Vol 69 | Number 12
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CAMPUS NEWS page 4
THE TSU HERALD | March 8th, 2017
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OPERATION: TIGER DAY
PHOTO GALLERY page 6
THROUGH THE EYES OF OUR TIGERS
SPORTS page 8
SPORTS RUNDOWN
LIFE & STYLE page 10
SPRING BREAK 2K17
WHAT STEPS WILL DR. MOFFETT TAKE TO ENSURE STUDENT SATISFACTION?
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Cover Story New Dean of Students, Dr. Raphael Moffett, Initiative To Bring Students Together By: Marcus D. Smith Editor-in-Chief A new face walks the campus of Texas Southern University as the Dean of Students, his name is Dr. Raphael Moffett and he plans to reshape the culture of TSU, getting the HBCU back to its roots starting with the student body. Moffett hosted a Meet and Greet inviting the mass population of the student body to the Tiger Room where surveys were handed out asking students to give their honest opinions of the university. They were to thoroughly state all of the things that they love about TSU and things that can improve TSU for future years to come. I had the opportunity to converse with Dr. Moffett regarding the state of TSU and its student body and the direction it is planning to go towards in the near future. MS: Tell me what this whole event is about today? RM: The goal of the Meet and Greet is just to have students, give students an opportunity to meet me and for me to meet them. I’m a high-touch administrator. I’m not one of the guys that just sit around and not know what’s going on with the students. I want their feedback. Our goal is to make sure that your experience is dynamic and that it’s impactful while you’re here at TSU. So the only way I can do that is to get among the students and meet them, touch basis
with them, see what their opportunities are, some of their challenges and ideas. That’s why we got some of the information from the information cards, feedback from the Post-it notes. [We’re] trying to make sure you have a great experience while you’re coming to TSU. MS: Just going into it beforehand, what do you think some of the things are that can be improved for the students at TSU? RM: What I’ve heard students say a lot is the communication needs to be improved. So my goal is to make sure that if there’s anything going on at the institution specifically, in Student Services, that we’re very proactive about making sure students know what opportunities there are with tutoring, career services, student life events, residential life announcements, and things like that. We just want to make sure that we are communicating effectively and that’s really been the main thing. Just making sure students know what’s going on. MS: It’s surprising that my field [communication] is what we’re lacking at the university. So what are some ways that you think we can improve on? How do you think we can get that sort of information out to students, the entire student body?
EDITORIAL STAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MARCUS D. SMITH STAFF WRITER(S) MAHBUBA MATOVU TODD ROGERS ALTREMESE BANKS TYLER DOGGETT AKIL WILLIAMS SARA JAMISON Publications Manager TIYOSHA TURNER STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER JADE HORTON DOMINIQUE MONDAY Follow The TSU Herald on Social Media Instagram: @THETSUHERALD Twitter: @THETSUHERALD
The TSU Herald is published by the students of Te x a s S o u t h e r n U n i v e r s i t y. Opinions expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of the administration. The newspaper is p r i n t e d b i w e e k l y, except during holidays and examination periods. For additional information, call (713) 313-6710.
RM: I think there’s two things. First, is that students absorb information a lot of different ways, right? So it’s not just send an email and hope that they’re reading it. That was my generation because we didn’t have all of the social media pieces. For me, I think that we need to send information out three to five different ways, a few different times to make sure that the students are engaged. So example: social media, kind of the old school way with flyers, emails, you know even doing some videos saying ‘hey here’s what we have going on.’ So that way it’s interactive, kind of simulating snap [Snapchat] a little bit. Now the students need to partner as well, because students need to check their emails. Employers may want your Yahoo or your Gmail, internships want to know that you’re connected to the institution, and the TSU email gives you an opportunity to do that. Most of the internship correspondents from the insti-
tution, about 95% of it is going to the TSU emails. So that’s another way students can help support. MS: How would you get that email to actually give an update or notifications just as a personal email? RM: Well I think that one of the best things a student can do, there’s a way that you can connect your TSU email to your Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, whatever. So that way you don’t have to check it. Once we send it to TSU, it rolls over into the one that you’re checking already. That’s something I want to work with IT on, is show students how to do that so that way if you’re not checking your email, it’s not good but okay, connect it to your personal one. So at least you’re getting information because there’s scholarships, internships, and jobs that are coming. But if you don’t check your email, you miss out. MS: How do we incorporate everything else that comes with the college experience? RM: I just think that we need to be more intentional about student activities. In that area, making sure that we have social, physical, intellectual, cultural, educational, spiritual programs and to really lay it out like that. My goal this summer is to make sure we have a programming calendar coming out of student activities. If we cover those six programming steers what does that look like? So that it’s not just social, social, social…I don’t think TSU is a party school. I don’t think we party any more or less than any other university. I would argue that we don’t party half as much or half as hard as other schools and universities. That’s unfairly thrust on us. I’m not too worried on that piece, what I am concerned with is making sure is that we have a lot of different offers. MS: Talking about other different offers, how do we get our students to work hands on in the field that they aspire to be in? How do we strengthen the relationship between university officials and the students? RM: We need to be more intentional about, getting students to reach out as well. I think students go out and ask university officials, administrators, and faculty members if they can shadow or learn from them, I don’t think there would be a whole lot of push back on doing that. I don’t. I think that they would be willing to do it. I think the critical part is preparing our students for what happens after college. That’s what we need to be more intentional about in career services. So I charge career services with getting out in front of students and also students going over there more so they know the skills that are needed to be more successful in the field that you’re going into. MS: Thank you, I appreciate it. That pretty much does it for me, looking forward to following up with you on this matter RM: Anytime!
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Campus News CAMPUS LEADERS LEARN FUNDAMENTALS OF BROTHERHOOD AND TEAM BUILDING DURING COLLEGIATE MALE RETREAT By: Todd Rogers Staff Writer
during the weekend retreat. Both Elchanaan and Funchess agree that the importance of mentorship is one thing that they will both bring back as initiatives on the campus of Texas Southern.
Legacy
“I mentor a lot of guys. I hold myself to high standards. And I’m here for a real purpose,” said “One of the greatest things that PoemFunchess, by: Andre “Self” Burrell we learned on the retreat was to put the competitive side down sometimes and really just have compassion and empathy for each other as men.” Elchanaan says the weekend was powerful because he is used to seeing events that cater to the spiritual wellbeing of women with not enough attention put on the empowerment of black men.
David Funchess, a senior studying radio, television, and film in the School of Communication, reflects on the weekend experience spent with peers from TSU and other universities at the Collegiate Black Male Retreat (CBMR) in Marble Falls, TX. The CBMR retreat is a national forum for the personal and professional development of black males on college campuses across the country. “The retreat was great. The main thing about being able to get out of a space where you didn’t necessarily have to worry about appearances is it really focuses your mind on the message,” said Funchess. G. Christopher Cutkelvin, an AAMRI coordinator and TSU graduate initiated the invitation to his alma mater through conversation with current Student Government Association President, Justin Lee. Cutkelvin says his goal was to “see Texas Southern University students attend this event, show off the talent that they possess, and all the leadership qualities being fostered”.
The campsite and two-day program offered many development lectures on global leadership, town hall forums, reflection sites, and activities for team building like hiking trails, and massive rock-climbing walls to take their minds off the pressures of being a Black male on campus. “I think getting away is important because on campus we have the stereotypes and stigmas, and guys worry about that stuff. A lot of us are thinking about that stuff constantly — all day, every day — we see and we compare ourselves to each other.” Lunga Elchanaan also attended the retreat. He says he learned a lot about himself. “For a lot of us unfortunately, majority of us grew up in homes with no fathers…luckily for me, when I came to college I had some really strong men around me who really groomed me and gave me a lot of wisdom when I needed it,” Elchanaan said. Manhood and mentorship along with spiritual awareness were some of the strongest messages
“It really opened my eyes to the importance of brotherly love,” said Elchanaan, “I met people from all over and it was like I knew them my whole life.” The retreat was hosted by the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin’s African-American Male Research Initiative (AAMRI) and took place from February 24 - February 26, 2017 at Camp Champion.
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Campus News Operation: Tiger Day Successful Despite Overwhelming Numbers By: Tyler Doggett Campus News Writer On February 24, 2017, TSU’s day of recruitment turned chaotic as high school students consumed the university. Students from high schools all around Houston gathered in the Sawyer Auditorium as TSU hosted its annual Tiger Day.
“We always hear about TSU,” said high school senior Tyrone Cummingham,“but being here on [the] campus is something different.” Student leaders and volunteers welcomed high school students from Worthing High School, Heights High School and other surrounding schools from San Antonio, Dallas and Louisiana. Sawyer Auditorium was clustered with just over two thousand high school students to hear the vital information about the campus and its programs of higher education.
Although a controlled amount of schools had planned to come, a few unexpected arrivals joined the tours, outnumbering the volunteers 10 to 1. “We have over 2,000 students here today ready to be convinced that Texas Southern University is the place for them,” said Freshman Class Senator, Jamia Smith. With this sudden in-flux of students, many tour guides were scrambling to find new and innovative ways to introduce the university to up to 400 students at a time. “It’s hard to give a personal experience to such a large group of students. We had 4 or 5 schools at once,” said Bria Saunders, Talk on the Walk host.
of Greek life and the active organizations on campus. The TSU California Club, Intervarsity, and the Student Government Association were a few that explained the importance of being involved and what it means to be a part of the TSU family. “It was fun...it was positive energy and it showed all of the positive things TSU has to offer,” said freshman student, Kat Grey. After all of the information was distributed, students got an opportunity to party with current TSU students for a Friday “Hump Day” celebration at TSU’s Alexander Durley Sports Complex.
Pizza, bottles of water, and music (courtesy of Not only were students given the opportunity DJ D. Wells) filled the scene as both current to see the campus and all the schools that make and future students got on their feet to have a it up, they also got a chance to see a snippet good time.
TSU Police Chief Resigns (courtesy of KTRK [ABC 13]) HOUSTON (KTRK) -- There’s been a major shakeup on the campus of Texas Southern University. The school’s police chief has resigned. The resignation follows the university’s investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made against him by a female employee. That woman filed a formal complaint against Chief Remon Green with TSU in October. After a three month investigation, the university found it couldn’t substantiate the sexually overt comments she alleges he made to her. But it did determine he violated policy and recommended his termination, or removal from a leadership position and disciplinary suspension. After a period of administrative leave, he resigned. Roberta Gibson has worked for the TSU Police Department for nine years. She’s the employee who filed a complaint with
the university alleging Chief Remon Green sexually harassed her. “I was always looking for a way out,” Gibson says. “I was always looking for another job. Went back to school got another degree trying to position myself to get out of the situation.” In her complaint, she claimed Green gave her hugs that she did not want. “Who’s going to be eager to speak up when they see what happens to the women that do?” she says.
tions of frequent unwanted and unwelcomed hugs which, “created an offensive, hostile, and uncomfortable work environment.” The university recommended firing him ... or demoting along with an unpaid suspension. He resigned, effective March 1. “He felt that was the best thing to do as far as he’s concerned, and as far as the institution is concerned,” Bonner explains. “He’s got a lot of love and respect for Texas Southern University. Texas Southern University has been good to him. And he’s been good to and for the school.”
“Untrue, unsubstantiated, false, and malicious,” TSU’s Office of Human Resources also recomsays Green’s attorney Vic Bonner. mended immediate sexual harassment, retaliation and consensual relationship training for Bonner denied the sexual harassment allegaall employees in the TSU Department of Public tions leveled against his client in a phone call Safety. with ABC13. Gibson also filed a complaint with the Equal The university investigated, interviewing sevEmployment Commission. eral people in the department, finding, “allegations related to respondent’s alleged sexually TSU’s released a statement: overt comments to her were unsubstantiated.” “Texas Southern University Chief of Police has resigned effective March 1. The university does But the investigation did confirm her alleganot comment on matters related to personnel issues.”
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Campus News Building Your Own Empire as an Intern By: Sara Jamison Staff Writer
Students from all majors flocked to the Education building to learn about breaking into the entertainment industry from major network executives. The event, hosted by the Office of Career Services and University Program Council, featured representatives from Walt Disney (Irshaun Pickney), AMC (Amy Pickney), and Executive Temp founders (Ted and Stacy Miller). The panelists encouraged students to take a more humble approach when applying for internships and starter jobs. Stacy Milner reassured students that no one starts at the top, but through hard work and the right connections anything is possible for the student who believes in him or herself. Audience member and junior Monica Rhodes (double major in History and a Spanish) received valuable insight that is applicable to students who are not pursuing a career in the entertainment industry. Monica wishes that more students could have attended the panel. She walked away with tips about interviews and resumes that can definitely help anyone! Irshaun Pickney, recruiter from Walt Disney, agreed that “it’s not who you know but who knows you, because you can know people and they not remember you.” Amy Martin believes that students can make lasting-impressions by properly branding themselves. “You get to decide how people will perceive you,” said Martin, reminding the audience in last Tuesday’s meeting. Students must have
more to offer than what is already expected. She suggests that students look for opportunities that they’ll enjoy. Figure out what you like to do and find companies that match what you believe – companies that reflect what interests you. Lastly, professionalism is key. Students seeking internships should research the company before applying to gain background information on the company’s vision. With the background information, the student will then be able to determine if the internship will be suitable for his or her future career path and if they’ll be an asset to the company. Besides, the purpose behind internships is to gain knowledge, experience, and contribute to the company while learning one’s strengths and weaknesses. With that being said, the interviewing process can sometimes be the most challenging for students who are in desperate need of an opportunity - which is understandable. Pickney had some advice to give to the students when transitioning into professional realm. “Just be yourself. Don’t try to change who you are for a company… make sure that you are doing things that benefits you. Don’t worry about moving too fast,” said Pickney. Students should also remember to listen. Don’t dominate the interviewer. Don’t ask questions that the interviewer can’t answer.
“You don’t have to know everything,” Ted Milner said to the audience, “It’s all about them and not about you. Use a little wisdom about how you navigate. In doing so, you’ll be successful in all of your endeavors”. The event left a lasting impression on students. Graduating senior, Vernecia Henry hopes to see more events like this on campus and less “turn-up” scenes. “It was much needed and those who came got a lot and learned a lot… I learned about the different corporations inside of AMC. It’s more than just movies,” Henry said. Junior, Ashleigh Vernon said, “We really need events like this. We need experience. It’s interesting to see the different aspects that Walt Disney has.” For more information about the panelist, students can visit leveragingup.org
“Just be yourself. Don’t try to change who you are for a company… make sure that you are doing things that benefits you. Don’t worry about moving too fast,” ---Irshaun Pickney
Texas Southern University Excellence in Achievement
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THROUGH THE EYE 4
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ES OF OUR TIGERS 6
1. Trae Jefferson pulls up from downtown 2. Joyce Kennerson directing traffic on the court 3. How can SGA help you? #BeLive 4. DJ D Wells on the tables at the H&PE Arena
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5. Sigma Gamma Rho 6. Political Science Club 7. Phi Beta Sigma
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8. Omega Psi Phi 9. Lady Tigers take home the regular season crown for the third year in a row. 10. Katie Palmer cuts down the net in celebration 11. TSU Tiger Day at the Alexander Durley Sports Complex
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12. Dewayne Washington posing with a snake on his shoulders 13. Talk on the Walk during Tiger Day 14. Ambitious entrepreneurs take pictures during the Empire event 15. Iota Phi Theta 16. Miss Sophomore for Women’s Appreciation Month
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17. A proud moment for Shamiya Brooks as she holds her cut piece of the net. 18. MBB hoist another SWAC regular season championship 19. Texas Central
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20. KKPsi 21. TSU Cali Club x Dr. Moffett
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22. Tiger Sensations Basketball Dance Team 23. Zeta Phi Beta PHOTOS COURTESY OF STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER: JADE HORTON
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Sports Three-Peat: Tigers Win the SWAC Regular-Season Championship Title, Again By: Chris Sanders Contributing Sports Writer
Texas Southern Men’s basketball team clinched the SWAC championship title with a win against Alcorn State. Alcorn State put up a good fight from the tip off until the end of the game but Texas Southern took over the game in overtime. The Tigers trusted their teammates and showed good teamwork passing the ball around to the open player. Early in the game, Trae Jefferson drove baseline and made a great pass to Zach Lofton as he slashed to the basket and finished with a strong dunk. Lofton got a technical foul for pulling up on the rim after the dunk but bounced back as the player of the game. “Coach Davis, my teammates, the whole coaching staff they told me to get it together. You can’t do that, get past it. It’s done already you can’t cry over spilled milk,” said Lofton, during a postgame interview. Kevin Scott nearly had a triple-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and six assists. Jefferson shot 4-for-8 from the three-point line, and finished the game with 17 points and six assists. Jalan McCloud also contributed 15 points to the Tigers’ win. The post players for the Braves kept their team in the game. Alcorn State’s forwards Deandre Davis, Marquis Vance and Reginal Johnson combined for 59 of the Braves 88 points. Vance and Johnson each had 19 points. Davis led the Braves with 21 points and seven rebounds. Davis also tipped in the last points of the fourth quarter to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Lofton scored eight points in overtime before fouling out. He finished the game with 30 points leading the Tigers in points. Lofton attacked the basket every time he saw an opening in overtime. All of his overtime points came from aggressively attacking the rim for easy layups and a trip to the line. After extending the lead, Lofton fouled out with less than a minute in overtime.
Top: #2 Zach Lofton finishes past the Alcorn defender for the easy layup Bottom: Lady Tigers pose for their third consecutive SWAC regular season title (Photos by: Dominique Monday)
TSU snapped Alcorn State’s winning streak of 11 games and took the conference championship from them. Moving forward the Tigers are preparing for the conference tournament. “We’re trying to get better. We wanted to win the conference championship and we did that, but our main goal is to get ready for the conference tournament,” said Coach Mike Davis, on preparing the team for the future.
Lady Tigers Notch First 20-win Season Since 1981 By: Sara Jamison Sports Writer Texas Southern Lady Tigers claimed its first 20-win regular season since 1981-1982, in Saturday’s night basketball game against the Southern Lady Jaguars. The win allowed the Lady Tigers to become SWAC regular season co-champions. The Lady Jaguars got off to a fast start - early in the first-half; they led the Lady Tigers by 10 in the 2nd quarter with 5:50 to play. At the half, the Lady Tigers would see their lead diminish to seven as Southern began to scheme a comeback.
Joyce Kennerson had a game high of 16 points. Chynna Ewing added 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists, and four steals. Kaitlynn Palmer contributed nine points and six rebounds for the Lady Tigers. “Happy, because I’ve never won [any championship rings] and I know it’s senior night for one of my teammates (Shamiya Brooks) and she wanted this very bad so I wanted to make sure I came out and played for her,” said Chynna Ewing on winning the SWAC regular season championship. Southern was led by Samantha Duncan who had 12 points and three rebounds.
“Defensively, we didn’t do a bad job. We held The Lady Tigers will face the No.8 seed, Prairie them to where we thought we could hold them. View A&M, in the SWAC Quarterfinal on We just have to be better offensively basically,” Tuesday, March 7, in Houston at the HP&E said Texas Southern University assistant head Arena. coach, Carlos Wilson. During the third quarter, TSU outscored Southern 24-8 and 16-13 in the fourth quarter. The Lady Tigers outperformed its opponent in all categories: in-paint points (36-20), points off turnovers (21-8), 2nd chance points (9-4), fast break (14-2), and bench points (13-12).
“Prairie View is going to come in here with their purple, they’re going to come in aggressive and intense…we have to come in here, defend our home court and try and get to that semifinals,” said TSU Lady Tigers head coach, Johnetta Hayes-Perry.
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Politics Ben Carson Refers to Slaves as ‘Immigrants’ in First Remarks to HUD Staff
(courtesy of The New York Times) (www.nytimes.com)
Ben Carson’s first full week as secretary of Housing and Urban Development got off to a rough start on Monday after he described African slaves as “immigrants” during his first speech to hundreds of assembled department employees.
opportunities. We continue to live with that legacy.” Mr. Carson’s speech was not the first time that a newly minted Trump official has caused offense with their handling of African-American history.
The remark, which came as part of a 40-minute address on the theme of America as “a land of dreams and opportunity,” was met with swift outrage online. Mr. Carson turned his attention to slavery after describing photographs of poor immigrants displayed at the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. These new arrivals worked long hours, six or seven days a week, with little pay, he said. And before them, there were slaves. “That’s what America is about, a land of dreams and opportunity,’’ he said. “There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less. But they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great-grandsons, greatgranddaughters, might pursue prosperity and happiness in this land.” The comparison was first reported by USA Today and quickly drew the ire of social media users who attacked the secretary, who is African-American, for what they saw as racially insensitive comments. On Twitter, the comedian and actress Whoopi Goldberg recommended Mr. Carson watch the 1980s mini-series “Roots.”
The Department of Housing and Urban Development was stunned by the uproar and spent part of the afternoon responding to the news media on Twitter. In a statement, it said critics were watching only a short clip from a 30-minute speech and were viewing the remarks in bad faith.
Mr. Trump himself has described “inner city” neighborhoods as a crime-ridden “hell” in need of a tough police response, a vision of urban life that has been received unfavorably by many minority leaders. Last week, the new education secretary, Betsy DeVos, caused an uproar, by describing historically black colleges and universities — founded because black students were not allowed to attend segregated white schools — as “real pioneers” of school choice.
“This is the most cynical interpretation of the secretary’s remarks to an army of welcoming HUD employees,” the department said in a statement. “No one honestly believes he equates voluntary immigration with involuntary servitude!”
She later backtracked, saying in a statement that the history of black colleges and universities “was born, not out of mere choice, but out of necessity, in the face of racism, and in the aftermath of the Civil War.”
A spokesman for the department said Mr. Carson’s speech appeared to cause little upset among the employees who had gathered to hear him speak. Several hundred people attended the event and many lingered afterward to snap selfies with Mr. Carson, who was sworn in last Thursday.
“The Immigrants made the choice to come to America. They saw this country as a land of opportunity. In contrast, slaves were forced here against their will and lost all their opportunities. We continue to live with that legacy.”
On Monday night, following a radio interview in which he defended his remarks earlier in the day, Mr. Carson also did so on Twitter. “You can be an involuntary immigrant,” he said, adding that, “slaves didn’t just give up and die, our ancestors made something of themselves.” He continued, “An immigrant is: ‘a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country.’” But later that night, on Facebook, Mr. Carson drew a clear distinction between immigrants and slavery: “The Immigrants made the choice to come to America. They saw this country as a land of opportunity. In contrast, slaves were forced here against their will and lost all their
---Ben Carson, an excerpt from his post on Facebook
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Life & Style
Why Every Student at Texas Southern University Should Take African American Art An opinion piece by: Altremese Banks
had no idea of its importance. I didn’t know what it symbolized, but I do now. It is the embodiment of Africa; to me it represents life flowing from African into other places around the world. The status represents Africa; the source of creation and the water represents the spread of those creations worldwide. There are numerous works of art all over campus that display someone’s view of Africa and how the culture has been spread though the world, this country, and our university.
As an African American sometimes I find it hard to connect with my African roots. You see I’ve never been to Africa, nor do I know what country in African my ancients came from. In my African Art class, I was asked to find a place in Houston that was inspired by African culture. I was so lost, I literally had no idea of any places in Houston, Texas that were influenced by African culture, honestly, I didn’t even know what African culture really was. Until last night after driving around for about an hour, I then remembered our first assignment at the beginning of semester when we wrote down a list of everything that came from Africa. At that moment, I realized that any place in the city of Houston could be influenced by Africa. It was just all about perception. I continued to drive, stopping once I reached the perfect destination for our assignment, Texas Southern University. Our university to me is the most African influenced place in the city of Houston. If you walk around our campus, there are all kinds of African art displayed in the form of paints and scriptures. One of our class assignments was to walk around campus and observe arts located around us and describe them. The first was “Mother Africa” the water fountain in front of the School of Communication, for years I walked past that very fountain and
The auditorium is our theatre where several talented students take center stage, just like our relatives in Africa. Throughout the semester, it became very apparent that performing was a big part of African culture. When I was, younger I would see African mask all the time and I just looked at it as a form of decoration, but in this course I learned that people in Africa use those masks to tell stories. So, I would have to say the art of performance is definitely something we have definitely taken from African, not just here at Texas Southern, but worldwide. Although I am not a member of a divine nine organization it is very apparent that those groups are heavy influenced by African culture, they have specific rituals that are reminiscent to those performed by tribes in Africa. The initiation processes to join these organization of both scared and private, much like those of the tribes in Africa. Each Greek organization has its own individual symbols and trademarks making it distinctively different from the other. Which is also something that is very parallel to the practices of African tribes, although it is rooted in similar histories the tribes and organizations both find ways to be unique. Not only are Greek organizations on the campus of Texas Southern University, but also they are on hundredths of campuses worldwide. Even if you look at our mascot the Tiger, you
can take instances where the HBCU is influenced by the motherland. Tigers are rarely seen in Africa; however, they are a part of the Felid family of cats, which originated in Africa. Which brings me back to the beauty of this whole assignment, African influence is all around us. Everything came for that one continent no wonder it’s called the “mother land” and I learned that this semester, in this class. As a child, I didn’t learn anything about Africa, which is odd; because I’ve always classified myself as African American without know anything about Africa. People in this country say that black people don’t have a culture that it was lost when slaves were brought to the Americas, but that isn’t true. I came to a historically black university, because I wanted to find myself. When I got here I expected to learn about my roots, and study black culture in every class. Texas Southern University was founded March 3, 1947, the state declared this to be the first state university in Houston for African Americans; it was then named Texas State University for Negroes. TSU is home to over 9,000 students, from all walks of life, with the same common goal of gaining an education. However, going to a HBCU is not just about the classroom it is also about the experience, and a part of that is being introduce to African culture throughout classes like African American Art, the art already campus, and by noticing the infusion of African culture in our everyday lives.
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Life & Style All-Nighters Could Be the Reason You’re Failing Your Exams By: Mahbuba Matovu Life and Style Writer
With midterms around the corner, students are prone to pulling all-nighters in preparation for their exams especially on the eve of the test. Valerie Madison, who’s a senior majoring in Public Relations, has admitted to doing allnighters multiple times whenever she has a big test ahead. “It’s a lot of information you have to remember, so an all-nighter is almost inevitable. The most frustrating part is when you stay up all night preparing for an exam and once you start taking it, you forget everything you studied,” said Madison. As it turns out, staying up all night might actually be causing more harm than good especially when it comes to thinking, learning, and remembering information. In a study carried out by Bradley University, the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance were studied in 44 college students. The sleep-deprived participants performed significantly worse than the non-
deprived participants on a cognitive task.
fact the answers were wrong.
According to WebMD, there are three steps that must occur for the brain to retain information. The initial step is acquiring the knowledge. This is followed by consolidation, where by the memory becomes stable in the brain.
“Sometimes I’ll take a test after staying up all night and come out feeling good about it, only to be surprised at the actual results. What’s even more annoying is seeing the many careless mistakes I could have avoided that cost me my grade,” Madison said.
The final step is being able to recall and access the memory in the future. Sleep plays an important role in the consolidation step. This could explain Madison’s inability to recall information she had just learned. The brain may not have been given a chance to process that information into its long-term memory. In addition to low memory retention, sleep deprivation could also affect the way one makes decisions. A study carried out by Loughborough University found that young adults who had been sleep deprived for over a day, felt more confident that their answers were correct when in
Research from Berkeley suggests taking power naps as a solution. Power naps are short periods of sleep that last between 1-3 hours and have been found to reduce sleepiness, help retain new information and improve cognitive performance. A cup of coffee taken before a nap can help boost alertness once you wake up, according to the Loughborough study. Caffeine takes about 20-30 minutes to kick in, placing it in full effect by the time you wake up. So the next time you’re pulling that all-nighter and feel the urge to rest your head for a few minutes...do it. It just might save your grade.
Ideal Vacation Spots To Visit During Spring Break 2k17 By: Tyler Doggett Campus News Writer
up with other universities such as University of Houston, Texas A&M Commerce and Oklahoma State for a week of great drinks, great fun and a lot of sunlight.
Students have been studying spring semester to maintain those 3.0 GPAs. With midterms successfully conquered, an opportunity to take a mini vacation and party the stress of the spring semester away is just around the corner. Starting March 12th -18th, students will be leaving the campus with their friends to link
To inquire about advertisement please contact Ms. Tiyosha Turner or send us an email at tsu.heraldeditor@gmail.
Florida?
South-by-Southwest (SXSW) One of the biggest musical festivals in the US each year takes place in Austin, TX. With the Here are, to name a few, the most popular loca- musical guest list longer than my refund check, tions TSU students have their eyes set on: this year star-studded list includes TSU talent, Willow, making his SXSW debut. This is defiSouth Padre nitely the direction for all the music lovers. This city in Texas is the perfect oasis for Spring Break fun. With the beautiful blue waters on Home the beach, exclusive beach house rentals, and The best of all, you can take a trip back to your once in a lifetime house parties; celebrity feamomma’s house for a non-Sodexo, hometures such as Lil Wayne and Migos, this is the cooked delectable meal to devour and some perfect destination. good sleep in your slightly bigger-than-twin size bed. Take some time to spend with your Panama family and tell them about all your crazy colNeed an experience a little more mature? lege experiences. Panama is the 21 and up destination of choice. From the beautiful blue sea of the beach, 4 The list is endless with Spring break possibiliwheeler rental service for an adventurous twist ties. Whatever or whereever it takes you, make on your traditional party. Who doesn’t love sure your having fun responsibly.
12
What’s Happening on campus & around town
Monday - 3/6
Tuesday - 3/7
Wednesday - 3/8
Thursday - 3/9
TSU Softball vs Jarvis TSU Softball vs Stephen F. Austin: Christian College: Memorial Park @ 2pm Memorial Park @ 4pm
The Weekend 3/11 & 3/12
Friday - 3/10 SWAC TOURNAMENT
SWAC TOURNAMENT
MIDTERM WEEK: GO HARD!!!
Track & Field: NCAA TSU Golf vs PVAMU Indoor Championship
Monday - 3/13
Tuesday - 3/14
Wednesday - 3/15
Thursday - 3/16
Friday - 3/17
The Weekend 3/18 & 3/19
SPRING BREAK #SB2k17 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.
20 Questions
1. How can SGA help you? 2. Did you pass your midterms? 3. Will the creator of Tiger Story reveal themselves? 4. Why weren’t you at the game on Tuesday? 5. Where do we buy tickets to the SWAC Tournament? 6. Who’s going to SXSW? 7. Have you seen Get Out? 8. Did Get Out change your views on interracial relationships? 9. So who’s excited for the Spring Ball? 10. Can y’all talk to the Chik-Fil-A employees with some respect? 11. Can y’all order food with sense, like you somewhat have an education? 12. Why can’t people adhere to deadlines? 13. Why did it take Roberta seven years to speak up? 14. Can Chance the Rapper save Chicago? 15. Why don’t more individuals put funding into the communities? 16. Are you ready for the Cali vs Everybody Basketball game and after-party? 17. Who is the most electrifying man on campus? 18. Who won? Nicki Minaj or Remy Ma 19. What are the keys to success? 20. What are the things that stand between you and complete happiness?
You have questions and we have the answers Subscribe to the Talk on the Walk on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UCwfBhYsUswaAZTPYLHnXspQ
DISCLAIMER: The questions are submitted by the student body and are not the views of The TSU Herald or Texas Southern University as a whole. Feel free to bring your questions to room 221 of the Student Center. Questions are printed at the discretion of The TSU Herald.
#TSU20QUESTIONS