October 17 by The A&T Register

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OcTObeR 17, 2012

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CRoP walk donates to hunger crisis AShlEY JAcoBS Contributor

Photo by chRiSTophER mARTin • the a&t regIster

STudEnTS gather in the new academic classroom building to watch the second presidential debates hosted by the collegiate chapter of the NaaCP.

obama more assertive in second debate kARmEn RoBinSon Managing Editor “I presume I’m going to be president,” said Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney as he and President Barack Obama met last night in an intense second of three presidential debates at Hofstra University in Long Island, NY. Romney had a 4 percent lead with 50 percent among likely voters while Obama trailed at 46 percent before the debate, according to the Gallup presidential poll. The second debate, unlike the first, included 82 undecided voters in a town hall format that allowed citizens to ask both the president and governor questions. With just 20 days until Election Day, Obama tried to swing the momentum in his favor after what he described as a “bad night” in the first debate, while Romney tried to keep his mo-

mentum going after his successful performance. In the first debate, President Obama was seemingly passive and disengaged and steered clear of pointing out Romney’s flaws whereas Romney had no problem attacking the president pointing out his broken promises. It’s safe to say, this was a completely different Obama and a completely different debate that included repeated confrontations between the two candidates. New polls released late Tuesday night indicated that more voters thought Obama edged Romney. The first question came from 20-year-old college student and first time voter, Jeremy Epstein, who had concerns about unemployment after graduation. Romney described products of the Obama administration over the last four years as, “more debt and less jobs.” “I’m going to change that.

I know what it takes to create good jobs again,” Romney said. “When you come out in 2014... I’m going to make sure you get a job.” He further explained that he plans to cut taxes, provide more jobs for Americans, and equal pay for the 72 percent of women are do not make the same amount of money as their male counterparts by providing more jobs keeping “our Pell grant program growing and...having a loan program” and establishing a Five Point Plan to make sure people have a higher education. Previously in the presidential race, Romney explained that he plans to cut student funding and told college students to borrow money from their parents instead of getting student loans. “Governor Romney doesn’t have a five-point plan. He has a one-point plan. And that plan is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules,” said Obama. The N.C. A&T collegiate

chapter of the NAACP hosted a watch party to help keep students informed about the election. “I [was] looking for the facts to outshine the rhetoric,” said A&T student Patrick Moseley, a non-partisan voter and political science student. “With Obama’s frequent use of the same phrases…I could’ve said it for him and with Governor Romney, he keeps saying he has the tools to fix things but doesn’t explain the policies he plans to implement the changes.” The last presidential debate will be on Monday, Oct. 22 at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. at 9 p.m. -klrobin2@aggies.ncat.edu and follow her on Twitter @kayRob_ christopher martin contributed to this article. or full coverage of the debate, visit ncatregister.com.

speaker inspire students to look in family history

Over 6,000 people participated in the 2012 Greater Greensboro CROP Hunger 5K Walk and Run on Sunday. Christine Byrd, Crop Walk Coordinator and Greensboro Urban Ministry (GUM) employee, worked hard for this years crop walk event. “The 2012 Greater Greensboro CROP Hunger walk and run featured a new route which allowed for a more diversified walk through the downtown area. It also featured the inclusion of “cheerleaders” along the route to encourage runners and walkers,” said Byrd. Most of the “cheerleaders” consisted of volunteers from NC A&T, UNCG and Bennett who supported the cause. GUM offers other opportunities to participate in events to people who missed the CROP walk. This year, the annual event raised over $200,000 in donations and fundraising. Seventy-five percent of the proceeds go to the Church World Service (CWS) to eliminate world hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice to under privileged places around the world. The remaining 25% is given to Potter’s House Community Kitchen at GUM.

kAmil locklEY Contributor “Heaven on Earth” served as the theme for this year’s for the Mr. and Miss SUAB Coronation, held in Stallings Ballroom. Clouds hung from the ceiling, lit candles served as table centerpieces, smooth R&B music played in the background, and Verge Modeling Troupe posed as angels. Every year SUAB hosts several on campus events to bring fellow aggies together. Unlike Aggie Fest or the Aggie Pep Rally, the SUAB coronation brought a more graceful feel to campus. The semi-formal event honored Mr. and Miss SUAB as well as the SUAB executive board. “We began preparing for the coronation during the summer. This is a traditional event that allows students to be creative and address their peers,” explained Nicole Florence, SUAB advisor. The décor of the ballroom proved SUAB put a lot of hard work into making sure their

Rachel Swarns discussed her book about Michelle Obama’s ancestors with professors and students at N.C.A&T. A little over 50 seats were filled as attention was focused on Melvinia, the great-great-

tory for the Times in 2009, she was approached by HarperCollins Publishers to write a book that delved deeper into Obama’s family history. Because Swarns felt that Obama’s story was so rich, after initially saying no, she decided to accept the challenge. Her book is entitled “American Tapestry: The Story of the

Black, White and Multiracial Ancestors of Michelle Obama.”Swarns said that she hopes her book will inspire people to look into their own family history. Regarding Obama she said, “Her story really was the story

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First Lady Michelle Obama made a recent trip back to Chapel Hill as she urged N.C. college students to vote early in this year’s election.

As the preseidential debates continue leading up to election day, each deabte is crucial in the success of both candidate’s campaigns.

Athletes continue to show support for breast cancer as the volleyball game dedicates their game tonight to the cause.

Tyler Perry has put his comical style on the back burner as he sheds the Madea character and picks up Alex Cross in new action ﬁlm.

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sUaB brings heaven to earth for coronation

great-grandmother of Michelle Obama. An inherited slave to the Shields, Melvinia had relations with her owner’s son, which led to the rich history of Michelle Obama. Swarns’ has been a reporter for the New York Times since 1995. After writing a brief article about Obama’s ancestral his-

kimBERlY fiEldS Contributor

The CROP Walk is sponsored every year by Church World Service (CWS). CWS consists of 37 Christian communions that assist communities in response to local hunger and disasters. It also offers network opportunities for people with the same interest through participation in CROP Walks. Since 1981, the Greensboro CROP Walk for hunger has raised more than $4 million with over one million dollars going to the Potter’s House. Potter House Community Kitchen at GUM has fed homeless Greensboro residents for over 40 years and its efforts continue to impact people lives. Potter House serves free, nutritious meals seven days a week between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. There are about 400-500 guests that visit Potter House daily to get a well-balanced meal. Maggie Colon, GUM supervisor, helps facilitate daily activities for residents in need of resources. “We try to equip our residents with food, employment specialists, medical assistance, and housing placement,” said Colon. “Events like the CROP walk keep food on our residents tables and reassures them that

coronation was well executed. Dining tables were set elegantly throughout the ballroom, dinner and dessert was served to all those in attendance. Miss SUAB, Shanea Phillips, also worked very hard to make this night memorable. “Putting this event together was a little stressful but I am very happy with the outcome. As Miss SUAB my job is to put my all into whatever it is I am doing,” said Phillips. Phillips has been working very hard this year with on campus events as well as reaching out to the community through service projects like the Backpack Drive held at the beginning of the semester. Raquan Cotton, Mr. SUAB, plans to also make a difference in the community by hosting community service events as well as providing students with more case hour opportunities. –Email us theatregister@gmail. com and follow us on Twitter: @ATRegister

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, October 17, 2012

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“Her story really was the story of this country.” It showed that through the five generations, slavery to the white house, we are all connected as a people. Caresse Hansen, a senior computer science student from Greensboro, found this presentation to be refreshing in the time taken to bridge the gap between generations of one family that was so dispersed. It was also interesting to her that Swarns was able to obtain so much information through research. Swarns’ work was inspirational to Hansen as she said, “The youth sometimes forget about family and where they came from. It is important to connect with that part of you because you can’t really move forward until you know where you’ve been.” Hansen continued, “To see how your family dynamics have changed overtime, and how it has affected you, is important to look at when trying to better yourself.” Swarns said she hopes her book will inspire people to talk to the family elders i to find out about their families history. She also said, “We have remarkable stories and remarkable people in all of our families.” Dr. Beverly Grier, Professor of Liberal Studies and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, was particularly interested in Swarns’ research methods. The grave digging, DNA

testing and visiting of newfound family members really appealed to her. Dr. Grier said, “the book shows her in more of her complexity.”Dr. Grier could not help but wonder if this book would change the views of those who fit Michelle Obama into the stereotypes of black women and look at her as a liability to President Obama. She said the presentation was fitting for students because, “It is important for students to be reminded of the complexity of race in this country.” Swarns understands the complexity of this country. While visiting Greensboro for a conference, she took the time out to visit the city’s court house to do some digging into her own family. Swarns found records from the 1870’s revealing that her great-greatgreat grandfather once owned land here. As a Howard University graduate, Swarns said she has benefited greatly from a historically black college and whenever she can give back in some way, she tries to do that. That is why Swarns choose to visit North Carolina A&T while she was in town. Her book is on sale now at major retailers. –Email theatregister@gmail. com and follow us on Twitter: @ATRegister

u Crop Walk

Colon. “Events like the CROP walk keep food on our residents tables and reassures them that people actually care.” Ed Wynn, temporary resident of GUM, has been living there for 63 days. “Sometimes things happen in life that lead you here, and I had no choice,” he said. Wynn is a regular at the Potter House kitchen and enjoys the food, “depending on what they cook.” Wynn continues to use GUM assis-

tance in hopes of finding permanent housing. GUM will be co-sponsoring the Clash of Potters on Oct. 25 at the Center for Visual Artists from 6-7p.m. At this event, six area residents will compete to see who can throw the most clay bowls in a thirty-minute period. Also GUM will host the Feast of Caring on Nov. 15 at the First Baptist Church from 5-7 p.m. This building event allows community members to make financial contributions and pledges to GUM while they enjoy a simple meal of soup and bread.

Individuals interested in volunteering for the Clash of Potters can contact Christine Byrd, Director Community Engagement at (336) 553-2656 or via e-mail at bryd@guministry.org. Individuals interested in volunteering at the Feast of Caring can contact Gail Gore-Lewis, Director of Volunteer Services at (336) 271-5959 or via e-mail at lewis@guministry.org. –Email theatregister@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter: @ATRegister

FAMU band member pleads no contest in hazing death Stephen Hudak MCT Campus ORLANDO, Fla.– Former Florida A&M University band member Brian Jones pleaded no contest Tuesday morning to felony hazing in the death of drum major Robert Champion. Jones, who will turn 24 later this month, is the first of the 12 band members charged in Champion’s beating death to withdraw a not-guilty plea. The others are set for trial next year.Champion, 26, died Nov. 19 after a hazing aboard a char-

ter bus parked outside the Rosen Plaza hotel where the school’s famed Marching 100 was staying. The band was in Orlando for a “battle of the bands” and a halftime performance at the Florida Classic, the annual rivalry game at the Citrus Bowl between FAMU and BethuneCookman University. Circuit Judge Marc Lubet accepted Jones’ plea but did not pronounce Jones guilty. Lubet set sentencing for Oct. 22 to allow Champion’s parents to attend. “You’ll never make it right with them,” the judge told Jones, “but do everything in

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your power to try.” Jones, who did not respond to questions as he left the courtroom, faces up to five years in prison and a possible $5,000 fine. A percussionist and criminal-justice major from Parrish, near Tampa, Jones was accompanied by his mother, Jacquelin Jones, as he faced the judge. According to documents released by prosecutors earlier this year, fellow band member Benjamin McNamee, who also is charged with felony hazing in Champion’s death, told investigators that he recalled Jones “basically” holding Champion in a bear hug.

It was a bumper crop of fun

Wednesday

Sheila E presents the E Family Harrison Auditorium 7 p.m. Applause Cafe

General Classroom Building Lobby 11 a.m.

Sex and God’s Word Exhibit Hall 7:30 p.m.

NSBE: What Major Are You In? McNair Hall 2nd Floor Lobby 6 p.m.

Sigma Education Time Merrick Hall Auditorium 7:14 p.m.

Blast from the Past Carver Hall Room 104 7 p.m. Black is Beautiful New Academic Classroom 108 7:45 p.m.

thursday

Revolutionary Poetry

General Classroom Building Aud. 3:30 p.m.

Why Your Vote Counts Merrick Auditorium 6:50 p.m.

friday

Poetry Coffee House Exhibit Hall 7:25 p.m.

Stop Before You Drop New Academic Classroom 101 6 p.m.

Photo by brianna mcfadgen • the a&t register

Sampson the Giant Horse was one of the many attractions at the Bumper Crop State Fair. The fair goes on until Oct. 21.

Brianna mcfadgen Contributor Crowds of men women and children gathered in central Raleigh to kick off the opening of the Bumper Crop state fair on Oct. 11. The fair provides an outlet to show the best of N.C food, art, agriculture and talent and also attract a variety of people. Thousands came to enjoy fried cheesecake, animal and “human” attractions as well as games of chance. Those willing to spend the money enjoyed rides such as the Farris Wheel and the orbiter. With food costing as much as 15 dollars a plate in conjunction with tickets a dollar a piece and rides costing five tickets, the magic of the fair was lost for those trying to stay on a budget. Attractions were grouped together along the huge lot, which incorporated some of N.C. State’s Universities facilities such as the Howling Cow ice cream parlor and Kerr Scott

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building, where local artists’ pieces were shown and candidate booths were set up. Attractions for children, like pumpkin carving and Hubba Bubba the clown, were showcased earlier in the day. The more adult activities, like tractor pulling and Fireworks, were held later in the evening. People could also play games to win prizes like stuffed raccoons, Winnie the Pooh’s and basketballs. One game, “shoot the star,” entails using a fake rifle with 100 rounds to shoot a star out of paper. The Bumper Classic fair is sure to be an entertaining attraction for the public to enjoy what N.C. has to offer. With the outstanding fireworks and food, there is a good time to be had by all. The Bumper Crop State Fair continues throughout the week until Oct. 21. –Email theatregister@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter: @ATRegister

staff photographers: Alicia Funderburk, Jasmine Palmer GRAPHICs EDITOR: Taylor Wilson reporters:Chanel Tucker, Liliane Long COPY EDITOR: Kashian Scrivens business OFFICE Manager: Carlton Brown business SALES Manager: April Burrage business Assistant: Ashley Jacobs CONTENT EDITOR: Anjan Basu faculty adviser: Emily Harris

OH MY GOSH NEXT WEEK IS HOMECOMING!!!

Which events are you most excited about? For all coverage of the Gospel, Fashion, Comedy, Step shows along with the concert and coronation you can see it all in our HOMECOMING PART 1 issue next week. Following will be Part 2 the week after and you can also checkout our website.

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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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theBLOTTER October 10 6:52 a.m. Lindsey Street Vehicle Accident Closed/ Cleared 12:12 p.m. Marteena Hall Larceny Further Investigation 12:45 p.m. Gateway Center PVA Vehicle Accident Closed/Cleared October 11 12:17 p.m. Price Drive Vehicle Accident Closed/ Cleared 9:30 p.m. Band Center PVA Vehicle Accident Closed/ Cleared 11:50 p.m. Cooper Hall Drug Violation Student Referral October 12 1:30 a.m Luther Street Drug Violation Closed/ Arrest 10:06 p.m. Pride Hall Drug Violation Closed/ Arrest 11:40 a.m. Off Campus Driver’s License Revoked Citation 9:50 a.m. Off Campus No Operator’s License Citation 10:40 a.m. Benbow Road No Operator’s License Citation 10:30 a.m. Off Campus Expired Registration Citation October 13 1:46 a.m. Benbow Road DWI/ Damage to State Property Closed/ Arrest 12:15 a.m. Off Campus Drug Violation Closed/ Arrest 2:00 a.m. Off Campus Drug Violation Closed/Arrest 10:25 p.m. Barbee Hall Larceny Closed/Leads Exhausted 11:23 p.m. E. Market St. Service of Warrants Closed/ Arrest October 14 1:15 a.m. E. Market St. Service of Warrants Closed/ Arrest 1:00 a.m. Cooper Hall Lost Property Further Investigation 3:31 a.m. E. Market St. DWI/ Drug Violation Further Investigation 12:15 p.m. Off Campus Service of Warrants Closed/ Arrest 11:55 p.m. Aggie Suites E Comm. Threats Student Referral 12:15 p.m. Dudley St. Driver’s License Revoked Citation 11:45 a.m. Craig Hall Larceny Futher Investigation 3:10 p.m. Student Union Call for Service Closed/ Info 4:05 p.m. Homeland Ave. Call for Service Closed/ Info 6:00 p.m. Wimbush Way Vehicle Accident Closed/ Cleared 7:40 p.m. Cooper Hall Arson Further Investigation 8:45 p.m. Cooper Hall Vandalism Closed/ Leads Exhausted 1:15 a.m. E. Market St. Driver’s License Revoked Citation

Historically black colleges contemplate a more diverse future Ben wieder

MCT Campus

WASHINGTON- When David Wilson was first contacted in 2009 about becoming president of Morgan State University in Baltimore, he wasn't interested. Wilson had envisioned working until his retirement at the University of Wisconsin, where he served as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin Colleges and the University of Wisconsin Extension. He didn't know much about Morgan State, a historically black public university. But after being talked into a campus visit, Wilson was struck by the students he met there. "I saw my own story with them," says Wilson, a graduate of Alabama's Tuskegee University, a historically black university in Alabama. "They really saw being there as their last opportunity to transform their lives and their families." Wilson was sold, and he became president of Morgan State in July, 2010. But the task he inherited wasn't easy. This past summer, two private Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, Morris Brown College in At-

lanta and Saint Paul's College in Lawrenceville, Va., faced possible extinction. Morris Brown filed for bankruptcy in August, while Saint Paul's was given a temporary reprieve at the end of August when it won an injunction to remain accredited. As majority-white institutions become increasingly diverse, the percentage of the nation's black college students who attend HBCUs has plummeted over the last several decades. Meanwhile, HBCUs are becoming less black: Black students are now a minority at seven of the 105 institutions the federal government designates as HBCUs. That designation gives the colleges preferred access to some federal grants and loans, but many HBCUs are aiming to become more diverse in order to survive, and are focusing particularly on recruiting Hispanic students. Some HBCU leaders even have suggested that their schools should move away from defining themselves by their racial character. For public HBCUs, which educate far more students than private ones, these changes come at a time of transformation for all public colleges and universities. Like other public

schools, they have been shaken by budget cuts. But unlike majority-white schools, many argue they are still hampered by decades of discriminatory funding. "There's no such thing as an HBCU flagship, not even close," says John Wilson, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. "In the state systems, HBCUs have been treated like step-children." Historically, HBCUs in all sectors have struggled to build endowments comparable to their majority-white peers. The university David Wilson took over in 2010 has a $1.5 million endowment, second-lowest among all public colleges granting bachelor's degrees in Maryland. Nationally, the average endowment at public 4-year colleges, $122 million, was eight times higher than at HBCU public four-year colleges, which averaged $14.1 million, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. That means that many public HBCUs have had a harder time adjusting to recession-driven state budget cuts than other public colleges and universities, says Ronald Mason, president of the Southern University Sys-

tem, in Louisiana. "When these cuts hit, they hit us first and hardest because we don't have a cushion," Mason says. Southern University's three campuses, the only HBCU system in the country, have used furloughs in recent years to deal with a roughly 40 percent cut in funding from the state, Mason says. At the same time, the system is looking for ways to centralize some services and offices systemwide to create greater efficiency. At Morgan State, Wilson has made targeting federal money a top priority. During his tenure, the university has won a $28.5 million contract from NASA and is part of a team of universities led by Penn State that won $129 million in federal dollars to develop improvements in energy efficiency. There could also be more state money on the way. This month, the U.S. District Court in Maryland will hear final oral arguments in a lawsuit filed by alumni of Morgan State and Maryland's three other HBCUs against the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The HBCU group charges that the state hasn't adequately supported HBCUs and has du-

plicated HBCU programs at nearby majority-white colleges, in violation of a 2000 agreement the state reached with the U.S. Office of Civil Rights to settle years of segregation in the state's higher education system. If successful, the suit could bring as much as $2 billion in increased aid for the four universities and lead to the dismantling of programs considered duplicative, notably a joint-business program at Towson University and the University of Baltimore that the HBCU group says unnecessarily duplicates a similar program at Morgan State. Lawyers for the higher education commission argued in court last January that Maryland was within its rights to create some of the programs in question. They also point to numbers from the higher education commission which show that HBCUs have fared better than nearly all other public universities during the last 10 years. Other states have been ordered to boost HBCU funding to address past disparities.lions to increase student aid and capital support for the state's two public HBCUs. In another case, Mississippi's three public HBCUs were awarded $503 million in 2004.

Student borrowers cannot help reconstruct payments Renee schoof

MCT Campus

WASHINGTON- College students who took out private student loans before the recession hit are telling the government they’re getting a runaround from lenders as they struggle to pay them back. In a report to be released Tuesday, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that student borrowers, like homeowners with troubled mortgages, are upset about how hard it can be to get help with their payment problems, and how long it can take for lenders to fix their own errors. “Student loan borrower stories of detours and dead ends

with their servicers bear an uncanny resemblance to problematic practices uncovered in the mortgage servicing business,” said Rohit Chopra, the bureau’s ombudsman for student loans. His report was based on nearly 2,900 complaints to his office since March, when it set up a website to inquire about problems that borrowers were having with the private student loan market. The consumer protection agency, established under a Wall Street regulation law, worked with the Department of Education on the project. The federal government took over the student loan business under President Barack Obama. The administration said doing so saved billions of dollars in

First Lady urges N.C. college students to vote early Associated Press CHAPEL HILL (AP)- Michelle Obama urged North Carolina college students on Tuesday to work hard for her husband, making sure they and their friends cast ballots as early voting begins this week in the battleground state. The first lady reminded the roughly 5,700 students packing a basketball arena at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that President Obama carried the state four years ago by just 14,000 votes, which she said broke down to just five votes per precinct. She challenged each student there to personally round up five votes to help re-elect the president. She cast her own vote for her husband on Monday, sending an absentee ballot back home to Chicago. "We're one vote closer," she told the energetic crowd. The first lady spoke just hours before President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney are scheduled to hold a televised debate in New York, previewing what will likely be some of the same points her husband will make to the country. Whereas Republicans have claimed the president doesn't have a record to run on, Michelle Obama ticked off accomplishments from the last four years: getting out of Iraq,

helping keep college loans affordable, putting health insurance within reach for millions of families, the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of Navy SEALs and saving the U.S. auto industry. "I could go on and on," she said. "He inherited an economy in rapid decline. Instead of pointing fingers, he got to work. ... Are we going to turn around and let everything we have fought for just slip away?" The first lady held a similar get-out-the-vote rally last month in a gym at nearby North Carolina Central University in Durham. The Chapel Hill event marks the 12th time Mrs. Obama has visited the state since becoming first lady. On Tuesday, she spoke near a large banner featuring the campaign slogan "Forward" printed in white letters over a field of light blue to match the walls of Carmichael Arena, home of the Tar Heels women's basketball team. President Obama used the same venue this spring for a speech to help build support for getting Congress to extend lowinterest student loans. Saying there was still much more that the president hoped to accomplish with four more years, the first lady echoed the campaign's buzz words from 2008. "Change is hard. It takes patience and tenacity," she said. "Elections are about hope."

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middleman costs. Unlike federal student loans, private loans don’t have a system of incomebased repayment. Outstanding student loan debt is more than $1 trillion. Private loans account for more than $150 billion of that total, the report said. About $8 billion of those loans are in default. Chopra said the report was not an attempt to measure how common the problems were, but “an early warning” of further concerns that could surface in the future. Sallie Mae, a major private student lender, said in a written statement that it helps customers who run into financial trouble. “We have modified $1.1 billion in private education loans with interest rate reductions

or extended repayment since 2009,” the company said. Many of the borrowers who complained took out their loans before the economy tanked in 2008, and then graduated at a time when jobs have been hard to find, according to the report. They said they can’t take advantage of lower interest rates or modify their repayment plans when they don’t earn enough money to make large monthly payments. Many of the complainants had obtained loans to attend forprofit colleges and said school representatives had assured them they’d find jobs and be able to pay the loans back. But that didn’t happen. Others said they were caught by surprise with unexpected

fees and often have been unable to reach loan officials to help them reschedule payments to avoid default. Chopra said borrowers also complained about how their payments were handled. He said some with more than one loan reported that extra payments they meant to apply to high-interest loans were mistakenly applied to loans with lower rates. The report suggested that lenders implement “creative efforts” to help borrowers restructure their debt when necessary. Modifying such loans could lead to higher overall collections for lenders, it said. Congress should look into ways to make it easier to get the loans modified, the agency said.

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Steroids scandal hurts Armstrong, but doesn’t destroy his image It’s not so much that the Lance Armstrong story was too good to be true. Now it might just be too good to let go. Even after investigators unveiled a scathing report portraying him as an unrepentant drug cheat, Armstrong continues to confound his public with rivaling images: a rapacious, win-at-all-costs athlete or a hero who came back from cancer. We’ve all heard his story before: An up-and-coming cyclist gets stricken with testicular cancer at age 25. He’s given less than a 50 percent chance of surviving. Instead, he ﬁghts it off and comes back stronger. He wins the Tour de France seven times. Hobnobs with presidents. Dates a rock star and pretty much becomes one himself. Uses his fame and success to raise millions to promote cancer awareness. Even if it all really is the impossible fairy tale it sounds like one built on a brittle mountain of drugs, deception and arm-twisting it’s the narrative the world has happily listened to for nearly 15 years. More than 1,000 pages of ﬁnely detailed evidence from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency are now in the open, supporting its decision to ban Armstrong for life from cycling and order his titles stripped for using performance-enhancing drugs. Yet while other sports stars who have faced drug-induced downfalls Marion Jones, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens fade from memory or become objects of scorn, Armstrong keeps rolling along. You can see it in social media. Sure, negative comments dot the landscape people have put an “X’’ through the “v’’ on their Livestrong wristbands to make it read “Lie strong”. But the tributes also keep coming: a few dozen new posts on a Facebook page titled “Lance Armstrong Supporters,” either vilify USADA or tell

Armstrong they’ve got his back. You can see it from the sponsors Nike is one example that are sticking with Armstrong. You can see it in the donations to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which have spiked since August, when Armstrong announced he wouldn’t ﬁght the doping charges. And it also shows in the way Armstrong steadfastly goes about his business. On Thursday, the day after the USADA report came out, he was at his foundation headquarters in Austin, Texas, looking for a place to hang a picture. On Friday, he linked to his Twitter account a shiny new slide show touting the top 15 things his foundation has accomplished since it was founded, 15 years ago this month. Star-studded anniversary celebrations are in the works. “His whole story kind of falls into the category of, sometimes good people do bad things, or, conversely, sometimes bad people do good things,” said Stan Teitelbaum, author of “Athletes Who Indulge Their Dark Side.” ‘’In a way, it’s the ‘Whatever Syndrome.’ There used to be a strong sense of indignation at things like this. How could my hero be this way? But when we the people, we the public, get disillusioned so many times, we shrug our shoulders and we just say, ‘Whatever.’” But because of the cause Armstrong represents, the hope he’s given and the money he’s raised, it could be more than that. His story, to say nothing of those 84 million yellow Livestrong wristbands he’s sold, speak to a larger truth: A good number of the more than 25 million people ﬁghting cancer worldwide look for inspiration to gain the strength to keep going. Armstrong showed them it could be done, while raising more than $500 million to help their cause. His critics give him credit

for raising the money but say he did a disservice to cancer patients by giving them false hope. One takeaway from the report could be that it really does take more than will, moxie and hard work which is all Armstrong said he needed to beat cancer and return better than ever. “The problem believers are facing now is that the thing that made him remarkable, the thing that made them love him, is that he always won,” said Daniel Coyle, author of “Lance Armstrong’s War” and “The Secret Race,” which he wrote with Tyler Hamilton, a former teammate and witness against Armstrong. “Now, we’re getting an accurate X-ray of how that happened and people have a choice. They can look at these facts and decide it was too good to be true. Or close their eyes and keep believing.” Gregory De Respino, whose wife, Gail, died of cancer in 2009, is among the legion of Armstrong fans who aren’t as interested in USADA’s version of the truth. De Respino said he pays virtually no attention to news of the investigation, the testimony or the evidence because, he says, “you don’t get anywhere damning people for their past.” “My opinion of him as a man has not changed. His pro career is past and that’s where it stays for me,” said De Respino, who lives in the New York City area and gives regularly to Livestrong. “He’s a cancer survivor and his entire story revolves forward from that. If you want to take one piece of his life and make that the only story, that’s your choice. But I think that’s one reason he chose not to ﬁght anymore. He’s got bigger ﬁsh to fry. He’s got a foundation that needs his full-time attention.” The fervent support the 41-year-old Armstrong still engenders, in the wake of such damning facts and testimony from nearly a dozen ex-teammates, is a sign of the emotion his story still holds. That’s an

New York jail sees terror suspect’s fake arms as weapons LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Every night, while an Egyptian Islamic preacher awaits trial on terrorism charges, jailers confiscate items he carries with him during the day that they consider to be weapons his prosthetic arms, including one with a metal hook. It’s a security precaution that comes with a price. For Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, it means being left for hours helpless with tasks others take for granted, such as dressing or eating. For taxpayers, it means paying more than $15,000 to outfit Mustafa with a new set of prosthetic arms with rounded fingers that can’t be used as weapons. Mustafa, 54, widely known by the name Abu Hamza al-Masri, was extradited to the U.S. from Britain in early October. He faces charges of conspiring with Seattle men to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon. He’s also accused of helping abduct 16 hostages, two of them American tourists, in Yemen in 1998. He has pleaded not guilty. Jeremy Schneider, the lawyer who represented Mustafa in court this past week, complained outside court that the daily removal of his client’s arms is a problem. “He has use of them for a certain part of the day but not long enough to allow him to function the way he should function,” Schneider said. “As you can well imagine, he’s not happy he’s in a situation like this.” It’s unclear how Mustafa copes during the times he’s without his fake limbs. He has appeared in court handless and helpless, the rounded ends of his arms both cut off shortly after the elbows in plain sight. Safety is the top priority, officials at the Metropolitan Correctional Center say. One terrorism defendant being held in the lower Manhattan lockup used a sharpened comb to poke out a guard’s eye in an ill-fated escape attempt in 2000. Authorities cite reports of people inside

prisons and outside using prosthetics in vicious attacks. In January, an inmate in an upstate New York prison accused a fellow prisoner of assaulting him with a prosthetic arm, later telling guards it felt like being hit with a steel baseball bat. And in June, an Arkansas man was accused of using a fake arm and a rock to beat another man to death. Traci Billingsley, a U.S. Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman, said she could not provide speciﬁc information about individual inmates but “if an inmate arrives at any of our facilities with a prosthetic that we believe could pose a danger, it would not be permitted inside.” Similarly, the U.S. Marshals Service, which transports Mustafa to and from court, does not allow him to wear the hook while in their custody. Billingsley said inmates with prosthetics are medically evaluated to determine whether other accommodations or devices would be appropriate. Mustafa is expected to be outﬁtted with a new prosthetic in the shape of a hand to replace his hook hand at taxpayers’ expense. Such modern prosthetic hands can range in price from $15,000 to $100,000, said John N. Billock, head of the Orthotics & Prosthetics Rehabilitation Engineering Centre in Warren, Ohio. Forty years ago, hooks were considered superior to prosthetics in the shape of hands, but that has changed with advances made in electrically powered prosthetic hands, he said. “In my profession, there was a time when the mechanical hands were just considered not to be as functional. We live in a world made for hands,” he said. Billock said he has not worked with prisoners but can understand why Mustafa misses his hook. He said people missing both hands sometimes prefer to have one hook prosthetic and one hand-shaped prosthetic because they serve different purposes.

element missing from the stories of Jones, Bonds, Clemens, Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and others who’ve been tainted by the cloud of performance-enhancing drugs. None of them overcame what Armstrong did. That point was driven home in a blog written in August, after Armstrong gave up fighting the sanctions, by Dr. Leonard Lichtenfeld, the deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society. Lichtenfeld watched Armstrong give a passionate presentation to the Texas state Legislature years ago in support of a multibilliondollar funding bill for cancer research. The legislation passed, with no small credit to Armstrong, Lichtenfeld said. “I will tell you hands down I have never witnessed anything so powerful as I witnessed that night,” Lichtenfeld wrote. “He created a mission that will live long past him, and will survive whatever people choose to make of the events surrounding him. He has taken the message of survivorship to the world with a power that no one else possesses.” Lichtenfeld declined an interview request but said his feelings haven’t changed. Jay Kornegay, race and sports book director at The LVH casino, has watched his industry profit when emotion, at times, trumps logic in decisions made through the prism of sports. He sees how that could happen with Armstrong, even as his story plays to an increasingly savvy and more cynical public. He guesses the resilience of Armstrong and his brand is as much a sign of steroid fatigue as anything else. “I think this is just a simple case of people saying, ‘We’ve heard the story before. Everybody does it,’” Kornegay said. “He’s a great humanitarian who helps so many others, and he continues to do so. So, they say, ‘Hey, we’re going to give him a mulligan on this one.’”

ADRIAN SAINZ

Associated Press

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A pile of stuffed animals marks the spot where 15-year-old Justin Thompson fell, fatally shot by an off-duty Memphis police officer on a school night in a working-class neighborhood. The Sept. 24 shooting is still under investigation, but the question of whether Officer Terrance Shaw used excessive force makes the case one more example for critics who say there is a years-long culture of misconduct in the police department of Tennessee’s largest city. This year, at least 23 Memphis officers and civilian personnel have been charged with crimes, from DUI and drug dealing to human sex trafficking. Going back to 2004, dozens of officers in the 2,400-officer force have been charged with corruption. Thompson’s death was a tipping point for Mayor A C Wharton Jr. in recently ordering a review of the department by an outside group, like Miami, Los Angeles and other major cities with troubled departments have done in the past. Wharton says the department’s arrests are causing the public to lose faith in its police. Among the most shocking of the arrests this year was an officer charged with sex trafficking, accused of making a deal while on duty to take prostitutes to work at a party in Mississippi. That officer was investigated and charged by the FBI’s Tarnished Badge Task Force. It also investigated an officer charged with computer fraud and another charged with drug possession. Other officers have been charged this year with theft of property, felony shoplifting, domestic violence and DUI. The call for an external investigation has put Police Director Toney Armstrong on the defensive. He says he’s not resigning despite heavy public scrutiny. Members of the community have held rallies decrying police corruption, saying they no longer trust the men and women charged with protecting them. A group of church pastors — always an influential part of the

Memphis community has expressed support for the department and Armstrong, who has noted that the bad behavior of a few officers is tainting the actions of the entire force. Community groups are trying to improve communication between residents and the police department. The Mid-South Peace & Justice Center is organizing meetings in which residents can talk directly with officers and voice their concerns. “There are some who are angry, there are some who feel they are not being communicated with,” said Melissa Miller-Monie, who organizes the Community-Police Relations project. “Some want answers. Some want changes in policies.” Even the cases that have not ended up in arrests have angered the community. An officer involved in a crash that killed two people in late August did not have his lights or sirens on, a violation of police policies. “It appears that it’s a systemic issue,” said law enforcement consultant Melvin Tucker, who has served as police chief in four Southern cities. “It’s a cultural problem more than likely. Something in the organization is allowing that to happen or not discouraging it.” Other cities major U.S. cities have faced similar problems and investigations hoping to solve them. After the Rodney King beating in 1991, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley appointed lawyer Warren Christopher to lead a commission to investigate the city’s police department. Christopher later became President Clinton’s Secretary of State. Shirley Thompson and other relatives say her son’s Facebook page, which had photos of him flashing gang signs, fanning out cash, and making statements about his involvement in street life, are not an accurate portrayal of her son. She believes her son did not rob anybody. “I’m just waiting on the truth,” she said during a candlelight vigil for her son. “I’m just staying strong for my son. I’m looking for the mayor to give me the truth.”

2012

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Associated Press

Memphis teenager killed after shot by police

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Hard high school classes help college students Bonnie Miller Rubin MCT Campus

CHICAGO— Getting admitted to a top university isn’t enough. For many students, finishing the mission and getting a degree requires a variety of initiatives, from a rigorous high school curriculum to more advisers, according to a new report released Thursday by the National School Boards Association. The nonprofit found that only 57.8 percent attending four-year institutions in the U.S. earned a diploma in less than six years; while just 32.9 percent in twoyear schools graduate on time. Students are more likely to drop out during their first year than at any other time. Of freshmen at four-year schools, 21 percent did not continue for a second year. In community colleges, 36 percent of freshmen failed to return. Researchers also identified interventions to help improve the numbers and found that positive outcomes start long before a student moves into the dorm. “This really provides a rare glimpse of what schools especially high schools can do to influence post-college success,” said Jim Hull, a senior policy analyst for the Center for Public Education, an arm of the National School Boards Association, which oversaw the project. The findings were applauded by many area educators and confirm what they see in their own students, they said. “I’m really excited about these findings,” said Elizabeth Dozier, principal of Fenger High School in Chicago’s Roseland

neighborhood, where the school has added counselors and more challenging curriculum. “Many of our kids get a college acceptance letter, but they never make it. This means that, with the steps we’re taking now, we’re definitely on the right track.” Analyzing data from Department of Education, Hull and other researchers followed more than 9,000 high school sophomores in 2002 through 2006. They zeroed in on three factors for getting a degree: High-level mathematics: More demanding high school math classes can be one of the largest predictors of success. Students from higher socioeconomic status had a 10 percent better chance of persisting in a four-year college if they had gone beyond algebra II. The results were even more striking for disadvantaged students: They were 22 percent more likely to continue in college with these classes on their transcripts. Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate classes: Taking an AP/IB class in high school had a dramatic effect on students’ chances of persevering. Low achieving students were 18 percent more likely to finish at a four-year college by exposure to a challenging curriculum even if they fail the end-of-course exam. Academic advising: Talking to an academic adviser in college yielded better results for everyone, regardless of demographics. Undergraduates at four-year schools who saw their adviser “often” vs. “never” were 53 percent more likely to

reach graduation. The researchers called these statistics “possibly the most surprising finding” of the entire report. They also noted that turning to welltrained adults is a habit cultivated early. Since the economic downturn, however, high school counseling departments have suffered under the budget ax, with a 1-to-500 ratio of students to guidance counselors not unusual, Hull said. “This is a call to action to invest in our counselors, so we can get more out of the investment in our students.” Karen Foley, director of Chicago Scholars, an organization dedicated to helping underresourced students succeed in higher education, said access to a knowledgeable ear cannot be overemphasized. It’s why they maintain contact with their students throughout their entire college career, not just during application season. It’s especially crucial for first-generation college-goers, whose parents might not know how to steer their children through the college years. “Our kids will call saying, ‘I can’t pass this course and the professor says it’s my problem.’ Or ‘I’m in the wrong major and I hate nursing.’ Or even ‘My roommate is using my deodorant. What should I do?’ Often, (the student’s) answer is to leave.” Masoud Qader, a junior at University of Illinois, Chicago and one of Foley’s “stars” _ sees smart students routinely call it quits. “It’s a combination of everything...most aren’t prepared... and they’re thrown into this

totally new environment and it’s just a shock,” said Qader, a bioengineering major. “A lot of kids were doing busy work in high school... they weren’t taught to think critically,” said the graduate of Northside College Prep High School. At Fenger, Dozier said they’ve made significant strides in improving post-secondary drop-out rates. School officials are focused on making sure students are well-equipped to step up to the next level, including offering a new class on college reading and writing. “We’re constantly trying to close the gap...and mining the data, then turning it into solutions,” said the principal. But no matter how hard educators try, it is difficult to make up for the unlevel playing field at home which is why some students end up as dropout statistics, experts said. Qader, whose parents emigrated from Afghanistan in 1984, said his family’s newcomer status is a reality he confronts often. Because of language barriers, he must accompany his mother to doctor appointments and be the one to fill out official forms, whether car insurance or a lease, draining time from his studies. When he applies to medical school, he’ll be at a disadvantage compared to those with family connections, he said. “That’s why great advisers and mentors are so important,” he said. “Without them, you’re just navigating without a map.”

Privatized Medicare would Manufacturers launch program to hire more veterans raise premiums Diana Marcum

Diana Marcum MCT Campus

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly six in 10 Medicare recipients would pay higher premiums under a hypothetical privatized system along the lines of what Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has proposed, according to a study released Monday. The report by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation also found striking regional differences that could lead to big premium hikes in some states

and counties. That finding instantly made it ammunition in the presidential campaign. In the senior-rich political swing state of Florida, the hypothetical plan modeled by Kaiser would boost premiums for traditional Medicare by more than $200 a month on average. In Nevada, another competitive state, 50 percent of seniors would face additional monthly premiums of $100 or more for their coverage. A new pattern of regional disparities would emerge from overhauling Medicare’s payment system, the report said.

MCT Campus

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some of the nation’s leading manufacturing companies announced a new program Monday to help veterans gain the skills necessary to fill some of the estimated 600,000 high-tech, manufacturing jobs that remain open because employers can’t find qualified applicants. The manufacturers say the program will be initially offered in 10 cities. The companies will work with local community and technology colleges to offer training and to put veterans on a fast track to

obtaining certification in such areas as electronics, welding and machining. The effort to hire more veterans will also involve working with employers. General Electric and Military Families at Syracuse University are developing a reference guide that employers can use to help them more effectively recruit and mentor veterans. The guide will be made available to those companies participating in efforts by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the White House to help 100,000 veterans and their spouses obtain work by 2014.

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Student borrowers can’t get help to restructure payments Stacie bailey

MCT Campus

WASHINGTON— College students who took out private student loans before the recession hit are telling the government they’re getting a runaround from lenders as they struggle to pay them back. In a report to be released Tuesday, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that student borrowers, like homeowners with troubled mortgages, are upset about how hard it can be to get help with their payment problems, and how long it can take for lenders to fix their own errors. “Student loan borrower stories of detours and dead ends with their servicers bear an uncanny resemblance to problematic practices uncovered in the mortgage servicing business,” said Rohit Chopra, the bureau’s ombudsman for student loans. His report was based on nearly 2,900 complaints to his office since March, when it set up a website to inquire about

problems that borrowers were having with the private student loan market. The consumer protection agency, established under a Wall Street regulation law, worked with the Department of Education on the project. The federal government took over the student loan business under President Barack Obama. The administration said doing so saved billions of dollars in middleman costs. Unlike federal student loans, private loans don’t have a system of incomebased repayment. Outstanding student loan debt is more than $1 trillion. Private loans account for more than $150 billion of that total, the report said. About $8 billion of those loans are in default. Sallie Mae, a major private student lender, said in a written statement that it helps customers who run into financial trouble. “We have modified $1.1 billion in private education loans with interest rate reductions or extended repayment since

2009,” the company said. Many of the borrowers who complained took out their loans before the economy tanked in 2008, and then graduated at a time when jobs have been hard to find, according to the report. They said they can’t take advantage of lower interest rates or modify their repayment plans when they don’t earn enough money to make large monthly payments. Chopra said borrowers also complained about how their payments were handled. He said some with more than one loan reported that extra payments they meant to apply to high-interest loans were mistakenly applied to loans with lower rates. The report suggested that lenders implement “creative efforts” to help borrowers restructure their debt when necessary. Modifying such loans would not only help borrowers, but also could lead to higher overall collections for lenders, it said.

IPad mini may start at $249 for Wi-Fi 8 GB model Stacie bailey

MCT Campus

LOS ANGELES– The one remaining mystery surrounding the iPad mini is how much will it cost, but now, a new image on the Web appears to answer that question. Over the weekend, German tech blogger Florian Schimanke posted what looks like an inventory list of the various iPad mini models. And along with the various models, the list includes prices. According to the image, the iPad mini will be available in 16 different versions. It will come in both black and white and range in storage from as little as 8 gigabytes to as much as 64 GB. Additionally, the image indicates there will be versions of the device that can connect to cellular networks. The posted picture, which according to the blog comes from an anonymous informant, shows 8 GB versions of the iPad mini will go for $320. But Gizmodo is reporting that the U.S. price is likely to be $249. As it points out, Apple charges roughly the same figure in Europe for the third

generation iPad as it does in America. It doesn’t conpensate for the foreign exchange difference. As for the inventory list provided by the German blogger, the price goes up to 349 euros for the 16 GB model, 449 euros for the 32 GB device and 549 euros for a 64 GB version. The cellular-connected versions of the iPad mini start at 349 euros for the 8 GB model, 449 euros for the 16 GB model, 549 for the 32 GB and 649 for the 64 GB versions of the device. These prices could be completely wrong as they’re coming from an unofficial source, but if they are the price points Apple is looking at, it will have the most pricey lower-end tablet among the top players in the market. By comparison, Amazon sells a 32 GB version of its 7-inch Kindle Fire HD tablet for $249; Google sells a 16 GB version of the 7-inch Nexus 7 for the same price. The iPad mini is expected to feature a 7.85-inch screen, have an aluminum back cover, be relatively thin, come with two speakers and include Apple’s new Lightning connector. The device is ex

Police searched Fresno State fraternity house after hazing death Diana Marcum MCT Campus

FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno police searched a fraternity at Fresno State University as part of an investigation into the hazing death of an 18-year-old freshman, according to newly released court documents. A search warrant filed in Fresno County Superior Court said detectives wanted to search the Theta Chi fraternity after its members evaded questions, leading to fears that they might hide or destroy evidence about the death of Phillip Dhanens of Bakersfield. Police declined to discuss the results of the search. Dhanens died of alcohol poisoning after he and 14 other fraternity pledges were locked in a room the night of Aug. 31 and told they could not leave until they had consumed bottles of tequila, rum and vodka, police said. Dhanens, a football player and band member in high school, drank heavily and became agitated before passing out. Fraternity members then carried him to a designated “Drunk Room” for observation by the “Sober Brothers,” the search warrant said. About three hours later, he stopped breathing. An autopsy found that alcohol consumption caused

Dhanens brain to swell. His blood-alcohol level was 0.36. The death was the second alcohol-related fatality at a Fresno State fraternity party in six years. In 2006, a 19-yearold died of alcohol poisoning at a Phi Gamma Delta fraternity party. The university suspended that fraternity for five years. Hank Nuwer, a professor at Franklin College in Indiana who has written four books on hazing, said the university needs to act more aggressively to prevent such deaths. Nuwer said the 2006 fatality was “a terrible bystander death with 70 witnesses, and no one there said anything to police _ and the school only suspended the organization.” “After this latest death, Fresno State students and administration held a candlelight memorial. Is that enough?” asked Nuwer, whose research found that 80 percent of hazing deaths over a seven-year period were alcohol-related. A statement by Paul Oliaro, vice president for student affairs, said “Fresno State is awaiting completion of the police investigation before deciding upon the appropriate university response to this tragic incident. Theta Chi remains on interim suspension from university recognition.”

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Political debates crucial to campaign success STEVEN MICHELS

The Hartford Courant

The presidential debates usually are tightly scripted and well-rehearsed joint press coferences. But because they’re one of the few places where our next president can speak to the country at length and unfiltered by the media, the debates matter now more than ever. Democracy requires a dialogue about its fundamental principles. But instead of a contest of political assertions relating to policy goals, our politics has become more about affirming a particular worldview and social consciousness. What we’re seeing might be the first postmodern election. The essential feature of modernism is the pursuit of objective and empirical truth. From a postmodern perspetive, truth as a goal is as imposible as it is silly. Reality has been on life support for years dating back to 1997, when Bill Clinton urged us to contemplate the meaning of “is.” But what was once the egregious exception has become the norm. Truth has taken a serious hit this campaign season. “We’re not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers,” said Neil Newhouse, a pollster for the Romney campaign. Newhouse was soundly criticized, but his was a classic Kinsley-style gaffe-truth. It used to be that competing

narratives were spun from a commonly accepted set of facts. The goal was to put those facts in the best possible light. Facts were politicized, but agreement on policy was still possible. The new narratives begin with a moral stance, which facts are then spun into or out of it. If the goal before was winning elections and forming public policy, the new goal is more demanding but actually easier to achieve: righteousness. Disagreement is essential to preserve the integrity of the narrative, which means that compromise is not only impossible but contemptible. The conservative narrative includes self-reliance, American exceptionalism, and JudeoChristian values. The liberal narrative is based on equality and the inherent goodness of human nature and goverment. The rhetoric of freedom is perhaps the most contested territory: conservatives want freedom to mean economic freedom, while liberals are more concerned with political freedom. As much as they are firm, each side is also flawed. In their pure forms, the conservative position is as specific and skeptical as the liberal position is vague and naive. Liberals put their faith in themselves and each other, while conservatives use religion and God. Conservatives chide the left for its reliance on “identity” politics, by which they mean race, class, gender and sexual orien-

tation. But the right too has its identities: American, Christian, entrepreneur. Conservatives emphasize sameness and make a virtue of exclusion; liberals emphasize difference and make a virtue of inclusion. Both narratives also misuse history _ conservatives for its supposed goodness and justice, liberals for its relative badness and injustice. The narratives have grown impenetrable not in spite of our media, but because of it. The number of media outlets and volume of coverage means that every citizen can construct his or her own political narratives, safe inside bubbles of interpretation and meaning. For their part, candidates feed into the frenzy Obama stays away from Fox, Romney stays away from MSNBC. But the media is under no compulsion to create a safe space for softball questions. And, conversely, if voters are going to hear what they want to hear, then there’s little to be lost from giving it to them. In short, the quest for objectivity and truth has rendered them both inconsequential. A refusal to believe scientiﬁc consensus not because of its uncertainty, but because of its certainty. The Dark Ages were dark because of superstition and ignorance. But the New Dark Age is dark because we’ve ﬁtted ourselves with blinders. It’s Orwell’s 1984 without the need

for state tyranny. These two perspectives are ideal types, but, short of a real crisis, it’s hard to imagine a way out. That’s why the danger of money looms so large whether

it’s corporate, union or private. Any common discourse would have to begin on level ground. It’s possible that new communities could be formed where issues are less abstract and problems require more immediate

attention. But that would mean a fracturing of national political life. The debates might be the last place where the narratives collide, which is exactly why we need more of them.

When is Tupac coming back?

He was trying to kill everyone. Tupac was way more than just a rapper or musician. That’s what people don’t understand.

How often do you use your B.E.E.R. goggles? CHRISTOPHER LYNN N.M. Staff Writer

In Runway Fashion, there are few men, and absolutely no room for anyone of any gender to be overweight. Even in “ready to wear” fashions, though extended sizes exist, selection is limited, often mundane and quite ghastly. With all of this already against us, we still have to take into account our body shape and height. I am someone who is between sizes. Usually, I can pour myself into an extra large, but there is always that one brand from which I have to buy an extraextra large to ﬁt into. Not to mention I have to be careful of slim and custom ﬁts … and don’t even get me started talking about pants. But anyway, before I go off on too much of a tangent, let me address the real issue here. Though there are numerous factors to sort through when shopping as a husky fellow, it is

still your responsibility to shop responsibly. No, this is not a Public Service Announcement concerning alcohol but it should be taken just as seriously. Have you heard of beer goggles? You know, the goggles used to simulate the feeling of being intoxicated? Well, some people look through Brash Evaluation for Everything Retail (B.E.E.R.) goggles when they go shopping. These two terms hold roughly the same meaning. For those of you still confused, let me explain. Say you’re at a party with a bunch of girls, all you see is opportunity. You walk around for a while, see a couple of cute girls, but you aren’t ready to seal the deal with any of them just yet. You take a few sips of beer to ease the pain of possible rejection. After a few sips, you’re feeling pretty sauced and maybe

even a little desperate. For certain though, your beer goggles are now in full-effect. Once the goggles are on, every girl you see receives a three to four point rating increase. If you end up picking out a girl who ranks as an eight or nine, in reality she’s probably about a four or five. You get her number, call and text her for a couple of days, then finally decide to go out. In your conversations she tells you she looks like Amber Rose, but when you finally see her again, without your beer goggles she looks more like Rosie O’Donnell. Tragic, right? Now, say you go to the mall with a bunch of clothing stores. Again, all you see is opportunity. You walk around for a while, see a couple of nice pieces, but they’re not your size. You feel slightly defeated, and decide to broaden your search so you won’t leave the mall empty-handed. After a couple stores, it’s safe to say you’re pretty desperate.

The B.E.E.R. goggles are in full effect. Once the goggles are on, every shirt you see extends two sizes. You look at yourself in the dressing room mirror, tugging on your shirt slightly, and say, “Eh, it’ll stretch.” With this thought in your mind, you buy it and walk out the store a happy camper. But what happens when you get home to try it on, thinking it’s the “one,” but it looks more like an onesie? Tragic, right? Buying a large shirt when you obviously need an extra-extra large is something I hate seeing. I feel like it gives a bad representation of big guys as a whole. With that being said, please buy your correct size. When I see you around campus, I shouldn’t have to wonder, “Bruh, do you need a wonder bra?” So, all you mufﬁn-top men, living on Drury Lane, this Haute Seat goes out to you.

What role should affirmative action play in creating campus diversity? MCT CAMPUS Contributor

Once again, affirmative action is before the U.S. Supreme Court, which is being asked to decide how much is enough when it comes to efforts to achieve racial diversity on college campuses. The mere fact that the court agreed to take up the issue has fueled speculation that it might hand down a landmark decision invalidating programs specifically designed to increase a student body’s minority representation. In 2003, the court ruled that the University of Michigan School of Law could consider race as one factor in student admissions, but it did not mandate that colleges must have affirmative action programs to achieve diversity.

Indeed, then-Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who voted with the 5-4 majority in approving the Michigan law school’s approach to admitting minority students, predicted that within 25 years the use of “racial preferences” should no longer be needed. Nine years later, that day clearly has not come. However, the makeup of the Supreme Court has changed signiﬁcantly. It is a more conservative body, which means it could decide now is as good a time as any to eliminate all racial preferences. The court heard arguments Wednesday on a lawsuit challenging the University of Texas’ undergraduate admissions process ﬁled by Abigail Noel Fisher, who contends she was denied admission to the university while minority students with lower grades were admitted. The university uses race as

one of a number of factors in ﬁlling the last quarter of its incoming freshman class. The rest of the about 7,100 freshman spots automatically go to Texans who graduated in the top 8 percent of their high school classes. The case could have sweeping implications if the court reaches a decision that could be applied beyond efforts on campuses across the country to achieve more diverse student populations. At the University of Texas, blacks are only 5 percent of the 52,000 students, while the state’s population is 12 percent African-American. Hispanics are only 18 percent of the university’s student body, but are 38 percent of the state population. While the university has been able to improve diversity by automatically admitting the top seniors at each school, ofﬁ-

cials say there are still too many classrooms with only token minority representation. In its 2003 ruling, the court said there were “substantial” benefits to diversity in an educational setting. It added that, “In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity.” But the slim court majority that said that appears to no longer exist. Justice Samuel Alito, who replaced O’Connor, was a member of a group opposed to affirmative action at Princeton University. Justice Anthony Kennedy, usually a key swing vote, was against affirmative action in the 2003 case. Voiding affirmative action without offering viable alternatives would be devastating.

Guy#1 Why does everybody think that Pac is coming back? Tupac Shakur got killed after the Tyson ﬁght. That’s as simple as I can put it. But believe Suge Knight had him set up. Tupac is gone, but he left us his music to continue his legacy. Guy#2 Probably on December 21, 2012. He’s probably going to drop another album with Dre. Forreal, see you think I’m playing. Tupac’s whole death was a publicity stunt. The government probably hid him down in the Carribean or somewhere in Africa. Guy#3 He’s coming back when they ﬁnd a way to bring people baack from the dead. People need to just accept that once they’re gone they are not coming back. If he was coming back he would have came by now. Who is your favorite movie character? Guy#1 My favorite movie character? Probably Denzel in training day. I know I’ve watched that movie about a million times. Denzel got right in that one. My favorite part is when he get shot up at the end. Guy#2 Now that we talking bout Pac, I’d have to say the best is probably Tupac in Juice. He really went crazy in that movie.

Guy#3 Smoky from Friday. Actually, everybody in that movie did their thing. I mean, the names Debo, Craig, and Ezell will live in imphamy. Friday is just the classic hood movie. I mean every hood in America has a Big Worm. True or not? Who is the best rapper alive? Guy#1 You gotta say 50. I mean he got all the money. I mean 50 cent sold records and got mad business plans. I heard Vitamin water got him like 250 million. At the end of the day you rap so that you can make money. 50 got money. Guy#2 Jay got to be the nicest rapper alive! I mean come on. What other rapper owns part of a professional basketball team? And then tell me what rapper brings the team to his hometown. In ten years HOV still going to be killing these young cats on the mic. Guy#3 Off the top of my head I would have to say 3 stacks. His wordplay and metaphors are like nobody elses. Him and big boy could still be killing the game if they wanted to. Everybody was playing “Ms. Jackson” back in the day. Yea deﬁnitely Andre.

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Editor’s note:The opinions expressed on The Word are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the staff of The A&T Register. All house editorials are written and revised with input from the editorial board, staff, and is approved by the editor. All submissions must be sent to theatregister@gmail.com to be considered for submission and should be no longer than 250 words. Submissions must be received by the Sunday prior to publication at 5 p.m. to be considered. The A&T Register reserves the right to edit all submission content for clarity and grammar. Submissions become the property of The A&T Register and will not be returned.

theSCORE The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Aggies continue to support breast cancer N.C. A&T

Sports Information

The Aggie volleyball team now 1-24 overall and 1-4 in conference play return to their home after sweeping Savannah State and winning their first game of the season on Sunday. A&T is proud to host its annual Dig Pink match today at 6p.m. against Norfolk State who is now 6-18 overall and 3-2 in their conference. The players will be wearing pink jerseys and armbands to help raise awareness for breast cancer. The Aggies will look to use the momentum from Sunday’s victory to start a winning streak as they head into their final seven matches of the regular season. “I think today was a day where we learned the importance of finishing. As a team, we normally break down at the end and make it harder for ourselves to finish. We had our moments in today’s game where things may not have gone right, but

we endured and pulled out our first win. It feels good,” said senior Andrea Evans. A&T volleyball has not earned a spot in the MEAC Championship since 2007. The team will have to finish fourth or better in the Southern Division in order to do so. They have played each of their Southern Division opponents once this season, and have five more matches against them. The Aggies are currently in fifth place in the Southern Division, two games behind S.C. State, N.C. Central and Bethune-Cookman who are all 3-2 in the MEAC after Sunday’s matches. A&T is 22-8 against the Spartans entering into today’s match. The Spartans are 3-2 in the MEAC Northern Division, sitting in fourth place. Norfolk Senior Charlotte Armstead leads the team with 271 kills for an average of 3.11 per set. Junior Goda Jankauskaite leads the team with 61 total blocks. Fresh-

man setter Darcy Moore was named MEAC Rookie of the Week on Oct. 8. The Spartans have four players with 100 or more digs and five with 100 or more kills. Improving from 2011 the Aggies have collected 20 set victories with seven matches to play. In 29 matches in 2011, the Aggies only won eight sets. The Aggies also were able to avoid losing in three consecutive sets in 14 of their 25 matches. In 2011, only two of A&T’s 27 losses were in four sets. The Aggies also have played in four five-set matches this season--more than in the last three years combined. The lady aggies are excited to host the Dig Pink match helping to take a bite out of Breast Cancer. In efforts to help support the team and breast cancer awareness head to Moore Gymnasium wearing pink! Donations can also be made to the side-out foundation. –theatregister@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @ATRegister

AGGIES RUNDOWN football

Photo by ALICIA FUNDERBURK • N.C. A&T

A&T Softball player leading off base against Winston-Salem State in Sunday’s preseason scrimmage.

Softball preps for spring season with scrimmage N.C. A&T

Sports Information

A spirited scrimmage between the North Carolina A&T and WinstonSalem State softball teams broke out at the Lady Aggie Softball Complex on Sunday afternoon. “I’m just glad to see another team besides just looking at them every day, seeing the competition and see where they stack up,” head coach Mamie Jones said. “It was good for them, especially the freshman and the newbies that are on the team. I just wanted to see how they react and we’ll just move on and go from there.” Her evaluation was that the Aggies performed well, but they’ve got

plenty to work on before the regular season starts in 2013. Freshman Jenika May had a stellar outing. She retired the first 14 batters she faced, and then shut down the Rams offense after allowing a walk. Jax Kaye Woodard (formerly known as Juanita Jernigan) hit a two-run home run to left field. Jones was quick to point out that Sunday’s event was just a scrimmage. The Aggies will play another doubleheader scrimmage on Saturday, Oct. 20 against the College of Ablemarle. The Aggies will continue to hone their skills in preparation for the 2013 season. –theatregister@gmail.com and follow us on Twitter @ATRegister

TEAM Bethune Cookman North Carolina Central Howard Delaware State Morgan State Florida A&M North Carolina A&T Hampton South Carolina State Savannah State Norfolk State

MEAC 3-0 3-0 3-1 2-1 2-1 2-1 1-2 1-2 1-3 0-3 0-4

OVR. 4-2 4-2 4-2 3-3 3-3 2-4 3-3 1-4 2-5 0-5 2-5

MEAC

OVR.

THIS WEEK’S GAME: Saturday at Delaware State Dover, Del. 1:30 p.m. NEXT WEEK’S GAME: Saturday vs. Norfolk State Aggie Stadium 1:30 p.m.

volleyball TEAM

Northern MD Eastern Shore 5-0 Hampton 4-1 Coppin State 4-2 Norfolk State 3-2 Morgan State 2-3 Delaware State 1-5 Howard 0-6 Southern Florida A&M 5-0 South Carolina State 3-2 North Carolina Central 3-2 Bethune Cookman 3-2 North Carolina A&T 1-4 Savannah State 0-5

19-3 13-11 8-9 6-18 2-16 4-14 0-17 7-8 6-10 5-18 4-19 1-24 1-24

THIS WEEK’S GAME: Today vs. Norfolk State Moore Gymnasium 6 p.m. NEXT WEEK’S GAME: Tuesday at The Citadel Charlston, S.C. 6 p.m.

Aggies take on Delaware State Symone Kidd

Sports Editor

Last weekend the Aggie football team trampled over the undefeated Howard University winning their first conference game of the season 38-10. This Saturday the team is on the road and will take on the Hornets of Delaware State during their homecoming. Success has not been the norm for A&T in Dover, Del. The Aggies have not defeated the Hornets in their own stadium since 2002. Offensively the Aggies looked solid against the Hornets last season as they earned a home win 42-24. Currently, the series between the two teams is tied at 20-20-1. Under the second season of the Kermit Blount era the Hornets are 3-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference. In Blount’s first season with the Hornets they finished 3-8. They have won their last two games, which were against Norfolk State and South Carolina State. This week defensive back Terrick Colston was awarded the MEAC Rookie of the Week Award. The Delaware State football program has players from multiple states including defensive back Alan Hart from Greensboro. An Aggie win on the road would make them 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the conference. It would also mean two back-toback (conference) wins going into next week’s homecoming game against Norfolk State. –sckidd@ncat.edu and follow her on Twitter @LifeCreating

Interested in sports? Want to write for this section? Come to the contributors meetings Wednesdays at 5 p.m. in GCB A328

The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Real World Access: Derek Chavez

Trending Fashion Hotpick

Necole Jackson Scene Editor

Have you ever dreamed of being on the Real World? Derek Chavez has. Viewers ma have seen him on “Real World Cancun,” but now he makes his big comeback since “Cutthroat” on “The Challenge.” Not all “Real World” cast members make the challenges. “Once you do ‘Real World,’ it’s kind of like you see whatever opportunities you can get. MTV usually calls and invites you to the challenges. When they called and invited me to Prague, (“Cutthroat Challenge”) I was like okay let’s do this, even though I didn’t get to stay that long,” said Chavez Even though he did not get to stay on the first challenge, he did not let that stop him from trying his best the second time. This challenge was very different from other viewers have seen. Cast members come together and compete against each other in teams of four. “When we first got to Turkey, we had it in our minds that we were going to be either battling people on our season or playing with them. When they gave us format of the game, I thought Team Cancun was going to be a strong team to beat.” Some of the cast members were former spouses, enemies or best friends. One cast member that everyone was not to happy to see was Wes, from “Real World Austin.” “I grew up watching these shows, so I’ve definitely seen Wes before. He plays the game really

The A&T Register takes a look a one great trend from Fashion Week.

Men, North Faces are the thing of a past. Put those classic ski bags down and pick up a color blocking back pack. A lot of great urban eclectic places are creating bookbags for our generation. Check out www. asos.com and www. urbanoutfitters.com for selections.

dirty and knows how to get under people’s skin. I just knew right off the back that Wes’s team couldn’t win because they would gain control of the challenges,” said Chavez. “He told CJ, my teammate that if they win, they were going after us, so being able to defeat them in the first challenge and throw it back in their face was awesome.” Derek and him team established their power by winning the first challenge. Even though they played hard, there were still teams that were a challenge. “Our biggest competition was San Diego cause they were all athletes and stacked, but their only downfall was they didn’t have a team dynamic like we did.” Watching anything dealing with “Real World,” there is one Photo by MPRM Communications thing that you can expect: Hook-ups. Juicy derek chavez (FAR LEFT) poses with cast mates from The Real World: Cancun Hook-Ups. playing with us and others with with people.” If you are still waiting When asking Chavez who for your favorite players to get other alliances, felt they should was the winner he commented, be there over other teams. together, you may have hope. St. Thomas is who we had can’t say who wins or is in the “There are hook-ups that finals, but I can say you can see major issues with.” haven’t been shown on the Chavez did not win the how well an alliance can really show yet. There might be some same sex hook-ups and there game, but he did show his ag- do, it that means anything.” Even though Chavez did not might be same that are not gression. “In these kind of some sex, but yes you can ex- games, nice guys usually don’t win the game, one thing that win and that’s what happened we can say is that he played on pect to see more.” good game. Another thing you can ex- in my case,” Chavez added. I am a nice person, but you pect this season is enemies. -nmjackso@agies.ncat.edu and will see me start to stand my Derek had one team in mind. follow me at @NecoleRitchie “After we got rid of Wes, ground. You see there was a point Vegas started playing both sides. Then St. Thomas, was where I can’t keep hanging out

‘Walking Perry turns off Madea and turns on action hero in ‘Alex Cross’ Dead’ brings life to viewers Julie Hinds

MCT Campus

Scott collins

MCT Campus

Zombies must eat brains and ratings too, if the huge numbers of AMC’s season premiere of “The Walking Dead” are any indication. Sunday’s Season 3 rollout of the zombie drama devoured basic-cable ratings records and also became the highest-rated entertainment premiere this fall higher than “Revolution” and “Vegas” and everything else the broadcasters have put on. The 9 p.m. premiere of “Walking Dead” drew 10.9 million total viewers, according to Nielsen. That is a 50 percent hike over the Season 2 premiere and now ranks as the biggest telecast of any drama series in basic-cable history. The season debut also scored 7.3 million viewers in the key category of adults ages 18 to 49, which is the main category the broadcasters are selling to advertisers. “Walking Dead” did better on that score than all the new fall shows. Check out “Walking Dead” on AMC Sunday’s at 9 p.m.

Questions

Tyler Perry has a lot to say about his upcoming movie “Alex Cross,” except when it comes to a certain minor plot point. The entertainment titan plays a Detroit homicide detective in the fast-paced crime drama, which opens Friday. And in this fictional police force, one of his fellow cops (Edward Burns) and another member of their investigative unit (Rachel Nichols) are having a secret workplace romance. It is an unintentional reminder of the sex scandal that fueled the retirement this month of Detroit Police Chief Ralph Godbee. Does Perry, who was unaware of the Godbee news, have any comment? “I’m just going to leave that alone, because what I’ve learned to do when it comes to politics is to keep my mouth shut,” he said judiciously. “I’m a smart guy.” Indeed, Perry, 43, is one of the most successful men in Hollywood. In two decades, he has built a multimedia empire as an actor, writer, director and producer with credits that include movies, TV sitcoms and stage plays. But the project that he’s preoccupied with at the moment is “Alex Cross,” his first attempt at being an action-film star. Perry portrays the title

character, who’s from the best-selling novels by James Patterson. It is a role filled by Morgan Tyler Perry Freeman in two previous movies (“Along Came a Spider” and “Kiss the Girls”). The assignment could not be more different from Perry’s most famous creation: the loud, fierce and funny grandmother he dons a wig and dress to portray in the hit “Madea” movies. He describes the Alex Cross role as a welcome challenge and a chance to focus solely on acting for a change. “I went to work as an actor and let go and let producers be producers and directors be directors and just acted, so it was really great for me,” he says. “Alex Cross” is something of an origin story for the fictional hero, who is seen here as a young detective encountering the toughest case of his career, the search for a vicious serial killer (Matthew Fox) nicknamed Picasso for his habit of leaving drawings at crime scenes. Besides Burns and Nichols, the cast includes Carmen Ejogo as Cross’s wife, Cicely Tyson as his mother, French actor Jean Reno as a Detroit-based

international industrialist who may be a target of Picasso and John C. McGinley as a top Detroit Matthew Fox cop. It is directed by Rob Cohen (“The Fast and the Furious,” “XXX”). Shot mostly in Cleveland, the action yarn spent two weeks in Detroit filming some of its most eye-catching scenes, including one at the old Packard plant and another at the downtown Michigan Theatre. There is also a sequence on the People Mover where Picasso wields a portable rocket launcher. Perhaps even more than “Real Steel,” the film shows off the Motor City’s ability to provide moody, visually striking locations. Perry prepared carefully to portray Cross. He mostly stayed in character on the set, a Method approach that impressed co-star Ejogo with its dedication. “It was something I thought was very necessary, to be able to stay in the moment,” he says. “When you are filming a movie, there’s a lot going on. You have to guard the space of the actor. You have to guard the space

of the character.” He underwent some intense physical training in Krav Maga, a self-defense art used by many law enforcement groups. “It was a two-hour workout in the morning and then in the afternoon, there was another two hours of Krav Maga, which is the most physically draining, exhausting workout I’ve ever had in my life,” says Perry. “It is an amazing fighting technique that I kept up after the movie because I enjoyed it so much.” To maintain the film’s inherent tension, Perry kept his distance off the set from Fox, who delivers a surprisingly intense performance. “There wasn’t a lot of laughing going on around this set,” says Perry. “There were a lot of tense moments and it was very serious, and especially the fighting scene, there was one moment when Matthew and I were fighting and I elbowed him in the temple and almost knocked him out.” Whatever Perry tackles professionally, he seems to conquer. But he laughs when he is asked about what new career directions he is going to attempt next, now that he has accomplished being an action hero. “The list is pretty simple and I’m on point to continue to scratch off the list,” he says.

1. If you got uppercut on a bus, how would you react? 2. Who has been going around secretly saying, “You going to jail now?” 3. Who felt bad, but couldn’t stop rewinding the video and laughing? 4. Didn’t the uppercut make you think of Mortal Kombat? 5. He really put them paws on her, didn’t he? 6. Who was rooting against Howard this past weekend, but clothes is already packed for their homecoming? 7. Did you think their band stood a chance against ours? 8. Who was in the stands waiting for BGMM to play “Flight of the Bumblebee?” 9. You freshman do know that A&T is a little different from “Drumline,” right? 10. How many of you seniors miss the old days? 11. How many people remember when cars used to run into the brick wall across from the Bookstore? 12. Were you one of those drivers? 13. Who was at Music City every weekend? 14. How many ladies were brave enough to go on the stage? 15. Do you remember when the cafe used to have long tables so you talked to everyone? 16. Or when Boosie and Waka came on stage during the concert in 09’ acting a fool? 17. I know you remember the old Nicki Minaj, right? 18. How many of you got her signature on a undisclosed place? 19. So ya’ll trends hopper do realize you’ve completely devalued Michael Kors products, right? 20. Who is going to early voting this Thursday?

hotlist

thescene

Oct. 17 to Oct. 23 The A&T Register’s guide to what’s going this week in arts and entertainment.

on screen Paranormal Activity 4 makes its debut in theatres this Thursday, just in time for Halloween. Aggies are sure to pack the seats to see what happens next. In the second Paranormal movie, a little boy was taken by his aunt and everyone wants to know what happens next. In this installment, Alex lives next door to her creepy younger neighbor and weird things have been happening. Is the familiar little boy out to get her? This movie hits theatres Thursday night and is rated R.

in concert Donald Lawrence and Tye Tribbett performs live next Monday in Corbett Sports Center for the Gospel Concert. After last year’s successful concert with Mary Mary, this concert is sure to be up to par. Tickets are on sell in the ticket office for students and the general public. Doors open at 6:30 P.M.

come see Mr. and Miss North carolina agricultural and technical state university’s coronation is this Sunday in Corbett Sports Center. Catherine Hamlin and Reginald Johnson will be officially crowned for everyone to witness. After last years coronation with Jasmine Gurley, SGA brings the event back to the sports center which ads more excitement. This event is the first official kick off of A&T’s Homecoming Week. Coronation is free to everyone and starts at 5 P.M.

Are you Scene? Contributors Meetings Wednesday 5 p.m. NCB 328A