Volume 68 No. 11

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Vol 68 | Number 11 THE TSU HERALD | February 17, 2016

CAMPUS NEWS page 2

SENATOR JOHN CORNYN VISITS TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL, SPEAKS ON POLITICAL CAREER

LIFE & STYLE page 9

DISEASE OUTBREAK: ZIKA VIRUS

OPINION page 11

THE BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTEST THAT YOU MISSED FROM BEYONCÉ’S HALFTIME SHOW DANCERS

SPORTS page 8

SPORTS RUNDOWN

Operation Flint joins in aiding Flint water crisis

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Campus News Senator John Cornyn visits Texas Southern University law school, speaks on political career

BY LENZI CAUSEY Editor-In-Chief

Senator John Cornyn, U.S. Senator for Texas, was welcomed for an earnest visit to Texas Southern University this past Friday. Cornyn, a Houston native, spoke to students in the Thurgood Marshall School of Law on his experience as a senator and constant representative for the state of Texas.

Cornyn earned a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Trinity University in San Antonio, class of 1973, originally in hopes of going to medical school.

“I started out in undergraduate school thinking I wanted to be a doctor--That didn’t turn out too well,” Senator Cornyn shared. “I took organic chemistry and physics and I thought: ‘I’m gonna do something else.’”

Cornyn later studied to be journalist, and furthered his education at St. Mary’s University School of Law in 1977, also located in San Antonio, where he graduated with a Juris Doctor.

Cornyn elaborated on his experience in both the judicial and executive branches, and his service to the country, especially the state of Texas. He ran for state District Judge in 1984, and served on the Texas Supreme Court for seven years. He was elected attorney general in 1998, where he was the first Republican elected Attorney General of Texas since Reconstruction. In 2002, Cornyn was first elected to the U.S. Senate.

“So I work for you... and it is a great honor to do that.”

Cornyn shared some key differences between John Cornyn in 2002, while newly elected to the T h e T S U H e r a l d senate, and John Cornyn is today, considering all the p u b l i s h e d b y t h e experience he acquired students of and during his third term Te x a s S o u t h e r n as a U.S. senator.

EDITORIAL STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LENZI S. CAUSEY sports editor

JONATHAN DAVIS sports writer

MARCUS SMITH campus news writer

MAHBUBA MATOVU staff writer

VALERIE MADISON staff writer

WILLIE WILLIAMS Publications Manager TIYOSHA TURNER Advisors SERBINO SANDIFER-WALKER MICHAEL BERRYHILL

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.

“When I came to the Senate, I had never been in the legislature. I had been a judge for 13 years, and attorney general, neither one of which involved working with people to pass legislation and having public policy debates and voting,” Cornyn said. “So when I first came to the senate, I think I had a narrow view of my responsibilities… Over time I’ve realized that when you’re in the legislature, your job is to get things done, not just to vote ‘no.’”

President Barack Obama proposed his “America’s College Promise” of free community college in 2015, and elaborated more on his plans of execution at this year’s State of the Union Address.

“We have to make college affordable for every American because no hardworking student should be stuck in the red. We’ve already reduced student loan payments to 10% of a borrower’s income. Now, we’ve actually got to cut the cost of college,” President Obama said.

“Providing two years of community college at no cost for every responsible student is one of the best ways to do that, and I’m going to keep fighting to get that started this year.”* Cornyn elaborated on his views on free community college in a post-visit interview.

“I actually don’t believe there is a such thing as free community college, because somebody is going to have to pay, sometime. Either you’re going to have to pay now, or later when you become a taxpayer,” Cornyn said. “So, I think it’s an important conversation to have, but I think part of the responsibility lies in the schools themselves to allow students to rack up a lot of debt.”

During his visit, Senator Cornyn toured TSU and shared how its students, particularly law students, can reap the benefits of acquiring a quality education right here in the state of Texas. *Courtesy of USA Today

“Over time I’ve realized that when you’re in the legislature, your job is to get things done, not just to vote ‘no.’”

-Senator John Cornyn

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Cover Story “Operation Flint” Joins in Aiding Flint Water Crisis

BY SENORA HARRIS Contributing Writer

TSU students have decided to take action against the ongoing water crisis in Flint, Michigan with a water drive.

After seeing many images of corrosive brown water spewing out of Flint residents’ faucets in the news and on social media, students Natasha Malone and Mary Rucker collaborated in creating “TSU Cares: Operation Flint”. Although there are filters available, Flint residents are using bottled water, as the tap water isn’t 100% guaranteed to be free of contamination. Malone and Rucker plan to contribute by sending at least 10,000 cases of water to the city of Flint, Michigan.

“These are our brothers and sisters,” Rucker said. “Regardless if we know them or not, we have an obligation to take care of them. I know we can’t fix the piping, but we can donate some water.”

Since the beginning of February, TSU’s student center and parking lot have been utilized as the dropoff location for donations by FEMA and the Red Cross. Although it was originally intended to be for a week, “Operation Flint” has extended to February 29. To date, 390 cases and 260 gallons of water have been donated to the residents of Flint.

TSU’s Intervarsity, M.A.P.S., California Club, Delta Sigma Theta, and Habitat Humanity chapter were among the many campus organizations that helped to facilitate the drive in

shifts on different days. In addition to inviting all campus organizations to participate, both Malone and Rucker have encouraged professors to arrange extra credit be rewarded to students who donate.

“I’ve been trying to make sure that everybody who wants to be a part of it get on board with it,” Rucker said.

“I don’t want to do it by myself. I want this to be a collective effort. I want us all to put in work to make this a huge event for TSU.” Kayla Frazer, a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, said she was eager to aid Flint residents after seeing coverage of the water crisis on mainstream news. While helping her sorority facilitate the drive, the pre-med student lamented on the value of awareness that the drive would bring to young TSU students.

“Students as a whole, not only at HBCUs, need to be aware of what’s going on around them and outside of their campus,” Frazer said.

“I think sometimes that as college kids, we get so focused and hold on [to] what’s going on on-campus [that] we forget about things that are going on outside of campus.”

Malone, who feels that everyone is deserving of clean water, is hopeful that “Operation Flint” will meet and surpass her and Rucker’s goal.

“They don’t have water for anything, so that’s really big to me,” Malone said.

“We need water in our everyday lives. It’s just the point of helping someone knowing that you can make a difference is the best thing that I can do.”

Beginning Tuesday, February 16, students and staff can continue to donate in the Health Center, Hannah Hall, and the Spearman Technology Building.

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Campus News TSU celebrates Black History Month

BY VALERIE MADISON Staff Writer

Today in America, black citizens are being murdered by police, prisons are being filled by people of color for minor crimes. Now is a time to celebrate being black and the accomplishments and struggles of black Americans.

TSU’s chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has led events, forums and discussions addressing the disparities of blacks and the issues that students should be aware of.

On campus there have been and will be dozens of events to commemorate the month-long acknowledgement of black America. Students and faculty spoke on the length of time for the celebration of black history.

TSU NAACP president, Gayla Randle believes,“as important as it is to share those struggles of our people one must remember we have to celebrate the accomplishments so that we can find inspiration and achieve even more.”

“I live in a state of mind wherein I celebrate Black history every day, not just in February.

Each day when I wake up and see my black face in the mirror, I remember that I, a black man, am heir to the proudest of legacies,” shares TSU professor, Dr. Jason Oby. Many would agree that black history should be celebrated every month and seeing that there is a social crisis thats currently happening with the #BlackLivesMatter movement, police brutality and even black on black on black crime; it is the responsibility of black college students to do what they can to make the difference.

On campus many departments have chosen to pay homage to the achievements from musical concerts, lectures, debates and even museum exhibits. Something really unique and has received a lot of attention is the black history commercial shot by two TSU students, LaDiamond Blueford and Prinston ‘Taddy’ Nnanna.

The video is comprised of different TSU students who expressed what celebrating black history month meant to them. LaDiamond shares,”its up to us to continue telling our story, we cant trust that America will.”

In a day the video reached hundreds of views and started discussions of how important it is for black students to be proud and continue to pave the way and lead innovation.

Jason Oby stated: “Many students are not aware of the struggles and achievements of African Americans in the United States. Actually, I would say that they are more oblivious to the achievements. They hear a lot about the struggles in the movies and television. For a lot of students, the NOW is more important than history. It is our responsibility in academia everywhere, and particularly here at an HBCU to make sure that students are exposed to these facts, that they can come to understand a country that can produce Barack Obama as president and still kill black unarmed teens.”

To see what events TSU has planned for the rest of the month checkout the black history month calendar on tsu.edu.

Miss TSU hosts donation drive for students at Foster Elementary

BY MAHBUBA MATOVU Campus News Writer Miss Texas Southern University, Channing Briggs celebrated her birthday in style, by hosting a donation drive at the Student Centre on February 10th, 2016.

The drive that was themed “A Royal Hygiene” was held in partnership with Foster Elementary school in Houston, to collect Dove soap and deodorant for donation to a community service initiative meant to help improve hygiene of young girls.

“Hosting this drive this is really rewarding to me because it feels like I’m going back to where I came from,” Briggs said.

The queen who turned 22 happily received donations from students, birthday hugs and even a bouquet of flowers from a well-wisher.

“I think this is a wonderful event helping out unfortunate children who really need simple things like soap and deodorant, that sometimes their parents may not be able to afford,” Khalil Coffield, a junior at the School of Communications said.

All donated items were taken to Foster Elementary by Miss TSU herself with the help of some volunteers that Friday.

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Campus News Dr. Halcyon Sadberry Watkins recalls Houston’s First sit-in

BY MAHBUBA MATOVU Campus News Writer t was a spring afternoon in March 1960, when Halcyon Sadberry Watkins and 12 other students from Texas Southern University, met under a flag pole on the campus. It was the day that they would stage Houston’s first sit-in, to protest the Jim Crow laws that banned African Americans from using public facilities and services used by whites.

The University’s administration had motivated its students to participate in the protests, and urged them to do so in an organized manner. The students went on to start the Progressive Youth Association to strategize on how they would contribute in the fight to end segregation in the Southern United States.

“When I first sat down, a white man that had a cup of coffee turned it over so that the contents left in his cup would pour towards me. The person cleaning came to wipe off the table and the white man told him not to, saying, ‘That nigger needs to wash it off,’” Watkins recalled.

“I felt my blood boiling, I felt a heat wave across my body and I almost started crying,” she said. She admitted to initially being naïve to how bad the situation was in the country

“She asked me if I was scared. I said, ‘Yes I’m scared. My parents don’t know I’m doing this and I don’t know what to expect. I don’t know what we’re going to run into.’”

Her partner considered turning around but Watkins reminded her that they had promised each other to go through with it and they had to stay.

The students had been instructed not to react.

They occupied all 30 counter stools in shifts, sitting quietly for hours, while customers hurled insults at them.

She went on to become the 11th Black Female Veterinarian from Tuskegee University.

55 years after the sit-in, Dr. Watkins still feels that the hate is subtle. “We need to work on our hate…both sides, so we can improve our relationship racially,” she said.

Dr. Watkins is not impressed with the violence following some of the groups participating in the on-going Black Lives Matter movement.

She calls it a setback and a desire for some of the activists to grandstand and be seen as heroes.

“The violence is destroying what the movement really should be. The leadership is terrible. People are not really thinking about what they really want from this action.

I want students to know that they have a right to protest, but they should have a reason to protest,” Watkins said.

On March 4th, a few hours after midday, the students gathered for an assembly, said a prayer and lined up in pairs to begin the march to Weingarten’s Supermarket at 4110 Almeda Road. It was here that they would sit at the lunch counter with the hope of being served.

While marching to the supermarket, Watkins recollects a conversation with her partner.

tion.

and said that it was in that moment, when it hit her, that someone would have so much hate just because of the color of her skin. “That was my first real recognition of prejudice,” she said.

Throughout the semester, the students participated in various non-violent demonstrations that eventually led to the end of segregation in public places.

Dr. Watkins went on to complete her undergraduate studies from Texas Southern University. She decided to become a veterinarian doctor and applied to Texas A&M University, an all-male institution at the time. The college dean did not hesitate to tell her that a woman would never be allowed to attend the institu-

Dr. Watkins is a retired professor from TSU and Prairie View A&M. She is still a practicing veterinarian in Hempstead, Texas, and is currently running for the trustee position on the Hempstead Independent School District board.

She wants to be remembered as a woman who represented the good in making the community a better place to live, and a woman who was willing to do whatever it took to achieve that.

“If I see the need for something that is worthwhile, I will not turn my back on it. I still want to make this a better world,” she said.

Photo Courtesy of Serbino Sandifer-Walker

Texas Southern University Excellence in Achievement

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THROUGH THE EYE

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ES OF OUR TIGERS 1. Panelists take their places at the School of Communications’ Bless the Mic Event Thursday February 11th.

2. Lakesha Lewis, TSU alumna, speaks at the Bless the Mic PR event for SOC students.

3. Denitra Sanders, Collegiate 100 president speaks at the Metro 100 and Collegiate 100 meeting on TSU’s campus.

4. Audience prepare for Metro 100 and Collegiate 100’s meeting last week.

5. Male students participate in UPC’s Love at No Sight Valentine’s Day event.

6. Students take their places during the blind speed dating activity at the UPC event.

7. Jose Rodriguez executing a play Monday’s game against Grambling State University.

8. Orlando Coleman taking a shot at the victory against Grambling State.

9. LaDeyah Forte playing extensive offense in the February 13th Jackson State basketball game.

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Sports Sports Rundown

BY JONATHAN DAVIS AND MARCUS SMITH Sports Editor and Sports Writer Women’s Basketball Texas Southern has continued to display its dominance in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Lady Tigers nab their 10th win in conference play and are still atop of the conference. Texas Southern defeated Jackson State, 66-47, over the Valentine’s Day weekend.

Continuing to stay perfect at home, the Lady Tigers haven’t lost a home game since March 1, back in 2014. Texas Southern has another home game against Grambling State before going on the road the Mississippi to face Mississippi Valley State, a team in the bottom five of the conference standings.

Senior forward, Brianna Sidney led the way with a game-high 16 points and six rebounds. Sharp shooting from Sidney and freshman guard Joyce Kennerson helped fuel the team to victory, they shot for a combined five-for-10 from long range. As a team, the Lady Tigers were most effective from the free throw line as they connected on 80 percent of their 26 attempts.

“We preach 80 percent, every day,” said Texas Southern Lady Tigers head coach, Johnetta Hayes-Perry, “I’m happy Brianna Sidney stepped up tonight. I thought Joyce Kennerson did a good job.”

Texas Southern’s starting front court contributed to 41 of the team’s 66 points. Toni Cheadle would pitch in an efficient 13 points, as Keiana Vines added 12 points. Vines was locked in defensively recording six blocks against Jackson State.

The Lady Tigers defense was in full effect as a whole, holding the opponent to a 32 percent shooting night from the field and 20 percent from the three point line. Jackson State’s senior guard, Bridgett Robinson was stifled by Kennerson and the rest of the Lady Tigers shooting three-for-11 from the field. Robinson turned the ball over five times in the game.

“Our goal is to keep teams under 60 points and today we kept them under 50. We executed that,” said forward, Brianna Sidney.

have to put the game behind me and get to the next one.”

The Tigers received a lot of help from the free throw line from Jose Rodriguez who shot 88 percent on the night on his way to a 15-point game. Texas Southern senior forward, Malcolm Riley, knocked down two long-distance field goals and ended with 10 points and eight rebounds.

As a team, Texas Southern held Jackson State to their worst shooting night, thus far in conference competition. Jackson State was held to a season’s worst 15 percent from the three point line against Texas Southern. The Tigers didn’t receive the best output offensively from guard David Blanks, but defensively he harassed Jackson State’s Yettra Specks holding him to six points and forcing him to commit four turnovers.

Men’s Basketball The Fighting Tigers bounced back from their loss against Prairie View by defeating the Jackson State Tigers, 76-60. Despite 17 team turnovers, the team collectively took care of business with four players scoring in doublefigures on Saturday.

It was a neck and neck game through 20 minutes of play, as Texas Southern narrowly led in the game, 29-28. Senior guard, Chris Thomas, was in total control of the game throughout the entire contest.

Thomas scored 16 of his 26 points in the second half on seven-for-eight shooting from the field. Derrick Griffin’s 12 points and 10 rebounds was good enough for his 11th doubledouble of the season.

“I’m just playing the game, I take it game by game,” said senior guard, Chris Thomas, “I

“He was really good,” said Texas Southern Tigers head coach, Mike Davis, “He carried us with 10 points in the first half. If he can really score the basketball, then he’s got to continue to take advantage of match-ups.”

Texas Southern leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference in every defensive category, with the exception of steals, ironically in last place. Texas Southern advances to 10-1 in the conference and still maintain the top record in the SWAC with a two-game lead from the second place Southern University. The Tigers host Grambling State on Monday and then take off later in the week to face Mississippi Valley State.

Baseball This weekend the Tigers will host the University of Illinois-Chicago in a four-game series at MacGregor Park.

Outfielder, Christopher Scroggins, ended last season with 52 homers, 29 in SWAC play, second behind recently graduated Robert Garza. Garza who graduated, and Zach Wels who signed a contract with the MLB’s Los Angeles Angels.

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Life & Style Disease outbreak: Zika virus

BY EL’LOHNA JONES Contributing Writer In May 2015, the Pan American Health Organization issued an alert regarding the first confirmed Zika virus infection in Brazil. The outbreak in Brazil led to reports of GuillainBarré syndrome and pregnant women giving birth to babies with birth defects and resulting in poor pregnancy outcomes.

Zika is primarily transmitted through the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes, the same mosquitoes that spread Chikungunya and dengue. These mosquitoes are aggressive daytime biters although they do still prey at night.

The mosquitoes become infected when they bite a person already infected with the virus.

Infected mosquitoes can then spread the virus to other people through bites.

The disease can also be transmitted from a pregnant mother to her baby during pregnancy or around the time of birth. Anyone who lives in or travels to an area where Zika virus is found and has not already been infected with Zika virus can get it from mosquito bites.

There is no widely available test for Zika infection. Because it is closely related to dengue and yellow fever, it may cross-react with antibody tests for those viruses. To detect Zika,

a blood or tissue sample from the first week in the infection must be sent to an advanced laboratory so the virus can be detected through sophisticated molecular testing. The most common symptoms of the Zika virus disease are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting from several days to a week.

Severe disease requiring hospitalization is uncommon. Common symptoms of infection with the virus include mild headaches, maculopapular rash, fever, malaise, conjunctivitis, and arthralgia.

clean or cover containers that can hold water such as buckets, flowerpots so that places where mosquitoes can breed are removed.

The disease is usually relatively mild and requires no specific treatment. People infected with the virus should get plenty of rest, drink enough fluids, and treat pain and fever with common medicines. If symptoms worsen, they should seek medical care and advice. There is currently no vaccine available.

“So we are going to be putting up a legislative proposal to Congress to resource both the The first well documented case of Zika virus research on vaccines and diagnostics but also was in 1964, beginning with a mild headache helping in terms of public health systems,” and progressing to a maculopapular rash, fever, Obama told CBS This Morning in an interview and back pain. taped Sunday.

Mosquitoes and their breeding sites pose a significant risk factor for Zika virus infection.

President Obama will ask Congress for $1.8 Prevention and control relies on reducing mos- billion in emergency funding to combat the quitoes through source reduction (removal Zika virus through mosquito control proand modification of breeding sites) and reduc- grams, vaccine research, education and iming contact between mosquitoes and people. proving health care for low-income pregnant Using insect repellent can do this; wearing women, the White House said Monday Februclothes that cover as much of the body as posary 8th. sible; using physical barriers such as screens, closed doors and windows; and sleeping under mosquito nets. It is also important to empty,

Sports Rundown (cnt’d.)

Softball Texas Southern Softball was in full swing over the weekend as the Lady Tigers traveled to Arlington, Texas for the University of TexasArlington Invitational.

In the first game, the Lady Tigers came up short against the UTA Lady Mavericks. They lost, 5-4, due to a game winning RBI in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Texas Southern would lose the next two games before finally achieving the first win of the season.

Texas Southern would defeat Detroit-Mercy, 3-1, behind a complete pitching game from Jasmine Fulmore. Fulmore only allowed five hits and one run. This performance was com-

plemented by outfielder, Brianna Simpson, and her first run to set the tone for the Lady Tigers.

Simpson is returning for her senior year after a stellar 2015 campaign in which the NCAA named her 2015 Statistical Champion of the Year, for her sacrifice hits per game.

The Lady Tigers will be in action again this weekend as they travel to Beaumont to participate in the Lamar University Tournament.

Women’s Bowling The Lady Tigers Bowling team were in action over the weekend in the Stephen F. Austin Stormin’ Lady Jack Classic.

Texas Southern has been able to defeat Tulane, Louisiana Tech, Prairie View, Jackson State, and the University of Whitewater in Wis-

consin. Through six games, Texas Southern’s Jasmine Kaplan was able to crack the top 25 in average bowling for the tournament with just under 200 points at 199.83.

The Lady Tigers will be in action again this weekend when they head to Alabama for the SWAC East Round-Up. They participated in the SWAC West Round-Up back in January and placed third behind SWAC Freshman of the Year candidate Denisyha Waller. The scores and stats from the SWAC West Round-Up will carry over into the SWAC East Round-UP this weekend. The top averages for the Lady Tigers coming into this tournament are freshman Jaden Takeyesu (173.15), Kaplan (177.89), and Waller (191.93).

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Opinion

Addressing the fears of the Texas open-carry law

BY VALERIE MADISON Staff Writer It has been forty-eight days since the New Year rolled in with the new Texas law Governor, Greg Abbott, signed to allowing open carry of handguns in a hip or shoulder holster.

Many students have shared their thoughts of being scared to allow Texans to roam around with guns openly and even the President shared his thoughts at a forum last semester about the law that goes into effect on August 1st at Texas Southern.

“We have people on our campus who have guns and shouldn’t have guns, right? So we’re gonna pass a law now that if you have a concealed handgun license, you also can [carry] on a college campus. So that means you’re gonna have the wild, wild west,” university president, Dr. John Rudley said, according to CW39. “You’re gonna have some shoot-outs, maybe. I mean, that’s what that says to me.

And I would like not to have a situation where we have shootouts on campus.”

Many believe it will bring more gun violence and with the past incidents of students being murdered in the acts of senseless gun violence;

they feel it shall only increase with the legalization of open carry.

What students should know is that texans have been allowed to carry guns on them in the past and now the only difference is that they don’t have to conceal them. Citizens do need to have a legal license and training to do so. Those who plan to kill, typically don’t with legal guns and won’t have them out in the open before they do so.

There have been dozens of campaigns to make the lawmakers aware of the dangers this may cause and their disapproval of the law.

In Texas, many residents love their guns and feel that over time once things calm down that the fears will go away. Many organizations have put on campaigns to hope this will not go into affect.

“I respect some people don’t like them, but don’t stop us who love guns, who love the Second Amendment, from being able to protect ourselves, our families, our businesses and our friends,” Lt. Governor Dan Patrick said on

NBC’s Meet the Press.

According to the TSU Police Department: Open Carry does not apply to Institutions of Higher Learning, and openly carrying a weapon on the campus of Texas Southern University is a CRIME. Before calling the police and you see someone carrying a gun, take notice of their actions and ensure they are being threatening towards you and/or others.

There will be signs posted where gus are allowed to be openly carried at the university.

Its going to take some getting used to. This law was not set to intimidate or harm Texas students, faculty and administration.

If you have any questions please call (713) 3237000 and look out for educational seminars and programs from TSU Police Department.

Bernie Sanders’ support for black colleges questioned Courtesy of USA Today College Bernie Sanders is getting slammed for leaving students at historically black colleges and universities “out in the cold” as he prepares to visit Morehouse College, the alma mater of African-American leaders including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-La., says in a statement issued by Hillary Clinton’s campaign that Sanders’ plan for free tuition at public colleges and universities doesn’t mention HBCUs and doesn’t invest in private colleges, including Atlanta’s Morehouse.

That’s unlike Clinton’s plan, he says, which calls for greater funding for states that support HBCUs. “By focusing exclusively on making public college free, Sanders’ plan wouldn’t spend a dime on private HBCUs and threatens roughly 50 percent of HBCUs that are not public,” stated Richmond, a Morehouse alumnus who has endorsed Clinton.

Richmond continued, “As Senator Sanders pro-

motes his HBCU tour, he owes it to the students to explain why half the HBCUs in the country aren’t worth the any investment.”

Warren Gunnels, Sanders’ campaign policy director, said no presidential candidate is more committed to strengthening HBCUs than Sanders, whose plan would give students a tuition-free education at public HBCUs and meet all financial needs of the lowest income students attending those schools.

At all HBCUs -- including private -- low income students could use federal, state and college financial aid to cover room and board, books and living expenses, Gunnels said in a statement. He would also cut student loan interest rates almost in half for all students enrolled in an HBCU and help students build career experience by more than tripling the federal work-study program at HBCUs. Everyone who has attended an HBCU would be able to refinance student loans at today’s low interest rates, he wrote.

“Bernie understands that too many HBCU’s have struggled financially in recent years from a lack of federal resources,” Gunnels wrote. “That’s why he supports a dedicated $30 billion fund to support private non-profit HBCU’s and other minority serving institutions to keep their costs down. Unlike Secretary Clinton, Bernie does not believe that we should unfairly punish HBCUs by fining them for their non-performing student loans.”

Sanders’ Morehouse visit is one stop on a ‘Feel the Bern’ HBCU tour that kicked off in January at South Carolina State University in collaboration with Benedict College. He plans to discuss college affordability, income inequality and criminal justice reform.

Sanders has proposed paying for free tuition at public universities and colleges by taxing Wall Street transactions by investment houses, hedge funds and other speculators.

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Opinion The Black Lives Matter protest that you missed from Beyoncé’s halftime show dancers Courtesy of the Washington Post The organizers said in interviews with the Guardian and Mic News that the performers didn’t hesitate.

“The dancers were really excited to take pictures,” Calloway told Mic. “They didn’t second-guess taking a stand in solidarity with us for Mario Woods and it seemed they had already heard the story, but we didn’t have enough time to react.”

Since then, photos and a video of the act spread across the Internet.

Woods’s mother, Gwen, told the Guardian that she was moved by the photo.

Sunday’s game between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers was the third mostwatched television broadcast in U.S. history, according to numbers released by Nielsen on Monday. The viewership peaked at an average of 115.5 million not during the game itself, but rather during the 30-minute halftime show.

This confirms what many (including The Washington Post’s Chris Richards) have been saying: Beyoncé dominated the Super Bowl.

With a performance of her new single, “Formation,” which touched upon police brutality, the Black Panthers and Malcolm X, the singer handily upstaged fellow performers Coldplay and Bruno Mars. Even after the last of her leather-clad dancers left the field, there was no shortage of material to keep viewers talking.

Now, the debate rages on about whether it was appropriate for Beyoncé to inject politics into her performance.

The same elements that have been widely praised for showcasing black empowerment also have attracted ire from the likes of former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, who on Monday called Beyoncé’s “attack” on police officers “outrageous.”

[Rudy Giuliani: Beyoncé’s halftime show was an ‘outrageous’ affront to police] At issue are, among other things, the “X” formation that dancers created on the field and the Afros and black berets they sported, channeling black activist Malcolm X and the aesthetic of the Black Panther Party of the 1960s and ’70s.

What wasn’t shown on-screen but is now catching fire online is a quieter political display that occurred after the halftime show, when a group of Beyoncé’s dancers was approached by two organizers for the Bay Area chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Activists Ronnisha Johnson and Rheema Emy Calloway knew what they wanted out of their halftime show tickets: a way to spread the story of Mario Woods, a 26-year-old black man who was shot and killed by San Francisco police in December, to a larger audience than they had ever had before.

As Beyoncé’s dancers walked off the field with their fists in the air, Johnson and Calloway ran up to a group of them with a sign that read “Justice 4 Mario Woods.”

“I was really depressed, and that gave me a jolt,” she said. “To see them with the sign in the stands, it jolted me back into reality. It uplifted me. … I am so thankful to those dancers that they acknowledged this.”

At the start of this month, the Justice Department announced a review of the San Francisco Police Department in the wake of Woods’s death, which was captured on a video that shows Woods being shot by 15 rounds fired by five officers after he walked toward them with a knife in hand. (The review is voluntary and won’t result in a court-monitored legal settlement, the Associated Press reported.)

Woods had a history of mental illness and was suspected to have stabbed someone earlier that day.

The dancers’ gesture was applauded by those who viewed it as a fitting addendum to Beyoncé’s program, while others thought it ignored certain facts of the case.

Beyoncé’s “Formation” music video features a black boy in a hoodie dancing in front of armed police as well as graffiti that reads “Stop shooting us.” After its release last week, some Twitter users advocated a boycott of her Super Bowl performance.

Photo Courtesy of the LA Times

12

What’s Happening on campus & around town

Monday - 2/15

Tuesday - 2/16

Wednesday - 2/17

UPC: The Blacker the Col- UPC: Family Feud Education Auditorium lege 7 pm- 10 pm SSLC 207A 7 pm- 10 pm

Thursday - 2/18 Dating Violence Seminar Thurgood MArshall School of Law 9 am-5pm

TSU Debate Team: The Igbo TSU Basketball v.

Debate Mississippi Valley State Sawyer Auditorium Itta Bena, MS 7 pm- 9 pm 2 & 4 pm

Student Reading Lounge Ribbon Cutting Nabrit Complex 1 pm- 2 pm

Monday - 2/22 TSU Basketball v.

UAPB Pine Bluff, AR 5:30 & 7:30 pm

Tuesday - 2/23

Wednesday - 2/24

Thursday - 2/25

The Weekend 2/20 & 2/21

Friday - 2/19

The Houston Sun Black History Month Parade Downtown 10 am

Friday - 2/26

UPC: Wild n’ Out Tiger Room 7pm- 10 pm

The Weekend 2/27 & 2/28

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. Why isn’t Kanye streaming his album on Apple Music or iTunes?

2. Who saw Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy performance?

3. Why is there so much backlash behind his performance?

4. Since when does pro-black mean anti-white?

5. What was the most inspirational part of the Grammy’s?

6. What was the purpose of Adele’s lengthy Grammy performance?

7. What do you know about #ZikaVirus?

8. Who is replacing President Rudley?

9. When is he going to talk to the students about his resignation?

10. What is causing his sudden departure?

11.Will our next president be an in-house elected official?

12. Is #TakeBackTxSU over?

13. Do you think the university has improved since #TakeBackTxSU? 14. Should the university encourage internships earlier in your collegiate career?

15.Do students really feel their degrees do not equate to degrees from other institutions?

16. Like UH? OR Rice?

17. Who will be the next SGA president?

18. Has the campus violence ceased?

19. Are you celebrating your culture this year?

20. Is Texas Southern celebrating Black History Month this year?

Anonymously submit your 20 questions submissions via Ask.Fm today: TSU20Questions

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