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Tuesday, April 25, 2017
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Allegations against Alpha Phi Alpha proven false By Students of JOUR 4820 Beat Reporters A university investigation cleared fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha Inc. of fraud allegations leveled by a student, Dean of Students Katie Williams said last week. Political science major Madeline Deffendall filed a police report March 27 claiming proceeds from APhiA’s annual step show may not have benefited a charity as promoted. In the report, Deffendall said she had heard from “some sorority members” that APhiA was not donating money from ticket sales. Members of APhiA said information given to police is false “All money from Step is made from ticket sales,” chapter treasurer Sean Henriques said. “A portion of those sales are donated to charities of our choice, and what isn’t sent to charity is used to help keep the chapter running.” Deffendall initially agreed to an interview with a reporter from The Oracle, but later rescinded her approval, after deciding an interview would not be “in her best
Courtesy of Sean Henriques ALPHA PHI ALPHA- Sean Henriques (Left), and Wolfgang Bronner (Right) of Alpha Phi Alpha presenting their donation to Lisa Bagci (Center), director of the Cancer Center at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. interest.” Although the police report indicated the Interfraternal Council would investigate Deffendall’s complaint, Williams said the Office of Student Activities found no criminal activity occurred. APhiA is the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African-American men.
The APhiA fraternity began on Tech campus in 1982, and operates under the National Pan-hellenic Council. The council consists of six fraternities and sororities on Tech’s campus. Henriques said the Step Show is primarily a fundraiser for the chapter, but portions of the ticket sales are donated to charity.
SAIC interviews succeed with student applicants on campus
Crawford family honored with naming ceremony
By Students of JOUR 4820 Beat Reporters
By LACEY RENFRO & LAUREN BRABSTON Beat Reporters The legacies of Leonard and Gladys Crawford live in Tech’s alumni center renamed in their honor during an April 6 ceremony. The Leonard and Gladys Crawford Alumni Center, located at 705 N. Dixie Ave, is a gathering place for University alumni and a home for some school memorabilia. An estimated 70 people attended the dedication ceremony that included speeches from President Phil Oldham and the Crawfords’ son, Leonard Crawford Jr. “A long time vision of a place on our campus, a building dedicated to our past and available for the functions that reflect a growing and vibrant institution at just the perfect setting,” said July Galloway, director of the College of Business Student Success Center. As lifelong Cookeville residents, the Crawfords’ connection to Tech covers five decades. Not only were they Tech alumni, employees and supporters, Leonard Crawford Sr. graduated with the first group of students to earn a four-year degree. “They were both leaders in both campus life and school spirit,” Alumni Association director Brandon Boyd said. “These are things that we still strive to fulfill today for our students and alumni.” Leonard Crawford Sr. came to work for campus in 1946. His involvement at Tech was diverse, from being the first cheerleader, to coaching the spirit squad, announcing football games, recruiting prospective students and serving as the Alumni Association president, his son said. “Dad was truly always somebody that the glass was always half full,” Crawford Read More Online
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APhiA donated $1,500 to charity - $1,000 to the March of Dimes, and $500 to the Cancer Care Fund, a local charity by the Cancer Center at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, according to check stubs provided by Henriques. A representative at the Cancer Center acknowledged the donation in an April 7 letter sent to the Greek Life office.
“This $500 donation will be used to provide items to cancer patients undergoing treatments,” center director Lisa Bagci, wrote in the letter, “Patients undergoing treatment often find themselves without the necessary resources to provide even the most basic of needs during a very critical time. The generous donation will help many patients and we are so grateful for their thoughtfulness.” APhiA members also provided records showing annual donations to Relay For Life since 2014. A Regions Bank checking account statement provided to The Oracle also shows APhiA donated $515 to the March of Dimes in April 2016. News Channel 5 of Nashville aired a news segment about the police report filed by Deffendall, but news reporters for that station did not contact APhiA members regarding the allegations, Henriques said. Since then, Channel 5 removed the report from their website. Representatives of Channel 5 declined to be interviewed by The Oracle.
Michael Louthan | The Oracle
ALUMNI- Attendees walk around the historical displays in The Leonard and Gladys Crawford Alumni Center. Jr., a retired urologist from California, said. Gladys Crawford graduated from Tech in 1935 and later served as the dietician and cafeteria director until she retired. In her position she was able to provide employment opportunities within the community. “Back before Cookeville was as big as it is, deal Sunday was not to go to the restaurants that existed, they would come to the Tennessee Tech cafeteria where they could get a wonderful meal for a very reasonable price,” Crawford Jr. said. Oldham reflected on the Crawford’s legacy at Tech. “This building represents so much about not only the past but the future as well as the present.” he said. “Names are important on any university campus because they reflect our heritage and tell our stories.” Crawford Sr. died in 1969 at the age of 67. Gladys Crawford died October 1999 at the age of 90. The Crawfords’ daughter, Sandra Lee Crawford, is a 1964 Tech graduate and continues to reside in Cookeville. “I think my parents would be as proud as they could be that something like this is named after them, because they both gave their professional lives to Tennessee Tech,” Leonard Crawford Jr. said.
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Approximately 50 Tech students interviewed with Science Applications International Corporation April 5 and 6 in the Roaden University Center. The company is expected to create 300 new jobs in the Cookeville community over the next five years. SAIC’s officials expressed goal is to optimize infrastructure, engineering processes and logistics and supply chain management according to their website. “I truly believe the partnerships are why the company chose to bring SAIC to Cookeville,” Stephen Crook, Putnam County economic development director said. Crook discussed the economic development team brought the Cookeville Higher Education Campus, Tennessee College of Applied Technology and K-12 education together to show the company that students will have the skillsets companies are looking for. Crook emphasized the importance of hiring Tech graduates. “We want more employers in our area that need young talent. We have to give students more reasons to stay close to TTU and companies like SAIC provide the employment that is a part of the answer to that problem,” Crook said. “It wasn’t so much that SAIC was chosen for this opportunity as it was that Tennessee, Cookeville, and TTU were chosen by SAIC for expansion of their footprint,” Jerry Gannod, chairman of the Tech computer science department said. “As such, this area was selected due to a number of factors, one of which was the university and the quality of the computing
programs.” SAIC, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, has 15,000 employees worldwide and has offices in 47 states. “SAIC has movement within the organization,” Ashley Kabaki, Tech’s COOP education associate director, said. “They have their hand in so many things, that employees are able to grow within the company.” The old Regions Bank building on North Broad Street is expected to be SAIC’s future Cookeville location. “SAIC wants to bring growth to Cookeville and allow Tech graduates to be a minor part of their employees,” Charles Onstott, SAIC’s chief technology officer said. “This is our commitment to Tennessee. During the summer, SAIC officials plan to hire 30 employees. The number of employees is expected to rise to 300 within the next five years. Gannod discussed the company’s plans to focus on software development and cybersecurity at the new Cookeville location. “A lion’s share of our graduates typically move on to other parts of the state or the country once they graduate,” Gannod said. “We’re already seeing the effect of this: Some of our past graduates have heard about the availability of positions at SAIC and are seeking employment with them because they want to move back to the area.” SAIC employees plan to begin operations June 1. “We expect that 10 years from now, we will look at the SAIC announcement as a landmark date when we saw TTU graduates going to work in Cookeville rather than having to move elsewhere,” Crook said.
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