New Web-Series at Southern Sheds Positive Light

Posted by LaTavia McQueen
Posted on
“On the Yard SU” is Southern University’s very own weekly film series about what’s going on in JaguarLand. Co-Director/Co-Producer Perry White, who also serves as the host, uses the series to show the university in a positive light.

This pilot episode begins with welcoming students back to campus. White talks about the events that went on during the first week back “On the Yard.” Some of the events were their “Jags Get Fit” combine, Pretty Wednesday as well as the Honda Battle of the Bands.

You can also follow the instagram page @OnTheYardSU.

Stay tuned to The Buzz for the latest on HBCU news. 

World Star Hip-Hop Partners With Meagan Good and Tamara Bass

Posted by Sonia Montalvo
Posted on
World Star Hip Hop (WSHH) is known best for its fight compilations, underground hip hop videos, and vixen models, but the well-known site is thinking outside of its usual ratchet box.

Within the past few years, web series have taken over the internet, giving people an alternative to regular cable television. It looks like World Star wants a piece of that lucrative pie. The Hip-Hop based site has partnered with Co- Director Meagan Good and Creator Tamara Bass, to premiere a scripted original web series called All That Matters.

The series follows the newly engaged couple Joy (Tamara Bass) and Kevin (Tracey Dukes). The relationship is turned upside down when Joys’ sister drops her daughter off on the two because she can’t handle it anymore.

If World Star and web series doesn’t sound weird to you, trust me you’re not the only one. Vibe Magazine sat with Bass and Good for an interview, and asked the two how they feel the show will be perceived since it will be fostered on WSHH. “Of course, there are going to be people who ask us why World Star Hip Hop? There are already going to be a bunch of people who are already frequent World Star visitors and think this is something they’re not going to want to watch. We’re prepared for all that. My thing is, if World Star Hip Hop is trying to change the direction of where they’re going and wanted someone to be the first, why not us?” Bass said.

Episode one of All That Matters Premiered on March 9. Good stated “What we really wanted to do was bring more stories that have more of our faces, more women stories and more family stories that are from different outlooks and different slices of life.”

Sway Calloway is executive producer of the web series and according to Bass, he is an advocate for pushing the show. “I proposed this project to him and he immediately came on board with the financing of the pilot episode and has been a proponent for pushing it. Anything we need in terms of access to his radio audience, him, or whatever we need from him, he’s ready to give” Bass Said

Though the first episode of the series is simply setting up the rest of the season, it’s already proving to be an interesting body of work.

Check the show out here. 

 

Grambling Partners with HBCU Radio Network

Posted by
Posted on
The News Star

Grambling State University has partnered with Howard University to provide programming to its radio channel for historically black colleges and universities (HBCU).

This partnership provides a unique opportunity for students to produce a radio program for a Sirius XM channel.

The HBCU Channel, which is featured on Sirius XM Radio Channel 142, is offered by Howard University to highlight and focus on the activities of HBCUs and their contributions to the African Diaspora. read more…

Robin Thicke & Pharrell Williams to Pay Family of Marvin Gaye Over $7M: ‘Blurred Lines’ Infringement

Posted by
Posted on

The Root

Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered Tuesday to cough up nearly $7.4 million to Marvin Gaye’s children after a judge found that the duo copied Marvin Gaye’s music to create their 2013 hit single “Blurred Lines,” the Associated Press reports.

“Right now, I feel free,” said Nona Gaye, Martin Gaye’s daughter. According to the AP, she wept as the verdict was being read.

Gaye went on to describe how she felt free from “Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke’s chains and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told,” she explained.  read more…

Waka Flocka Flame Cancels University Of Oklahoma Concert: ‘I Am Disgusted In The Actions Of SAE’

Posted by HBCU Editors
Posted on
Huffington Post 

As anti-racism protests continue to take place on the University of Oklahoma campus following a viral video clip displaying Sigma Alpha Epsilon chanting racist lyrics about their chapter, it appears the college is also beginning to experience backlash from entertainers.

According to an Instagram post, Waka Flocka Flame has cancelled his upcoming April concert at the University due to SAE’s offensive behavior.

“I know for a fact the whole school and SAE don’t agree with those kids actions so know that I’m not mad at the whole #SAE just those disgusting kids,” the rapper wrote on Monday to his 1.1 million followers. “We can’t change history but we damn sure can create our own future #DeathToRacism.”

Read more here.

Posted by HBCU Editors Posted on 5848 articles

Common will be WSSU 2015 Commencement Speaker

Posted by HBCU Editors
Posted on
Award-winning recording artist and actor Common will be the speaker for Winston-Salem State University’s 2015 commencement on Friday, May 15, at 9:45 a.m. in Bowman Gray Stadium.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Common as our commencement speaker considering his recent accomplishments, both as a musician and an actor,” said Chancellor Elwood L. Robinson. “While he has been performing for more than 20 years, he certainly has hit another level in his career. More importantly, he continues to strive to inspire young people to take advantage of all the opportunities they are presented and to work diligently to fulfill their individual potential. I know he will have a message that will have a positive impact on our graduates and I also know how excited they are to have him be a part of their commencement ceremony.”

A two-time Grammy Award winner, Common won the 2015 Academy Award and the 2015 Golden Globe Award for best original song for his work with John legend on “Glory” from the film “Selma,” in which he co-starred as 1960s civil rights movement leader James Bevel. Also one of the country’s leading hip hop artists, he debuted in 1992 with the album “Can I Borrow a Dollar” and gained notable mainstream success through his work with the Soulquarians. Common earned his first Grammy Award in 2003 for best R&B song for “Love of My Life” with Erykah Badu and his second Grammy for best rap performance by a duo or group for “Southside” which featured Kanye West.

In addition to his recent appearance in “Selma,” Common will star in the soon-to-be-released “Run All Night” with Liam Neeson. He made his major movie debut in 2007 as villainous mob enforcer Sir Ivy in “Smokin’ Aces” and appeared alongside Denzel Washington in “American Gangster.” His other film credits include “Wanted,” “Street Kings,” “Terminator Salvation” and the comedy “Date Night.”

Common is the founder of the Common Ground Foundation, a non-profit that exposes underserved inner-city young people to new opportunity through the creative arts. Over the past 12 years, the organization has broadened its focus also to include mentoring, a summer camp and creating job-training experiences for youth throughout the City of Chicago, Common’s hometown. Last year, the Foundation hosted its inaugural Spring Youth Business Conference to provide students with job readiness skills. Also launched in 2014 was the AAHH! FEST hosted by Common, a one-day community-wide musical celebration that also provides a variety of job-related experiences for students. The Common Ground Foundation has been recognized by CNN Heroes and BET Hip Hop Awards as a philanthropic organization doing great work in urban communitie

Fayetteville State Nursing Program Gets Upgrade

Posted by
Posted on
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) –The lab on the third floor of Fayetteville State University’s nursing building works like several wings in a hospital.

Patients with contusions, bruises, breathing, and eating problems are cared for by FSU students. Some of the patients even talk. No one calls the patient a dummy. On the third floor, each has a name.
However, the nursing program at FSU hasn’t always been this high tech, or functional.

“It’s a new day,” said Dr. Afua Arhin, the department chair for the program. “It’s definitely a new day. It’s a good day.

Arhin was tapped to join the faculty after the nursing program was essentially shut down by Chancellor James Anderson. In 2009, students were not passing the National Council Licensure Examination, known as NCLEX. The students were unable to practice in the field.

“I love a challenge,” Arhin said. “Somebody from North Carolina called and said there’s a challenge and are you willing to attack that challenge in Fayetteville.”

Arhin came to Fayetteville from Grambling State University where she’d overhauled a nursing program as well. At FSU, Arhin found the remnants of a lot of inexperience. read more…

Apple Commits Over $50 Million to Diversity Efforts

Posted by
Posted on

Fortune

A flashy new smart watch isn’t all Apple has up its sleeve. The company is donating more than $50 million to organizations that aim to get more women, minorities, and veterans working in tech.

It’s a big week for Apple. On Monday the iPhone-maker unveiled the latest addition to its ecosystem of devices, a smart watch whose price will range from $350 to $18,000. On Tuesday, the company kicks off its annual shareholders’ meeting in Cupertino, Calif.

But there’s more. In an exclusive interview with Fortune, Apple’s human resources chief Denise Young Smith said the company is partnering with several non-profit organizations on a multi-year, multi-million-dollar effort to increase the pipeline of women, minorities, and veterans in the technology industry—and, of course, at Apple.

“We wanted to create opportunities for minority candidates to get their first job at Apple,” said Young Smith, who took over as its head of HR a little over a year ago. (Before her current role, the longtime Apple exec spent a decade running recruiting for the retail side of the business.) “There is tremendous upside to that and we are dogged about the fact that we can’t innovate without being diverse and inclusive.” read more…

Posted by Posted on 463 articles

Grambling State Police Now Wear Body Cameras

Posted by
Posted on
GRAMBLING, LA (KSLA) – Grambling State University police are now wearing body cameras, thanks to a grant the department received last year.

Interim Police Chief Howard Caviness, who began working at GSU last year, said getting the cameras for the force was one of his top priorities. He helped make that happen last month.

“I’m used to having a camera on me all the time from my undercover days. I knew it was there for my protection as well as theirs (citizens),” Caviness said in a news release. read more…

Denzel Washington Will Deliver Commencement Address at Dillard

Posted by
Posted on
NEW ORLEANS – Academy Award winning actor Denzel Washington will deliver the commencement address at Dillard University in early May, the school announced Tuesday.

Washington will give the address to the 247 graduating students on May 9 at 8 a.m.

“We are excited to have Denzel Washington as our 2015 Commencement Speaker,” said Walter M. Kimbrough, president of Dillard. read more…

Fort Valley State University Signs Agreement with Albany Tech

Posted by
Posted on
Albany CEO

Albany Technical College and Fort Valley State University will hold an articulation agreement signing ceremony on Monday, March 9, 2015, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Executive Board Room of Albany Tech’s Logistics Education Center at 1704 South Slappey Boulevard.

The goal with the articulation agreement is to provide Associate of Applied Science graduates of Albany Tech’s Electronic Engineering Technology program with an opportunity to continue on with Fort Valley State University to earn their Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering Technology.

“This signing will be a tremendous benefit for Albany Technical College, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology program and its students,” said Manual Hall, Chair of the Electronics Technology programs at Albany Technical College. read more…

FAMU Baseball: Best Week All Season

Posted by
Posted on
Tallahassee Democrat: Bryan Henry Column

We just experienced our best week of the baseball season so far at Florida A&M.

We went 3-1 and won our second straight MEAC series over Savannah State. The best part about the whole thing is that we are still not playing our best baseball. There is so much room to get better in a lot of different areas.

But at the same time, you do not want to be playing your best baseball right now. You want to be playing your best baseball at the end of the season when it is tournament time.

This is still a time for learning and correcting mistakes. And that process continues with a two-game home series against Mercer that started Tuesday.

I think the biggest difference right now is that the guys are getting to play and experience game repetitions. There is not a better way to learn than to actually play and go through a situation game speed.

You can practice until you turn blue in the face but it is extremely hard to duplicate game speed. Look at Major League Baseball’s spring training. Those guys do about one week of practices, mostly to make sure pitcher’s arms are game ready, and then they play games. They play every day to make sure they are ready for the season. It also gives teams a chance to evaluate guys trying to make the team in game situations.

It is simple. You have to play consistently to get a feel for the game and we are on a stretch now where we have played seven straight games without being rained out. A routine is starting to be established and baseball players need routine. Of course, now that I have talked about it, we will get rained out soon.

That is just the way it goes. read more…

 

Posted by Posted on 463 articles

FAMU Cheerleaders Take First in MEAC

Posted by
Posted on
FAMU Athletics

NORFOLK, VA. – The Florida A&M Cheerleaders took first place in the co-ed division of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference’s 2015 Cheerleading championship.  Senior Shelinka Cunningham took top honors in the All-Star division as well.  In the overall championship, the Rattlers were runners’-up to the Morgan State Bears cheerleaders, who repeated as overall champions.

The FAMU pep squad put on a complex routine, filled with dance moves, cheerleader acrobatics and athletic hoists that thrilled the crowd at Echols Hall on the campus of Norfolk State University.  With MEAC commissioner, Dr. Dennis Thomas, and a few thousand fans on hand, the FAMU team managed to stand out in the talented field of cheerleaders. read more…

9 Fisk and Tennessee State Students Challenge State Voter ID Law

Posted by HBCU Editors
Posted on
The Daily Beacon

A group of Nashville students filed a federal lawsuit earlier last week challenging a 2011 Tennessee voter identification law. Nine students from both Fisk University and Tennessee State University ultimately seek to change the law’s exclusion of student IDs as a valid form of voter identification.

Tyler Anselmo, UT junior in political science and active member of the Democratic Party, said he views the law as an attempt by Republicans to exclude younger, traditionally more liberal voters.

For students just becoming eligible to vote, Anselmo sees the law’s exclusion of student ID’s as an unnecessary barrier.

“A lot of students are 18 and they’ll be voting for the first time,” Anselmo said. “It’s very hard if you live, say across the state, to go back home if you want to vote there.”

Anselmo’s concerns may have some founding in statistical data. A study from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found that in 2012, the year after Tennessee passed the exclusive law, voter turnout in the state dropped by 2.2 percentage points, or the equivalent to more than 80,000 votes. read more…

Howard University Sees Double-Digit Increase in Applications for Class of 2019

Posted by
Posted on

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Rachel Mann
Office of University Communications
Howard University
202.238.2631
rachel.mann@howard.edu
http://www.howard.edu/newsroom/

Howard University Sees Double-Digit Increase in Applications for Class of 2019

WASHINGTON (March 9, 2015)—Howard University today announced that applications have risen dramatically for the 2015-16 academic year, with the University’s overall applicant pool increasing 24% year-over-year. The University has already received 28,466 applications for admission, compared to 22,913 applications this time last year.

The caliber of applicants is also strong. While the average SAT score for African-American students nationwide still hovers around 855, the 75th percentile of accepted Howard freshmen for 2015-16 is 1200, 345 points above the national average.

“A Howard University education is in high demand,” said Howard University President Wayne A.I. Frederick. “As these numbers demonstrate, our work every day to ensure the University’s curriculum provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in today’s marketplace is resonating with prospective students.”

Over the past decade, the University’s five most popular majors are biology, psychology, political science, media/journalism and chemistry. Howard is also a leader in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, and the National Science Foundation has ranked Howard as the top producer of African-American undergraduates who later earn science and engineering doctoral degrees.

“While there are many factors that may contribute to the University’s increase in applications, the overarching attribute is the University’s strong brand and legacy of producing leaders in virtually all industries,” said Howard University Director of Admission LaTrice A. Byam. “Additionally, as the University prepares to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2017, it remains one of few institutions that has medical, dental, law, pharmacy, social work and divinity schools and still maintains a teaching hospital. This diversity of our undergraduate and graduate programs clearly sets us apart from peer intuitions.”

Students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have applied and been admitted. There are also 32 nations represented in the accepted student pool, with the highest applicant-to-accept yields from Nepal, Jamaica, Nigeria, Trinidad &Tobago and Canada. There are also a large number of applicants from Burkina Faso.

The University’s deadline for freshmen to accept offers of admission to the Class of 2019 is May 1, 2015.

###

ABOUT HOWARD UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Since 1998, the University has produced two Rhodes Scholars, two Truman Scholars, a Marshall Scholar, 30 Fulbright Scholars and 11 Pickering Fellows. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-2330, or visit the University’s Web site at www.howard.edu. more info…

Posted by Posted on 463 articles

Fayetteville State Hosts Cyber Security Symposium

Posted by
Posted on
Fayetteville Observer

Fayetteville State University officials hope a symposium that will draw some of the nation’s top tech experts and military minds will help make the college the face of cyber security in future years.

Two dozen panelists are slated to speak at the university’s Cyber Security Symposium, which will begin with a reception Thursday night and a day of panel discussions on Friday. Those talks will center on the cyber security industry and job opportunities.

Curtis Charles, executive director of the FSU Center for Defense and Homeland Security, said he wants to see the university lead a regional effort to produce a cyber security workforce for the burgeoning industry.

University officials see the close proximity to Fort Bragg as a natural point of transition for veterans looking to shift into the private sector.

“The whole premise of this is to bring together national subject matter experts in cyber security from the federal government, from the military, from the national laboratories, from the industry and from academia, and talk about how we can build this economic development engine to support the mission of Fort Bragg,” Charles said. read more…