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Vol 65 | Number 10
THE TSU hERALD | April 3, 2013
Debaters
SEE INSIDE: sTuDENT hEALTh CENTER oFFERs FREE hiV/sTD TEsTiNg
WEsLEy FouNDATioN PARTNERs WiTh LoCKhEART ELEMENTARy
This WEEK’s uLTiMATE TigER: DoNTE NEWMAN
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Campus News Renovating our Third Ward roots BY MECOLE HAYES Managing Editor
Fox 26 News reporter, Ruben Dominguez visited Emancipation Park along with Texas Southern University’s Vice President James Douglas to shed light on the Third Ward Community. Emancipation Park sits in the heart of Third Ward and was the first public park open to African-Americans in the state of Texas in 1916. It sits on the corner of Dowling Street, which was once a hub for black business and entertainment throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s. “You have to remember that there was no I-45, there was no I-288 and so all of the traffic in the African-American community came along these streets,” Douglas said. Dowling was one of busiest streets in the Third Ward community and was lined with an array of department stores, entertainment houses and hardware stores, all which belonged to black owners. “There was no integration,” Douglas said. “There was no other place for African-Americans to go except within the African-American community.” Many of those businesses have since been moved out due to reconstruction and the addition of the new interstates, I-45 and I-288. Third Ward is currently in a state of renaissance and renovations
that are being added throughout the community. “I think you are going to see a total transformation,” Douglas said. During a press conference held last June, Mayor Annise Parker announced plans for a $33.6 million renovation of the historic park. “This park has a history and this park has a future,” said Parker to reporters of houston.culturemap.com “We just have to work to connect the two together.” Funds have been donated from the City of Houston and city organizations, such as the Kinder Foundation Houston Endowment and the OST/Almeda Corridors Redevelopment Authority. The renovation will include a new gymnasium, playground, basketball court, baseball field, pool house, water features and new parking lots. Reconstruction is not set to begin for another 8 to 10 months. According to Houston.culturemap.com, City officials hope that the park renovation will help rejuvenate the surrounding area and encourage more development in the Third Ward community. “You probably won’t recognize it within the next 20 years, it is going to be a more mixed neighborhood,” Douglas added.
Wesley Foundation makes new friends with Lockhart Elementary BY MELANIE HAUER Contributing Writer The Wesley Foundation at Texas Southern University teamed up with Lockhart Elementary’s after school program to promote mentoring and encourage the elementary students in attendance. The Wesley offers several programs such as the “Lunch and Con-
editorial staff
editor-in-chief ameena rasheed Managing Editor MECOLE HAYES Life & Style Editor kenneth ware jr. Sports Editor buck bedia Staff Writer LINDSAY GARY Publications Manager tiyosha turner Advisors serbino sandifer-walker michael berryhill
The TSU Herald is published by the students of Texas Southern University. Opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the administration. The newspaper is printed biweekly, except during holidays and examination periods. For additional information, call (713) 313-1976.
nect” where they allow college students to have lunch every Wednesday at 12 noon, and discuss various topics in relation to typical college student’s everyday life. The Organization also offers a “Lunch and Explore” on Thursday afternoon in their own building located behind the Jesse H. Jones building. Recently, the organization just added another reaching out program on Tuesday night called a “Taste of Christianity” located in the Lanier East boys dormitory were they offer an opportunity to illustrate to students of what a Christian life should be. In an attempt to expand the ministry, the Wesley Foundation invited the students of Texas Southern University to participate in an off campus activity that will allow them to demonstrate the love Christ to others. On February 13, The Wesley foundation finalized it plans on the partnership with Lockhart elementary. Andre Martinez, the chairman of Wesley Foundation, along with Julius Wardley, the director and ordained minister, created this partnership with the idea of helping students to find an outlet through mentoring and guidance. “A lot of these students are not [given] the attention that they need at home, so we want to give them a little extra attention and a chance to express themselves,” Martinez said. On February 27, the Wesley Foundation and volunteers will kick off the partnership with their first visit to Lockhart elementary. The First experience took place in a classroom that was filled with 17 elementary students and four volunteer leaders. During the hour-long visit volunteers and students are allowed to participate in different group activities such as finishing homework, arts and crafts, card games and sport activities. “I wanted to be able to change 3rd ward from the roots up,” Martinez said.
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Campus News news updates
Student health center offers free HIV/STD testing BY MECOLE HAYES Managing Editor
The Student Health Center offers free HIV/STD testing to all student and faculty members every Wednesday between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Each Wednesday, representatives from Planned Parenthood collect blood samples and test them using an rapid HIV test that reads accurate results in less than 20 minutes and a standard STD testing panel that checks for Syphilis and Hepatitis, which are sent to a lab and only delivered if results are positive. “No news is good news,” said a Planned Parenthood representative whose chosen to remain anonymous. “Students are always nervous about waiting such a long period of time before they receive results and I always tell them that when the two weeks are over, they won’t remember them passing by.” While waiting for results, students may fi nd interest in the many brochures the Health Center offers, which provide knowledge and background information on many of the communicable diseases and viruses that are popular on college campuses. In addition to the free brochures, the Health Center also offers peer lead outreach programs that cater to students on a need-to-know basis and provide a range of latex male and female condoms that students are welcome to take or request upon personal preference. Students are encouraged to get tested for HIV and STD’s every six months or once a year depending on one’s risk level and should keep in mind that the most effective method used in preventing HIV and STD’s is through the practice of abstinence.
Donte Newman BY AMEENA RASHEED Editor-in-Chief Donte Newman, 21, is a speech communications major with a minor in political science. With his many accomplishments, many may be most familiar with his work as a spoken word artist and performer. “I’m an entertainer,” said Newman. “I write for gratifi cation and to be creative.” A native Houstonian who graduated from Westbury High School, Newman started performing way before he came to Texas Southern University. He began writing in the 10th grade at the suggestion of one of his teachers. His teacher fi rst introduced him to Saul Williams, his favorite poet to this day. When he graduated from Westbury in 2009, he wasn’t sure where he would exactly be going to school that fall. As fate would have it, Donte had a performance at the top of the summer of 2009, where he recited a piece about going green. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who happened to be in the audience, pulled him to the side and urged him to speak with Dr. Thomas F. Freeman about his world-renowned speech and debate team. Following that meeting, Freeman persuaded him to apply to Texas Southern and introduced him to Mrs. Linda Coach-Riley for an interview about getting into the Thomas F. Freeman Honors College. After that, the rest, as they say it, is history. In the past four years Newman has won numerous awards with the speech and debate team. In 2013, he won second place at the international level in dramatic duo with Tsalta Baptiste on a piece they did about gun control. Previously in 2010, Newman won fi rst place at the international level in debate along with Jordon Williams. Outside of the speech and debate team, Newman is a the executive vice president of the Student Government Association, a proud member of the Delta Theta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and you can catch him every Saturday on KTSU 90.9 FM from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. as a co-host on the radio show A Closer Look.
Texas Southern University Excellence in Achievement
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through the eye
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es of our tigers 4.
As the weeks go by here at Texas Southern University, our photographers have captured all of the moments and current events on campus.
1., 2. - Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and Phi Bea Sigma Fraternity hosted a dating game during its week for the student body. 3. Robert Harris, Shane Mcgee and Elijah Brown compete in the 100m this past Saturday in the Victor Lopez Classic at Rice University. 4. Asia Roberts running a leg of the 4x400m in Victor Lopez Classic at Rice University. 5. Melanie Countee gives a campus tour to a group of potential students. 6. Professor Dixon reviewing footage with two of his film students. 7. Senior Track & Field members being honored at the TSU Relays. 8. The men’s basketball team celebrate’s their regular season title win. 9. Senior members of the women’s basketball team get recognized at their last game of the season.
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Cover Story TSU’s debate team wins big in Belgium BY KENNETH WARE JR. Life & Style Editor
Six years ago, Tsalta Baptiste pursued a career in the music industry as a rapper while enjoying the sunny weather in Southern California. He decided to take a break from school after earning his diploma from Carter High School in the city of Rialto. Texas Southern University (TSU) was not on his radar. His older sister Jazz Baptiste, Georgia Tech University alumnus, called him to refer him to a TSU recruiter. “She is the reason I am at TSU,” Baptiste said. “She told me I was going to TSU and would join the Debate Team and that’s that.” He was not thrilled and brushed it off. “I was happy in California taking a few classes at Chaffey Community College in Rancho Cucamonga,” Baptiste said. “I knew little about TSU.” Baptiste was mesmerized by debaters from “The Great Debaters” movie starring Denzel Washington. Washington sought the counsel of TSU’s Debate Team Head Coach Dr. Thomas Freeman and his thriving students to prepare for his movie role. “The characters in the movie inspired me,” Baptiste said. “I thought it would be cool to speak like them and have their power and influence.” He joined the award-winning Debate Team when he arrived at TSU, but it was not what he initially expected. “I pictured Dr. Freeman as a grumpy dude who resembled Frederick Douglas with messy hair,” Baptiste added, “but when I first met him he was a fair-skinned man with clean-cut hair who looked real mystical.” President of the Collegiate 100 Black Women Marshaun Williams shares the same sentiments as her fellow debate team member. She did not know what to expect after her first meeting with Freeman. After witnessing a powerful Debate Team performance at “Freshman Rock the House,” she found the whereabouts of Freeman’s office and paid him an unforgettable visit. “He gave me a piece to read that was about a young lady being raped by Dracula,” Williams said. “It caught me off guard but I read it and that was the beginning of my debate career.” While most TSU students fled to congested beaches in Texas and Florida to celebrate a week off from classes during Spring Break, the TSU Debate Team participated in the 24th Annual International Forensic Tournament held in Antwerp, Belgium. “We were some of the only African Americans in the tournament,” Williams said. Eighteen schools from across the nation participated in the competition. TSU was the only historic black university in attendance at the tournament. “You no longer represent just yourself,” Williams said. “You represent a legacy of people.” While the students were in Europe there was “all work and
no play.” “From the time you get on the plane with Doc [Freeman] to the last day of the tournament you do not do anything but eat, sleep and practice,” Williams said. The hard work paid off. The team received the International Championship in the Lincoln-Douglas Debate and the Championship Runner-up Award. The students did get a chance to participate in some sightseeing adventures after the tournament and even snapped various photos of historical sites in Belgium. “It actually snowed so we were able to wear our big winter jackets too,” Williams said. Marcus Esther, one of the Urban Academic Village’s premiere students, was excited to find a tasty treat in Europe. “It took me four days but I found a Belgium waffle,” Esther said. He joined the Debate Team during his freshman year at TSU. “At La Marque High School I had a passion for arguing back and forth with anyone to prove my point,” Esther said. Despite his competitive nature, he endured a rough start on the team. “I did not even make it to the finals at my first tournament at the University of Houston in 2011,” Esther said. Disappointed, he worked hard and found his niche on the team. “I started reading more and watching CNN regularly because you can always debate better when you know what’s going on in the world,” Esther said. Team members have more stamps on their passports than most Americans will ever see in their lifetime. “In two years I have already been to Italy and now Belgium,” Esther said. These accomplished Tigers are destined for countless amounts of success under Freeman’s strict guidance. “My parents do not care about anything else I do at TSU besides keeping my grades up and being on the Debate Team,” Williams said. That is not a bad formula for success. Esther sums up the aforementioned experiences with the Debate Team as “life-changing.” While on the team, Baptiste won over 20 first place and runner-up awards. Now a graduating senior, he wants to become a media coach post-graduation and hone his public relation and marketing skills. “Being a member of the TSU Debate Team is the opportunity of a lifetime, especially for African Americans,” Baptiste said. “Gaining this exposure has broadened my mind.” No word yet if Baptiste will resurrect his rap career and display his top-notch oratorical skills on the microphone.
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opinion
20 Questions If you have been a student at Texas Southern University, then you know that some interesting things happen on the Tigerwalk. This section is reserved for the student body of TSU to share insightful, sarcastic and sometimes humorous commentary based on their observations. As previously stated, this section of the newspaper is for entertainment purposes only. Those who can’t take a joke might not want to read.
Tweet @TheTSUHerald with your questions using the #TxSU20 hashtag.
1. Why do we have a Women’s Resource Center that has no resources for women? 2. What is the purpose of putting individuals in charge of organizations that they know nothing about? 3. Will this year’s Springfest be better than last year’s homecoming? 4. Who’s ready for the Tiger Choice Awards? 5. Who picked the nominations for the Tiger Choice Awards? 6. So far, what do you think of Kappa week? 7. How many dance teams does TSU have? 8. Why don’t they just call us TSU School of Dance? 9. Are you going to the Miss TSU pageant this Friday? 10. How many times can you participate in the Miss TSU pageant? 11. Who do you want to win Miss TSU?
12. Are you looking forward to viewing the Mr. TSU competition that night as well? 13. Why did they stop having the Mr. TSU pageant in the fi rst place? 14. What is Mr. TSU’s job? 15. Have you taken your Yearbook photo this week? 16. Will the residential assistants get to choose their meal plans next year? 17. Why do students that live on campus have to pay for parking in the residence hall in which they reside? 18. Will the hours of operation for the cafe ever be extended? 19. Why don’t they sell TSU paraphenalia in Wal-Mart? 20. Does anybody read anything in the newspaper besides the 20 Questions column?
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What’s Happening on campus & around town
Monday - 4/1
Tuesday - 4/2
kaPPa week
Monday - 4/8
2013 sPrinGfest “Brunch” Kick-off Student Center 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. All-Star Basketball Game Recreation Center 2 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Wednesday - 4/3 Shimmy Like A Nupe Pavillions 12:11 p.m. Red Enkounter (Charity Volleyball Game) Donate a pair of shoes or bring $3 fo entry Recreation Center 7:11 p.m.
Tuesday - 4/9 “The Appetizer” Turn Up To the Max 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Wednesday - 4/10 Reverse Happy Hour Reverse Hump Day Pavillions 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Thursday - 4/4 A Night To Remember (Throwback Apollo Night) Tiger Room 7:11 p.m. Yearbook Photos HP&E 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. MLK 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Thursday - 4/11 The Night Cap Tiger Choice Awards Pre-Show 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Tiger Choice Awards 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Friday - 4/5 Krawfish & Koals (BBQ/Crawfish Boil) Newman Center 1:11 p.m. Mr. and Miss TSU Competition Sawyer Auditorium 7:00 p.m.
Friday - 4/12 The Feast Festival The Point 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Concert w/ Big Krit Pavillions 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.
The Weekend 4/6 & 4/7 4/7 (The start of springfest) “Soul Food” Church at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church 11 a.m. Drive-In Movie Student Center Parking Lot S-1 7 p.m.
The Weekend 4/13 & 4/14 4/13 “The Cookout” Crawfish Festival Pavillions 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Our calendar is reserved for the advertisement of on and off campus events. If you are interested in having your event placed on our calendar, then please stop by room 221 of the Student Center or call us at (713) 313-6710.