September 21 issue

Page 1

The A&T

RegisteR Free

voLuMe LXXXv no. 4

SePteMBer 21, 2011

nCatregiSter.CoM

SERVING THE AGGIE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 80 YEARS

WedneSday

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH CAROLINA A&T

Law enforcement take on Benbow road more than 30 law enforcement agents participated in the click it or ticket checkpoint. keLcie Mccrae & katherine whitt A&T Register

Students running late for Tuesday morning classes may have run into a roadblock in getting there on time. From 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of Benbow Road and Bluford Circle, more than 25 law enforcement officers filled the streets for a Click

it or Ticket checkpoint on campus. “At first I thought something had happened, and when the police checked my license I found out what was going on,” said senior Precious Walker. “I think it’s pointless other than for making me late for class.” Every year, the North Carolina Governors Highway Safety Program sponsors a series of checkpoints throughout the state designed to encourage vehicle safety. Lt. Walter Heaviland, the program coordinator, says there are between 20 and 30 checkpoints scheduled throughout any given year.

The Click It or Ticket initiative started in 1993 as a way to increase seat belt and child safety use rates. “Under the Click It or Ticket program what we’re looking for is seat belt enforcement and motor vehicle violations,” said Heaviland. “What you saw out there were officers working together stopping and checking to make sure you were wearing your seat belt, and if you weren’t then we took enforcement action.” With the checkpoint happening on campus, it created a stir amongst students. Walker says that she as well as her friends

were shocked in seeing so many officers at one time. Although the primary focus was to address the use of seat belts, the officers were also on the lookout for suspended licenses, warrants, expired tags, and other traffic violations. Throughout their two-hour enforcement stint, officers issued 85 traffic citations. There were the following violations: 19 seatbelt, 19 registration, 15 driving while driver’s license revoked, 14 driving without a license, 10 traffic, and eight inspection.  See checkpoint on Page 2

Photo by kenneth hawkins jr. • the a&t register

GreensBoro police and state troopers stop cars at the corner of Bluford street and BenBoW road on tuesday, septemBer 20, 2011.

new academic building officially open; it will house three separate programs courtney jackson Contributor

Photo by kenneth hawkins jr. • the a&t register

a&t students listen to the speakers following their protest march of the White street landfill on september 20, 2011.

students protest city landfill

The campus of North Carolina A&T is continuously growing and it is evident through the opening of a new academic building. Dozens of individuals gathered in front of the New Academic building Sept. 15 for the ribbon-cutting of this 88,000 square-foot facility. “A&T has always been a place for first-timers and bigtimers,” said Patricia Zollar, Board of Trustees vice chairwoman, in her greeting while explaining the areas that are housed in the building. This new building will house the university’s Center for Academic Excellence, the Office of International Programs and the Honors Program. Representatives of A&T, such as SGA President Christian Robinson and Chancellor Harold Martin, welcomed the intimate audience to the outdoor occasion and shared words of gratitude. The Honors Program is located on the building’s main

floor, the Office of International Programs can be found on the second floor, and the Center of Academic Excellence is on the third floor. Chancellor Martin said that ,“with the alignment of some of the most important student support programs on this campus, this environment creates a place that is the hub for, in my mind, student success on this campus in the freshmen and sophomore years.” Tameka Alston, a senior graphic communications student, said, “I love the building. I love the ceilings, the open floor plan; I just love everything about it, the stairways, the lighting, all of the aspects.” Kevin Turner, from the architecture firm The Freelon Group and designer for the project, explained that, “right from the first day we were looking to make this building as comfortable and energyefficient as we could, and then we selected materials in the building that are environmentally sustainable.” Noting the “green” aspects of the space, Alston also said,

On Tuesday, 200 North Carolina A&T students convened at the A & T Four statue to embark on a march to city council in an effort to protest the re-opening of the White Street landfill. “We are students against the White Street landfill and we are rallying because this landfill directly affects us,” said senior Eboni Chambers. Chambers is a member of Ignite Greensboro, which is a student-run, led social action organization, comprised of area college students. The White Street Landfill has been the subject of much controversy in recent months because of its location in a predominantly African-American neighborhood. Protestors believe that re-opening the landfill will continue a legacy of environmental racism, and bring foul odors and an increased volume of traffic into the residential area.

“The landfill has been an issue for years,” said senior Starlyn Robinson and member of Ignite Greensboro. “By rallying and protesting we want to show that students are concerned about local issues.” If the city were to reopen the landfill they could potentially save up to $3 million, which the city currently spends to dump the trash in Montgomery County. The group Caka!ak Thunder created a spectacle on the streets of downtown Greensboro while the protesters, the majority being A & T students but including Bennett College students and other Greensboro residents, shouted, “White Street landfill, keep it at a standstill!”. This was after the announcement that Gate City Waste Services, the company that would have been contracted to run the landfill, had backed out of the deal which is a huge victory for protestors. The march ended at the Mel-

vin Municipal Building, where community leaders held a rally for support before the city council meeting. Many of the speakers bragged the students for making such a statement by being there. Among the speakers was A & T Senior Cherrell Brown, who had a major role in organizing the event. Brown is also a member of Ignite Greensboro which is the organization responsible for organizing the event. Depends on city, staying informed and staying vigilant on white the city council does on White Street. The official public hearing was cancelled due to Gate City’s withdrawal, though the city council still assembled to discuss other issues. “We were thrilled, ecstatic,” said Robinson. “This is not the end though, we still wanted to march to show people that we are still opposed no matter who the contractor is.”

ONLINE

theYARD

theWORD

theSCORE

theSCENE

Keep up with us online

Career Fair draWS hundredS

Let’S taLK aBout SLavery

MayWeather WinS in K.o.

neW PLay hitS roBeSon theatre

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

The annual Career Awareness Fair was campus Sept. 14 in Corbett Sports Center.

Slavery and video games? Can these too things actually coincide?

Floyd Mayweather defeats Victor Ortiz in a controversial K.O.

The Theater Department opens its season with a two-for-one production.

katherine whitt Contributor

www.ncatregister.com

Page 3

 See protest on Page 2

Page 6

“I was very impressed, especially learning you can grow greenery and trees and things on the rooftop.” “This is an exciting building,” said program manager for construction Mason Kenyon. “Honestly, you can see the different shapes in the building. It’s a tough building to build and I give it to Freelon, they designed a very beautiful space. But as far as the construct ability, it’s a tough building” Joseph Daniels, a junior and a member of the Honors Program, said, “I am proud to be an Aggie seeing all of this growth. It symbolizes that A&T has not become stagnant so it continues to grow and as we continue to grow and be better then the future for tomorrow is going to be a lot brighter for us.” Dr. Tracey Ford, director of the Center of Academic Excellence, said, “It feels like this is our building. I get to manage our building and that is the wonderful part about it because what we’re really looking for is a collaboration with our stu See new BuiLdinG on Page 2

Photo by kenneth hawkins jr. • the a&t register

chanceLLor harold martin and other campus representatiVes cut the riBBon at the riBBon cutting ceremony for the neW academic Building on thursday, septemBer 15, 2011.

Page 7

WEATHER

Page 8

WedneSday

76° Low: 64° High:

thurSday: Thunderstorms| High 77° Friday: Rainy | High 75°


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.