Morgan State Seeks to Make History in National HBCU Quiz Bowl Competition

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041414_Morgan_StateMorgan State University alumnus Mark Branch recalls that participating on his school’s team in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge produced an experience that’s stayed with him since graduating from the Baltimore-based historically Black university with an engineering degree and working at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as an aerospace engineer.

Competing on his high school quiz bowl team and for Morgan State in the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge “made [him] want to get better in life,” he said, noting that he joined the team as a college senior during the 1990-91 academic year.

“[Those experiences] instilled in me the drive to get better … competition brings out the best in me,” Branch explained. “Even though our team didn’t reach the highest of heights, [the experiences] prepared me as an individual for the highest of heights and that’s why I work for the world’s premier space agency.”

In addition to his own college quiz team experience, Branch takes considerable pride in knowing that the Morgan State University team has been the reigning national champion in 2012 and 2013, and has been defending its title in competition this winter and spring. “The Morgan State program apparently has gotten really good over the years,” noted Branch.

Since 1989, the American Honda Motor Company has sponsored the national quiz competition that showcases the intellectual talent of the best and brightest students attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This week, the 25th anniversary year of the Honda Campus All-Star Challenge culminates with the national championship tournament in Torrance, Calif., at which Morgan State University is seeking a record third consecutive national title. READ FULL -DIVERSE

Emails, other documents reveal how WSSU and VSU handled Nov. 15 melee

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534bc7d36716d.preview-300 WINSTON-SALEM — Last November, Bill Hayes, the athletic director at Winston-Salem State University, strongly supported Rams quarterback Rudy Johnson’s assertion that Johnson was attacked by several Virginia State football players in a restroom on Nov. 15, 2013, an incident that led the CIAA to cancel the conference championship game between the schools’ football teams the following day.
In his Nov. 21 letter to CIAA Commissioner Jacqie Carpenter, Hayes wrote that Johnson entered the restroom to blow his nose and wash his hands when several VSU players asked him to confirm that he was the Rams’ starting quarterback. Johnson said he told the VSU players that he was the WSSU starting quarterback. Their conversation then escalated as Johnson was punched in the face and kicked by several Trojan players in the restroom, Hayes wrote.
Hayes’ letter contradicts the findings of an investigation conducted by Robert Clayton, a Washington, D.C. attorney hired by VSU to look into the circumstances of the incident. Clayton concluded that a VSU football player acted alone when he punched Johnson nearly five months ago.
Hayes concluded his letter to Carpenter by saying, “Admittedly, this incident could have easily escalated into a much more serious matter. None of the VSU athletes were hit, attacked or injured. This along exemplifies the discipline instilled in this team. Overall, we were proud of how the team responded with dignity and class.” Read FULL

FAMU Puts $100 Mil. Price on to split from FSU

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engineeringFlorida A&M University officials say it will cost more than $100 million to split the school’s engineering college if the contentious proposal is approved by the Florida Legislature — and the state could risk federal intervention if it isn’t handled properly.

The warnings to state leaders come as Senate Republicans lend their support to a proposal to separate the engineering college now run jointly with Florida State University. They have put $13 million in the budget to help pay for it. FSU officials are backing the plan in order to help the school’s national profile.

Those connected to FAMU — the state’s lone historically black public college — are steadfastly opposed to the proposal. FAMU supporters in the Legislature have compared it to a past move by the state to shutter FAMU’s law school in the 1960s. That decision was reversed in 2000.

School officials say if the divorce between FSU and FAMU is pursued, it will take a large amount of state money to make it successful. They suggested a five-year phase-in with the money coming in over the next two years.

FAMU officials have presented a lengthy outline to State University System Chancellor Marshall Criser indicating that more than $100 million would be needed to make it happen. A big part of that money would go to a new facility on FAMU’s campus. The current joint college is adjacent to a Tallahassee research park. In a statement, a FAMU spokeswoman said university officials developed the outline to show “the impact a separation would entail.” Read Full

Stillman defeats Clark Atlanta for Second Consecutive SIAC Women’s Tennis Title

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1234341_10201970218361032_575696650_nATLANTA, Georgia (April 12, 2014) — The Lady Tigers of Stillman College defeated the Lady Panthers of Clark Atlanta University 5-3 to win its second consecutive SIAC Women’s Tennis title. Stillman’s Litia Godinet, the 2013 and 2014 SIAC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year, was named the women’s tournament MVP while Lady Tigers head coach Will Riley earned Most Outstanding Coach honors.

The championship match was the third installment of the season series between the Lady Tigers and Lady Panthers, with Stillman picking up both wins by similar 5-4 team scores.

The match began with tough doubles competition with the Lady Tigers (31-4) taking two of the three doubles points.  The number one team of Godinet and Carolina Barabas defeated Vonnick Boyogueno and Brionne Bachus 8-4.  Nair Tolomeo and Angela Corredor then defeated Asia Boyd and Ivory Conley 8-3 while the number three team of Rosana Medeiros and Veronika Kalugina fell 8-4.

In singles play, Stillman took a 3-1 team lead when Godinet downed Vanessa Jean Baptiste 6-0, 6-1.  The Lady Panthers won the number two singles point with a straight-set win, closing the gap to 3-2.  Stillman surged ahead 4-2 when Tolomeo won the number three singles match 6-2, 6-7, 6-4.  CAU earned another team point winning the number four match in straight sets 6-3, 6-3.  In the number five singles match, Kalugina earned the deciding team point by defeating Conley 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.

While Godinet was named tournament MVP, Tolomeo (singles) and Barabas (doubles) joined her on the all-tournament team.

WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP: Stillman 5, Clark Atlanta 3

Doubles Competition:
1. Carolina Barabas / Litia Godinet (SC) def. Vonnick Boyogueno / Brionne Bachus (CAU) – 8-4
2. Nair Tolomeo / Angela Corredor (SC) def. Asia Boyd / Ivory Conley (CAU) – 8-3
3. Avern Gumbs / Tori Pradier (CAU) def. Rosana Medeiros / Veronika Kalugina (SC) – 8-4

Singles Competition:
1. Litia Godinet (SC) def. Vanessa Jean-Baptiste (CAU) – 6-0, 6-1
2. Tori Pradier (CAU) def. Carolina Barabas (SC) – 6-3, 6-4
3. Nair Tolomeo (SC) def. Vonnick Boyogueno (CAW) – 6-2, 6-7, 6-4
4. Brionne Bachus (CAU) def. Angela Corredor (SC) – 6-3, 6-3
5. Veronika Kalugina (SC) def. Ivory Conley (CAU) – 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
6. Asia Boyd (CAU) def. Rosana Medeiros (SC) – no result

Women’s SIAC All-Tournament team:
Singles:
1. Litia Godinet – Stillman College
2. Nair Tolomeo – Stillman College
3. Tori Pradier – Clark Atlanta University
4. Brionne Bachus – Clark Atlanta University
5. Gabriella Louis – Fort Valley State University
6. Yonelle Arimon – Fort Valley State University

Doubles:
1. Carolina Barabas & Litia Godinet – Stillman College
2. Avern Gumbs & Tori Pradier – Clark Atlanta University
3. Gabriella Louis & Yonelle Arimon – Fort Valley State University

Tournament MVP: Litia Godinet – Stillman College

Most Outstanding Coach: William Riley – Stillman College

2014 SIAC Women’s Champions: Stillman College

How an HBCU Prepared Me for Harvard

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miamythingispicture.jpg.CROP.rtstory-largeMy Thing Is: There’s no question about whether these schools are still relevant. It’s thanks to my time at Hampton that I was ready to take on the intellectual and emotional challenges of the Ivy League.

As a Harvard School of Education graduate, I was elated and moved to see the global conversation that the creators of the recent I, Too, Am Harvard and Being Black at the University of Michigan campaigns sparked about the experience of underrepresented groups on college campuses, including the one where I earned my master’s degree. Read full at the ROOT.

  

The Plight of the Black Male

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UnknownAlthough as many people of color are able to realize, it is not always as evident the struggles that separate genders face. Many times women expect to be treated with the class and respect that all women deserve but are not aware of the male; in particular the African-American male in today’s society. Though the struggles that we face on a daily basis just to survive do not excuse our behavior it would behoove women to take an interest in the plight of young black men. If it was realized the struggles that men face women may see a different perspective and begin to bridge the gap of understanding.

Being a male descendent of mother African though, that may be the hardest task there is on this Earth. Waking up everyday knowing that people, white,  black and other, fear you for walking down the street, only due to your skin tone; knowing that at any minute you could be arrested and incarcerated, simply because you “fit the description”, is a harrowing task to endure that only the strongest can survive and excel in. Simply put not only not being white and male, but being the complete opposite, the antithesis, of the All-American dream causes for difficult living in the society that America has created since before the 21st century.

Without delving into the personal experiences of an everyday “negro” male, since coming to this society the black male has consistently been the bane in the white male’s existence and the thorn in his side. The men of African descent have been ridiculed and tormented, beaten and killed. This all starts with Jim Crow’s law on how to control a black family. If the dominant power source is removed then the entire nucleus of the family will be removed. Confusion will be created and the downfall of the race will ensue. This tactic has been effectively carried out. An estimated 67% of African-American households throughout the United States of America are single parent with a majority of those households being single-mother households. Once the head is out the black family and community will continue to falter.

In America it has been shown that the black male is becoming extinct and being hunted in any way possible, be it through incarceration, “legal” murder by the authorities, or even at the hands of our own. Young black males are more likely to spend their lives in prisons than in a career field. Many times women do not realize this. It is observed from an outside point of view that women are the only ones struggling and that males have it easy.

Legitimate points have been raised to the validity of the claim that men may “have it harder” than women. Claims such as the divide in salary and the need for women to conform to the looks and style of the day have been very successful in deterring many men from pushing the point, yet these claims are not as solid as they seem. Many times in a work environment it has been shown that oft times a black man will be hired last out of a pool of contestants. Many psychologists view this as the possibility of the African-American male posing a threat to our Caucasian counter parts. The Black woman is more likely to be hired than the black male in many corporate settings, and this is becoming the trend.

Being part of an endangered class is no laughing matter; particularly while you’re at large the whole process of survival. As is such I urge the black community to fight back against the tyranny and stand up for the rights that are being encroached. Making up as small a percentage as we as black men do there is no viable reason for us to be disproportionately incarcerated and killed.

The black male struggles in America, from being persecuted, abused, as well as involuntarily posing a threat to much of society. While it is true that all women have a struggle that is not to be trivialized, the struggle that the black male endures need not be underrated.

Understanding the plight of everyone would help to make the world that we co-inhabit a better functioning place. The sooner that it is realized that black men have it just as hard, if not harder, in the oppressive society that we live in, the black community would be able to join easier.

St. Aug’s reinstates leaders disciplined by former president

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13424972-1396924406-640x360 Less than 12 hours after Saint Augustine’s University trustees announced the removal of president Dianne Boardley Suber, two high-ranking university officials disciplined by the former leader – one fired and the other placed on leave – were reinstated into their old positions, university Board of Trustees Chairman Rodney Gaddy said Monday night.

Angela Haynes, rehired as vice president for business and finance, was fired last week prior to a statement by Boardley Suber announcing “specific administrative changes” in the school’s business and financial operations after the school received attention “for issues of ineffective oversight in the areas of financial and grants management.”

Connie Allen, who Boardley Suber placed on leave in March, was reinstated as the school’s provost.

Boardley Suber announced late Friday she was retiring at the end of the academic year – an announcement that came as trustees were on a conference call discussing her future. The board voted to fire her during the call but were unable to reach her until Saturday.

“When we looked at all the challenges we had financially and we looked at the accreditation questions that were coming up, it was just decided that, in the future, a change of leadership would be very important,” Gaddy said during a press conference Monday morning.

Ronald Brown, Saint Augustine’s vice president of strategic initiatives, will serve as the school’s acting executive director until the board can name an interim president, which Gaddy said could happen in the next two weeks.

Financial problems and a federal inquiry

Boardley Suber’s firing and the reinstatements of Haynes and Allen are the latest in an effort by university trustees to clean up the historically black Raleigh school amid financial problems and a federal investigation.

The university’s finances have been scrutinized within the past few months after the school lost $3 million in tuition revenue due to falling enrollment. A contractor filed a lien against the school over $675,000 owed for work on its football stadium, which remains unfinished, but the lien has been settled.

The school is also under investigation for allegedly providing false information on a federal grant proposal. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which accredits the university, has also requested information regarding the school’s finances.

In February, Saint Augustine’s eliminated over a dozen positions and planned to furlough faculty and staff over spring break in March. School leaders later canceled the furloughs.

Money issues prevalent among HBCUs

Saint Augustine’s financial problems are the latest facing historically black colleges and universities:

• Money issues at Shaw University have led the school to use the business practice of “process optimization” to boost efficiency and cut costs.
• Ten of the state’s 11 HBCUs saw enrollment drop this year. Budget cuts forced Elizabeth City State University to reduce its number of degree programs, and North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro applied for and received six federal grants to cover some funding gaps in research and teaching.
• Saint Paul’s College in Lawrenceville, Va., closed last year after Saint Augustine’s board of trustees decided not to take over the school.
• Morris Brown College in Atlanta, which has been in bankruptcy hearings in recent months and has seen enrollment plummet, is working to sell its property to the city.
• A Howard University trustee wrote last year, regarding the school’s finances, that “Howard will not be here in three years if we don’t make some crucial decisions now.”

Saint Augustine’s financial and administrative troubles have led to low morale and increased tension on campus, but Gaddy on Monday called on trustees and alumni to boost their financial support and help recruit students.

“This is a strong university and a place where we can provide strong education,” he said. “We have to make sure we’re sending signals to potential students of Saint Augustine’s that we are, in fact, a viable institution.”

Tougaloo College Undergraduate Research Symposium

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tc-seal

Tougaloo College holds its 11th annual research symposium. It will be held in the Owens and Wellness Center

Every year Tougaloo College celebrates a joint research symposium with Mississippi College and this year marks the 11th Mississippi College-Tougaloo College Undergraduate Research Symposium (MC-TC UGRS). The year, it will be hosted at Tougaloo College on April 11, 2014. (Each
campus hosts the symposium on alternating years.) The 2014 oral presentations will be held at Tougaloo College in the Owens Health and Wellness Center from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., and the poster
presentations will take place in the Kroger Gymnasium from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m.

A total of 100 abstracts have been accepted, of which 60 were from Tougaloo College (34 Oral + 26 Poster), thirty-seven from Mississippi College (8 Oral + 29 Poster) and 3 Oral presentations from
Millsaps College. Abstracts were received from more than a dozen different departments, including Art, Biology, Chemistry/Biochemistry, Computer Science, Education, English, History, Kinesiology, Liberal Studies, Psychology, Physics, Mass Communication, Mathematics, Music and Sociology.

The symposium is organized by the TCUR committee members at Tougaloo College, with Dr. Shaila Khan as the Chair and Dr. Santanu Banerjee as the Co-Chair. The Mississippi College Academic Research Committee is chaired by Dr. David Magers.

ASU receives $336K grant from National Science Foundation

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ASUAlabama State University has received a National Science Foundation funding grant of $336,634 to serve as one of its Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) sites.

The grant period is good through March 30, 2017.

The national REU program will host 10 undergraduate students for 10 weeks in a summer program by providing hands-on experience in experimental research in nanotechnology and biotechnology related to Development of Safe Nanomaterials for Biological Applications, said Komal Vig, the principal investigator of the ASU research program.

The goal is for the training to lead to the pursuit of graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, fields.

The grant will provide a $5,000 stipend, on-campus housing and meal and travel allowances during the 10-week period. Students pursuing undergraduate studies in STEM fields are eligible to apply for this program.

Brown Named PVAMU Head Women’s Basketball Coach

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pvam_dawn_brownPrairie View A&M University has officially named Dawn Brown as its head women’s basketball coach.  Brown, who served on an interim basis this past season, becomes Prairie View A&M’s fifth head coach since the program moved to the NCAA Division I ranks in 1982.

“Coach Brown has done a tremendous job in continuing the overall success of the program on-and-off the court,” said Director of Athletics Ashley Robinson.  “She stepped into the position last summer and immediately proved herself as a solid motivator, teacher and recruiter.  Coach Brown has the desire to move the Prairie View A&M women’s basketball to another level in terms of its national profile after having an instrumental part in the program’s success over the past four seasons.”Brown

Named the team’s interim head coach on July 1, 2013, Brown led the Lady Panthers to their fourth consecutive NCAA Women’s Basketball Division I Tournament appearance and the team’s fourth straight SWAC Tournament Championship this past season.  Under her watch, junior point guard Jeanette Jackson had a record-breaking season as she became the all-time single season scoring leader in PVAMU women’s basketball history in addition to earning All-SWAC First Team and SWAC Tournament MVP Honors.  Brown also developed senior guard LaReahn Washington into a scoring threat as the senior had a career season in her lone season as a starter while sophomore post Shamiya Brooks emerged as one of the top shot blockers in the SWAC.

In addition to the team’s individual accolades, the Lady Panthers had a pair of five-game winning streaks under Brown over the course of the 2013-14 campaign and won 10-of-11 contests during a two-month span.  Since joining the PVAMU women’s basketball program as an assistant coach in 2010, the Lady Panthers are a perfect 12-0 in postseason play with Brown on the bench.

Prior to becoming interim head coach, Brown served as the team’s assistant coach for three seasons along with adding the responsibilities of recruiting coordinator during the 2012-13 campaign.  Brown recruited 2012 SWAC All-Tournament center Larissa Scott, 2013 SWAC Tournament MVP Kiara Etienne and do-it-all forward JaQuandria Williams, who contributed heavily to the Lady Panthers’ SWAC Tournament Championships in 2012 and 2013.

Before coaching at Prairie View A&M, Brown spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Tougaloo College. At Tougaloo, Brown played a major part in turning the program around as the Lady Bulldogs finished the 2009-10 season with their best record in 12 years and advanced to the semifinal round of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

A 2005 graduate of Jackson State University, she had a two-year career as a student-athlete with the Lady Tigers and helped capture the 2002-03 SWAC Regular Season Co-Championship and a SWAC Tournament semi-final berth.

Before her playing days at Jackson State, Brown a two-time captain at Atlanta Metropolitan College, led the team to two-straight GJCAA Tournament appearances as she was a part of the inaugural team in 2000.

Dawn knows the demands of a Division I student-athlete, as she also excelled in the classroom earning her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology in 2005. She also holds memberships in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Order of Eastern Star, Black Colleges & Administrators and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Saint Augustine’s President Dianne Suber Announces Retirement

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Yd8Gz.AuSt.156Dianne Boardley Suber, president of St. Augustine’s University, said Friday that she would step down as the Raleigh campus battles financial problems, declining enrollment and departures of top administrators.

“After much thought and consideration and – and prayer, I have decided to announce my retirement and leave the Presidency of Saint Augustine’s University at the end of May 2014,” she said in a statement late Friday. “These last 14 years at the helm of this wonderful institution have been both challenging and rewarding. I trust that my legacy will affirm that I ‘left it better than I found it.’ ”

The announcement capped a week of tumultuous revelations. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the accrediting body, was reviewing the school because of its financial condition. Also, federal agencies are probing the university’s handling of grants.

St. Aug’s, a historically black institution founded in 1867, had been troubled for months, with administrative turnover, staff cuts and an audit last fall that showed a $3 million drop in tuition revenue.

Howard Hiring Philip Gyau to Coach Bison

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philgyau-headshotHoward University has tabbed Philip Gyau, who starred for the Bison in the mid-1980s and earned six caps for the U.S. national team, to turn around the men’s soccer program.

Gyau, 48, will succeed Michael Lawrence, who was fired after a 1-17-0 record in his sixth season last fall. The sides are expected to finalize a deal soon.

“Howard has made an offer to coach Gyau; we are working to formalize the contract in the coming days,” university spokeswoman Kerry-Ann Hamilton told the Insider on Tuesday evening. “The university is excited to have an alumnus and a soccer champion return to our intercollegiate athletics program.”

A national power for decades featuring players from the Caribbean, West Africa and the United States, the program has fallen on hard times since last qualifying for the NCAA tournament in 1997. Last season the Bison were ranked last among 203 Division I teams. They competed in the low-level Atlantic Soccer Conference from 2000 to 2011 and were independent the past two seasons. This fall they will affiliate with the Sun Belt Conference, which is sponsoring soccer after an almost 20-year hiatus.

Gyau, a Gwynn Park High School graduate who lives in Silver Spring, was a wing on the U.S. senior squad from 1989 to ’91. Between the NASL’s demise in 1985 and MLS’s launch 11 years later, he played professionally in the ASL, APSL and CISL. He also played on, and coached, the U.S. beach soccer team. In recent years, he has run a youth program and coached in the Bethesda Soccer Club.

Winston-Salem State University Chancellor Donald Reaves to Step Down

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Donald Reaves resigning from WSSU

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —Winston-Salem State University Chancellor Donald Reaves will step down after seven years in the post, but he’s not leaving the university.

Reaves told students, staff and media Friday afternoon that he’s stepping down effective Dec. 31 to become a full-time political science professor at WSSU. Reaves made the announcement in the student activities center named after him.

Reaves, 67,  has been WSSU’s chancellor since August 2007 and has been in higher education for nearly 40 years. He came to Winston-Salem after a seven-year stint at the University of Chicago and a 14-year stay at Brown University.

Reaves said he’s been in discussions with UNC System officials since late 2012 about returning to the classroom. He said his proudest accomplishments as chancellor were improving the curriculum and nearly doubling the student graduation rate.

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Central State University Receives Registered Trademark

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Central State University has officially registered and trademarked the University’s three tenets — Service…Protocol…Civility®.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office issued the registered trademark as an affirmation of the University’s on-going commitment to excellence and achievement. The tenets represent the University’s commitment to academic excellence and the development of our students as innovative leaders for the future.

Service is defined as commitment to the institution and the greater community; Protocol is defined as adherence to and value of best practices for accomplishing goals; and Civility is defined as demonstration of respect for one another, our past, present, and future.

“Our students, alumni, faculty and staff are aligned with these dynamic tenets. They represent our strong sense of tradition and pride,” said President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond.

The tenets will be used in University communications, branding and overall institutional positioning.

Central State Press Release

Jackson State OKs $47.3M Dorm Complex

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Buzzing news for Jackson State students: the university is moving ahead with a $47.3 million plan to build a new housing complex that features a 650-seat dining hall and a conference center.

“We want to build what we expect our needs will be three years down the road,” JSU President Carolyn Meyers said, adding that the number of the 628 beds may be raised during the design phase to meet the enrollment growth she anticipates.

The million dollar housing complex approved by the college board is expected to be finished by January 2016.

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Norfolk State to Raise Tuition

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“I plead with you; let’s work together,” said faculty senate president of Norfolk State University Suely Black addressing board members.

It’s uncertain how many of the 400 full- and part-time instructors at historically black Norfolk State in Virginia will be laid off. But due to a decline in university enrollment, fewer teachers will be needed, said President Eddie Moore Jr.

Black said teachers are out of the loop and not receiving appropriate information on important university decisions, according to The Virginian-Pilot. Recently (March 21), Norfolk State University’s governing board approved a rise to tuition to help relieve a budget gap as enrollment declines.

Norfolk State will raise tuition for both in-state and out-of-state undergraduates to $7,552 and $29,320 respectfully—an increase of $326 for in-state and $250 for out-of-state students. For some in-state students however, the cost of living on campus will now be just over $16,000, with the rate for room and board raised to an additional $250—$576 more than this year.

University officials say, because of a change to the federal PLUS loan policy by the Obama administration, many students who rely on government aid are having trouble with paying for college.

“This is the worst situation I’ve seen in my 35 years as President,” said Dr. William Harvey of Hampton University on the PLUS loan problem that caused 14,616 students from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to leave their studies in the fall of 2012.

“We don’t have anybody advocating for us,” he said.

On a positive note, Norfolk State University remains among the cheapest and most affordable colleges in Virginia, giving students the biggest bang for their bucks.

Tommy Meade is HBCU Buzz’s Editor-in-chief. Join the discussion and comment below.

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