13 Telltale Signs You’re a Delta

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
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Starting this weekend, the streets of Washington, D.C., will be flooded by a sea of red. With letters on their sleeves and immeasurable pride in their hearts, the women of Delta Sigma Theta SororityInc. will flock to the city that birthed their organization 100 years ago. While every Delta woman is different, there are some habits and happenstances that none of us can deny about our sisterhood.

1. The Shrine

Somewhere in your home is a shrinelike collection of all your gifts, trinkets and pledging memorabilia.

2. ‘Nalia Galore

You have a piece of paraphernalia for every and any occasion and weather condition. Windbreakers, umbrellas, hats, sweatshirts, cardigans, tees, tote bags, travel kits and socks are all stashed in the back of your closet.

3. Trunks Up

There may be more elephant figurines and jewelry in your possession than space to store them.

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Rand Paul is right, “Republicans haven’t changed”

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
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Remember the lecture ‘Professor’ Rand Paul gave at Howard University, when the Republican senator explained black history to students in the School of Business Auditorium?

Paul devoted the majority of his time on the history of the Republican as it relates to civil rights, as an alternative to discussing existing concerns in the black community—like intra-racial discrimination, children out of wedlock and education.

Some gave Paul props for being the first Republican to visit Howard in more than 20 years. Others suspected his every move.

If anything, the audience most likely agreed with Paul’s argument that “Republicans haven’t changed.”

MSNBC host Chris Hayes recently said the senator has three “white supremacist strikes” against him now after the discovery that a close aide to Paul worked as a pro-secessionist radio pundit and neo-Confederate activist.

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Huffington Post:

“Strike one was in 2009 when Rand Paul’s Senate campaign spokesperson was forced to resign over a horribly racist comment and historical image of a lynching — I’m not making that up — posted by a friend of his on his MySpace wall on Martin Luther King weekend, then allowed to remain for almost two years,” Hayes said.

 Strike two, Hayes added, was when Paul expressed reservations about the Civil Rights Act in an interview on the Rachel Maddow Show. (Paul later said in a statement that he supports the Civil Rights Act “because I overwhelmingly agree with the intent of the legislation, which was to stop discrimination in the public sphere and halt the abhorrent practice of segregation and Jim Crow laws.”)

 “And now this. Southern Avenger on the Senator’s staff,” Hayes said. “Well, I’m sorry, Rand Paul. That’s three racist strikes. You’re out.”

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Howard students were not suddenly ‘enlightened’ after Paul’s Grand Old Party speech. They knew what was up all alone. 

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Five HBCU players taken in Major League Baseball draft

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36-Cory-JordanLed by Savannah State pitcher Kyle McGowin, five HBCU baseball players were selected in the 2013 Major League Baseball three day Draft.

McGowin, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Pitcher of the Year, was selected in the fifth round by the Los Angeles Angels on Friday.

He finished the regular season with an ERA of 1.49 in 96.1 innings pitched and a 12-1 record. He led the MEAC in strikeouts (111) and wins, and was ranked sixth nationally after the end of the regular season while leading the Tigers to their first MEAC Championship and the programs first Division I NCAA Playoff bid.

     Alcorn State shortstop Angel Rosa was also picked by the Angels. The 2013 Pre-Season SWAC Player of the Year, was selected in the 13th round with the 397th overall pick. He finished the last year with a .294 batting average and led the Braves in stolen bases (17), on base percentage (.372) recording 50 hits and 26 runs scored.

North Carolina A&T first baseman Kelvin Freeman was picked by the Chicago Cubs in the 17th round and was the 498th overall selection. Southern University pitcher Jose De Leon was picked in the 24th round with the 724th pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He finished with a 4-3 overall record and in the top ten in the league in ERA (3.28) and innings pitched (81.2). He led the Jaguars with 73 strikeouts including 25 strikeouts looking. Both marks were ranked second in the conference.

The final HBCU pick of the draft was Grambling State pitcher Cory Jordan was taken by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 35th round with the 1,058th overall selection. Last year as a relief pitcher, Jordan finished with a 2-3 overall record, two saves and a 4.22 ERA. He recorded 27 strikeouts while appearing in 14 games in relief. Referenced from Journal

What change will 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington bring?

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
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History always repeats itself because of past lessons unlearned. We just keep doing that ‘dance’ until we get it right. – The Crisis Magazine

Time magazine recently called millennials the “Me, Me, Me Generation,” and said we are lazy, entitled narcissists who still live at our parent’s house.

Touché. Although I think I love my Windows phone 8x by HTC far more than I love myself.

But Time has a point. I could have saved the world twice over had I not spent hours taking that unorthodox Facebook selfie.

Even so, to improve my excessive love of self I picked up on the many benefits of running.

(Summer/Fall body tip: running is one of the best forms of exercise for losing or maintaining a consistent weight.)

After carrying out my goal to run five miles to Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio from nearby Xenia, Ohio, I felt a great amount of accomplishment.

Before I could do so however I had to build my endurance. This meant waking up at 5 a.m. every week day before work and telling myself “just do it” when I psyched myself out from the challenge.

Once capable, I confronted the test head on with my running partner.

It is a straight shot to Central State when you arrive on US-42 North. You pass farmland and a few small creeks while listening to the songs of birds on the route.

Three quarters into the run I imagined how blacks felt when walking several miles to school throughout the Civil Rights era.

I remembered reading how Frederick Douglass mother walked 12 miles at night to spend half an hour with him, only to walk back to avoid a whipping from her slave master for missing field labor in the morning.

“Man, we take a lot for granted nowadays,” I said to myself. “We’re in need of a revolution…”

50 years ago on August 28, 1963 some 250,000 people joined hands to march on Washington for jobs and freedom.

Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech and the rest is history:

“And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”

I ask, with the 50th anniversary of the largest demonstration ever seen in the nation’s capital fast approaching, what change will the March on Washington bring to my generation?

Will we use our voices and take action like those before us, or will we sit out-of-the-way with our eyes glued to social media–allowing another generation to slip through the cracks?

This is why it is a great time to be an American. Because we have to consistently fight to create the change that we wish to see.

Hope springs eternal, even in an instant gratification society such as ours.

After running, working and sweating, and fighting off thoughts of quitting too soon, I reached Central State in good time.

I never been happier to see Central State’s motto on a flag waving high into the wind: “Change is Central”.

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Central State investing $20M to become more energy efficient

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
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Central State University will undergo $20 million in renovations to make the campus more energy efficient.

The university looks to add interior and exterior lighting, building automation, mechanical upgrades, roof improvements and implement water conservation. The end result is expected to cut energy consumption 41 percent for utility savings of $1 million a year.

The renovation costs will be paid for through financing from the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority.

Among the major renovations will be a conversion of the steam plant — which provides heat to 23 buildings — to run on 14 hot water boilers tied into an automated system for climate control across campus. Automated climate control with sensors to detect room occupancy and adjust room temperature will be installed, and major energy or water-reducing equipment replacements will be made in buildings serving the Center for Education and Natural Sciences, Smith College of Business and Natatorium.

Other upgrades include LED lights, as well as repairs and replacements of window and door sealant and roofing.

The university is aiming for a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, as mandated by Ohio House Bill 251. It also says there will be a total guaranteed savings of $14.5 million over the 15 years the improvements will take place.

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TSU Receives $600,000 Scholarship Donation from Late Alumna’s Estate

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
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Tennessee State University graduate Vernice Marie Taylor Gray died nearly nine years ago, but not before makings plans to ensure that students in need get the opportunity for a quality education.

The estate of Vernice and her late husband, Elbert Gray Jr., has donated $600,000 for scholarships for students attending TSU.

The fund, established under the Elbert Gray Jr. and Vernice Taylor Gray Memorial Scholarship, will be used at the discretion of the University to fund two “financially disadvantaged” male and female students from Tennessee each year.

“This is certainly great news for Tennessee State University,” said President Glenda Glover. “We are pleased to announce this donation, which provides not only money but makes it possible for less fortunate students to get an education. We commend the Elbert Gray Jr. and Vernice Taylor Gray Trust for this scholarship program.”

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Wiley College Honor Student Inexplicably Beaten by Police “I Awoke Spitting My Teeth Out On the Ground”

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
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s1-224x300On June 29th 2013, Gabriella Calhoun’s life changed forever.  The night was warm and clear, and after partying with friends, Gabriella and her friends decided to go to their local neighborhood Denny’s to get a late night meal.  Gabby is an honor student at Wiley College.  She finished high school a year early and went to college a year before the rest of her cohort.

Sitting on the left side of Denny’s so they can have a view of the parking lot, her crew of 17, all high school graduates, witnessed a fight between two girls.  As the group of college bound students were ordering their drinks, the cops were called.

When officers arrived on the scene, they entered the Denny’s and approached Gabriella’s table and asked if they had anything to do with the fight.   A friend, who shall remain nameless, told the officers that they were not involved with the fight at all at which the cops left and went back outside.

The two girls who were fighting outside were allowed to go into the Denny’s to “clean themselves up.”  One girl was previously maced by a police officer in the parking lot for acting unruly.  When the two girls saw each other inside of Denny’s, they started to fight again.  The cops rushed into the restaurant to break the fight up.

As the cops tried to clear Denny’s, they again approached Gabriella’s table, at which a close friend of hers told the cops they were not involved with the party that was fighting.  The cops grabbed the nameless young man, (he wants his name protected out of fear of retaliation), and escorted him out of Denny’s.  Gabriella followed them and grabbed his side.  As she exited the Denny’s she felt a grip on her neck and arm and says that out of reaction, she tried to pull away.

What happened next was unimaginable.  According to her friends, Gabriella was hit in the face with a night stick by a female officer and was knocked unconscious.   When Gabriella finally gained consciousness, the Wiley College Student said, “I awoke spitting my teeth out on the ground.”

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Disrespectful ‘Angry Trayvon’ App Sparks Outrage

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
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If you find George Zimmerman’s defense team’s grotesque framing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin as a violent, weed-smoking teen who caused his own untimely death repulsive, then prepare yourself for the ‘Angry Trayvon’ app.

Available in the Google play store, and for Apple operating systems and Android devices, the app isdescribed as follows:

Trayvon is angry and nobody can stop him from completing his world tour of revenge on the bad guys who terrorize cities everyday.
Use a variety of weapons to demolish Trayvon’s attackers in various cities around the world.
As you complete a level, you will notice more bad guys coming at Trayvon at a faster pace and a deadlier attack.
If you like to attack from far, then purchase the ‘dagger’ as you will be able to throw it at your enemies for the kill.
If you want to dominate the leaderboards across the world, then make sure you collect the money that the bad guys will drop once you kill them to increase your score.

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Optimism prevails as Alabama A&M touts financial recovery

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12968281-mmmainAll that was missing from Thursday’s upbeat committee meetings of the Alabama A&M University Board of Trustees was a win in the Magic City Classic.

Fighting to overcome chronic financial problems, the trustees:

  • Celebrated turning a $9 million deficit from 2008 into a $3 million surplus.
  • Voted, on the committee level, to approve a 2014 fiscal year budget that includes the first pay raise for employees in six years and doesn’t include a bump in tuition.
  • Received an audit report with no issues for 2012 with an “unqualified” opinion, which is the “best possible opinion an independent auditor can issue,” according to a presentation from auditors Banks, Finley, White & Co.

And this all came on the heels of a Wednesday night presentation of a four-year evaluation of President Andrew Hugine, which was described as “very, very positive” by Alvin Schexnider, a consultant from the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges who worked with the evaluation committee.

“If you’ve got the naysayers talking about the fiscal health of the institution, the fiscal health – we have a long way to go – the fiscal health has been improved because it’s being reflected in our financial statements,” said Odysseus Lanier, president pro tem of the trustees.

Morris Brown College proposes multimillion dollar deal to keep the HBCU afloat

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
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Morris Brown, Georgia’s first historically black college, has reached the multimillion dollar deal with FD LLC to restructure and reorganize the troubled school.

Court papers filed Friday outline the proposed deal, according to reports in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution (AJC). It comes less than a month after trustees turned down an offer of nearly $10 million in taxpayer money from the City of Atlanta.

Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed offered the cash to try and eliminate the school’s huge debt. The campus is of interest because the city’s administration wants to regenerate the area to coincide with plans to develop a nearby Atlanta Falcons stadium.

At the time of the mayor’s proposal the college’s lawyer, Anne Aaronson, said the city’s offer was rejected because though it covered the debt it did not provide for operating costs.

This new multimillion dollar deal would make FD LLC a partner in the school’s recovery by buying some of its property and settling its outstanding debt, while it seeks re-accreditation.

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Omar Sykes, Howard University Student Shot, Killed In Attempted Robbery

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
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A Howard University student was fatally shot and another student was beaten in an overnight attempted robbery in Northwest D.C., officials say.

According to DC Police, the two victims were approached by two male suspects in the 700 block of Fairmont Avenue around 11:40 p.m. Thursday. Once police arrived at the scene, they found the 22-year-old Omar Sykes with a gun shot wound to the chest.  He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.  The second victim was also transported with non-life-threatening injuries.

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“Fighting for those who need advocates”: Why you should consider being a HBCU president

Posted by Robert Hoggard
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As I approach my senihbcuor year at American Baptist College, I have been pondering about what vocation desires I want to pursue. As a student who graduated high school with a 1.9 GPA and has been rejected by several colleges and universities, I take education seriously.

One of the ways I know that students who had rough starts like myself can be accepted and groomed professionally for great work, social justice leadership in the world, is through HBCU’s like American Baptist College.

Thus, as someone who personally knows about educational woes among Blacks and aspires to be a President of an HBCU; I am aware that the field of underserved and looked-over students is ripe for transformation to our next leaders.

“You will spend most of your time defending the existence of underresourced schools that attempt to educate students coming from underresourced schools,” Dr. Walter Kimbrough, President of Dillard University, said to HBCU Buzz.

With the big boom of for profits, and continuation of Black students exploring options at PWI’s, we’re in an era where we’re going to lose more schools.”

You can play a vital role in saving a HBCU

Many HBCU’s are in a state of economical challenge. As a President, it will be your job to ensure your HBCU remains opened. By doing so, students with fragmented educational experiences can be afforded a chance to pursue education further.

Dr. Forrest E. Harris Sr., President of American Baptist College, asserted in a Presidential address, “American Baptist College has been an open enrollment College for gifted individuals who have limited resources and educational experiences but unlimited potential for leadership.”

Imagine what it would be like to be responsible for the transformation of thousands of students who arrive oppressed but leave liberated; to launch out and change an oppressive world.

You can change a fragmented educational system

Dr. Forrest E. Harris Sr. further asserted in his address, “While majority private and public colleges and universities have been in the
business of ‘reproducing privilege’ for the elite, American Baptist College has been in the business of educating the poor and underserved, producing leaders, nurturing prophets and teachers, social activists to ministering to human family.”

We currently operate in an educational system that marginalizes students and labels them as disposable. In this system, it’s easier for whites to succeed and much harder for Blacks to succeed.

Blacks have to work significantly harder than their white colleagues. As an HBCU President that stands for educating the underserved, marginalized and looked-over; you see to it that your school equips these persons for leadership to change the educational system you operate in.

You serve as a professional person that goes to the educational dumps to pull students out of fragmented educational experiences and train them for social change in the world.

Furthermore, in a conversation via Twitter with Dr. Michael Sorrell, President of Paul Quinn College, he tweeted these words, “Love fighting for those who need advocates. Aim higher. Each generation builds on the previous one. As Jay told Wayne: ‘go farther, go further, go harder’ #NationBuilding.”

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Guess which HBCU gave Mike Tyson honorary doctorate

Posted by Tommy G. Meade Jr.
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Central State University gave “The Baddest Man on the Planet” Mike Tyson and boxing promotor Don King honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters degrees in 1989.

“Mike demonstrates that hard work, determination, and perseverance can enable one to overcome any obstacles,” said Central State president Arthur Thomas at the time.

What’s more, would you believe me if I told you Charles Ramsey, the Cleveland hero who rescued three woman and a girl from captivity, took some classes as a freshman student at Central State during the same year?

Ala-Curtis Campbell selected as Tuskegee’s Athletic Director

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rp_primary_CurtisCampbell-newADTUSKEGEE, Ala-Curtis Campbell has been chosen to serve as Tuskegee University’s new athletic director after an extensive search and interviews with an array of highly qualified finalists, starting today. For six years, he was the athletic director at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Ala. An experienced athletic administrator, Campbell has 14 years of service in intercollegiate athletics.

While at Stillman, he oversaw several major athletic projects. In 2009, Campbell was instrumental in the opening of the Stillman College Tennis Facility. During his tenure, there were extensive renovations to Birthright Alumni Hall, home of the basketball and volleyball programs. As an administrator, he also worked to increase operational and scholarship funds for each of Stillman’s 12 sports.

During his time, Stillman posted a number of first-time events in competition: the school’s first NCAA national outdoor track and field champion, the department’s first SIAC tennis titles, the men’s basketball team reached the South Region final – the best an SIAC school had accomplished in recent history; and the baseball team won their first game in NCAA region play and reached the South Region final for the first time in program history.

Campbell also upgraded the attention to student-athlete welfare at Stillman. He organized the department’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee and initiated the development of the school’s chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He also initiated a successful academic enrichment program, “Grades First,” that was a requirement for the maintenance of athletic eligibility. As a result, 10 student athletes graduated with honors at the 2013 commencement service. Under his leadership, two of the last three valedictorians at the college were student-athletes.

Prior to his position at Stillman, he served for two years as athletic director at Division III Blackburn College in Carlinville, Ill. At Blackburn, Campbell completely renovated the weight room and improved the operation of the sports information office. During his tenure, Blackburn also successfully hosted the 2006 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) men’s basketball tournament and the 2006 SLIAC sportsmanship summit. He also worked to improve athletic-academic relations at Blackburn while streamlining the efficiency of the athletic department.

Campbell has extensive experience with Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schools. He also worked at Kentucky State University for four years, where he served as assistant athletic director for compliance and later served as interim athletic director. While at KSU, he also monitored athletic scholarships, assisted with game-day operations, coordinated tickets and ticket sales, and assisted with the management and development of the athletic budget. Tuskegee