Diddy talks new project ‘REVOLT’ with Howard student newspaper

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The saga continues for entrepreneur Sean Combs. Combs, better known as ‘Diddy’, recently made time to talk to the Life & Style Editor and Chief Managing Editor at The Hilltop, the student newspaper of Howard University, about his latest business venture: ‘REVOLT’.

In an interview conducted by Maya Cade and Dominique Diggs, hip-hop’s wealthiest man talked about his friend and classmate Wayne A.I. Frederick, the new interim president of Howard, stereotypes of black individuals in power and how his new project came about.

“The idea of REVOLT came across to me because I felt like music did not have a home…there needed to be a place that was solely about music,” Diddy told The Hilltop.

“Just like ESPN is the home for sports and CNN is the home for news, REVOLT will be the new #1 home for music.”

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About the Hilltop:

Since 1924, The Hilltop has provided news and information to Howard University and the greater D.C. community and has worked diligently to fulfill its mission as the student voice of Howard University and the surrounding community.  

Season-ending upset at Scope motivates Norfolk Spartans

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norfolkSome Norfolk State players get an unsettling feeling when they drive or walk past Scope. Bitterness, anger, overwhelming disappointment – it all comes flooding back.

Their coach doesn’t have that problem. He won’t go near the place.

Since the Spartans ended a promising season with a stunning 70-68 loss to Bethune-Cookman in the quarterfinals of the MEAC tournament in March, first-year coach Robert Jones has gone out of his way to avoid the site of the disaster.

No hockey game, concert or stand-up act will change his mind.

“That’s one of the things I don’t do,” said Jones, who recently skipped former NSU women’s coach James Sweat’s induction into the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame because it was held at the venue. “I’ll go around the Scope before I’ll drive past the Scope – unless I absolutely have to – because of last year.”

And it’s because of last year that the Spartans enter this season with such grand expectations. Picked to win the MEAC in a recent poll of the league’s coaches, NSU returns 11 letter-winners from a team that underachieved only at the conference tournament.

The Spartans were 21-10 overall and 16-0 in the MEAC before blowing a 13-point second-half lead against Bethune-Cookman.

“I’ve kind of got, like, a bitter taste in my mouth about that place,” junior guard Jamel Fuentes said. “When I see it, it kind of makes me angry a little bit.” read more…

State of Emergency for Grambling, HowardU and Morris Brown

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marc“HBCUs have always been in a situation where a lot of them have had to struggle. A lot of that has to do with inequitable funding.” – Marybeth Gasman, University of Pennsylvania

Current financial problems facing the storied Grambling State University football program are a sign of funding inequities that are shortchanging students and threatening the very existence of a growing number of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

On Oct. 19, in protest of severe budget cuts that have decimated the football facilities and led to the firing of Coach Doug Williams, the Grambling State Tigers players refused to take the 160 mile trip to Jackson, Mississippi for their scheduled matchup with Jackson State. The Grambling players’ boycott of the Jackson State homecoming game sent shockwaves through the Southwestern Athletic Conference and highlighted the dire financial status of many of our nation’s 105 HBCUs. read more…

Draconian higher education budget cuts in Louisiana being pushed by Governor Bobby Jindal are a big part of the Grambling problem. According to the New York Times, state funding for Grambling is “down 56 percent since 2008. In response, the university has laid off more than 120 staff members and reduced the number of degree programs to 47 from 67.”

This has left the football program in shambles, with players forced to practice and play in unsafe and unsanitary facilities while sometimes enduring thousand-mile bus trips for away games. The Grambling football experience is unique, but it is also symptomatic of a larger problem that extends beyond the football field to the financial offices and classrooms of the institutions that have traditionally produced the lion’s share of African American professionals.

With lower endowments, cut-rate tuition fees, fund raising challenge and a disproportionate number of first-generation, low-income students, HBCUs have been hit especially hard by the economic downturn. Recent cuts in government aid and other funding streams have been the last straw for several of them. St. Paul’s College in southern Virginia closed its doors in June. Atlanta’s Morris Brown College recently declared bankruptcy.

Toyota Green Initiative donates Prius Vehicles to 22 HBCUs

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priusAt this year’s Magic City Classic in Birmingham, Alabama, Toyota announced plans to donate 22 Prius cars to select HBCUs in the Southwestern Atlantic and CIAA conferences. School administrators will be granted one-year leases to the vehicles as part of the Toyota Green Initiative (TGI) program which aims to help students at historically black colleges and universities to live more sustainably.

At a press conference held at Alabama Power, Toyota VP of Product Communications Jim Colon told NewsOne that Toyota developed the TGI campaign after realizing that, despite the Prius’ 50-miles-per-gallon track record, the hybrid hadn’t quite resonated with people of color.

“It’s stimulating a dialogue in African-American communities that ‘we’re part of this too,’” Colon said. “It’s just not isolated to one group. We have the thinking; we have the background; we have the intelligence that everybody else has, and we’re going to use it. We’re going to empower ourselves, and we’re going to try to figure out how to make our lives better. Why should we be less healthy than everybody else?”

TGI Coalition member and former “Love That Girl” star Tatyana Ali recalled how some students were shocked to learn that the Hollywood vet isn’t rolling around in a Maybach. read more…

Morgan State to play in first-ever HBCU Lacrosse All-Star Classic

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msubearMorgan State’s club team will play in the inaugural HBCU Lacrosse All-Star Classic on Nov. 17 at Howard University’s Greene Stadium in Washington.

The event, which is backed by US Lacrosse, will begin with a high school all-star game at 1 p.m., followed by a college all-star game at 3 p.m. The college game will feature a North-South showdown, with players from the Howard and Morgan State men’s club teams forming the core of the North squad, and players from Hampton and Morehouse anchoring the South team.

Organizers hope to have 120 participants in the two games, including from other teams at historically black colleges and universities. Admission to the event is free. read more…

National HBCU Virtual Career Fair Series with Tom Joyner Morning Show

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hbcuc copyCareer Town Network (http://www.careertown.net), whose solutions help employment professionals successfully and efficiently fill job openings, received a $350,000 investment from the Emerging Market Fund (EMF), which provides capital and connections to diverse, early stage high potential companies based in Ohio.

The Columbus, Ohio-based company has created a low-cost, user-friendly virtual career fair software platform with built-in technology that provides recruiters with a more sophisticated way to organize, assess and match qualified candidates. “This capital is going to help us advance our product at a pivotal point in our development,” read more…

FAMU Grads – Amir Windom & Maurice Slade – talk success in the music biz

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famuu copyIt’s a sweaty summer day in 2003. Tallahassee is vibrant with a fresh import of anxious Florida A&M University (FAMU) students. A bus shuttles the new ‘Rattlers’ on a mall trip, when a few students in the bus interrupt the still, nervous air. Amir Windom (“AW”) and Maurice Slade (“Moe”) were doing what they naturally did– cracking jokes. Comedy was probably the first thing they realized they had in common. The second was music. It was this comical introduction to a friendship that would push them to achieve more than most under the age of 30. A decade later, the two college friends sit in a hotel room in Washington, D.C. clowning and catching up. AW traveled to D.C. to speak at an event during the AT&T Nations Football Classic. Moe is in town to DJ the hottest traveling party on the east and west coast, “Grits & Biscuits”. AW and Moe are the cool, creative guys behind some of the hottest artists and brands in the music and entertainment industry. If you don’t know them, here’s your shot.

Thanks to his dad working at Delta Airlines, AW saw a much bigger world outside of Decatur, Georgia. A born and raised “ATLien,” AW grew up around music, art and culture. His first taste of business and music was naturally from his parents. Whether hearing his mom jam to Gil Scott Heron, Hiroshima or Smokey Robinson while cleaning the house, or watching his dad submit a proposal to the Department of Cultural Affairs in Atlanta that later turned into the Atlanta Jazz Festival; the entrepreneurial spirit and the love of music was always around him. AW was a gifted athlete that had the cliché dreams of playing in the NFL. Can we thank the music gawds he didn’t? Fast forward a few decades, he’s a record executive, TV and film music supervisor, marketing executive and consistent philanthropist and humanitarian. He has worked at record labels such as Atlantic Records, Def Jam Records and Bad Boy Records, and he has assisted in creating music and developing brands for artists such as Fun, T.I., Bruno Mars, Lupe Fiasco, B.o.B, Madonna, Trey Songz and Kanye West. read more…

Stand Your Ground Law Hearing Rescheduled

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syglThe Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights hearing on “Stand Your Ground” laws has been rescheduled for tomorrow, October 29th at 10 am. The hearing is currently scheduled to take place in room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. A final witness list and any updates to the room location will be made available on the Senate Judiciary Committee website. YOU MUST RSVP BY TODAY. RSVP information is listed below.

 “Stand Your Ground” Laws: Civil Rights and Public Safety Implications of the Expanded Use of Deadly Force

Hearing Before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the

Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights

Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Location: Dirksen Senate Office Building Room 226

(Room location is tentative; please check Senate Judiciary Committee website to confirm –http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/)

Description: U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), the Assistant Majority Leader and Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights, will hold a rescheduled hearing to examine “stand your ground” laws that have significantly expanded the permissible use of deadly force and that have been adopted in 26 states since 2005. This hearing was initially scheduled for September 17 but was postponed. The hearing will examine the way that “stand your ground” laws were promoted across the country, the impact of the laws on public safety and civil rights, the “shoot first” mentality that such laws produce, and the concerns posed by the laws in light of the gun lobby’s aggressive efforts in Congress and in statehouses to expand concealed carrying of guns. Hearing witnesses will urge reconsideration of “stand your ground” laws in light of these developments. Hearing witnesses will also urge Congressional vigilance against continued efforts by the gun lobby to make changes to federal gun laws that will exacerbate the troubling impacts of “stand your ground” laws.

Hearing Attendance: This hearing is open to the public. Please encourage advocates and interested members of the community to attend. A large audience filling both the hearing room and overflow room is critical to showing interest in the issue. For our planning purposes, please RSVP by filling out this form as soon as possible. If you submitted an RSVP for the previous hearing date, please note that you must submit a new RSVP for the rescheduled date.

Senator Dick Durbin is Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights. The Subcommittee has jurisdiction over all constitutional issues, and all legislation and policy related to civil rights, civil liberties and human rights. The Ranking Member of the Subcommittee is Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Sodexo’s $4.3 million is largest-ever gift to Claflin, makes ‘actual difference in lives’

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5260a877c7ebd.preview-620A $4.3 million donation from Sodexo Corporation has moved Claflin University closer to realizing its $94.6 million Capital Campaign goal.

Jim Jenkins, senior vice president of Sodexo’s Education Division, made the announcement at a celebration Thursday night at the university.

Jenkins reported that Sodexo’s global mission is closely aligned with Claflin’s vision “to solve critical global issues and to improve the quality of life for all people.”

“We see the vision and we see the dream, and we’re all about investing in the communities where we work,” he said.

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Central State alumnus donates $50k to HBCU radio station

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During a recent visit to his alma mater, Joshua Smith, a 1963 graduate, made a generous contribution of $50,000 to WCSU FM, the country’s oldest continually operating HBCU radio station. Dedicated to empowering young professionals, he spoke with students who were mass communication, business, and political science majors about the importance of focus and diligence as they complete their college education. Recalling and reflecting on his family’s legacy at Central State, (over 15 members of his family are CSU alumni) he reminded the students that “to whom much is given, much is required.” Smith is the host of Biz Talk with Josh, a weekly radio program that features top business leaders.

“Mr. Smith’s visionary gift to the radio station will enable us to remain at the forefront of the cutting-edge technology in digital broadcasting,” said Ed Clay, interim general manager at WCSU.

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Top HBCUs increase school tuition

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Despite the fact that the cost of tuition for attending college has increased over the years, Historically Black Colleges and Universities have become less expensive alternatives by managing to keep tuition rates 50 percent lower than those of their historically white counterparts.

But given the economic downturn, small endowment numbers and poor alumni giving, some black institutions are taking calculated steps to stay afloat: which means increasing tuition.

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BET reports:

  • Atlanta’s own No. 1 ranked school’s (Spelman College) tuition rates were $23,794 in Fall 2011-12. The 2013-14 tuition rate increased less than $1000 at $24,634.
  • To attend school at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama, as of the 2013-2014 school year, it will cost $19,400 in tuition and fees, compared to $18,900 in 2011.
  • Xavier University has seen one of the largest tuition hikes among HBCUs, with tuition rising to $20,560 for the 2013-14 academic year from $18,700 just two years prior.

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Thanks for Nothing: An Open Letter to the Secretary of Education

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Dear Mr. Arne Duncan,

To my displeasure I was told that my “EFC rate” was too high to receive enough federal funds to pay for college. My financial aid officer told me that I could apply for the Parent PLUS loan to pay for my remaining costs. I paced over to the computer located in our financial aid office to apply for the loan and less than three minutes after, I read the words, “We regret to inform you”. I knew there would be no help for me. I left very angry to my apartment on campus and called a mentor from my hometown. He said, “Try using your grandmother as a parent to secure the loan since her income is significantly less than your mother’s.” I said “Yes, sir.”

This time, I walked to financial aid with a smile on my face. I walked with all the information that I needed because I knew it would propel me to what I needed. I signed onto the computer in financial aid and again read the words, “We regret to inform you.” once again.

After that I tried to apply to private loans because I just knew that something would give. I knew that something would fall the way I needed it to. Several private loans also sent me the words that I knew all too well at this point, “We regret to inform you.”

At this point, I write this open letter with a $6,900 bill that I cannot pay hanging over my head. As one who is anticipating to graduate in May, I cannot apply to graduate school because my transcripts are on hold and I cannot graduate if I don’t pay my school over $12,000 by May.

I stand for myself and others to say that something must be done in your power to solve this. I’m sure many others are tired of hearing great presentations about the ills of education. It’s time for policies to be in effect that will solve the ills. When will we move from profound speeches to powerful policies?

Shockingly, over 14,000 students from our nation’s HBCUs have been declined Parent PLUS loans. As of Aug. 9, 300 students from Morgan State University were in jeopardy of dropping out because of lack of financial aid. The Education Department recently dropped the maximum income eligibility for Pell Grants to $28,000, making thousands of urban applicants ineligible.

It is an injustice for thousands of students and someone like myself with a 3.3 GPA to be declined from federal aid to pay for school. What will you do for the thousands of students who are faced with a conundrum like this?

The original document can be viewed here

Robert Hoggard is a HBCU Buzz Staff Writer. Follow him on Twitter @mindofRKH

Posted by Robert Hoggard Posted on 231 articles

ESPN is wrong: Grambling State is not the first college team to fight back

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grambling_state_university_football_stadium_billy_hathorn_cc_imgEven in football, a sport whose DNA is constructed to produce obedience and deference to authority, people can be pushed only so far before they push back. At Grambling State, the players engaged in a players’ strike, what all media outlets are calling “a mutiny”, and refused to take the field on Saturday against Jackson State. It just lasted one game, but only because the administration and powers that be made a series of promises to get them back on the field.

They had little choice. The list of grievances at the school that the late Hall of Fame Coach Eddie Robinson called home is both long and startling. From unsanitary locker room conditions that have led to multiple cases of staph infection” as well as “mildew and mold on the ceiling, walls and floor,” to 750-mile overnight bus rides before games, to a weight room that appears to be an ugly accident waiting to happen, to having their popular coach, former Grambling quarterback Doug Williams summarily fired, this is a team of young people that has simply had enough. (Read their grievance letter in its entirety here.)

Some of the players’ frustration stems from the numerous cases of infighting by the adults in charge, but the root cause of the chaos can be found in the Louisiana Governor’s office of Bobby Jindal. Governor Jindal rejected federal stimulus funds in 2009, while also cutting 219 million dollars in state funds for higher education, $5 million of which would have gone to Grambling State. In 2012, Jindal cut another million that was due to go to Grambling State’s operating costs.

This has hammered the entire school, and the athletic department is no exception. At a school where players are self-rationing weight-lifting supplements to make sure everyone gets a fair share, every dollar matters. But as necessarily as it is to call out Governor Jindal, the Obama administration’s record on supporting historically black colleges and universities has also been, to be kind, brutal, with decreases in federal grant funding and changes in loan programs that have estimated to have cleaved $300 million from HBCU’s nationally.

Now a football school that as recently as 2011 won their conference title has not come within ten points of an opponent all season and the players are saying enough is enough.

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WSSU continues plans to purchase stadium

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BG2Winston-Salem State’s football team may be in the midst of a road trip, but Bowman Gray is definitely at the forefront of the university’s mind. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that the university’s Board of Trustees voted in favor of moving ahead with the stadium’s purchase via special obligation bonds.

“The bonds would be used to finance the purchase of Bowman Gray and a total of 94 acres, including Civitan Park. WSSU’s board had to approve the resolution before the board of governors could take further action.

According to school officials, the amount needed to acquire the stadium, about $7 million, was small so it made more sense for WSSU to use special obligation bonds than to pursue long-term financing.”

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Jackson State says it will sue Grambling

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1382506257000-AP-Jackson-St-Strange-Homecoming-FootballGrambling State’s football player mutiny captured the attention of media outlets and sports fans nationally.

Add Jackson State’s lawyers to that list.

Jackson State says it took a financial hit after its homecoming game last Saturday was canceled because Grambling forfeited when players refused to play. Now, Jackson State leaders plan to take legal action against Grambling State and “others” to recoup the losses, a Jackson State spokesman said Tuesday night in a message to alumni and school supporters.

“The JSU family was damaged. Our Homecoming game draws tens of thousands of fans. The university intends to use litigation to be made whole for our direct and indirect financial losses,” Eric Stringfellow, executive director of Jackson State University Communications, wrote.

“We have a fiduciary responsibility to Mississippi taxpayers and the JSU community to mitigate our ongoing and substantial losses. Jackson State plans to pursue litigation against Grambling State and others.”

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Grambling’s administration is to blame

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Oh how the mighty have fallen.

Traditionally, Grambling has been to HBCU football what Notre Dame is to major college football. They were nationally prominent and a brand that resonated with the masses. Under Eddie Robinson, the “G-Men” were the standard by which all other HBCU programs were judged.

But thanks to a rogue president, an incompetent athletic administration, and a state government that has reduced its endowment to a third of what it was, Grambling’s football program has now reached critical mass. Three coaches in one season, 17 consecutive losses since 2011, and the embarrassment of forfeiting Jackson State’s homecoming, pale in comparison to the institutional abuse of the players, which has finally boiled over.

If this story was only about 16-18 hour bus trips and blowout losses, you could tell the players to suck it up. Were it just about having to buy their own Gatorade, you could plausibly justify that as long there is safe drinking water they could hydrate themselves adequately.

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Posted by HBCU Editors Posted on 5782 articles