SUNO Chooses Mary Landrieu as 2015 Commencement Speaker

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The Times-Picayune

Southern University of New Orleans has chosen former three-term U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu to serve as its 2015 commencement speaker May 9 at the Kiefer Lakefront Arena.

In a release announcing the event, SUNO noted that Landrieu’s efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina aided the university’s recovery.

After the storm, Landrieu helped orchestrate a $44 million low-interest loan for SUNO to build a 699-bed student and faculty housing facility. “The loan — again thanks to Landrieu — has been forgiven,” the release said.

Last year, SUNO’s principal commencement speaker was Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Read more here.

S.C. State President’s Plan Would Cut Men’s Basketball

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A budget plan proposed by South Carolina State president Thomas Elzey would cut the Bulldogs’ men’s basketball team and consider a change in athletic conferences.

Elzey, who was placed on paid administrative leave this week as state lawmakers tackle the Orangeburg school’s financial crisis, released his proposal Wednesday to the Orangeburg Times and Democrat. His plan was discussed by the Board of Trustees’ financial committee on Feb. 16, but has not been approved by the board.

Elzey’s proposal includes the elimination of men’s basketball, women’s softball and women’s soccer, and calls for a “consideration of change in conference affiliation.”

S.C. State has been a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference since 1970. Elzey’s plan does not state which conference S.C. State might consider joining.

The Bulldogs have been playing men’s basketball since about 1920, and have made five appearances in the NCAA Tournament, the last in 2003. This year’s team, coached by former Charleston Southern assistant Murray Garvin, has a record of 10-19 overall and 7-7 in the MEAC.

Elzey’s plan also calls for adding women’s golf and women’s bowling, presumably less expensive sports than softball and soccer. S.C. State spent $64,654 in operating expenses for women’s soccer in 2013-14, and $37,888 for softball, according to Department of Education figures.

S.C. State’s athletic department faces a budget shortfall of $465,452 in 2015-16, according to Elzey’s proposed budget.

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Howard University Changed My Life, Frank H. Wu

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(Frank H. Wu , Huffington Post) I will always have a place in my heart for Howard University. Its new president, Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick, is about to be inaugurated. I taught for a decade at its law school in northwest Washington, D.C., as the first Asian-American law professor there.

Founded after the Civil War to uplift recently freed black slaves but open to people of all backgrounds, the school was named for a white Union General who had headed the Freedman’s Bureau. During the civil rights era, many members of the team of legal advocates who attacked official segregation were affiliated with the place. Their leader, the late Thurgood Marshall (who subsequently became a Supreme Court justice), was a graduate.

More than any academic study could have done, my time at Howard illuminated for me the prejudices I held despite myself, and the privileges I’d enjoyed while barely noticing them. I learned more than I taught. Almost all my students had had direct experience, which I could not doubt, with bigotry — if not daily, then more than often enough. Throughout my life I have faced children on the sidewalk challenging me to kung fu fighting, but I have not witnessed their parents crossing to the other side of the street or scurrying along because they assumed I might be a thug or worse — not once ever.

Yet I saw how my white friends were curious about blackness. They simply had not been around many black people who were their peers. They wondered about what my life was like on the other side of the color line. They pointed out, inadvertently, not only the ambiguous position of Asian Americans and others who are neither black nor white but the reality that there remains a meaningful divide. Read the Full Story at Huffington Post

VIDEO – NSU Police Officers Complain of Staffing Issues

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A day after WAVY.com reported about police staffing and morale concerns at Old Dominion University, officers at Norfolk State University’s police department contacted 10 On Your Side with the same complaints.

“Norfolk State was a great place to work,” said a former NSU police officer. “It’s just poorly managed.”

The former officer asked WAVY.com not to identify him. He is one of three officers WAVY.com spoke to on Tuesday. The other two police officers currently work for the NSU Police Department.

“We don’t have enough police officers there,” the former officer said. “There have been times when I work the shift and I’m out there by myself.”

Police Investigate a Shooting Near Savannah State

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According to to WJLC Savannah-Chatham police are sorting through details after a possible shooting late Tuesday night.

Officers Statement

[quote_center] 22-year-old male showed up at Memorial University Medical Center with a minor gunshot wound. The victim is not cooperating with police but officers were told the shooting happened at Skidaway Square near Savannah State University around 11:30 p.m.[/quote_center]

But when officers examined the area, no evidence of a shooting could be found.

More information will be added pending investigation.

North Carolina Central Cracks Top 15 In NCAA Power Rankings Poll

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(HBCU Sports) North Carolina Central has the only unblemished conference record among HBCU men’s basketball programs heading into the final week of the regular season.

The Eagles also boast the nation’s second longest home court winning streak which stands at 34 victories. NCCU (23-6, 15-0 MEAC) is currently ranked No. 23 in the mid-major top 25 poll.

Their display of dominance throughout the year has landed them within the top 15 among all Division 1 programs, according to the NCAA.com men’s basketball power rankings.

[quote_box_center]North Carolina Central is ranked No. 14, just two spots below ACC power Notre Dame. “The Eagles have hung around the top 15, but finally made their move. They wrap up the regular season vs. North Carolina A&T on Thursday.”[/quote_box_center]

North Carolina Central, winners of the MEAC regular season crown, will head into the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed.

This article originally appeared on HBCU Sports 

UAPB Serves No. 7 Mississippi State First Loss Of The Season

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(hailstate.com) STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State saw its season-opening 13-game win streak snapped with a 3-2 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff on a rain-soaked Tuesday night at Dudy Noble Field.

Andre Davis drew a bases-loaded walk with one out in the top of the eighth inning. A double play ball got the Bulldogs out of the inning but the damage was done.

UAPB (4-6) scored twice off MSU starter Jesse McCord in the top of the first inning. Rashawn Tillman led off with a single, followed by Westin Hinkel reaching as a hit batsman. After a groundout, Vladimir Gomez followed with a two-run single.

MSU (13-1) answered with two runs in the fourth inning. Wes Rea reached as a hit batsman. After a strikeout, Josh Lovelady reached on a fielder’s choice. John Holland followed with a single. Seth Heck had an RBI-single, while Jake Vickerson reached on an RBI-groundout.

Ryan Gridley and Jacob Robson started the fifth inning with back-to-back singles. A double play worked the Golden Lions out of that inning.

From there, things were difficult for the Bulldogs. After a 50-minute rain delay in the sixth inning, the Bulldogs managed two base runners the rest of the way – a sixth-inning single by Seth Heck and ninth-inning single by Reid Humphreys.

McCord worked 1.2 innings, allowing two hits and two runs (both earned). Daniel Brown followed with career-best four innings of shutout relief. Zac Houston then pitched, before giving way to Ross Mitchell (3-1) who took the loss. Trevor Fitts recorded the final five outs, including issuing the bases-loaded walk.

MSU finished with six hits. Heck had two hits to lead the Bulldogs.

UAPB finished with six hits. Tillman had two hits for the Golden Lions.

Andre Davis (1-0) pitched the final four innings to earn the win. Davis allowed two hits and struck out two while facing two batters above the minimum.

hailstate.com

South Carolina State President Elzey Sues the University

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Columbia, SC (WLTX) – South Carolina State University President Thomas Elzey has filed a lawsuit against the school, claiming the trustees have breached their contract with him.

Last month, trustees placed Elzey on paid administrative leave as part of the ongoing turmoil over the school’s finances. Some state lawmakers had said Elzey should be fired, and some filed provisos and bills that would forcibly remove him from the position.

Elzey’s attorney, however, says the president has a four-year deal which states he can only be terminated for cause. Elzey began his tenure at the school in 2013. In court documents, his attorney writes that Elzey received a “satisfactory” performance review by the board in June of 2014.

The suit claims that the university’s Board of Trustees have tried to micromanage his duty’s and blame him for financial problems “caused by years of inadequate State funding and poor fiscal management.” It also claims trustees have not given a cause or reason for him being placed on administrative leave. READ Full Article 

Howard Students Will Get Paid To Graduate On Time

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(CNN Money) The school says it will cover 50% of the cost of a student’s final semester if they graduate early or on time, starting next year. A single semester’s sticker price is $11,900, so that would be a savings of about $6,000 for anyone paying full price.

And if the program motivates students to finish their coursework faster and enter the workforce sooner than they would have otherwise, they’ll actually save even more, said Derek Kindle, Howard’s executive director of student financial services.

About 46% of Howard University students graduate in four years, which is higher than the national average of 39%.

Howard’s tuition rebate program is “relatively uncommon,” said Robert Kelchen, an education professor at Seton Hall University.

At public colleges in Texas, students earn a $1,000 rebate if they finish on time. And some schools, such as Eastern Illinois University, offer a guaranteed tuition rate for four years. After that, the cost for any additional credits would go up.

But tuition rebates have been largely untested.

Read Full Article via CNN Money

Dillard, Texas Southern to Host Third Annual HBCU Climate Change Conference

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Two Black colleges are joining together to tackle climate change. According to reports, Dillard University will work in collaboration with Texas Southern University in this year’s HBCU Climate Change Conference that was founded in response “to the call for HBCUs to step up and lead on climate justice.”

[quote_box_center]From OpEdNews.com: Dillard University’s Deep South Center for Environmental Justice in collaboration with the Texas Southern University Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs will host the Third Annual HBCU Student Climate Change Conference March 26-29 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference is designed to strengthen the partnerships between students and faculty at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and organization leaders from climate-impacted communities. It is a response to the call for HBCUs to step up and lead on climate justice since many of the schools are located in communities that are on the frontline of climate assault. The Third Annual HBCU Student Climate Change Conference theme is “Bridging the Gap between Theory and Experience.”

More than 80 percent of the 104 HBCUs are located in the Southern United States. Forty-three HBCUs are located in the Gulf Coast States: TX (9), LA (7), AL (15), MS (8), and FL (4)–in cities like New Orleans and Houston that are at ground zero in the fight for climate justice. Nearly a decade ago, flooding from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans drowned that city’s three HBCUs (Dillard University, Xavier University and Southern University at New Orleans) in 2005. Three years later, Hurricane Ike caused major property damage to Texas Southern University in Houston–the nation’s fourth largest HBCU.[/quote_box_center]

Read more here

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NCCU Big Victory Over Savannah State Extends Nation’s Longest Conference Winning Streak

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(nccueaglepride.com) For the fifth time in the last seven games, North Carolina Central  held its opponent to less than 50 points, while four NCCU men’s basketball starters scored double figures as the Eagles cruised to a 62-49 road victory over Savannah State  on Monday night inside Tiger Arena.

Senior point guard Nimrod Hilliard led the way for NCCU (23-6, 15-0 MEAC) with 15 points and six assists. Anthony McDonald added to his MEAC-best three-point field goal totals with four more on Monday for 12 points. Dante Holmes collected 11 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Jordan Parks added 10 points and eight boards.

With three post players in foul trouble, Enoch Hood sparked the Eagles off the bench with six points, three rebounds and two blocked shots, while Jeremiah Ingram contributed five points and five boards.

Although NCCU committed an uncharacteristic 14 turnovers that resulted in 20 points for the Tigers, the Eagles tickled the twine to the tune of 52.5 percent shooting from the field, including a 5-for-10 success rate from long distance.

On the other side of the floor, NCCU’s defense continued to be special, holding Savannah State to just 34.0 percent shooting from the field, including 23.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Savannah State (9-20, 5-10 MEAC) was topped by Alante Fenner with 11 points and four steals.

The victory extends NCCU’s conference win streak to 34 games, which is the longest in the country. Since the start of the 2012-13 season, the Eagles are 49-3 against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

nccueaglepride.com

I Love My HBCU! — ECSU [Q&A Series]

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Your Name: Sonia Montalvo

Major: Mass Communication

HBCU: Elizabeth City State University

Q: What makes your HBCU unique?

The fact that it is a small university, yet it is able to compete with universities of bigger size. It’s size has not stopped the university from receiving national acclaim for almost 20 years nor has it diminished the accomplishments its students have mad

Q: Who’s your favorite notable alumni of your HBCU and why?

The Author Alex Haley, I appreciate the works of literature and the legacy that he’s left behind. It gives me a sense of pride to know that he attended ECSU

Q: How did your HBCU shape you as a person?

Coming into college, I was extremely shy and I lacked self-confidence. ECSU nurtured me and allowed me to grow as an individual with a voice. It has given me a sense of pride about myself that I will continue to carry. I always knew that I wanted to attend an HBCU, When I got a chance to visit ECSU, I knew instantly that it was the school for me. The student body itself along with faculty had established this close knit family unit, yet it was welcoming. From day one ECSU has always given me that extra push to let me know that I can succeed in all of my endeavors.

Q: How did your HBCU prepare you for the world?

By equipping me with an excellent education, and giving me the tools it takes to be competitive in the working world. So often I hear that HBCUs give you a false sense of self and cause you to lose reality of what the real world is like. I disagree completely. ECSU has allowed me to see successful people all working to better themselves, as well as given me a place where I can compete in a healthy manner with my fellow peers. It has showed me what I am to expect once I graduate and how I can go about handling any situation thrown my way

Q: What do you love about your HBCU the most?

I love the intensity of work ethic that each individual brings to the university. We have gone on as students and faculty to defy the odds as well as challenge all adversity. There’s something about being an ECSU Viking that makes an individual want to give their absolute best to whatever they choose to partake in. I wear my Viking pride as a badge of honor.

Posted by Sonia Montalvo Posted on 67 articles

HBCU Athletics and Academics Go Hand in Hand

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Many times in collegiate sports the student part of the student-athlete is forgotten. Xavier of Louisiana seeks to buck that trend. Almost 100 student athletes were able to make the Athletic Director’s honors roll with a minimum 3.0 GPA during the 2014 calender year.

These athletes were able to be recognized during the Gold Nuggets game against rival Dillard. Of the recognized athletes a whopping five teams had a double digit number of athletes, including the Pom Squad, Women’s cross country/track and field, women’s volleyball, the Gold Star Dancers, and the cheerleading squad.

Men’s Basketball
Riley Smith
Jarvis Thibodeaux

Men’s Cross Country/Track and Field
Langston Adams
Emmanuel Detiege
Kwame Jackson
Brent Kitto
Javon Mead
Erwin Simmons

Men’s Tennis
Adam Albrecht
Jeremiah Capdeville
Vincenzo Ciccone
Nikita Soifer
Viktor Svoboda

Women’s Basketball
Daylin Boatner
Emoni Harvey
Kelsey Joseph
Taylor Norman
Alesha Smith
Danielle Tucker

Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field
Angelica Alexander
Clarke Allen
Carlie Calais
Drew Chatters
Terri Cunningham
Catherine Fakler
Hannah Finnegan
Zahri Jackson
Chelsea James
Katelyn McMorris
Kaylee Moore
Devinn Rolland
Tramaine Shannon
Briana Simms
Chelsea Simpson
Kailey Williams

Women’s Tennis
Amber Brown
Jordyn Goody
Brandi Nelson
Carmen Nelson

Women’s Volleyball
Jada Broussard
Jodi Chatters
Chinedu Echebelem
Ralitsa Hadzhistoyanova
Jodi Hill
Kayla Jones
Franziska Pirkl
Taylor Reuther
Kaelan Temple
Jelena Vujicic
Simone White (made it as cheerleader and a volleyball player)
CeCe Williams
Aliyah Wilson

Cheerleaders
Micah Anthony
Sierra Blanchard-Hodge
Jessica Carmon
Tatiana Collins
Morgan Dillard
Shacore Nelson
Ashlyn Pinkins
Rotieranna Scott
Kayla Street
Brianna Thompson
Simone White (made it as cheerleader and a volleyball player)

Gold Star Dancers
Bryanne Anderson
Chanarion Arnold
Kyla Baron
Brandi Calvin
Sarah Hale
Brehana Hawkins
Kendra Jenkins
Ivyanne London
Shalani Taylor
Jayle Watkins
Colby Williams
Donielle Williams

Golden Girls Pom Squad
BreAwna Barnes
Antoinette Belle
Kerri Brown
Dominique Cameron
Destane Garrett
Jasmine Grandpre’
Theresa Hudson
Alethia Love
Bianca Moore
Candice Moses
Kristen Patrick
Zanola Phillip
Essence Prince
Tasha Smith
KaJanae’ Walton
Cassidy Williams
Vernicia Winford

We here at the Buzz are proud of these, and all student-athletes, that excel in both the classroom and on the field, court, sidelines, and all areas of competition.

I Love My HBCU! — Central State University [Q&A Series]

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Q: What makes your HBCU unique? 

My HBCU Central State University is unique because of the people. Many, many different shades of color, the Black students attending Central and the people operating the school is what makes CSU, CSU.

Q: What are some mythbusters you would like to share with the world about your HBCU? 

Not all students are “thugs.” Well, only the first semester freshman students that probably didn’t notice fashion is everything at a Black college.

Q: Who’s your favorite notable alumni of your HBCU and why? 

Omarosa. Omarosa is a CSU grad and also a former Miss CSU that has involve into a TV show house name from a small town in Wilberforce, Ohio. That’s awesome. Central State maybe sitting on no more than 60 acres but it packs a mean left hook, and is mostly known for sports, the grammy nominated CSU Chorus, The College of Science and Engineering and its Fine & Performing Arts program, and that the university gave Mike Tyson an honorary doctorate degree in 1989.

Other notable alumni include, Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, Mayor of Xenia Marsha Bayless, former NFL player Hugh Douglass, and grammy winning Nancy Wilson.

Q: How did your HBCU shape you as a person? 

I tell the youth, when I’m out recruiting students to go HBCU, that I found my purpose at CSU. The fact is, I know myself better as an individual because of my stay at college that feels, to me, more like a home away from home. In this race some of us have to run twice as fast to those who are more fortunate in life, and work smart to get ahead and to have control over one’s well being. My HBCU taught me that self-education is key.

Q: How did your HBCU prepare you for the world?

To date CSU has provide me with a series of opportunities that I was prepared for because I was savvy enough. I think you ought to act like you have some respect in regard to both your professional and personal life walking on the old footsteps of President Charles Wesley.

Q: What do you love about your HBCU the most? 

Tradition. CSU is all about tradition that focuses on a family atmosphere and that nourishes its millennial students into international leaders.

Howard U. Leader Proposes Lower Cost of HBCUs to Zero

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Howard University leader Dr. Wayne Frederick wants President Obama to include the country’s 107 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in his plan to lower the cost of community colleges to zero.

[quote_box_center]From NBC Washington: Howard University President Dr. Wayne Frederick wants the White House to take its free community college proposal a step further and include historically black colleges and universities.

Howard senior Kevin Peterman, who is the first in his family to go to college, wants to see others get the same benefits of higher education.

“It wasn’t supposed to happen, if you really look at the finances of my family and what we had to offer,” Peterman said.

Frederick believes President Barack Obama’s plan to lower the cost of two years of community college to zero should include historically black colleges and universities.[/quote_box_center]

Read more here

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I Love My HBCU — Hampton University [Q&A Series]

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Your Name: LaTavia McQueen
Major: Strategic Communications
HBCU: Hampton University

Q: What makes your HBCU unique?

Hampton promotes a standard of excellence that I believe is unmatched by any other university. Every student has the mind frame to succeed and to excel in all aspects of life.

Q: What are some mythbusters you would like to share with the world about your HBCU?

Hampton students are perceived to be spoiled rich kids and that is not true. We all have different backgrounds and come from different parts of life. Every student has their own story.

Q: Who’s your favorite notable alumni of your HBCU and why? 

My favorite Hampton alumni is the comedian Wanda Sykes because she managed to have fun doing something she loves while stile maintaining the image of the Hamptonian woman.

Q: How did your HBCU shape you as a person?

My HBCU helped me learn how to adapt to different situations and people. While at Hampton I’ve matured and learned how to unlock my own inner genius. Being surrounded by a bunch of go-getters inspires me to strive to achieve great things.

Q: How did your HBCU prepare you for the world?

All of my professors have taken the time to get to know by name and as a person. The talks I’ve had in their offices and the lessons inside the classroom have prepared me for survival in the workforce.

Q: What do you love about your HBCU the most?

The best about Hampton has to be the waterfront view and the people I’ve met. I’ve interacted and learned from some great students and staff. We call Hampton our “Home by Sea” and they really live up to their name. The students and staff always reach out a helping hand and we’re all one close knit family.