TSU President Dr. John Rudley Leading NCAA Committee

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Texas Southern University President Dr. John M. Rudley is leading the NCAA’s Advisory Group that is assisting with academic challenges that impact Limited Resource Institutions (LRI). The formation of this advisory group represents a collaborative and proactive effort between HBCU institutions and the NCAA to serve as a conduit to communicate issues and concerns that may impact LRIs collectively within the Academic Performance Program (APP).
Specifically, this group serves in an advisory capacity to the Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) on policy-related issues. The rationale for the formation of this group is based on an in-depth examination of APR trends indicating that a higher proportion of Historically Black Colleges and universities (HBCU) and other LRI teams are subject to APP penalties.
Rudley has been leading the charge to get the attention of NCAA to let them know that “one size doesn’t fit all,” as it relates to resources, infractions, sanctions, etc. Rudley is pleased to have the opportunity to lead and work with this group.
“The goal of increasing the graduation and completion rates for student athletes is strongly supported by every college president.  The issue is how quickly can institutions with limited resources, such as the HBCUs, add the infrastructure critical to making the improvements in Academic Performance Rate (APR),“ said Rudley.
To date, the advisory group has provided recommendations to the CAP based on concerns that limited-resource institutions are at a disadvantage due to the amount of  resources available to make academic changes to increase the APR. The transition recommendation allows limited-resource institutions – teams in the bottom 15 percent of all Division I member institutions in resources – more time to make meaningful change for academically underperforming teams.   The LRI would have until 2016 to implement the APR minimum score of 930.  This is an additional two years longer than the original NCAA proposal.  The other recommendations support the ongoing APR improvement of limited-resource institutions and facilitate working towards meeting the established benchmark of a score of 930 for all teams.
In collaborative meetings with chancellors and presidents from Historically Black Colleges, several additional issues are under discussion,  including an update on the proposed changes to the APP penalty structure, discussion regarding the funding and use of the NCAA Division I Academic Performance Program Supplemental Support Funds, and the creation of an advisory group to the Committee on Academic Performance, that will be composed of chancellors, presidents, faculty athletics representatives and others.

TSU’s current APR:

  • 15 of 16 athletic teams at TSU will have scores that exceed 930 highlighted by 7 teams that will have scores in excess of 950, with 8 sports over 970.
  • Since the 2008-09 academic year, Texas Southern University has gradually seen scores for 15 of its sponsored sports improve significantly. Overall for the 2011-2012 academic year, the program has a combined APR score of 967.

 

Central State University officially installs first woman president

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030813-csu-president001Central State University President Cynthia Jackson-Hammond was officially installed as the eighth person and the first woman to lead the historically black school in its 126 years during an inauguration ceremony Thursday.

Jackson-Hammond, who has held the university’s top office since July 1, was presented the presidential medallion during the ceremony, which drew about 850 students, staff, faculty, alumni and other supporters. Her ceremony was timed to correspond with the university’s Charter Day celebration.

Speakers at the event asked those attending to pledge their support for Jackson-Hammond’s vision for the school’s future.

“You are truly the right person for these times and the right person for this university,” said former President John Garland, a 1971 alumnus who led the university for 15 years before retiring in June.

“A new president speaks to the renewal of an institution,” he said. “We are getting better. We are becoming stronger. And we are being more focused on academic excellence.”

Jackson-Hammond’s former colleagues who attended the ceremony praised her style, grace, social and leadership skills and “intolerance for mediocrity.” Her career in higher education date back to 1987, and most recently she was a lead consultant for H&H Educational Consultants and provost at Coppin State University in Baltimore.

Since taking over as president, Jackson-Hammond — who was just named one of 25 leading women in higher education nationwide by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education — has worked to establish a new culture on campus around the tenants of service, protocol and civility.

She also established six “compelling priorities” for the university: to provide a quality academic experience for students; recruit those who are academically and financially prepared for college; improve retention rates; reduce students’ time to degree; produce graduates who have the knowledge, skills and dispositions for advanced studies or professional careers; and operate in an efficient and effective manner. Read FULL

Howard University Law Students’ Urges the Supreme Court to rule in favor of Same-Sex Marriage.

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Howard University Law Students’ Press Release

 

For over 100 years Howard University School of Law has been a leader in seeking to assure equal access to education for all.  Howard Law opened its doors in 1869 with the goal of ensuring that any student, regardless of race, gender, or national origin, seeking a legal education would be afforded that opportunity.  It then trained those students to use the law to nullify the laws, rules, regulations, and human conduct that barred individuals, especially African Americans, from exercising their civil rights.  The Deans, faculty, students, and alumni of Howard Law were pivotal in ending de jure segregation in education at the graduate, undergraduate, secondary, and grade school levels.  And Howard Law’s role of ensuring equal access continues with the filing of an amicus brief on behalf of the Howard University Law Students in support of the University of Michigan, the respondents in Grutter v. Bollinger.

 

Brilliant lawyers like alumnus and Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall, learned to practice the law and strategize by working on real briefs for real cases with Howard law faculty and Deans such as Charles Hamilton Houston.  Usually, the faculty takes the lead.  In 2003 the tradition changed.  Four students Hillary Browne, Danielle Conley, Nadine Jones Francis, and Robin Konrad organized themselves to draft an amicus brief on behalf of the Howard University Law Students with the supervision of three of the law school’s distinguished legal writing professors, Patricia A. Broussard, Gwendolyn Roberts Majette, and Gregory Alan Berry.

 

The amicus brief on behalf of Howard University Law Students is written from a unique perspective:  It recognizes that the United States is becoming increasingly diverse; it recognizes the importance of being able work in a multicultural society; and it recognizes the centrality of diversity to a law school’s ability to set the American educational and social agenda, particularly as it affects underrepresented communities.  Most importantly, it emphasizes the continuing need to promote civil rights and racial diversity in higher education and in the workplace.

 

In its brief, Howard University Law Students urge the Supreme Court to affirm the Sixth Circuits’ ruling that the University of Michigan Law School’s race-conscious admissions program serves the compelling governmental interest of attaining a diverse student body and is narrowly tailored to achieve that objective.

 

According to the brief, a university’s consideration of race in an effort to obtain diversity in the classroom is one of the special circumstances in which the Constitution permits the use of racial classifications.  Diversity is a constitutionally compelling interest because it not only v furthers the goal of societal integration that the Supreme Court articulated in Brown, but also provides students who have lived in racial isolation prior to entering college with the opportunity to interact with students of different races.  In addition, diversity in the law school classroom fosters an environment in which misconceptions regarding race can be challenged and dispelled.   When law students are exposed to a variety of perspectives, they are better prepared to relate to and to empathize with racially and culturally diverse clients.  Diversity also promotes harmonious relationships between minority and non-minority attorneys, which will likely improve minority retention in the public and private sectors.  Finally, racial diversity is a compelling governmental interest because race-neutral alternatives do not achieve the goal of assembling a student body that will accurately reflect the increasing diversity of the United States.

Best HBCU ‘Harlem Shake’ videos

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We’re shouting out the best “Harlem Shake” (song) videos from HBCUs.

Not to be confused with the dance founded in Harlem and popularized when G. Dep and Diddy took it mainstream in “Special Delivery,” the Harlem Shake is a song by DJ and producer Baauer that has developed into an internet meme.

Check out some of the funniest HBCU Harlem Shake videos here:

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Howard University

North Carolina A&T University

Central State University

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Tommy Meade Jr. is the Senior Editor of HBCU Buzz and a student at Central State University. Follow him on Twitter.

Jackson State named to 2013 President’s Honor Roll for community service

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imagesJackson State University has been named to the 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service.

The Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities.

Jackson State University is a national leader among colleges and universities in community outreach and engagement. The university recently launched its JSU Cares campaign, promoting many of the community service activities of students and faculty.

“We’ve found that our students want to give back to the community. They understand the importance of community engagement and civic action and the role they play in positive social change,” said JSU President Carolyn Meyers, Ph.D.

Since 2007, JSU has required students to complete 120 community service hours to fulfill graduation requirements. But students, faculty and staff regularly feed the homeless, mentor and tutor youth, visit hospitals and nursing homes and participate in home-building projects.

Some of the university’s ongoing projects include, the Mississippi Learning Institute, a research-based literacy partnership between JSU and Jackson Public Schools, which helps to improve student reading and comprehension outcomes through enhancing literacy instruction, and the College of Education and Human Development’s Little Tigers Program, an early education initiative for children who live in the city’s neighborhoods.

The Center for Service and Community Engaged Learning has partnered with 64 nonprofits throughout this academic year, providing additional volunteer opportunities for students.

JSU was among seven Mississippi colleges and universities honored this year.

Honorees are chosen based on a series of selection factors, including the scope and innovation of service projects, the extent to which service-learning is embedded in the curriculum, the school’s commitment to long-term campus-community partnerships, and measurable community outcomes as a result of service.

The Corporation for National and Community Service oversees the Honor Roll in collaboration with the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, Campus Compact and the American Council on Education.

Source.

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Magic Johnson and Coke ‘Pay it Forward’ at Clark Atlanta University

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41f07d8c7cd1e1d04688bc7e9c378ee2NBA legend and business mogul Earvin “Magic” Johnson gave an inspiring speech to a packed audience of more than 500 employees and students from the Atlanta University Center recently. Joined by multi-Grammy Award-winning musician, actor and philanthropist Common, Johnson shared personal childhood stories and insight into the importance of giving back to the community and participating in the “Coca-Cola Pay It Forward” movement.

Coke’s Pay it Forward Program
Magic Johnson, Common and Black Entertainment Television (BET) chairwoman and CEO Debra Lee will serve as mentors, giving four lucky young people the opportunity to shadow them and their teams for a week during the summer. The program is open to young people between the ages of 16-21 (as of May, 1 2013). Family, friends, members of the community and young people themselves can go to My Coke Rewards (www.mycokerewards.com/payitforward) to nominate aspiring youth.

Louis Sullivan to Highlight WSSU Research Conference on Health Equity on April 18

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Dr.-Louis-Sullivan-web-239x300Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and former president of Morehouse School of Medicine, will be the keynote speaker at a research conference on Thursday, April 18, hosted by the School of Health Sciences at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU).

The conference, entitled “Moving from Health Disparities to Health Equity: The Search for Solutions,” will be held in the Dillard Auditorium in the Anderson Conference Center on the WSSU campus from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.  In addition to Sullivan’s address, there will be expert panel discussions, poster and oral presentations, and break-out sessions that highlight proven models and promising strategies for achieving health equity.  The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is requested.  Participants may register at www.wssu.edu/shs.

Sullivan was appointed secretary of Health and Human Services by President George H.W. Bush and served in that capacity from 1989 until 1993.  He also served as chair of the President’s Commission on Historically Black Colleges and Universities and was co-chair of the President’s Commission on HIV and AIDS under President George W. Bush.

Currently, Sullivan is chairman of the board of the National Health Museum in Atlanta, an organization that works to improve health by enhancing health literacy and advancing healthy behaviors.  He also is chairman of the Washington, D.C.-based Sullivan Alliance to Transform America’s Health Professionals.

A native of Atlanta, Sullivan graduated magna cum laude from Morehouse College and earned his medical degree, sum laude, from Boston University School of Medicine.  He was instructor of medicine at Harvard medical School and spent nine years at Boston University where he founded the Boston University Hematology Service at Boston City Hospital. Referenced from WSSU

 

Tuskegee University responds to relationship with ASU, Turkey Day rivalry

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Tuskegee players celebrate after their 27-25 win over ASU during the Turkey Day Classic at the New ASU Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. (Montgomery Advertiser, Amanda Sowards) / Amanda Sowards/Advertiser
Tuskegee players celebrate after their 27-25 win over ASU during the Turkey Day Classic at the New ASU Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. (Montgomery Advertiser, Amanda Sowards) / Amanda Sowards/Advertiser

Statement from Tuskegee University Department of Athletics

Although Tuskegee University and its supporters treasure the long-standing relationship we have maintained with Alabama State University and the Turkey Day Classic, the Department of Athletics at Tuskegee University has decided not to participate in this season’s classic in order to pursue more challenging opportunities for our football program.

The decision is definite. However, we would like to continue the special relationship between our two teams and perhaps play the Hornets on a different day in the not-so-distant future. We look forward to discussing our future options with ASU, to find a solution that will best satisfy the hopes and wishes of both of our esteemed institutions.

Tuskegee fans have generally been split on this issue. There will be many who will rightfully express frustration about today’s football schedule release. However, we have had an increasingly vocal amount of fans who wanted to see how deep the Golden Tigers could play into the postseason, if given an opportunity.

Playing in the postseason means that the TU Department of Athletics will be able to get a distinct advantage in recruiting and positive encouragement by the families of our players and potential student- athletes, because they will no longer have to be in a situation where just winning the SIAC Conference Championship is the ultimate prize anymore. Our football team just won its 26th outright SIAC Championship last season, after going 3-0 against teams in our conference that made the Division II playoffs.

Those conference titles, combined with winning eight black national championships and an overall record of 61-34-4 over the Hornets in the all-time series, have led the Department of Athletics at Tuskegee to seek higher goals in concern with our football program. At Tuskegee, we believe that we should no longer restrict our scholar-athletes if they manage to reach the highest pinnacles of success, and allow them an open window to play for the biggest goals in college football. Ultimately, we believe that this is a decision that will be most beneficial for all involved in both the short-term future, as well as the long-term growth of our program.

Twelve former students face manslaughter in FAMU hazing death

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Twelve former students now face manslaughter charges in the November 2011 hazing death of Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion Jr., attorneys familiar with the case said Monday.

Ten of them were previously charged with felony hazing resulting in death. They and two new defendants will now also be charged with manslaughter, said Craig Brown, the attorney for one of the students.

State Attorney Jeff Ashton “thought the proper charges in the case would be manslaughter and hazing with death,” explained Assistant State Attorney Nicole Pegues in an e-mail sent to the defendants’ attorneys.

Brown’s client, Aaron Golson, was among those charged with third-degree felony hazing. He now also faces a manslaughter charge, according to Brown.

“I really find this to be a tactic by the state to pressure all of the defendants into some sort of prison time,” Brown told CNN. “Clearly a manslaughter charge could have been brought about initially.”

The defendants face a maximum of 15 years in prison with the charge, if convicted, Brown said. He expects the next hearing to be in September.

Champion, 26, died after a band hazing ritual in which he was beaten aboard a school bus after a football game in Orlando, Florida. The initiation requires pledges to run down the center of the bus while being punched, kicked and assaulted by senior members, band members have said.

A medical examiner ruled Champion’s death a homicide and said he died within an hour of being beaten. Champion suffered multiple blunt trauma blows, the medical examiner said.

The lawyer for Champion’s parents said Monday they feel the manslaughter charge is appropriate.

“Robert Champion wasn’t injured by hazing, he was killed by hazing,” attorney Christopher Chestnut told CNN. “The family is encouraged by … that (and feels) this is the right message and hopes that this is the right message regarding hazing.”

Read more here at CNN.

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Disney’s ‘Doc McStuffins’ brings a new positive image for children of color

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Physician and alumnus of Xavier University of Louisiana Myiesha Taylor writes about the lack of diversity among medical professionals and the importance of having role models for children who aren’t just athletes and entertainers.

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I have very vivid memories of my childhood and wanting to become a physician.  I spent many hours, actually days/months/years, playing “Doctor” with my stuffed animals.  I had everything you could imagine in my “office”.  Each animal had their own medical chart.  I had bandages and other “equipment” to perform procedures.  If my patients were “sick”, I could cure them.

I was also very fortunate that my mother, a registered nurse, encouraged my dream to become a doctor.  When I was running low on charts or bandages she made sure that I got more.  She encouraged my pretend play and made sure that no one diminished my dreams.  I know that this “pretending to be a doctor” and the support of my mother played an important part in my becoming the physician I am today.

Recently I was watching Disney Junior with my youngest daughter when I saw an advertisement for Disney’s newest cartoon Doc McStuffins.  The show is based on the adventures of a young African American girl and her ability to talk to and treat the ailments of toys.  As I watched the commercial and the sneak peek episode, I saw myself.  I remembered those days when I “talked to my toys” and cured whatever ailed them.  I remembered how those dreams of a young girl laid the foundation for a future career.

Many readers know that we have expressed our concerns here in Coily News about the lack of diversity among medical professionals.  We have written about studies that demonstrating that the lack of diversity among physicians is tied to increasing disparities in the quality of healthcare received by many Americans.  As the United States continues to rapidly become a “majority minority” nation it is crucial for patient care that we have medical professionals that reflect that diversity.  But how will we ever achieve this crucial public health goal?  Disney’s Doc McStuffins is important part of the answer.

In this day and age when children of color are bombarded with media images of “success” that are based on becoming a professional athlete or an entertainer, we should not be shocked that most of our children’s dream career are one of those two.  I see parents spending time and money (large amounts of both) on a child’s sports and/or music lessons and develpment.  It seems that parents and children are consumed with winning a “golden ticket” (American Idol) or being the number one pick of the NFL or NBA draft.

Read Taylor’s full account here.

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Howard University Students Suing to Get into Alpha Kappa Alpha

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Howard University seniors and sorority hopefuls Laurin Compton and Lauren Cofield find themselves in a plot with elements of a teen novel: arguments about who can wear pink, accusations of snitching, a cabal of girls called “the Sweets.” But instead of devising an elaborate way to get back at the in-crowd, Gossip Girl-style, they’re suing the sorority and the university to become sisters—and alleging that their human rights have been violated.

The lawsuit, filed on Feb. 28 in federal court, accuses Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority of violating the students’ human rights. The lawsuit also names Howard University as a defendant for failing to protect students who refused to be hazed.

According to the lawsuit, Compton and Cofield’s trouble began when they were invited to “Ivy Day,” a ceremony for outgoing and prospective AKA members in the second semester of 2010. The two then-freshmen were expecting to find sisterhood, but what they allegedly found instead was hazing!

Some of the “hazing” rules sound innocuous, if extensive, like being forbidden from wearing the sorority colors of pink and green or any colors that could beblended into pink and green. In one humorous moment, the lawsuit notes that the pledges, who were called the “sweets,” couldn’t even wear white pearls.

Other hazing allegations are more serious. At one point, the pledges were told not to talk to non-sorority members at Howard, according to the suit.  “[Alpha Kappa Alpha members] on campus addressed the sweets by calling them weak bitches,” Compton’s mother wrote in a complaint to the sorority.

After Cofield’s mother, also an Alpha Kappa Alpha sister, complained, the two pledges found themselves ostracized in the sorority for being “snitch-friendly” or “snitch-sympathists.”

When 2013 rolled around, Cofield and Compton still hadn’t been inducted into the sorority. (The lawsuit alleges official pledging had been forbidden because of previous hazing violations.) When they applied again, they say they were told that they couldn’t be accepted because of a cap on new sisters. Much of the lawsuit hinges on this, but the gist is that Cofield and Compton say that, as legacies, they should be among the first to be inducted, and the sorority says there’s nothing they can do to get around the cap.

Read the full story here

Delaware State University announced as a finalist in Home Depot’s campus improvement grant

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delaware_stateDelaware State University has been announced as a finalist in The Home Depot’s 2013 Retool Your School campus improvement grant program.

Designed to reinvigorate Histori­cally Black Colleges & Universities, finalists are competing for $225,000 in grants for on- campus improve­ments and are now asking their communities and the public to help them win.

Until April 15, supporters can visit www.retoolyourschool.com to vote for their favorite school and sustain­able campus improvement project. The Home Depot will announce the winners on May 3.

“This is a great opportunity for our community to support DSU without spending a dime,” said DSU Presi­dent Harry L. Williams. “As you take the time to go online and cast a vote in support of DSU, you will increase our chances to be awarded signifi­cant grant money to make sustain­able improvements to our campus.”

The winning schools will be de­termined based on a combination of online votes and the judges’ evalua­tions of each school proposed proj­ect that has been submitted for the competition.

If DSU wins one of the 12 grants to be awarded, the university will use the money to upgrade its Greek Fra­ternity/ Sorority Plot and do window upgrades to several of its buildings.

Source.

About Deleware State University:

Founded in 1891 as the State College for Colored Students, DSU takes pride in its heritage as one of the country’s first land-grant educational institutions, rooted early on in agriculture and education.

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Vote Elizabeth City State University, Angelo Sharpless in Dark Horse Dunker competition

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JWg4yV01Kwg

Senior guard for the Elizabeth City State Vikings Angelo Sharpless holds 46 percent of votes in the Final Four of State Farm’s Dark Horse Dunker competition.

Sharpless is the only HBCU student-athlete in the field.

The champion Dark Horse Dunker will compete in the 2013 State Farm College Slam Dunk and 3-Point Championships in Atlanta, airing April 4 on ESPN at 7 pm ET.

Sharpless lead the Vikings to a 17-11 record this year and also lead the team in points, rebounds, blocks and steals.

Help the 2013 CIAA men’s basketball Player of the Year win the Dark Horse Dunker competition by casting your vote once per day per matchup for the best dunker.

Championship voting opens March 11.

For more information visit here.

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HBCU Tip-Off Championship Announced for November 2013

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The HBCU Tip-Off Championship will be more than just a basketball tournament, according to founder Kevin Clayton. The tournament, which will be played at Philips Arena Nov. 9-11, will be an event that he hopes will enrich the lives of the players and community.

Clayton detailed his vision during a press conference on Tuesday at the Arena to announce the inaugural eight-team event, which will feature men’s basketball teams from historically black colleges and universities.

In addition to the tournament, the Championship will feature seminars and information on health and economic empowerment. Internships will be created to assist students from HBCUs in gaining real-life experience in the workplace. Scholarships will be created to assist Atlanta-area students in attending HBCUs. Lastly, athletes from HBCUs will be given what is being called a first-of-its-kind opportunity to play against each other in the beginning of the season, giving them a chance to earn some respect instead of playing in guarantee games in which their schools make a little bit of money, but usually result in lopsided losses.

“This is far more than just a basketball championship,” said Clayton, who has been putting together the tournament for more than two years.

Morehouse will be one of the eight teams that will participate in the first tournament. Clayton said the rest of the field will be unveiled in a few weeks. The field will change each year (other than the potential of the defending champ returning) so that every one of the more than 100 HBCUs have a chance to participate. Chicago State, Central State and Tennessee State have been asked to play in next year’s event.

Read full story here

HBCU Buzz interviews founder of Complex Heart Christian A. Drye

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Born in the worst situation and raised in the worst situation, Christian Drye is a living testimony that a treasure can be found in the middle of a curse.

HBCU Buzz’s Senior Editor Tommy Meade sits down with Central State University graduate Christian A. Drye (again) for an exclusive interview about HBCU life, the “real world” and black culture.

Christian A. Drye is the founder of Complex Heart, a “movement” in which its logo stands for the real life scenario all people face: trials and hardships and the will to persevere.

Question: What have you been doing since our last interview together?

Answer: I’m working at a school called Bates Academy. During that hiatus I spent a lot of time planning, changing motives, designs, marketing–I needed to feel comfortable again. I created a concept called “Cruelty in a Flower” which displays the pain inside of a person that causes pride to prevent them from excelling. My new mantra is “writing the world fresh” which reflects my author dreams.

Question: Any success out in the market?

Answer: I have had a decent amount of success, it could be way better. By working in a school, it puts restrains on my time and how I have to go about pubbing. After this school year I plan to go to different cities passing out flyers, talking with new supporters, and doing pop-up shops.

Question: How difficult is it being a black businessman, let alone a businessman?

Answer: Being a black businessman can be a challenge. Image is everything, the world really scrutinizes against us Black males. You need a lot of support and encouragement because there will be plenty of times when you feel like giving up the whole dream because things aren’t going how you planned, when you planned. However, don’t quit because if your dream is apart of God’s will, he doesn’t work under time restraints and other limitations. Keep working hard and have faith in not only God but your own ability.

Question: Do you miss the yard?

imageAnswer: I miss the yard of Central State University 100 percent! But it comes a time in your college matriculation where you cannot grow anymore in that environment and you have to graduate and welcome the next milestones. I have visited the campus a hand full of times since graduation in 2011 and I’m actually impressed. To me, everybody seems to be involved in a leadership capacity and everybody seems busy. The new Mr. CSU is amazing as well as his royal court, I am proud to say I went to CSU.

“Since fashion is art, I’m an artist.” —  Christian A. Drye

Question: New website and new logo designs: What’s the new direction of Complex Heart?

Answer: I really love my new website and the designs. My website is redesigned and easier to navigate, I wanted to make everything very simple. The world wants you to survive in a box, where you are limited in being alive, and I want the world to know they can knock down the walls of that limitation box. Daily I remember being limited as a child and it caused me to not be myself for years, I’m a late bloomer to the world of creativity.

Question: Black History month recently past. What’s your take on its relevance today?

Answer: I respect Black history month and the efforts of Carter G. Woodson. I think it shows the world how great African Americans are even though we should have the same respect as Caucasians, but that’s another interview. I cant really say if it’s relevant or not at this day of age. I make Black history daily but creating my own lane and uplifting the world just as Black Americans have done for years. Using our brain as a weapon to subdue racial misunderstandings and tension. History was created in African and our ancestors deserve that credit, which won’t be given so I’m going to live to make sure their efforts were not in vain.

Question: Anything else you want to add on?

Answer: Thank you once again for taking the time out for me, I’m very grateful. I would like to thank God for giving me an opportunity to express his knowledge to the world. You can reach me on Twitter. Check out my site www.complex-heart.com.

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The 11th Annual Alfred Street Baptist Church HBCU Festival

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Credits: Photo taken by Anwar Dunbar
Credits:
Photo taken by Anwar Dunbar

On March 2, 2013 the Alfred Street Baptist Church hosted its 11th annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) festival at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia. The fair was founded by Ms. Vance Davis with the support of the late Reverend Dr. Julian O. Peterson, who himself had strong ties to Virginia Union University.

The annual event was planned and hosted by a diverse team of over 200 volunteers. The goal of the festival was to not only expose students to HBCUs, but also to expose them to scholarship opportunities and other vendors who were potentially useful to prospective students. Student attendees numbered in the thousands. Also at the festival was Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. which registered 100 people to vote.

In addition to giving students the opportunity to talk with representatives and recruiters from the various HBCUs, the festival featured a workshop series. Workshop topics included: The White House Internship Program, Black College Sports, Timely Tips for Parents, Your “GPS” to Success, STEM, Show Me the Money and several others.

Over 70 recruiters were present from 60 HBCUs. Among the schools represented were Grambling State University, Howard University, Hampton University, Johnson C. Smith University, Virginia State University, and Lincoln University to name a few.

Almost 1900 students were interviewed and over 500 received on-site admission. Registration fees valued at over $28,000 were waived for over 560 students. Scholarships were awarded to 24 students valued at over $143,000. An additional $300,000 in scholarship awards is pending receipt of transcripts.

When asked if the event was a success and had achieved its intended goal, the chairman of the festival, Ryan Akins, stated, “Yes, it was a success, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the contributions of our many committee members and volunteers who helped put it together and facilitate the event.”

examiner.com.