Despite late start, Dillard Men wore suits on first day of class

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NEW ORLEANS – Hurricane Isaac forced Dillard University to cancel classes for a week but that didn’t stop men from starting a new tradition of wearing suits on the first day of class.

About a week before Hurricane Isaac arrived in New Orleans last Tuesday night, Student Government Association’s Mister Dillard 2012-2013 Jerome Bailey challenged all Dillard men to wear suits on the first day of school. Recognizing the possibility that every man at Dillard wouldn’t own a suit, Bailey produced a video that acknowledged other outfit possibilities of men wearing a shirt and tie or polo, and khaki pants. Classes resumed last Tuesday after Labor Day.

“I’m trying to elevate the standard for the appearance and image of Dillard men. I don’t want to change the way they dress.” said Bailey.

 

Many of Dillard’s faculty and staff were aware and exited about this call to action of Dillard Men. The university President Dr. Walter Kimbrough publically supported the event through his twitter account.

Albany State Thrown Off by Wingate

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In practice this week, Albany State football Coach Mike White said to expect a “bombs away” style of passing attack from Wingate University. After Saturday’s game, the Golden Rams players may be taking cover for a different reason.

Coming off a solid win against North Greenville, the Golden Rams were bombarded by Wingate University 37-9. Bulldogs quarterback Robbie Nallenweg threw for four touchdowns and 292 yards as Albany State trailed early and never got in the fight.

The Golden Rams didn’t score points until Zachery Holley kicked a 26-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in the first half. ASU quarterback David Kooi connected with receiver Jessie Atkins on a 62-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.

The Mitchell County native’s touchdown was a lone bright spot in a rough game.

With the touchdown, ASU cut the Bulldogs lead to 28-9, but that was as close as the Rams would get. Kooi completed only 36% of his passes throwing for 234 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Atkins picked up most of the transfer QB’s passing total going for 144 yards on six receptions. read more…

Zimbabwean-born businessman commits $6.4 million to send African students to Morehouse College

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For 17-year-old Abel Gumbo, things couldn’t be better. Only a few months ago he was among more than a thousand students at a high school in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare. Today he is rubbing shoulders with future leaders at Atlanta’s Morehouse College.

Gumbo is one of 10 students from Africa who have been awarded full ride scholarships to Morehouse, beginning this fall. Everything is being paid for by billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, Zimbabwe’s richest man, according to the 2011 Forbes list.

The telecom tycoon has committed $6.4 million in scholarship dollars to send 40 African freshmen to Morehouse over a four-year period. This year’s intake comprises of two teenagers from Burundi and eight from Zimbabwe.

“It’s been an experience,” said Gumbo, who is studying for an undergraduate computer science degree. “I have left everything behind to gain an education in America.  Computer science is technologically more advanced in the States and I am learning a lot about people from different cultures.”

“All international students are housed in the W.E.B. Du Bois International House, where they are placed with a domestic roommate,” said Gwen Wade, Director of International Student Services and Study Abroad Programs at Morehouse College.

“This helps them to transition to life in the U.S., and the cross-cultural communication enables international students to become more involved and aware of U.S. customs, such as food, music and dress.”

“My life has been transformed,” said Prince Abudu, 17, from Zimbabwe, who is also studying computer science. “Morehouse has taught me the spirit of brotherhood and to strive for success.”

The 10 students, who arrived in Atlanta in last month, are the first class of the newly-established Ambassador Andrew Young International Scholars program. The international scholarships were set up by Capernaum Trust, the education arm of Masiyiwa’s Higher Life Foundation.

Higher Life advertised for students throughout Zimbabwe, Burundi and South Africa to fill the highly competitive 10 scholarship slots. More than 500 of the brightest students from across the region applied.

A team from Morehouse flew to Zimbabwe to interview 20 finalists in June. Ten were selected and the others received scholarships to a South African university. The winners were chosen on the basis of their high SAT scores, grueling face-to-face interviews and a written essay.

Indeed, Masiyiwa has high hopes for the recipients of the scholarship. His vision is to develop young talent to become future leaders who will return to work in their native countries.

“My dream is to become an ethical leader,” said Abudu. “I want to be a morally conscious person, who can develop my country through entrepreneurship and business.”

Both boys are from modest backgrounds. Gumbo became an orphan at 10 years old and Abudu is from a single parent household, where his mother struggles to keep the family afloat since his father died in 2004. What makes them stand out is they are driven and academically talented. read more…

Former President of Bennett College on the upcoming election

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PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: Welcome to The Real News Network. I’m Paul Jay in Baltimore.

As the American presidential elections heat up as we get closer to September, President Obama clearly leads amongst African Americans in polling, but he needs African Americans to actually go to the polls, not just answer phone calls about how they’re going to vote. The question is: has he done enough for African Americans and not just African Americans? Has his administration fulfilled enough of the promises he made to poor people, working people across the country, enough that they will actually go and vote?Now joining us to talk about all of this is Julianne Malveaux. She’s former president of Bennett College for women. She’s an economist, an author, and a commentator, and her latest book is Surviving and Thriving: 365 Facts in Black Economic History. Thanks for joining us, Julianne.DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX, ECONOMIST, PRESIDENT EMERITA OF BENNETT COLLEGE FOR WOMEN: Good to be with you [unintel.]

JAY: And I should say Julianne’s joining us from Washington. So what do you make of my question? You know, it’s easy enough, when somebody phones you, to say, who do you like, who are you going to vote for, who has likability. But that’s not the same thing as being inspired enough to actually go down and vote. How do you think this might play out?

MALVEAUX: Oh, I think in the next two months the Obama challenge is really to mobilize the base. There are a lot of people who were very excited in 2008 because, of course, 2008 was history. We need people to get out in the same numbers.And there are a lot of people who are somewhat discouraged. They didn’t, in their minds, get enough. But we have to remember President Obama inherited—in other words, he inherited an economy that was going [downhill], and to the best of his ability, he shored it up. But for two years he was able, with a Democratic Congress and Senate, to do some things. And in the last two years he’s really had major Republican opposition. Mitt Romney has said that the president doesn’t know how to create jobs. But he has a JOBS Act that’s sitting on the table that the Republicans just won’t move.However, those nuances don’t mean very much to someone who doesn’t have a job, to college graduates who can’t find jobs. And so, basically, the base has to be mobilized both by talking about what President Obama has done—and I think he’s not done enough of that, his team has not done enough to talk about accomplishments. But also, although it’s a little bit negative, we have to remind people of what the alternatives are. I mean, Romney–Ryan is not an alternative to Obama unless you want to give up an awful lot. read more…

HBCU Football Poll

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1.  Bethune-Cookman Wildcats—-(2-0)—-(8)—106—1—-(Beat S. C. State Bulldogs,(27-14), at-Miami Hurricanes/FBS)
2.  Tennessee State Tigers——(2-0)—-(2)—94—-3—-(Beat Jackson State Tigers,(38-12), vs-Austin Peay Govs)
3.  Norfolk State Spartans——(2-0)—-(2)—91—-4—-(Beat Liberty Flames,(31-24), vs-Howard Bison)
4.  Alabama A & M Bulldogs——(2-0)———-83—-9—-(Beat Arkansas at P. B. Golden Lions,(14-10), vs-Prairie View A&M Panthers) read more…

Chicago teachers strike!

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Chicago’s 25,000 public school teachers went on strike for the first time in a quarter-century Monday, after the latest contract talks broke down Sunday with no deal to avert a walkout.

Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said late Sunday night there had been some progress in contract talks, but “we have failed to reach an agreement that will prevent a labor strike.”

The city’s public school teachers make an average of $71,000 a year. Both sides said they were close to an agreement on wages. What apparently remains are issues involving teacher performance and accountability, which the union saw as a threat to job security.

Late Sunday, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has already forced teachers to lengthen their school days, said he was “disappointed” in the union’s decision to continue with a strike.

“I am disappointed that we have come to this point, given that even all the other parties acknowledge how close we are because this is a strike of choice,” Emanuel said. “Because of how close we are, it is a strike that is unnecessary.”

After talks ended last night, Chicago Board of Education President David Vitale said he believes CPS officials made their best possible offer to teachers.

“There’s only so much money in the system. There’s only so many things that we can do that are available to us,” Vitale said. “At this juncture, it is clearly their decision. … We’ve done everything we can.”

Lewis said the two sides were close to agreement on a contract, but not close enough.

“We are not far apart on compensation, however we are apart on benefits,” Lewis said. “We want to maintain the existing health benefits.” read more…

HSSU’s Dr. Charles S. Sherwin, 1st white physician asked to lead a medical society of black doctors dies at 91

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Dr. Charles S. Sherwin, who died Saturday at age 91, followed his father’s footsteps to help train black physicians during the segregation days of Jim Crow.

During the 1950s, the younger Dr. Sherwin became the first white physician to lead a medical society made up of African-American doctors from across the country.

That came about because of his father, Dr. Charles F. Sherwin. He taught black medical students at the old City Hospital No. 2 for Negroes, near today’s Harris-Stowe State University.

The elder Sherwin also taught at the John A. Andrew Clinical Society, which met at Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute. The group’s black physicians were barred from membership in the all-white medical societies in their hometowns across the country.

Although he was a white physician from St. Louis, the elder Sherwin joined the medical society in Alabama.

In recognition of his work, the physicians elected him their first white president. But before he could take office in 1953, he was stricken with a fatal illness.

His son stepped in as acting president. The medical society for blacks continued until the mid-1960s, when most local medical societies opened their membership to minorities.

Dr. Charles Steelman Sherwin died Sept. 1, 2012, at St. Louis University Hospital. He was a longtime resident of the Shaw neighborhood.

He had been in declining health since the death of his wife on March 8 and had recently suffered from aspiration pneumonia, his family said this week.

Dr. Sherwin was a surgeon here for nearly 40 years and taught at St. Louis University.

He graduated from Webster Groves High School in 1937 and earned his undergraduate and medical degrees at St. Louis University.

In 1943, he married Ruth Adele Steward, a teacher in the St. Louis schools. They had met as teens at church.

In 1944, his Naval Reserve unit was activated for duty during World War II; he served as medical officer aboard an aging tanker near the Philippine Islands.

Dr. Sherwin returned after the war to practice medicine with his father and teach.

At one meeting of the Andrew Clinical Society in Alabama, he met the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and recalled the civil rights leader’s message to the physicians: “Whatever you do, do your best at it.” read more…

Harris-Stowe State University Hosts Art Opening to Raise Awareness for Suicide Prevention Month

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 Harris-Stowe State University, in collaboration with The Missouri Mental Health Foundation, is proud to present the opening of the 2012 Director’s Creativity Traveling Showcase on Monday, September 10, 2012, at the Don & Heide Wolff Jazz Institute & Art Gallery in the Dr. Henry Givens Jr. Administration Building. The art exhibit will be on display through Thursday, September 20, 2012.
Spearheaded by Dr. Vicki Bernard, director of the Office of Counseling Services at Harris-Stowe, the initiative is designed to educate students on how suicide, in particular mental illness, impacts the African-American community and raise awareness for the month of September as National Suicide Prevention Month.
“We are happy to have this art display on our campus to commemorate National Suicide Prevention Month during which Counseling Services and our peer education group Students Working Against Trauma (SWAT) will be promoting ‘Ask, Listen and Refer,’ an online suicide tutorial, as well as highlighting the prevalence of suicide in the African-American community and among college aged individuals,” said Dr. Bernard.
Debuting in 1979, the Director’s Creativity Showcase is an annual event that displays the talents of people served by the Department of Mental Health (DMH) and serves as an inspiration to all who participate and all who experience these creations.
The Missouri Mental Health Foundation’s (MMHF) mission is to raise awareness and public understanding to the many issues that impact individuals and families who are living with mental illness, developmental disabilities and addictions disorders. “Sharing some of the artwork we receive is one small way we can celebrate the abilities of those with mental health conditions,” said Patty Henry, executive director of the MMHF.

New chief of staff appointed at Tuskegee University

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Tuskegee University President Gilbert L. Rochon has appointed Shamima Amin as chief of staff, according to a news release from the university.

“Amin replaces Dr. Carlen McLin who served admirably in the role before accepting a position at the University of New Orleans as executive assistant to the president,” Rochon said in the release.

Amin, who will report directly to Rochon, has more than 15 years of executive level experience, according to the university.

Amin received her master’s degree in information and library science from Atlanta University in 1988. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh. She has also attended the University of Florida and Harvard University for educational and leadership training, the release states. read more…

Republicans’ Guide to the Democratic Convention: Thursday

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Here’s everything you need to know about the speakers on the third night of the Democratic National Convention

 

Dick Durbin
You know him because: He is a U.S. senator from Illinois and assistant majority leader of the Senate.
He would like you to forget: Durbin had to apologize on the Senate floor for remarks he made comparing the techniques used at Guantanamo Bay to those used by the Nazis, the Soviets, and the Khmer Rouge.
Democrats love him because: He is the author of the original DREAM Act, his version allowing undocumented documents a path to legal status if they were brought to the United States as children, finished high school, and were attending college or serving in the military.
Republicans don’t like him because: He opposed the Iraq war, one of 23 senators voting against its authorization, and continued to be one of its most vocal critics.

John Kerry
You know him because: He is a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, the chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Democrats’ 2004 presidential nominee.
He doesn’t want you to remember: Kerry was accused of insulting troops with what he later called a “botched joke” he made in 2006: “Education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don’t, you get stuck in Iraq.”
Democrats love him because: As a decorated military veteran, Foreign Relations Committee chair, and rumored to be on the list of possible replacements for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Kerry can highlight Obama’s national security and foreign policy successes.
Republicans don’t like him because: Though he initially supported it, Kerry became one of the staunchest critics of the Iraq war. It is also John Kerry who first put Obama on the national stage, tapping him as keynote speaker at 2004’s Democratic convention. read more…

Dr. Oz at Howard University

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D.C. had a visit from TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz on Wednesday, and a chance to get preventative health care.

On Howard University’s campus, Oz lead a “15 Minute Physical,” a quick series of screening tests for cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. He hoped to reach 1,000 people with the help of University doctors, students and alumni.

“The number of people who have diabetes or pre-diabetes in Washington, D.C. is almost half the population,” said Oz.

And, while Oz thinks D.C.’s health report card needs massive improvement, he thinks the numbers can change.

“These people here today are saying to us, ‘knowledge is power,'” said Oz.

Dr. Cheryl Mason, of Howard University’s class of ’81, also came to help educate and listen to Oz.

“Medicine doesn’t cure everything and sometimes we need lifestyle changes, and just appropriate information,” said Mason.

So, is there hope for D.C? Oz says yes. read more…

SC State Budget Cuts

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About 500 fewer students are attending South Carolina State University in Orangeburg this year, leaving the university facing a $5.5 million deficit.

Vice President of Finance Eric Eaton is proposing a freeze on hiring and an across-the-board 7 percent budget cut to get the institution back on track. The school’s finance committee will consider the ideas at a meeting later this month.

Eaton says the cuts and freeze would leave the university $366,000 ahead at the end of the budget year.

He says for the next academic year, the university will pursue fund raisers and programs to boost enrollment. This year’s enrollment is the lowest in five years. more info…

Rutgers Vs. Howard: Getting To Know The Bison

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If there is one thing that might worry the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team when they face off against the Howard Bison on Saturday afternoon, it is Jamie Cunningham.

The 6’4″, 205-pound freshman quarterback came practically out of nowhere last week to engineer the Bison’s come-from-behind 30-29 victory over Morehouse College in the Second Annual AT&T Nation’s Football Classic.

Cunningham came into the game, the first of his collegiate career, off the bench for Howard, after starting quarterback Randy Liggins, Jr. was removed from the game for losing his composure after a third quarter Bison turnover.

For most college freshman, going into a game late in regulation would be intimidating enough. Cunningham rallied his team twice.

After driving 89 yards down the field, the Bison gave up the lead again on the ensuing Morehouse possession, forcing Cunningham was forced to rally the team once again; this time with less than two minutes and no timeouts remaining.

He did it and the fact that he did it not only made him the game’s MVP but helped him in being named this week’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week. He’s also, now, one of the biggest threats the Bison have in this week’s matchup with Rutgers.

It’s an offensive weapon that hasn’t gone unnoted by the Scarlet Knights.

“They do a lot of things on offense,” Rurgers coach Kyle Flood said in a press conference earlier this week. “They’re coming off a great win with a freshman quarterback. It’ll be a good challenge for our football team.”

With some experience under his belt, Cunningham has the opportunity to map out an entire game instead of just the final dregs of a fourth quarter rally. If his performance in last Saturday’s game was any indication though, the kid knows how to play football.

“This gave us an opportunity to see what would happen when we are under adversity. I mean when we get to see Jamie Cunningham play outside of practice, we did not know what to expect,” Howard coach Gary Harrell said after Saturday’s victory. “We threw him into the fire and he showed that he could handle it.”

The Bison will, in all likelihood, give Cunningham his first collegiate start against Rutgers on Saturday afternoon, throwing him from one metaphorical fire straight into another.

The freshman will, however, have a little extra help this time. read more…

Kentucky State University Administrator, Keynote Speaker for Rust College Founders’ Celebration

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Rust College is pleased to announce the return of Dr. Lorenzo L. Esters, ’98, who will serve as keynote speaker during the 146th Founders’ Convocation in November. Esters received his Bachelor of Arts in English, graduating summa *** laude, from Rust College; a Masters’ in English from Jackson State University, and his doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Morgan State University in 2007.

Dr. Esters was recently named Vice P resident for Student Success and Enrollment Management at Kentucky State University. Esters previously was vice president for the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities’ Office for Access and the Advancement of Public Black Universities (APLU).

As vice president of Student Success and Enrollment Management, Esters will lead a new initiative at Kentucky State aimed at coordinating the university’s efforts to better support students who are largely low-income, first-generation, and who require one or more remedial courses when they enroll.

Esters told Diverse Magazine that the move “represents a wonderful opportunity for me to put the things for which I have advocated for here at APLU into action on a local campus; important things like providing access for low-income students and more effectively supporting those students to enhance retention and graduation rates at Kentucky State.” read more…

Morgan State taps lender to aid small businesses

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A new partnership between Morgan State University and a nonprofit lender aims to help small businesses get the loans they need to grow.

ECDC Enterprise Development Group, a nonprofit based in Arlington, Va., has started making monthly visits to Morgan’s Entrepreneurial Development and Assistance Center to meet with small-business owners about ECDC’s micro-lending program.

ECDC offers loans of between $500 and $50,000. The average loan is between $15,000 and $20,000, said Kevin Kelly, ECDC’s executive director.

Banks often are not interested in making such small loans, Kelly said. That makes it hard for small companies to get the capital they need to launch a new product, or buy a key piece of equipment. The nonprofit also makes larger loans guaranteed by the U.S. Small Business Administration of between $50,000 and $250,000.

The program will be a help to the companies the Entrepreneurial Development & Assistance Center works with, said Omar Muhammad, its executive director.  read more…

Bill Clinton speaks at the DNC

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At the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday, President Clinton did a better job of bringing the crowd to its feet than the Charlotte Bobcats have ever done. As they typically do, the President’s speech went on for longer than expected, and he repeatedly went off the teleprompter to re-emphasize his points. One of those points was directed at young people, as the former President explained that we have lived in a “decade in which exploding college costs have increased the dropout rate so much that we’ve fallen to 16th in the world in the percentage of our young adults with college degrees.”

Coleman Elridge, 30, who works as an executive assistant for the governor of Kentucky, noted before the speech that he hoped the former president would talk about education. “Education was the tool that let me know I can be successful, and so many folks don’t have that opportunity … and some folks want to take that away.”

President Clinton went on to explain that through education, more young people can find jobs. “We do need more new jobs, lots of them, but there are already more than three million jobs open and unfilled in America today, mostly because the applicants don’t have the required skills,” he said.

Graduating college and getting a job is certainly something young people are concerned about. A recent study from Harvard’s Institute of Politics showed that by overwhelming numbers, young people care most about creating jobs and lowering the unemployment rate.

Benjamin Chou, 21, a senior at Rice University in Houston, Texas, hoped that Clinton would also talk about “student loan problems, student debts and college tuition costs.”

The former president tackled this head-on, spending considerable time in his speech on the topic, saying, “The president’s student-loan reform lowers the cost of federal student loans and even more important, gives students the right to repay the loans as a fixed percentage of their incomes for up to 20 years. That means no one will have to drop out of college for fear they can’t repay their debt, and no one will have to turn down a job as a teacher, a police officer or a small-town doctor because it doesn’t pay enough to make the debt payments.”

For 20-year-old Nathan Davis, a delegate from Maine studying politics and Chinese at Bates College, Clinton’s emphasis on President Obama’s student-loan reforms was particularly relevant. read more…