Mitchell scholarship ZIRIS SAVAGE

What comes to mind when one thinks of highly competitive scholarships: unrealistically perfect students from perfect Ivy League universities with perfect GPAs? Well, not anymore. Destenie Nock, a senior double-major studying electrical engineering and applied mathematics, is a winner of

the George J. Mitchell Scholarship and is now the first student from an HBCU to receive the scholarship. “Up until the call, I was freaking out all day, counting how long it had been since the lastinterview,” said Nock Nock. Now that she has won the Mitchell Scholarship, she will spend a year earning

a master’s degree in sustainable electrical energy systems at Queens University of Belfast in Northern Ireland. Nock is one of only 12 scholars to receive the award. Over 300 universities nominated students for the scholarship, which was then narrowed to 36, then 20,

finally down to 12. Winners of this year’s competition include students from Cornell, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke, and Stanford. ¬ Anna Whiteside, A&T’s Honors Program scholarship and fellowship coordinator, worked with Nock throughout the application process. Whiteside explained that Nock worked on her essay for six months. “When it is that

high level of competition, and all they are going to see is that 500 word essay, those have to be 500 of the best words you could pick out in the best order,” Whiteside said. Whiteside advises that grades are important, but so is leadership. “Destenie has been very creative in leadership opportunities,” said Whiteside. u See NOCK on Page 3

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Keep up with breaking news on our Web site. Slideshows, videos and more are available online.

Sodexo partners with health app to help students, staff, and faculty live a healthier lifestyle.

See what Reporter Dominique Moody has to say about students seeking peer validation.

Both the men’s and women’s basketball will play the Eagles tonight in Durham.

The Register staff put together its predictions for pop culture in 2014. See if you agree.

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In response to numerous complaints against the Greensboro Police Department, the Greensboro Citizens’ Interim Police Review Committee (GCIPRC) has been established. Two North Carolina A&T faculty members chair the committee, which is sponsored by the Beloved Community Center. James Mayes, interim chair of criminal justice, and Derick Smith, a political science professor, are accompanied by five Greensboro citizens who possess a background in criminal justice and police accountability. Alongside Smith and Mayes, the board includes Kathleen Casey, Rev. Randall Keeney, Barbara Lawrence, Yamile Nazar, and Bevelyn Ukah. At a town hall meeting to introduce the GCIPRC, citizens had the opportunity to meet each committee member, hear their experience in the criminal justice field, and to also understand why each member made the decision to serve. “I’m here tonight because I made a choice. I want to be a part of the solution,” said Mayes. “We need to remind people that the documents of our land say there needs to be checks and balances so that the people will always be protected in their rights.” As stated in the GCIPRC’s Declaration of Intent, “A number of citizens have filed official complaints with the City of Greensboro about improper behavior by police officers without receiving satisfactory responses.” Recently, Bennett College graduate Ashley Buchanan was arrested and charged with two misdemeanor accounts of assaulting a government official and resisting an officer. Buchanan was later acquitted of all charges. One officer was fired in result of the incident as well. Although there is currently a Complaint Review Committee (CRC) established, the GCIPRC handles complaints directly from u See REVIEW on Page 3

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theYARD events

The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 22, 2014

wednesday

Poetry Cafe

Proctor Auditorium 6 p.m.

NAACP General Body Meeting McNair LR2 7 p.m.

THURSday

SUAB Clothes Drive

MSU- Exhibit Hall Lobby Noon - 4 p.m.

Queen City Aggies Winter Clothes Drive Memorial Student Union Noon - 4 p.m.

State of the Campus Address Memorial Student Union 5 p.m.

Spring Organizational Fair MSU- Exhibit Hall 5:30 p.m.

MLK Commemorative Program Harrison Auditorium 7:30 p.m.

FRIday

Brown & Gold Pageant

Free food? No. Free wellness app? Yes. ziris savage

As the “new year, new me” mantra continues, Aggies now have a way to keep up with their goals of a healthy lifestyle by simply using their cell phones. Sodexo, N.C. A&T’s main food provider, has partnered with popular fitness application MyFitnessPal to focus on health and fitness. The free health and fitness app counts calories and tracks the diet of the user. After 40 million people lost weight using MyFitnessPal, Sodexo chose to partner with the app for its userfriendliness, flexibility, and its large recipe volume. After launching in the fall semester, Williams Dining Hall has displayed a larger marketing presence for the program this spring. Throughout the cafeteria, barcodes are shown alongside the items on the menu at different food stations. After downloading the MyFitnessPal app, customers can simply scan the barcode, and the nutritional information will

mlk From page 1 students should use this as an opportunity to find a way to encourage students to get involved in the community to impact change. According to Davis, C.A.S.E. hours are a good way to prove to various graduate schools and jobs that individuals have tried to positively impact the community while in college. Located in the C.A.S.E. hour guidelines, faculty mem-

be added to the user’s food diary to track food intake and exercise. Amanda Lee Steiner, Aggie Dining general manager, said the program was put in place to make health and wellness easy to accomplish. MyFitnessPal can be downloaded onto smart phones or users can sign into their accounts online. There, the site has a food diary to keep track of what has been eaten. The app also provides users with a searchable food database with over 3,655,000 items, including some of Sodexo’s recipes from the university’s cafeteria. It also has an online community, as well as discussion boards to support and motivate its users. Teliyah Carr, a freshman political science major, has seen the barcodes at different stations in Williams Dining Hall. “It looks like a good idea,” she said. “I’ll probably download the app, but to be honest, only really use it about five times.” Brandon Morrison, a senior elementary education student, bers are responsible for establishing service-learning opportunities for students. Some students fulfill their service hours through their internship or capstone classes. Christopher Sifford, director of volunteers for The Volunteer Center of Greensboro, says even though C.A.S.E. hours are no longer required for N.C. A&T for freshmen and sophomore classes to graduate, there was a good turnout in Aggies volunteer for MLK service day. “I think the students are

said he would like to graduate a little bit healthier. “Surprisingly, I was already thinking about recording what I ate to make healthier eating choices. I’m always on my phone and Ipad, so I might as well [download the app.]” According to the Sodexo website, the company serves 75 million consumers in 80 countries. As Sodexo’s motto explains its purpose to “Improve the Quality of Life”, that is exactly what it plans to do for A&T’s students, faculty, and staff. “We want to ensure the best for our students at heart, and we want to make healthy choices easier,” said Steiner. Sodexo has also launched this nutrition program in Education Services, Health Care, Corporate Services, Senior Living, and Government Services aside from college and universities. The new partnership with MyFitnessPal and Sodexo is one of many programs provided for Aggies. This academic school year has already shown A&T’s push for healthier lifestyles. A farmer’s market was brought to still excited about giving back because they participate with us all the time, whether they’re getting C.A.S.E. hours or not, and we are grateful for that.” No specific reason for the elimination of C.A.S.E. hours was given. Students who plan to graduate in May must submit their service hours by Jan. 31. —Email Uniqua at uyquilli@aggies.ncat.edu and follow The Register on Twitter @TheATRegister

Photo by SYMONE’ AUSTIN • THE A&T REGISTER

spectators cheer for participates in the MLK service day parade on January 20, 2014.

Photo by SYMONE’ AUSTIN • THE A&T REGISTER

BARCODES displayed on menus in Williams Dining Hall will help students keep track of their eating and exercise habits with the MyFitnessPal app.

campus earlier this year to allow students access to locally grown fruits and vegetables. The Text-In-Community Program’s book of choice was “Salt, Sugar, Fat” by Michael Moss. His No. 1 Bestseller unveiled the harsh truths about the American food system and why

exactly it is people crave unhealthy foods. Now, cafeteria consumers will be able to easily monitor their health and eating habits.

NOCK From page 1

League, but still a great school, keep them down,” Whiteside said. She sees the Ivy League misconception ending at A&T one scholarship at a time because students like Nock and last year’s Goldwater and Fulbright Scholarship winners, Nadine Jansen and Emmanuel Johnson, put in so much effort to succeed. Nock plans to get her doctorate at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst to become a university professor. Her research will focus on how to make any power grid more reliable, as well as how to enhance the power grid infrastructure in developing nations.

After traveling to Malawi, Africa in the summer of 2012 to teach math and how to sew reusable feminine products aimed at helping girls stay in school, Nock realized her passion for electrical engineering. Nock said after seeing how a lack of power could hurt a person’s education, she became serious with helping developing nations progress their power grid infrastructure. According to Whiteside, in only the last 20 years have non Ivy League schools seen big name scholarships as a real possibility for their students. “It takes someone who is going to be confident enough to not let the fact that they are from a school that is not an Ivy

—Email Ziris at zasavage@aggies.ncat.edu and follow The Register on Twitter @TheATRegister

MSU- Exhibit Hall 6:55 p.m.

Couture Auditions

Memorial Student Union 8 p.m.

MONday

Dennis Hayle Anti-Violence Walk Proctor Auditorium 4 p.m.

McNair Symposium Dudley 6 p.m.

Entrepeneurship Training Webb Hall- Rm 217 6 p.m.

The Road to Freedom begins Merrick Auditorium 7 p.m.

mccain From page 1 council members, Mayor Nancy Vaughan, past elected leaders, students, alumni, UNC Board of Governors, N.C. General Assembly, A&T faculty, and others filled Harrison Auditorium. The program was packed with tributes from people that McCain impacted. Khazan spoke the four M’s of McCain during the service. “M is for the man, M is for the mind, M is for the mission, and M is for the method.” McCain was big on education. He believed that there was still work to be done after the Civil Rights Movement. He became a voice for school systems, community organizations, and even politicians to improve the nation. McCain held leadership positions with the NAACP

review From page 1

SGA Updates: As of Monday, Jan. 20 •The Road to Freedom series will begin Jan. 27 leading up to the annual Feb. 1 celebration • Jan. 27- “Believing” • Jan. 28- “National Black College Hall of Fame: Legacy Lecture Series” & “Leading” • Jan. 29- “Achieving” •Jan. 30- “We Are Black II” •Jan. 31- Unsung Heroes Luncheon

The A&T

citizens, conduct their own investigations separate from the police department, and will pursue subpoena power of evidence and all those involved in the complaint. The CRC receives most of its information involving a complaint from the police department and does not have subpoena power. The CRC was unavailable to comment on the forming of this board. In attendance at the meeting were various clergy members, city officials, students, citizens, community organizers as well as representatives of the Greens-

Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., and sat on the Board of Visitors at Bennett College for Women and the Board of Trustees at North Carolina Central University among other positions. McCain was also chair of A&T’s Board of Trustees and a member of the UNC Board of Governors. McCain won many awards for his leadership and humanitarianism. “The students are what really drove Daddy. He wanted to always do what was right by the students,” said Franklin McCain, Jr. during the service. “He believed that young people had a lot to offer and deserved to be listened to.” As a result, the McCain family decided to start an endowed scholarship at A&T, and the proceeds will be used so students will have the opportunity to attend the university.

McCain is survived by his three sons: Franklin Jr., Wendell, and W. Bertrand. Students of A&T have rested on The A&T Four’s shoulders for almost 54 years now. Because these individuals had fire, passion, and determination, they did not fail. Their drive attracted others to see a positive vision for the future. “One does not need a large title to make an impact, but one does need a large heart and an amount of courage,” said SGA President Canisha Turner who spoke during the service. Hundreds gathered for McCain’s funeral on Jan. 17. Leaders come and go but their legacy, power, and impact will always remain.

boro police department. Committee member Barbara Lawrence shared that she chose to serve on the committee because she feels that there is a need to strengthen and enhance the relationships that we already have with the police department. “There are current policies that are in place that we need to continue to educate the public on,” she said. Lawrence currently serves as an assistant professor of Justice and Policy Studies at Guilford College. Johnson, executive director of Beloved Community Center, is very adamant on making the presence of the GCIPRC known in Greensboro.

“All of Greensboro needs to know that there is an interim review board,” said Johnson. The GCIPRC’s declaration of intent also explains that it does not view itself as a permanent body. “We believe that it is not a total solution but a partial solution,” said Johnson. “Let us do our best to walk together toward equality.” The board has not reached a decision as to how soon they will begin to receive complaints from citizens.

editor-in-chief: Karmen Robinson Managing editor/copy desk chief: Kashian Scrivens opinions editor: Meagan Jordan scene editor: Kourtney Pope online Editor: Courtney Matthews GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Taylor Wilson

—Email Taylor at tlyoung1@aggies.ncat.edu and follow The Register on Twitter @TheATRegister

Hey Aggies! Monday-Wednesday: 2 LARGE 1-topping pizzas $14 Every day special: LARGE pizza Any way you want it $10! Every day deals: $7.99 1 LARGE 1 topping OR 1 MEDIUM 2 topping

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— Email Laci at lkolliso@aggies. ncat.edu and follow The Register on Twitter @TheATRegister

Copy editor: Brianna Harrison senior reporter: Kamil Lockley reporters: Jeremy Days, Kimberly Fields, Dominque Moody, Lacy Ollison, Uniqua Quillins, Ziris Savage, Taylor Young content director: Anjan Basu faculty adviser: Emily Harris

The A&T Register is published every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters by students at North Carolina A&T State University. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Register’s newsroom (subject to availability). All subscription requests should be directed to the Business department. The A&T Register has a weekly circulation of 5,000 copies on-campus and in the community and is a member of The Associated Press, The Associated Collegiate Press and the Black College Wire.

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Iran halts in uranium enrichment efforts mct campus TEHRAN, Iran — Iran suspended part of its uranium enrichment efforts Monday and the U.S. and European Union began loosening some economic sanctions, the first concrete steps toward a comprehensive deal to end the long confrontation over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. But even as a six-month interim accord began on schedule, opposing sides differed sharply on the implications of what had been achieved as they tried to win over skeptics at home. Iran’s leaders, eager to sell their economically beleaguered public on the benefits of nuclear negotiations, said the agreement would open the way to a surge of international trade and investment. “The window of opportunity for Iran’s trade with Europe will increase tenfold” once the deal is fully in place, Abbas Araqchi, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, told the official Islamic Republic News Agency. “The private sector of Iran will have a great share of trade with the European Union.” Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran’s nuclear agency, struck an even more triumphal tone: “The iceberg of sanctions is melting while our centrifuges are also still working,” he said on state television. “This is our greatest achievement.” U.S. officials, keen to rebut criticism among some lawmakers and others that the deal negotiated in November gave up too much to the Iranians, insisted that the sanctions relief was small in scale and easily reversible if Iran reneged. They stressed that other crippling restrictions on Iran’s economy remain in place. “Iran is not open for business,” said a senior official briefing reporters on condition of anonymity because of diplo-

matic sensitivities. Unless the two sides reach a final agreement this year designed to prevent Iran from gaining the ability to build nuclear weapons, the full raft of sanctions against Iran’s economy won’t be lifted, the official said. While negotiations proceed, the Obama administration will continue to enforce sanctions unaffected by the interim agreement “in a very aggressive manner,” the official said. “Nobody should misunderstand that point.” The six-month agreement, signed Nov. 24 by Iran and six world powers _ the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany _ was designed to buy time to negotiate a more permanent accord. It calls for Iran to roll back parts of its nuclear program in exchange for limited relief from international sanctions. Though scheduled to last six months, the deal can be renewed for another six as the two sides talk. Iran says its nuclear efforts are strictly for peaceful purposes, including energy generation and production of medical isotopes for cancer treatment. The United States and other nations fear the real goal is to develop a nuclear weapon, leading to the series of sanctions that have helped saddle Iran with high unemployment, galloping inflation, a collapsing currency and widespread public discontent. Tehran’s nuclear program is just one of many issues that have raised concern among Western officials. Iran backs Syrian President Bashar Assad as he faces a nearly 3-year-old rebellion supported by the U.S. and its allies, is a key backer of the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, and rivals Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies of the U.S. for influence in the region. The carefully choreographed first steps of the interim agreement began Saturday when in-

Execution in Texas reignites global treaty Tim johnson

MCT Campus

LA RUANA, Mexico — A week after the federal government seized security functions in troubled Michoacan state, the organized crime group wreaking havoc in the state has gone to ground. But the top three leaders of the Knights Templar gang remain at large, and the armed citizens militia that has put the gang on the run says it won’t give up its weapons until the leaders are caught. “If they don’t capture these people, then we will remain armed,” said Hipolito Mora, one of the founders of the vigilante movement that began 11 months ago and has occupied much of the state where the Knights Templar had been active. Mora spoke to reporters in an open-air shed one day last week, and his message wasn’t lost on Mexican federal officials. National Public Safety System Secretary Monte Rubido acknowledged in a news conference Sunday that smashing the Templar leadership is a top priority and that “it is essential ... that the visible leaders of the criminal groups be arrested.” Federal authorities dispatched hundreds of police officers and soldiers to Michoacan last week after the citizen militias surrounded Apatzingan, the headquarters of the Knights Templar, and threatened to seize the town. Officials said they were concerned that any confrontation between the groups would cost scores of lives. But Mora said the self-defense forces, as the vigilantes prefer to be called, had grown strong enough that they could

prevail in battle with the Templars and would be ready to do the job if the federal forces couldn’t. When one reporter characterized the federal intervention as the last chance for the government to impose order, Mora did not demur. “I have no doubt that we will win,” he said. The three top Templar leaders are thought to be Nazario Moreno (El Chayo), Enrique Plancarte (El Kike) and Servando Gomez (La Tuta). In Apatzingan, the commercial hub and onetime stronghold of the Knights Templar, business owners are uncertain whether the federal campaign can produce arrests of any significance. “They catch a stray cat and put it up as a grand capo,” scoffed Gonzalo Zaragoza, the secretary of the local branch of the Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism of Mexico. “Perhaps they want the national and foreign media to see them as dealing hard blows.” Federal efforts to impose order in Michoacan have rarely brought success. In a headline-grabbing blow, investigators arrested 10 mayors in the state in May 2009 on charges of working for drug smugglers. But the prosecutions collapsed, and all charges were dismissed. Templar bosses in Michoacan have been uncommonly open about their identities. They post YouTube videos that show their faces and have been seen in public in several towns. Journalists have located several mansions that belong to them.

spectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, arrived in Iran to oversee implementation. On Monday, Iranian officials said they had disconnected centrifuges at two of the nation’s nuclear sites, Natanz and Fordow, fulfilling the requirement to end production of uranium enriched to 20 percent, a medium level of purity. Iran has also started reducing its stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium, which critics warned could be enriched further to produce weapons-grade material, officials said. In a statement reported by Press TV, Iran’s official English-language news service, Salehi said the Islamic Republic had started to “voluntarily suspend” medium-level enrichment in compliance with the accord. “This is an important first step, but more work will be needed to fully address the international community’s concerns,” said Catherine Ashton, the EU’s top diplomat, who was instrumental in brokering the November agreement. Ashton said the next round of negotiations will start in February. Wendy Sherman, the head of the U.S. negotiating team, is to visit Geneva on Tuesday to begin talks with the five other world powers on how to approach the bargaining, U.S. officials said. Iranian energy officials have been holding out the lure of big deals to overhaul the country’s aging energy infrastructure and have been hinting that they are willing to structure terms to bring big payoffs to multinational oil companies. In Iran, the start of the nuclear deal was greeted with predictable pessimism from hard-line commentators, who called on the government to seek revisions in the accord to protect the nuclear program. Many suspect that negotiators gave up too much.

Muslim brotherhood destroying Egypt’s future? amina ismail

MCT Campus

CAIRO — Egyptian officials on Tuesday sought to counter growing concerns that their crackdown on dissidents marks a return to the authoritarian rule of Hosni Mubarak, accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of trying to cripple Egypt’s future and calling the brief tenure of President Mohammed Morsi the “worst year in Egypt’s history.” In his comments at a rare news conference, Mustafa Hegazy, a political adviser to Egyptian President Adly Mansour, defended the government’s arrest of thousands of Morsi supporters and the killing of hundreds of protesters. He said the Brotherhood remained determined to thwart the will of the vast majority of Egyptians. “The Egyptian mainstream

is in an unprecedented state of solidarity against a common enemy,” Hegazy said, adding that the Brotherhood is “determined to cripple the Egyptian future one way or another.” Hegazy’s statements came just four days before the third anniversary of the start of the uprising that led to the fall of Mubarak after three decades in power. The government has called on supporters to take to the streets Saturday to mark the Jan. 25 anniversary and to celebrate the military-led government’s assumption of power after the ouster of Morsi, who had been a senior Brotherhood official before rising to the presidency in the first democratic election in Egypt’s history. Hegazy said Egypt was on the path to stability with a newly approved constitution that earned 98.1 percent approval

in a two-day referendum last week. He noted, for example, that the new constitution protected freedom of expression and he insisted that criticism of the government is fine “as long as it’s within legal boundaries.” But he declined to comment when journalists asked him about cases that seemed to contradict that assertion, including one about the conditions in which three staff members of Al-Jazeera English are being held. The three, including a Canadian-Egyptian national, Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, and the satellite news channel’s Australian correspondent, Peter Greste, have been held in solitary confinement since they were arrested Dec. 29 and accused of running a terror cell out of their makeshift office at the Marriott Hotel. Fahmy, a well known author who has worked for CNN and

the BBC, is listed as a terrorist on the prison docket even though no charges have been filed against him. He is not allowed a bed, books or writing materials. Hegazy also declined to answer when asked about the case of an Associated Press cameraman who was arrested during last week’s referendum because his footage appeared on AlJazeera, an AP client. He has since been released on bail. Under Egyptian law, it is unlawful to publish news items that are deemed harmful to the state. But Hegazy refused to answer why the Al-Jazeera English staff members face charges but an Egyptian journalist and ex-parliamentarian, Mustafa Bakari, who called for the killing of American citizens in Egypt, has not.

World’s richest 85 people have it all in their hands matthew schofield MCT Campus

BERLIN —The world’s richest 85 people control the same amount of wealth as half the world’s population, according to a report issued Monday by the British-based anti-poverty charity Oxfam. That means the world’s poorest 3.55 billion people must live on what the richest 85 possess. Another way to look at it: Each of the wealthiest 85 has access to the same resources as do about 42 million of the world’s poor, a number equal to the populations of Canada, Kentucky and Kansas, taken together. The report was issued just before The World Economic Forum opens on Wednesday in Davos, Switzerland. The forum is a gathering spot for world political, academic and business leaders where, the forum’s website says, they “shape global, re-

gional and industry agendas.” In announcing the study, Oxfam’s website said that what it sees as the growing wealth gap undermines democracy. “The past quarter of a century has seen wealth become ever more concentrated in the hands of fewer people,” it said. “The wealth of the 1 percent richest people in the world amounts to $110 trillion. That’s 65 times the total wealth of the bottom half.” The report says 210 people joined the ranks of billionaires last year, bringing to around 1,400 the people who hold that status. The report also said that while the recent financial crisis was an enormous burden on the world’s poor, it ended up being a huge benefit to the rich elite. The very wealthiest people on Earth collected 95 percent of the post-crisis growth, the report said.

The report said that the trend is more pronounced in the United States than in other nations, but hardly limited to the U.S. It said that in only two countries, Colombia and the Netherlands, had the share of income received by the wealthiest 1 percent not increased between 1980 and 2012. In the United States, China and Portugal, the report said, the wealthiest 1 percent had seen its share of income more than double in the same period. “To give an indication of the scale of wealth concentration, the combined wealth of Europe’s 10 richest people exceeds the total cost of stimulus measures implemented across the European Union between 2008 and 2010,” it said. Oxfam urged countries to take steps to make certain policies didn’t make the situation worse.

“When there is growth and diminishing inequality, the rules governing markets are working in favor of the middle classes and the poorest sections of society,” the report said. “However, when only the rich are gaining, the rules start bending towards their interests exclusively.”

Come be a part of the staff Contributors Meetings every Wednesday at 5 p.m. in GCB 328A

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Daft Punk rocks the Grammys GREG KOT

MTC Campus

Dance music has never been a particular favorite at the Grammy Awards. For decades, even as electronic music sold millions of albums around the world, it was virtually ignored by the music industry’s most prestigious awards show. But at the 56th annual Grammys on Jan. 26, one of the cornerstone dance duos of the past two decades Daft Punk is up for four awards, including album and record of the year, and will be performing on the national TV broadcast with Stevie Wonder. Daft Punk founders Thomas Bangalter and GuyManuel de Homem-Christo have been working together since the ‘90s, and the French duo’s fourth studio album, “Random Access Memories” (Columbia), produced one of the year’s signature songs, “Get Lucky,” which sold more than 3 million copies in the U.S. The track encapsulates the way the album (and the duo itself) bridges generations of dance music, with rhythm guitar from disco-era maven Nile Rodgers of Chic and vocals from Pharrell Williams, whose songs have defined the past decade of rhythm-intensive pop. The album brims with cameos, like an aural history of Daft Punk’s influences and contemporaries, from studio drummer extraordinaire John JR Robinson to Animal Collective’s Panda Bear. In “Giorgio by Moroder,” the famed disco producer offers a two-minute monologue describing how he stumbled upon “a sound of the future,” and then the music flows across several genres, from fusion

jazz to classical, fed by a dance pulse. In many ways the album serves as a 74-minute soundtrack for dance music’s evolution, from underground pariah to mainstream force. While that history was being forged, the Grammys rarely paid attention. Only one dance music album has ever won a Grammy album of the year: the soundtrack for “Saturday Night Fever” in 1979 (and, no, Frank Sinatra’s 1960 top-album winner, “Come Dance With Me!” doesn’t count). A category for best dance recording didn’t exist until 1998, when Moroder and his old disco collaborator Donna Summer won for “Carry On.” Since then, the award has been split between hard-core dance acts, such as the Chemical Brothers and Skrillex, and pop performers who dabbled in dance music, such as Justin Timberlake and Rihanna. An award for best dance/electronica album was added in 2005. Consider that dance music pioneers such as James Brown, who essentially invented funk, George Clinton and Gamble & Huff have won only a handful of Grammys among them. In Europe, artists such as Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream created a new template for musical innovation that was machine driven, though dismissed as a fad and barely recognized as “music” at all by the tradition-bound professionals in the mainstream recording industry. Disco caused a brief commercial stir in the late ‘70s, punctuated by the “Saturday Night Fever” movie and soundtrack, but its rise stirred as much outrage as it did respect. “Disco Demolition Night” and “Disco

Sucks!” T-shirts accompanied the reinvention of an BritishAustralian pop band (the Bee Gees) as polyester bell-bottomed disco heavies. Underneath the glitz, though, true innovation resonated: Moroder and Summer’s revolutionary “I Feel Love” won the acclaim of tastemakers such as Brian Eno and David Bowie, and the bass line alone from Chic’s “Good Times” was repurposed in countless hits across a spectrum of genres. When disco faded, dance movements such as Chicago house and Detroit techno arose that were even more innovative and inﬂuential, though they never appeared on the Grammy radar. The music of Detroit and Chicago connected in Europe, however, feeding the rave scene that emerged in the late ‘80s, and Midwestern DJ/mixer/producers such as Frankie Knuckles, Marshall Jefferson, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Steve “Silk” Hurley were celebrated overseas. Subsequent generations of electronic music yielded their own stars who broke through with mainstream hits, including Moby, the Chemical Brothers and Fatboy Slim. Daft Punk also had been ﬂirting with mainstream acceptance since the ‘90s but was primarily a club phenomenon until a 2006 appearance at the Coachella festival in California, in which Bangalter and Homem-Christo donned robot helmets and orchestrated their slamming feelgood hooks from inside a neon, three-dimensional pyramid. That proved a turning point for live electronic music in America, to the point where it’s now a major industry. Corporate professionals in suits rather than

local promoters handing out ﬂiers now run the business, and massive dance festivals such as the Electric Daisy Carnival routinely draw hundreds of thousands of fans for weekends in Las Vegas, Chicago and London. Monolithic concert promoter Live Nation recently partnered with Insomniac, which promotes Electric Daisy, to stage events. DJs such as Skrillex, Deadmau5, Kaskade and Avicii play stadiums and amphitheaters in most major North American markets. The Grammys are trying to play catch-up. Two years ago, Deadmau5, aka Toronto DJ Joel Zimmerman, performed in his trademark mouse mask on the prime-time broadcast, and last year Skrillex won two awards. In his acceptance remarks, he kept it succinct: “Thanks for letting us do it the weird way.” This year, the nominees for best dance/electronica album include Disclosure, Calvin Harris, Kaskade, Pretty Lights and Daft Punk, but it’s Daft Punk’s emergence in the big categories (“Random Access Memories” for album of the year and “Get Lucky” for record of the year) that’s potentially the biggest development. If nothing else, it’s worth rooting for the mystery men in Daft Punk to win one of the top prizes, if only to see how they handle their acceptance speech. The notoriously interview-shy duo have hidden their public identity behind helmets and other costuming for more than a decade. But if they win, it may be harder than ever for the reclusive pair to preserve their anonymity.

Economy rises, Obama plummets MARK Z. BARABAK MTC Campus

The stock market has hit sky-scraping highs, the unemployment rate has dipped to a five-year low and any number of economic statistics new car sales, home prices, consumer spending point to a perked-up economy that is steadily growing. But one thing that has changed little is President Barack Obama’s job approval rating, which tumbled over the past year to the anemic 40 percent range and remains stuck near the low point of his administration. The chasm is striking, and a worrisome thing for Democrats already facing a tough election year. One of the most reliable barometers of political well-being is the state of the economy. Good times usually bring good tidings; woe to the incumbent and party in the White House when times are tough. In the case of Obama and fellow Democrats, however, there has been a clear disconnect between economic indicators and political popularity. Significantly, millions who want to work still can’t find jobs. “People are hunkered down,” said Lawrence Mishel, president of the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning Washington think tank that focuses on how policies affect low- and moderate-income families. “In 1994, well into the turnaround that began the boom years under President Bill Clinton, people remained

dissatisfied with the state of the economy, according to surveys by the Pew Research Center. The stock market may be riproaring and housing prices may have bounced back strongly, but those gains are illusory for many Americans, who are neither homeowners nor deeply invested in Wall Street. A Pew survey in September showed that more than six in 10 of those polled said the recession had a major impact on their lives and their finances had yet to fully recover. Wages for both white- and blue-collar workers have been stagnant for more than a decade, a trend that predates not just Obama’s election but the 2008 global economic crisis. (The only period of broad-based wage and income growth since the early 1970s was a time around the late 1990s under Clinton.) Some of the causes technology, globalization are beyond the powers of any president. And many of the remedies Obama has proposed such as more federal spending on education, research and development are strategies aimed at spurring growth in the longer term. But even if Obama’s job approval numbers fail to climb, it is highly unlikely that large a number of seats will shift in either direction this November. That has nothing to do with the economy and everything to do with politics: A lack of competitive House seats, which only heightens the stakes in the fight for control of the Senate, where the Democratic edge is marginal at best.

West Virginia chemical company files for bankruptcy

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Bombarded by lawsuits and under federal investigation, the chemical company that spilled a dangerous solvent into a West Virginia river and fouled the drinking water of 300,000 people filed for federal bankruptcy protection Friday. Freedom Industries Inc., owner of a storage tank that ruptured Jan. 9 and spilled 7,500 gallons of a coal-treatment foaming agent called MCHM into the Elk River, sought protection from creditors under a Chapter 11 filing by its parent company, Chemstream Holdings Inc. of Pennsylvania. The filing will protect Freedom from creditors, temporarily halt lawsuits against it and allow the company to continue operating. The spill prompted the governor to order residents of nine counties in the Charleston area not to use tap water for anything but flushing toilets. No baths, no washing dishes; even boiling the water could not make it safe. In court documents, Freedom Industries says a water line break brought on by frigid temperatures may have caused “an object piercing upwards” to punch a hole in the 35,000-gallon storage tank, allowing the chemical to flow down an embankment into the river. The Freedom facility is just upstream from a major water treatment plant. Freedom says in its filing that the water line scenario is “hypothesized” and intended for “explanatory purposes only.” The hypothesis, it says, is not intended as a legally valid explanation in defense against any lawsuit.

Eight businesses and individuals filed a joint class action suit Monday in federal court in Charleston against Freedom, the local water company and the Tennessee chemical company that produced the MCHM, which is used to wash coal. The suit alleges that the companies either failed to take reasonable precautions to prevent the spill or concealed the true dangers of the chemical. In addition, at least two dozen lawsuits against Freedom and other companies have been filed in state court in West Virginia. Thompson said the bankruptcy filing would put his lawsuit against Freedom on hold but did not affect his clients’ claims against West Virginia American Water Co. or Eastman Chemical Co., the Tennessee firm that makes MCHM, or 4-methylcyclohexane methanol. T. Among them are Eastman, which claims $127,000; and Chemstream, of Stoystown, Pa., which claims $175,000. In the filing, Freedom estimates its total liabilities and total assets at between $1 million and $10 million each. The company was founded in 1992, but has existed in its current form only since Dec. 31, when it merged with three other companies under the Freedom Industries name. The bankruptcy documents are signed by Gary Southern, the embattled Freedom president. Southern made a brief and contentious appearance before reporters in Charleston week before last but has made no public comments since. The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection has said that Freedom violated state law by failing to immediately report the leak or take quick action to stop it. The agency said its inspectors went to the Freedom facility Jan. 9 in response to neighbors’

complaints of a licorice-like odor coming from the storage tanks. In the bankruptcy filing, Freedom says, “The water company was notified,” but it does not say when. Nor does it say whether the company notified state authorities, as required by law. Under state and federal environmental laws, the tanks are exempt from inspections. Scientists say very little is known about the possible health effects of MCHM, which Eastman says can cause nausea and eye or skin irritation. Even after state officials had lifted the ban on tap water use for half of those affected, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning Wednesday advising pregnant women not to use the water. That prompted outrage from residents and from West Virginia’s congressional delegation, which harshly criticized the CDC and demanded its toxicity studies on the chemical. In the bankruptcy filing. The document makes no mention of any possible adverse health effects from exposure to the chemical. Also Friday, both of West VirThe Chemical Safety and Drinking Water Protection Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., would require regular inspections of aboveground chemical storage facilities, force chemical companies to develop stateapproved emergency response plans and allow states to recoup the costs of combating spills, and improve the ability of water companies to respond to spills. West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, a Democrat, said Friday that he would introduce state legislation this week that would establish similar requirements, as well as regulations governing construction and maintenance of aboveground chemical storage tanks.

theWORD 6

The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Extending the rights of transgender minors robin abcarian MTC Campus

Transgender activist Eli Erlick, 18, was on the phone from her home in the small Mendocino County, Calif., town of Willits and I could not resist asking her to respond to something uttered recently on the radio by James Dobson, founder of the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family. “God made us male and female,” said Dobson, expressing distaste for California’s groundbreaking new law that requires schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms and play on the sports teams of the gender they identify with. “You just don’t choose gender.” To my surprise, Erlick, a Pitzer College freshman, did not disagree. Erlick, who was born a boy, told me that she realized at age 8 that she was a girl. She didn’t choose to be a girl, she said. She was a girl. The next six years

were not a blissful time in Erlick’s life. Her parents were wigged out, she said, and she was isolated in her rural community. In elementary school, when she used the private teachers’ bathroom, kids made fun of her. In middle school, there was no private bathroom. “I could not use the restroom for six years,” Erlick said. “I had to go home to pee. I had to pretend to be sick.” The discomfort of a transgender student is low on the list of concerns for many conservative Christians, who, like Dobson, are appalled by the School Success and Opportunity Act, which was introduced by San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano and became law on Jan. 1. “It seems to me it would be a cruel joke to tell a genderconfused child who is being bullied that the solution to his problems is to go use the girls’ bathrooms,” said Frank Schu-

bert, who is leading a campaign to repeal the law. “That would result in increased bullying, not less.” I asked Erlick to respond. “First of all,” she said, “We are not confused. We know who we are. Being able to participate with your own gender makes life a lot easier _ and this is coming from a kid who was not able to for years. There is so much misinformation out there. It’s sad to see anyone believing those lies.” Schubert, a political operative, helped orchestrate Proposition 8, which briefly outlawed gay marriage in California. Supported by the Pacific Justice Institute and other well-known gay marriage opponents, he is running a new group, Privacy for All Students, which gathered more than 600,000 signatures, mostly from evangelical Christian churches. About 505,000 signatures must be valid for the measure to qualify for the November ballot. Results will be known

by early February. What you often hear from people horrified by the new law is that forcing “normal” students to share a bathroom with a transgender peer amounts to a kind of “reverse-bullying.” “Forcing boys and girls to share a bathroom doesn’t decrease bullying, it is bullying,” Pacific Justice Institute member Tim LeFever said on Dobson’s radio show in November. School districts in Los Angeles and San Francisco, which have had transgenderfriendly policies for years, have not reported problems. But Gina Gleason, director of faith and public policy at the Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills, told me she doesn’t live in Los Angeles or San Francisco, and she doesn’t know about that. Her church has worked hard to gather signatures to overturn the law. “Our heart goes out to any student that doesn’t identify as their natural-born gender,” she said, but she’s worried about students who do

not wish to share restrooms or locker rooms with transgender students. “I remember being in junior high or high school,” Gleason said. “Having someone of the opposite sex coming into the locker room, the shower or the bathroom is an uncomfortable thought. We don’t believe that children at that age should be forced into those situations.” “A transgender girl is a girl,” Erlick said. “We don’t live in the ‘60s anymore. People are not undressing in locker rooms. What trans kid wants to expose themselves to other people? That’s ridiculous.” From my perch, the fight for gay rights has essentially been won. So why is anyone worried that extending legal protection to vulnerable transgender minors spells the doom of civilization? Schubert, for example, told me he believes the law is “damaging to society,” and attempts “to strip society of all gender norms and all gender differences.”

John O’Connor, executive director of the pro-LGBT rights group Equality California, thinks we are seeing a new battlefront in an old war. “The people who existed for years to attack the LGBT community were really focused on marriage,” he said. “I think they recognized that they lost, or are losing, and have identified transgender students as their new punching bag.” (The Pacific Justice Institute did nothing to refute that idea when it launched a campaign against a Colorado teenager, claiming her presence in the girls’ bathroom at her school constituted “harassment.” The school vigorously denied it.) “Until we’ve walked a mile in their shoes, no one can know what it’s like,” said O’Connor. “Like everyone, they’re just looking for their place in the world.” Folks are just going to have to accept that sometimes that place is a schoolyard, sometimes it’s a bathroom, and sometimes it’s a sports team.

SEX AND ‘THE T’ Self-evaluation reflected on Instagram Fear of being a young maiden or mistress?

The infidelity of Mary Jane sleeping with a married man has captivated the attention of African American women. Mary Jane’s character portrays an ambitious, sharp, and career oriented black woman, yet reveals her fears of loneliness that causes her to lose her morale. As with any other television show which exemplifies African American women making distasteful choices, there are hundreds MEAGAN of critics. For the most part, viewers tune in looking for drama opposed to what life JORDAN lessons can be taken away from the show. It is immoral to sleep with a married man. Some would never do it, while others see nothing wrong with it. The problem is not infidelity, but the anxiety some females get from being alone. The New York Daily News reported that black women are the most un-partnered group of people in the United States. The report included low marriage rates among black women with two out of three black women being unmarried, the majority of which without a committed partner. The study concluded that college educated black women are twice as likely as their white counterparts to be unmarried. At some point in our lives, we all have thought about the ending factor. I am pretty sure the majority of women have thought about the age they planned to get married. I know I have. In 1991, as a junior in college my mother was 20 and dating the love of her life who is now my father. I am the same age and classification in 2014, and I am still committed to my body pillow. Often times, I wonder if this is the end for me, but then I quickly cut the theatrics. Why am I scared of the unknown? Am I really that desperate? Granted, no one wants to grow old alone, but is it necessary to put a time limit on when you should have a man? Is that why so many women seem to be settling happily instead of being happily settled down? In admiration of other couples’ love chronicles, such as our parents and peers, it is easy to get wrapped up in setting unconscious limitations. In middle school, I knew I would have a high school sweet heart. When that did not work, family, friends, and my unconscious consciousness, promised me that Mr. Right was more than likely awaiting my arrival on campus. Not only has Mr. Right stood me up, but he has also taught me a valuable lesson, patience. I have witnessed countless situations of female friends and family members settle for “situationships” with people involved in complex situations. I have witnessed these same people date men with wives, or who are involved with a girlfriend with kids. From my understanding commitment is accepting a person for who they are, but it should not require you to be a personal bag lady. We as black women need to gain self-confidence, believing that we are beautiful, and that we are wanted. Be confident in being a successful single woman. Although the single life has been doing what it can for a year or so, it does not put us in the “Never Will I Ever Get A Man” category. To compensate for her loneliness Mary Jane goes against her morals and continues to have an affair with a married man. If you notice outside of her affair, she dibbles and dabbles with a past lover to fill the void of having someone. Her loyalty is not to these men but to her loneliness of being over 30 and having yet to establish a family. You can never be loyal to anyone if you betray the loyalty to yourself. Keep hope alive, do not allow your fear of being a maiden result in you being a mistress. Mr. Right does not need to be right now, and your Sir Right Now’s may not be Mr. Right. We do enough and we are enough, let time handle the rest. —Email Meagan at theregister@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter @itsme_agannn

As society advances with new social media sites, we fall victim to relying on likes and retweets to boost our selfesteem. When you get 200 likes on a photo does it put you on cloud nine? Does it make you feel accomplished, or does your self-esteem feel like it has been validated for the day? Twitter and Instagram have students craving for the validation from others. Our generation is beginning to seem like we need to be social network famous. In comparison to celebrities who sometimes step away from the attention, we crave it. It seems as though many Instagram users are asking for attention, and the liking of their pictures helps elevate their self-esteem. Recently, Instagram has become a place for some of its users to feel the need to go

above and beyond to make sure they get that special 100th like. It is like a competition for 100 likes per photo. “S/O if you DOMINIQUE like my last MOODY five pictures,” is constantly tossed around to make sure that the user gets the likes they feel they need. Although Instagram is a place for people to express themselves through photos, there is a certain point where it is imperative to step back from the social world and check back into reality. It would amaze students at how much they can get done by simply taking a break from social media. Many people have developed

a habit of checking their social media sites before any other activity. I too have fallen victim to this habit. ‘Good Morning Posts’ are the most atrocious posts compared to any other. Students are quick to like pictures requesting a good morning post from a follower on Instagram, yet they fail to wish their mothers and fathers good morning. There is no need to advertise what we do every day to get something done. Often times, people take pictures in the gym as a means to show how dedicated they are to making changes in their life. Making life changes is great. However, when it seems that a person is more concerned with the image of working out instead of actually working out, there is room to believe they are solely posting for attention. What my brothers and sisters fail to realize is that if the pic-

ture is great in his or her eyes, that should be the only like that matters. We are impeccable beings that cannot be copied or reproduced. Do not fall victim to the attention and likes that are constantly placed on posts. As future educators, doctors, and businessmen and women, 100 likes on a picture will not get us closer to our dreams. Instagram is not a place where likes determine if you will be accepted by society. We forget that it is just social media, a way to relax and take your mind off of classes and the outside world. Instagram’s slogan is “Fast, Beautiful, Photo Sharing.” Let’s not make it any bigger than what it is meant to be. —Email Dominique at theregister@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @theatregister

Funny women get us where we live Gina barreca

MTC Campus

Are men obsolete? Geneticists might argue and the folks on Fox News certainly believe it’s a hot topic, but NBC, where Amy Poehler and Tina Fey just triumphed at the Golden Globes, and ABC, where Ellen DeGeneres will be hosting the Oscars, seem to be confident that they are at least when it comes to hosting awards shows. As hosts, Poehler, Fey and DeGeneres seem to have emerged from their male predecessors much as Eve emerged from Adam. One might also be tempted to say that, like Eve, they improved upon the original. Not that Ricky Gervais, Billy Crystal or Steve Martin weren’t terrific; not that Chris Rock, Hugh Jackman and Jon Stewart weren’t brilliant. But they were

just about as original as Adam. Or, for that matter, sin. Yet of these hosts, Milton might have said, they were busy justifying the ways of comedy to men. That’s John Milton, by the way. Not Milton Berle. What Milton Berle might have said about the male Globe and Oscar hosts is this: “They know what they’re supposed to do but they don’t know how to make it interesting.” It was a line he used in comparing himself to Zsa Zsa Gabor’s sixth husband. The reason Fey and Poehler continue to win the audience at home is because they play to us. That’s not playing down to the rabble; that’s playing right into the world’s repertoire. They weren’t busily showing us what humor tight-walk they could do or proving how smart they were but instead making the viewers feel part of what’s going on. They’re not attempt-

ing to dazzle us but to draw us in. It’s working. We quote them; we imitate them; we regard them as one of us. One of the lines women loved from Fey’s best-selling “Bossypants”? m. In itself, this demarcates the current generation of female humorists from earlier generations of performers who were told, more or less, to use themselves not as a sounding board for ideas but as a punching bag for insults. Until we change the world, that is. In Amy Poehler’s provocative and inspiring speech at Variety’s 2013 Power of Women Award ceremony, she began by acknowledging, “We’re here in Beverly Hills, which is, let’s face it, the moon.” We’ve known that since 2011 when, at the TIME 100 Gala, Poehler, gave a speech thanking

the women who perform child care so that others could work, a topic not usually addressed by the person holding the mike: “I would like to take a moment to thank those people. Some of whom are at your house right now while you’re at this event.” We know that Poehler thinks off-screen as well as on; we know that she says what we rarely admit; we know that her stiletto wit is a match for her heels. DeGeneres is and always has been better than we deserve. She even sort of looks like the Oscar. Women might not yet be dominating the Senate, the Congress, or the Supreme Court, but they are in ascendancy when it comes to comedy. But take heart: men are not obsolete. The smart ones are in the audience, sitting up front and cheering.

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theSCORE The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 22, 2014

N.C. A&T travels to Durham to take on NCCU The men’s and women’s basketball teams will face rivals tonight in the first part of a two-game series. UNIQUA QUILLINS

North Carolina A&T’s men’s and women’s basketball teams are headed to Durham, N.C. to faceoff against historic rivals, the North Carolina Central University Eagles, Wednesday, Jan. 22. Last season, the men’s team fell to NCCU 47-51. The main reason for the loss was the player’s inability to deliver at the foul line, shooting 31 percent versus NCCU’s 90 percent. Another factor that played in last year’s loss was the hectic atmosphere. Even though the Aggies were not able to pull off a win against NCCU in regular conference play last season, they were able to claim a victory during the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference playoffs. The men’s team has only been able to pull off one victory at NCCU, which came during the 2010-11 season. This time around, head coach Cy Alexander says the Aggies are going to try and play hard, smart, together, and play with conﬁdence. “We’re going to try and utilize the same game plan we utilized in the Mid-Eastern Athletic tournament,” said Alexander. According to Alexander, he is not worried about the atmosphere that comes with this game because the team has already played in tough environments this season against teams like Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, St. Louis University and Rhode

Island. “Everybody has got to play their best game in order to pull off a W,” said Alexander. According to senior guard, Jeremy Underwood, this is the last time he will be playing NCCU in their territory, so he is ready to lay it all on the line. He also says that even though there are only ﬁve veterans on the team, he thinks the young team will handle the pressure of playing in a rivalry game of this magnitude because the team has already played through a lot of adverse situations. “I think the whole team is ready to step up and perform and get the W. It’s a big game,” said Underwood. Facing NCCU, Underwood also says the team needs to work on closing out games instead of letting teams catch up after the Aggies have gained a 20-point lead. Currently, the men’s team is 1-1 in the MEAC conference and 4-12 overall. NCCU’s men’s basketball team is also 1-1 in conference and 10-5 overall. The Lady Aggies dominated the NCCU women’s team last season beating them 60-33. During the game, the Lady Aggies relied heavily on their defense and returning sophomore, Eboni Ross, who led the defensive effort having 10 rebounds, three blocks and three steals. According to head coach Tarrell Robinson, he is looking for Eboni Ross to impact the game the way she did last year. Robinson said the second time the Lady Aggies played NCCU during the regular season she was more mature and more conﬁdent. “Hopefully with her hav-

ing a year under her belt, we’ll get the same effort this year,” said Robinson. According to Robinson, his plan of attack for the upcoming Central game is to get people in foul trouble so the Lady Aggies can make plays at the foul line. In the case of a hectic atmosphere from the Central crowd, Robinson hopes the teams gets off to a great start defensively and does not allow the Eagles of NCCU to score. Once the defensive end is under control, Robinson says executing on offense is the following goal. “Our girls are excited about this rivalry, so we’ll be ready,” said Robinson. Going into the NCCU game, senior guard, Tracy King, says the team needs to prepare and focus to come away with a victory. “Because we’re rivals everybody is going to bring their best game,” said King. According to King, her role in this game is to keep the team together because she is not completely sure what to expect physically coming back to the line-up off an injury. “As long as we stay together as a team and everybody contributes, we will be alright because the main thing is to stay together as a team and come ready to play,” said King. Currently, the Lady Aggies are 1-1 in the MEAC conference and 11-3 overall. NCCU’s women’s team is also 1-1 in the conference and 6-9 overall.

AGGIES RUNDOWN MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM Savannah State Morgan State Norfolk State North Carolina Central North Carolina A&T Hampton Coppin State Florida A&M Howard South Carolina State Maryland East. Shore Delaware State Bethune-Cookman

OVR. 7- 10 7-8 10 - 8 11-5 6-12 8-10 6-12 7-12 4-15 5-12 2-14 4-14 2-19

Saturday, Jan. 25 vs. Morgan State Corbett Sports Center 6 p.m.

FILE PHOTO • THE A&T REGISTER

N.C. A&T VS. N.C. CENTRAL (Above) Jeremy Underwood goes up for a basket through two defenders during A&T’s 71-66 loss to Central on February 18, 2012. (Below) A&T’s Adrianna Nazario passes the ball as Central defenders tower over her at Corbett Sports Center.

Monday, Jan. 27 vs. Coppin State Corbett Sports Center 8 p.m.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM Hampton Savannah State Coppin State Howard Norfolk State North Carolina A&T North Carolina Central South Carolina State Florida A&M Bethune-Cookman Maryland Easter Shore Morgan State Delaware State UPCOMING GAMES: Tonight vs. N.C. Central Durham 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25 vs. Morgan State Corbett Sports Center 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27 vs. Coppin State Corbett Sports Center 6 p.m.

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Class Information

Careers for Right of Way agents are available with utility companies (oil/gas/electric, etc.), Federal, State and Municipal Governments, Real estate companies, Economic development organizations, Airport authorities, Park services, Rail Road companies and many more...

Classes will be held in Craig Hall from 6-9PM every Wednesday evening beginning Jan 29th and will continue through Mar 26th (with no class Mar 5th due to spring break). Classes are free of charge to NCA&T students.

Visit http://ncatrow.org for registration and additional details about the program

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UPCOMING GAMES: Tonight vs. N.C. Central Durham 7:30 p.m.

—Email Uniqua at uyquilli@aggies.ncat.edu and follow her on Twitter @BlahBlah

Right of Way expertise is quickly becoming an industry wide sought after skill set. The Right of Way Program at NCA&T will ensure you have the basic understanding to take your career goals to the next level.

Modules will be taught by a Right of Way Professional with over 30 years of experience. Area 1: Legal Issues Area 2: Right of Way Fundamentals Area 3: Right of Way Appraisal, Negotiation, Relocation and Property Management Area 4: Supplemental Road Construction Engineering Case Study Seating is limited to 35 students so register early

NCA&T State University/Transportation Institute—Right of Way Training Program http://ncatrow.org 336.285.3316

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, January 22, 2014

#TRENDING TOPICS

Being Mary Jane is more complicated than you think KOURTNEY POPE Scene Editor

“Being Mary Jane” rocked everyone’s Twitter feed during the season premiere. Here are a few tweets from satisfied fans. @HeMight_Odee- #BeingMaryJane LOVE THAT SHOW! @JuanitaPearl- #latelate just watched last episode of #BeingMaryJane That show knows how to leave you stumped and I love it to pieces! @RadiantBEAUTY_X- If he’ll cheat on his wife to be with you he’ll cheat on you to be with another woman as well! #BeingMaryJane don’t do it girl!! @KylaPratt-Yea so it’s official. I love #BeingMaryJane

Move over Olivia, women across America are making new friends with Mary Jane Paul. This BET original series gained many followers after it premièred in July 2013. According to the Los Angeles Times, the first premiere drew in 4 million views. Many fans patiently waited for the official January 2014 premiere ,and ratings have continued to climb. Mary Jane Paul, played by Gabrielle Union, is a strongheaded news reporter who seems to have it all together. She produces her own news segment, works for the top news channel, and has a cushy salary to show for it. However, when the audience gets a closer look, they soon discover there is more than what meets the eye. With a family that is all depending on her and her paychecks, as well as a mother who is suffering from a debilitating disease, Mary Jane finds herself at the end of her rope. Adding more fuel to the fire is Mary Jane’s steamy but very complicated relationships with men. Writer, producer, and creator Mara Brock Akil does an excellent job of bringing strong black leading ladies back to the forefront of Hollywood. Mary Jane is more than just a pretty face. She is a woman on the brink

of a breakdown. By making her flawed, Mara has made Mary Jane relatable. However, some critics have argued that both Mara and Shonda Rhimes, creator of “Scandal”, are reinforcing negative stereotypes of black women. Some have argued that Mary Jane’s character and characters like her insinuate that successful black women are always flawed, stuck up, and/or man stealers. Many argue that Tyler Perry often places his strong female leads in the same typecast. For years, cinemas portrayed African American women as hypersexual and vulnerable. On the opposite end of the spectrum, when African American women are cast into strong roles, they are often extremely misandrist. However, others argue that these flaws are real life situations and are not based on race. The issues Mary Jane goes through are universal. Overall, the season has sparked a huge following. Many people have gravitated to the show and each story adds another twist. Akil does an excellent job of peeling back the layers of her main character and those around her. The way that Akil is able to interweave characters and story lines gives audiences a hint of what is to come in the next episode. “Being Mary Jane” is a great girls night treat and an excellent hot topics starter.

— Email Kourtney at theatregister@gmail.com and follow her on Twitter @KPOP_OfColour

THE CAST

Gabrielle

Union

Vidal

Margaret

Richard

Robinne

Roundtree

Jan. 22 to Jan. 29 The A&T Register’s list of the top movie hits for the year 2014.

Lisa

Omari

Hardwick

hotlist

theSCENE

Avery

ON SCREEN HERCULES “Twilight’s” Kellan Lutz, returns to the silverscreen as the Greek demigod Hercules in “The Legend of Hercules.” This cinema adaptation tells the original story of the Greek hero and his rise to infamy. After being betrayed by the King, Hercules is exiled and must use his strength to fight his way back to his rightful place in the kingdom and good graces of the other Gods. This gritty action packed film is filled with graphic effects to amaze viewers.

Lee

The Scene’s 2014 Pop Culture Forecast

ON SCREEN TYLER PERRY’S SINGLES MOMS CLUB Five single mothers from different walks of life are brought together due to a school incident involving their children. The women soon discover they have more in common than they thought. This movie is a plot full of laughter, romance, and triumph.

Best Movie “Think Like a Man 2” is set to hit the big screen this June in a theater near you! Kevin Hart was on a roll in 2013. Hart shows no signs of slowing down with his two new ﬁlms out “Grudge Match” with Robert Dinero and “Ride Along” with Ice Cube. With the original cast returning, this is sure to be a laughing fest.

Best New Show “Being Mary Jane” seems to be the remedy for the Scandal drought until February. However, just from viewing a few episodes, Scandal might have some competition. BET is stepping its game up with a quality drama series, a great writer, and full bred talent. Olivia might have to share the throne.

ON SCREEN

VS. Cutest Baby There is going to be a race to the ER between Kerry Washington and Ciara for this title. While Washington conﬁrmed her pregnancy back in November 2013, Ciara was silent on the subject after months of speculation. It was not until her appearance on ‘The View’ that she ﬁnally revealed her baby bump.

Best Album Mariah Carey is reported to release an album in 2014. Fans are already anticipating the album after seeing leaked images of the cover art on the Internet. In an era of club bangers and one-hit wonders, it is safe to predict that this album will be full of ballads and perhaps a single or two. Could there be a collaboration with her husband, Nick Cannon?

Best Tour The Mrs. Carter tour will be back in full effect in 2014. After dropping a secret album in the middle of the night without any media, promotion, or singles, there is no doubt that ticket sales will skyrocket! All will be curious to see how Bey incorporates her new material into an already ﬂawless show. No pun intended.

FASHION & TREND COMMENTARY

POPPIN’

OR NAH?

1. New freshmen crowding the Union? 2. “Being Mary Jane?” 3. The “Scandal” drought? 4. Teachers assigning homework already? 5. Madonna dropping the “n” word on Instagram? 6. This fickle weather? 7. Kool-Aid red hair? 8. Every girl claiming they woke up like this? 9. Girls being “drunk in love” while their man is sober and cheating? 10. Knock-off UGGS? 11. Jeffrey Campbell Lita boots still being worn? 12. See through leggings? 13. Leggings for pants? 14. 30 inch weaves? 15. Boys in camo pants? 16. Boys wearing mismatch patterns and calling themselves hipsters? 17. DM games on Instagram? 18. Group rate games? 19. Yeezianity? 20. Gym full of false New Year’s resolutions?

ABOUT LAST NIGHT Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Michael Ealy, and Joy Bryant are all starring in this comedic adaptation of “Sexual Perversity in Chicago,” a David Mamet play. This film tells the tale of two couples that have to figure out how to make their relationship last after starting out as a one night stand. Kevin Hart provides the right amount of comedic relief in this quirky romantic comedy. “About Last Night” is a great film to see with the girls and an excellent first date choice. “About Last Night” opens Feb. 14.

Come be a part of theScene Contributors Meetings every Wednesday at 5 p.m. in GCB 328A