Black Los Angeles Honor Roll Student Sent Home for Breaking Dress Code

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Deja Tunstill, eleven year old, was sent home by a teacher assistant at Mount Gleason Middle School because the color of her brown stretch pants was too close to her skin color and made her look nude. This student, who has exceptional decorum and excellent grades felt humiliated by the incident. Her mother, Yolanda Tunstill, is furious because she believes this was an act of injustice. The Los Angeles Unified School District argues that Deja Tunstill was not sent home.

The school dress code prohibits students from wearing tights, lounge-wear or sleepwear alone. Yet, the mother claims leggings compromise most of her daughter’s daily wardrobe. She said, “She wears them all the time, all the time…there has never been a problem before, not at all…until she wears the brown ones, and then it became a problem.”

The school district released a statement in a letter apologizing and explaining that the student teacher’s has been disciplined. Her mother plans to take legal action against the Los Angeles school system.

Muhammad Ali To Receive Liberty Medal In Philadelphia

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Retired boxing great Muhammad Ali will visit Philadelphia to receive the Liberty Medal, an award recognizing his longtime role as a fighter outside the ring for humanitarian causes, civil rights and religious freedom.

The honor will be presented on Thursday during a ceremony at the National Constitution Center by the champ’s daughter, who is also a boxer, and two U.S. Olympic athletes. It comes with a $100,000 cash prize.

“Ali embodies the spirit of the Liberty Medal by embracing the ideals of the Constitution – freedom, self-governance, equality and empowerment – and helping to spread them across the globe,” former President Bill Clinton, the center’s chairman, said in a statement.

Since hanging up his gloves in 1981, Ali has traveled extensively on international charitable missions and devoted his time to philanthropy and social causes.

His wife Lonnie is slated to speak on his behalf at the ceremony. A 30-year battle with Parkinson’s disease has devastated the once-chiseled physique that made Ali an Olympic champion and three-time heavyweight title holder.

Other scheduled attendees include Joe Louis Barrow II, son of boxer Joe Louis; actor Terrence Howard, who played Ali in an ABC-TV biography; singer Roberta Flack, who will perform; and former basketball star Dikembe Mutombo, a Constitution Center board member and Congo native who said he was inspired by Ali’s 1974 visit to that country for the famous “Rumble in the Jungle.”

Ali’s daughter Laila will join Claressa Shields and Susan Francia in bestowing the Liberty Medal. Last month, the 17-year-old Shields became the first U.S. woman to win Olympic gold in boxing. Francia is a two-time rowing gold medalist from nearby Abington, Pa. read more…

Top 20 Influential African Americans in the Fashion Industry

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Fall is here. And so is New York Fashion Week. Sometimes lacking in the fashion spotlight are the African Americans who have been pioneers in this industry. So while you pack away the sun dresses and replace them with scarves and sweater, take a look at some of the most influential African Americans in the fashion world.

Here’s 10 to get you started:

Andre’ Leon Talley: Former American Editor-at-large for Vogue

Robin Givhan: A former Washington Post fashion editor who now writes for The Daily Beast, Robin Givhan is the first journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for criticism in fashion

Naomi Campbell:  Supermodel and the first black model to appear on American Vogue’s September issue

Iman: Iman is a model turned entrepreneur

Alek Wek: South Sudanese British model whose short hair cut and dark skin challenged the fashion industry when she arrived as a model

Bevy Smith: Social media maven, media director and creator of Dinner with Bevy

Felita Harris: Senior VP of Global Sales of Donna Karan International

Sam Fine: Celebrity make-up artist with clients such as Vanessa Williams, Halle Berry and Tyra Banks

Tyra Banks: Model,  entrepreneur, and mogul who hosts the reality modeling show America’s Next Top Model

Bethann Hardison: Former model who later owned her own model booking agency

Read the full article here

 

FAMU Environmental Specialist wins Energy Innovator Award

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Florida A&M University (FAMU) Senior Environment Specialist Ryan Mitchell has received an Energy Innovator Award for his sustainability contributions to the university and the greater Tallahassee community.

Mitchell, who works within the FAMU Office of Environmental Health and Safety, was recognized by the nonprofit organization ReThink Energy Florida during its inaugural Energy Ball.

Mitchell is a member of the FAMU Environment and Sustainability Council and serves as an adviser for the FAMU Green Coalition. He was a major player in obtaining a $10,000 grant from the The Home Depot to create a rainwater collection system and outdoor green space at Jackson-Davis Hall. Mitchell also secured a grant from Keep America Beautiful to provide 5,000 recycling bins for campus dorms and offices.

“Ryan definitely deserves the award,” said LaRae Donnellan, a professor within the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication and co-adviser for the Green Coalition. “Through his efforts to decrease waste and lower FAMU’s energy costs, Ryan helped FAMU become the only HBCU named as a top green school by The Princeton Review in both 2011 and 2012.”

Florida Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda (D-Tallahassee), Karen Loewen of Bikeable Community, and the Community Carbon Fund led by Steve Urse, are four other Tallahassee residents who received Energy Innovator awards this year. Kim Ross, president of ReThink Energy Florida, said it is about time people like Mitchell and the other awardees get recognized for their work.

“Ryan exemplifies the type of young leader we need in this community,” said Ross. “He brings expertise and passion to the task of helping others learn to be more sustainable.” read more…

Harris-Stowe to Host the U.S. Department of Education’s “Education Drives America” Cross-Country Back-to-School Tour with U.S. S Deputy Secretary of Education Tony Miller

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Harris-Stowe State University is proud to be one of many stops on the U.S. Department of Education’s third annual “Education Drives America” bus tour, which kicked off  this week in California.  As part of the effort to reinforce the message that education does in fact drive America and is an important to the government, the tour will make a stop at Harris-Stowe’s Emerson Performance Center Bank of America Theatre on Wednesday, September 19, 2012, at 12:30 p.m.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs Debra Saunders-White; Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities John Silvanus Wilson Jr. and Director of the Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Center Brenda Girton-Mitchell will be on hand to discuss accelerating college access and success for African-American students. There will also be representatives from the St. Louis Public School District, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis and WATCH D.O.G.S. Additional stops on the tour include Las Vegas, Reno and Elka Nevada; Salt Lake City; Rawlins, Rock Springs and Cheyenne, Wyo; Denver, Colorado Springs and Limon, Colo; Topeka and Emporia, Kan.; Columbia and Kansas City, Mo.; Mt. Vernon, Ill.; Evansville, Ind.; Lexington, Ky.; Charleston and McDowell County, W. Va and Roanoke and Richmond, Va.
Those interested in attending should register by emailing your name and organization to edpartners@ed.gov. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Media inquiries should be directed to Courtney McCall at Harris-Stowe, whose information is listed above. read more…

More Hispanics than Blacks in College?

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College enrollment has soared for Hispanic young adults in the last few years, by some measures reaching levels similar to those among young blacks, according to a study released Monday.

Among Americans ages 18 to 24 with a high school diploma or equivalent, 46 percent of Hispanics were enrolled in college last year, up from 37 percent in 2008, according to the report by the Pew Hispanic Center. The report was based on data from the Census Bureau and the Department of Education.

Black enrollment last year in the same age group stood at 45 percent, the first time the nation’s two largest minority groups were roughly even on that score in the decades that the information has been collected. Among whites, 51 percent of 18- to 24-year-old high school graduates were in college; 67 percent of Asians in that group were in college.

The number of young Hispanics enrolled in college, which surpassed black enrollment for the first time in 2010, jumped to almost 2.1 million last year, from about 1.3 million in 2008. That is partly a product of a swelling Hispanic population, as well as the increased rate of college attendance. read more…

For-Profit Colleges: Good for Black Students?

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While black students are between 10 and 13 percent of the students at two- and four-year public colleges, they’re 22 percent of for-profit colleges. What’s going on?

Here’s what Tressie McMillan Cottom, a Ph.D. student in Emory University’s sociology department, told Colorlines: “We have unequal K through 12 schools that haven’t prepared everyone equally for college — and [black students] are more likely to have attended those schools. And then here we are with all this aspiration in a new, changing economic landscape, and you have traditional schools not responding to those needs. And on top of that, we incentivize for-profit schools at the federal level to serve those very people,” she said.

It seems that institutions like University of Phoenix are in some ways a perfect fit for African Americans looking to add credentials to their résumés, but they have other qualities — and incentives — that should make us look beyond the convenient diplomas they offer.

[F]or black people in particular who are looking to enter or move up in the workforce, said Tressie McMillan Cottom, a PhD student in Emory University’s sociology department, “having a credential tends to mean more than it means for other people.” Bosses’ implicit biases are powerful (PDF), and even mean that when bosses try to infer an applicant’s social background based on their name, those thought to be black are less likely to get called for interviews than people with white-sounding names. Bosses, it turns out, are more inclined to follow up with Emilys than they are with Lakishas (PDF) read more…

Parties, football game help Cleveland Classic celebrate historically black colleges: After Dark

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It’s more than a game. Yeah, yeah, sports fans say that all the time. But it’s true in the case of the Cleveland Classic.

At noon Saturday, the football game features Morehouse College against Winston-Salem State University at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Tickets start at $15 and are available through ticketmaster.com.

But the second year of the Classic also rolls out events that celebrate historically black colleges and universities — not to mention a weekend of parties at Fortress.

At 9 p.m. Friday, the Warehouse District club, 1360 West Ninth St., Cleveland, will throw a bash hosted by Browns safety T.J. Ward. DJ Steph Floss and Meel will spin. $20. (Ladies free until midnight.) Saturday, Fortress hosts two bashes. The first runs from 3 to 9 p.m., with DJ Dru and DJ Knyce spinning. (Free from 3 to 4 p.m.; $20 until 9.) Then there’s the Cleveland Classic after party, at 9 p.m. ($10; complimentary cocktails 9-11 p.m.)

Call 216-298-4448. For Cleveland Classic information, go to Clevelandsports.org.

Decade of decadence

Summon the fire breather. The kinky queen. The sex kittens and the weird freaks.

Woohoo, it’s Kabarett Vulgare.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, the troupe will bring its brand of circus stunts, burlesque routines and vaudeville tricks to the Beachland Ballroom, 15711 Waterloo Road, Cleveland.

The Pittsburgh-based outfit takes its cue from the Weimar Republic. read more…

Black Women Leaders Face ‘Double Jeopardy,’ Harsher Criticism Than Others: Study

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In the corporate world, it looks like women are making significant strides. This year’s Fortune 500 list boasted 18 female CEOs, more women to make the list than ever before.

But despite those gains, black women aren’t faring quite as well, facing harsher penalties than other leaders when organizations fail.

It’s a reality that professors Ashleigh Shelby Rosette of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Robert W. Livingston of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management say exists whether an organization is performing negatively or not.

In a study conducted by Rosette and Livingston, 228 participants read fictitious news articles about a company’s performance, including permutations in which the leader was black or white, male or female and successful or unsuccessful. What they found was that black women who failed were viewed more critically than their underperforming white or male counterparts — even those of the same race.

The findings, which were published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology this month represent a case of “double jeopardy,” the study authors say, or the product of being neither white nor male.

According to a report called “Risk and Reward” released by the League of Black Women Global Research Institute last year, professional black women made up only one percent of U.S. corporate officers, despite the fact that 75 percent of corporate executives believed that having minorities in senior level positions enables innovation and better serves a diverse customer base.

Similarly, black women held just 1.9 percent of board seats in the Fortune 500 compared to 12.7 percent for white women, numbers that The Huffington Post said compounds overall dissatisfaction among black women in corporate jobs.

The disparity, along with limited opportunity for upward mobility might also explain the shift black women have been making from corporate America to entrepreneurship, with black women starting their own businesses at three-to-five times the rate of all businesses. read more…

New anti-hazing efforts revealed to FAMU student body

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It’s a new beginning for many students and staff at Florida A&M University. Since former
president James Ammons announced his resignation July 11, 2012, FAMU’s Board of Trustees
has created opportunity for progressive change.

Interim President Larry Robinson was welcomed to the university at his convocation Friday,
Sept. 7. But the true purpose of the event was to introduce www.StopHazingAtFAMU.com, a
website whose name says it all.

In wake of the sudden death of the ‘Marching 100’ drum major Robert Champion last year
November, Robinson is continuing the work that Ammons has done to combat hazing among
the student body.

“Everyone on campus needs to be unified in the fight against hazing,” said FAMU Interim
President Larry Robinson. “We will continue to enact change, positively empower our
students and provide resources going forward to ensure that we provide a safer and healthier
environment for learning.”

Along with maintaining a safe, hazing-free environment, Robinson wants students to be able to
use the website as a liaison and put an end to hazing.

The revised anti-hazing policy on the website reminds students that hazing not only violates the
university’s regulations, but in the eyes of the state of Florida, hazing is punishable by criminal
prosecution.

In fact, students must now sign an anti-hazing pledge before registering for classes in the
Spring 2013 semester. All clubs/organizations and Greek letter organizations must attend
meetings and agree to sign the new anti-hazing policy as well.

Meanwhile at the convocation, many students left confused, including Ana Sims, a first year
business student. Ana said that due to the lack of communication among FAMU administration
and the student body, she does not feel FAMU is making an adequate approach with the
website.

“It’s another tool, but is it really going to stop the students from doing it?, says Sims,” and what
happens if we don’t sign the pledge before the Spring semester? Are they really going to deny
students to be able to register for classes?”

FAMU has approximately 1,000 less students compared to the 2011-2012 academic year,
according to Robinson. Biology student Shar Donalds believes the dwindled student body has
something to do with the anti-hazing efforts.

“I feel the website will be effective, but I also know almost every organization hazes,” says
Donalds, “They [administration] need to hold the clubs and the Greek letter organizations more
accountable with the anti-hazing policy so students will feel free to pursue whatever.”

The website has a section entitled, ‘my PLEDGE’ which requires all to students to sign before
Spring semester. Only a few students have pledged, but this may be due to the lack of
promotion of the website and lack of communication to the students.

The website features subsections which define hazing, how to stop hazing, and also how to
report it to the university—along with several other anti-hazing resources which link to third party
entities.

“We encourage our students, faculty and staff to bookmark the website, visit it frequently and
utilize it if they are aware of any incidents of hazing,” said Robinson. “We want to help educate
the campus about what constitutes hazing and the destructive force it can be.”

FAMU plans on hiring on designated individual to the ‘Stop Hazing At FAMU’ website who will
also run the social media accounts. 60 applications have been received so far.

By Gionni Crawford

N.C. A&T agrees to 4-year football series with Elon

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N.C. A&T will play a four-year, home-and-home series against in-state FCS foe Elon from 2013 to 2016, Aggies director of athletics Earl Hilton said Wednesday morning.

Hilton said the two sides agreed to the contract last year, but nothing had been announced until Elon coach Jason Swepson told the Burlington Times-News about the series Tuesday.

The Aggies played Elon yearly from 1999 to 2006, splitting the eight meetings. The last game between the two teams ended in a 45-0 Elon win on Nov. 11, 2006.

Hilton said the Phoenix are coming to Greensboro next year, followed by two games at Elon, then a return to Greensboro in 2016.

The two schools are about 20 miles apart.

“It makes sense in so many ways,” Hilton said. “There ought to be a natural rivalry between the two schools. We certainly expect for us to draw fans, and for them to as well. It’s a win all the way around.” read more…

HBCU Football Review: Clark, B-CU, Morehouse, SCSU, FAMU, Norfolk, UAPB, Lane, and Alabama A&M

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Morehouse runs past Edward Waters

David Carter ran for 208 yards with three touchdowns to lead Morehouse College past Edward Waters College 39-18.

Carter became the Morehouse Maroon Tigers’ all-time leading rusher with 3,848 career-rushing yards as he past John David Washington (2002-05), who had 3,669.

Edward Waters (1-2) tied the game at 7-7 on Ralph Shuler’s 14-yard touchdown run with 11:06 to play in the first quarter.

Morehouse (1-1) responded with 21 straight points behind two Donnay Ragland rushing scores and another from Carter to lead 28-7 in the second quarter.

Shuler finished with 123 yards for the Tigers of Edward Waters. Morehouse ran for 414 yards compared to 283 for Edward Waters. Shelton Hamilton added 118 yards rushing for the Maroon Tigers. Phillip Teamer added 72 yards rushing and Brandon Turman 106 total yards for EWC.

Tony Goodman led the Tigers defensively with 14 total tackles while teammates Chris Maxwell had 11 and Bertrand Belfour had 10 with an interception.

South Carolina State falls to B-CU
Bethune-Cookman came from behind to beat South Carolina State 27-14.

South Carolina State (1-1, 0-1) led 14-0 in the first quarter after touchdown runs from Asheton Jordan and Jalen Simmons.

Bethune-Cookman (2-0, 1-0) tied the game at 14-14 after Isidore Jackson’s four-yard score with 7:23 to play in the second quarter.

B-CU took a 17-14 lead on Sven Hurd’s 28-yard field goal with 2:01 to play in the first half. The Wildcats never trailed again.

Jackson led B-CU with 81 yards rushing and a score. Simmons led South Carolina with 73 yards rushing with a score.

Jackie Wilson added 125 yards passing, Rodney Scott 42 yards rushing with a touchdown, David Blackwell contributed 60 yards receiving and Dion Hanks had two interceptions for the Wildcats.

Richard Cue added 60 yards rushing and 62 yards passing for the Bulldogs.

Oklahoma blows out Florida A&M
Oklahoma eventually put away Florida A&M with a 69-13 win in front of 84,852 fans in Norman, Okla.

The FAMU Rattlers, who compete in the Football Championship Series, competed with the fifth-ranked team in the larger Football Bowl Subdivision.

Damien Williams ran for 156 yards with four touchdowns to lead Oklahoma.

Oklahoma (2-0) got a pair of touchdown runs from Williams in the first quarter to jump out to a 14-0 lead.

Florida A&M (0-1) got on the board with a 41-yard field goal from Chase Varnadore in the second quarter to make it 14-3.

Damien Fleming connected with Travis Harvey for a 75-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to get FAMU within 28-10.

The Sooners responded by scoring 28-points to put the game out of reach at 56-10.

Fleming threw for 133 yards with a touchdown and an interception while Harvey had four catches for 118 yards with a score for FAMU.

Landry Jones also threw for 252 yards with two touchdowns for OU.

Norfolk State rallies past Liberty
Big plays in the second half helped Norfolk State come from behind to beat Liberty 24-17.

Brandon Reddick ran for 153 yards with three scores to lead the Norfolk Spartans.

Liberty (0-2) held a 17-7 advantage at halftime with 235 yards of total offense. The Spartans’ defense held the Liberty Flames to 107 total yards of offense in the second half.

Norfolk State (2-0) took a 19-17 lead on Keith Johnson’s 83-yard punt return touchdown with 10:03 to play in the third quarter.

Liberty retook the lead at 24-19 on Kevin Fogg’s 77-yard punt return with 6:07 to play in the periods. Norfolk then took over the lead at 25-24 after Riddick’s two-yard score with 12:45 remaining.

Marcel Coke’s 41-yard fumble return put the Spartans up 31-24 with 3:30 to play. Nico Flores also accounted for 138 total yards for the Spartans.

Norfolk is ranked the No. 1 team in all the HBCU polls and is ranked No. 24 in the FCS polls.
Brian Hudson threw for 144 yards with a touchdown, Aldreakis Allen ran for 130 yards, and Pat Kelly had 75 receiving yards for the Flames.

Alabama A&M tops Arkansas Pine Bluff
Kendarius Lacey ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns to lead Alabama A&M to a 14-10 win over Arkansas Pine Bluff.

Arkansas Pine-Bluff (1-1, 0-1) led 7-0 in the first quarter after C.J. Branch’s one-yard score.

Alabama A&M (2-0, 1-0) took the lead at 14-10 on Lacey’s 43-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

The Alabama Bulldogs took the lead for good on Lacey’s 43-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

The Golden Lions were stopped by the Bulldogs’ defense on their final four possessions, including a fourth and short failed run conversion and an interception by Alabama’s Julian Williams.

Deonte Mason added 97 yards of total offense and Justin Billings ran for 68 yards for the Bulldogs.

Brandon Anderson threw for 189 yards and ran for 80 while Tyler Strickland kicked a 36-yard field goal for the Golden Lions.

Clark Atlanta edges Lane
Charles King’s one-yard touchdown run with 4:55 remaining lifted Clark Atlanta University over Lane College 20-17. read more…

NCCU’s Sound Machine Band suspended while allegation of hazing investigated

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N.C. Central University has suspended the drum line of its Marching Sound Machine band while it investigates hazing allegations.

The suspension went into effect on Monday, and it means members of the drum line are not allowed to participate in any band-related activities until further notice.

Drum lines in marching bands at historically black colleges and universities such as NCCU are known for their crowd-pleasing stick work and rhythmic antics.

NCCU’s football team will drop in on Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday when it plays Duke in the Bull City Gridiron Classic. Sound Machine is scheduled to perform, but the band will be without its drum line.

“NCCU has a zero-tolerance policy on hazing,” according to a statement from NCCU. “Hazing is a criminal behavior, as well as a direct violation of the university’s Student Code of Conduct and North Carolina General Statutes.”

Former Sound Machine tuba player Delbert Jarmon, after reading an online story from another media outlet about the situation, said he is growing eager to find out exactly what NCCU having no tolerance for hazing means for the drum line.

“I’m very curious to see what the outcome is going to be,” Jarmon said. “This is the heartbeat of the band.”

Jarmon’s son, Jalen, is a Sound Machine tuba player.

The allegations against Sound Machine’s drum line come after the hazing-related death of Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion.

Champion died in November 2011 after participating in an initiation ritual that entailed getting beaten by other members of FAMU’s band. The beating occurred on a bus in Orlando, Fla.

A number of FAMU band members face criminal charges, and the situation led James Ammons to step down as president of FAMU.

Ammons used be NCCU’s chancellor.

FAMU is included in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Champion’s family, but FAMU representatives said Champion, a 26-year-old man, knew what he was getting into.

Late last year, NCCU formed a task force to review the university’s guidelines on hazing, according to the statement from the school. NCCU created a committee on hazing, bullying and student harassment that is charged with developing new guidelines and strategies to ensure the campus is free from hazing and student abuse, the statement said.

Delbert Jarmon said he was unable to reach his son by phone during the day on Wednesday, probably because Jalen Jarmon was at band practice. Delbert Jarmon said he wants to ask his son if he’s been hazed and find out what he knows about the allegations against the members of Sound Machine’s drum line.

“I will definitely have a conversation with him,” Delbert Jarmon said. “If it was my child who got hazed, somebody at North Carolina Central University’s band would be seeing my face, and they would not be happy.”

During the 2011 football season, a couple of Sound Machine band members were escorted from the field at NCCU’s O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium after a dustup involving Savannah State University football players.

Some of the Sound Machine musicians perceived disrespect when Savannah State’s players cut through the band’s formation on the way off the field after warm-ups. A Sound Machine drum major raised his baton to fend off football players protected by their big pads and helmets.

Law-enforcement officials and NCCU leaders prevented the situation from getting out of control. Nobody was arrested, but the matter was referred to NCCU’s student judicial council.

Recently retired NCCU chancellor Charlie Nelms, who was in charge when the Sound Machine members got into that scrap, was appalled at the conduct of the band members.

Some NCCU fans were cheering for the band members during the skirmish with the football players.

“If that’s what we need to do to have a band, then we won’t have a band,” Nelms said days after the Savannah State game.

Read more: The Herald-Sun – NCCU s Sound Machine faces hazing allegations

Kentucky State University ranks among the country’s top liberal arts institutions

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Kentucky State University ranks among the country’s top liberal arts institutions, which emphasize undergraduate education, according to the 2013 U.S. News and World Report rankings.

U.S. News and World Report also ranked KSU 26th among historically black universities in the nation.

The rankings were released today on the magazine’s website, www.usnews.com. The results also will be included in the magazine’s September issue, which will hit the newsstands September 18.

Based on data submitted by the individual colleges and universities, U.S. News and World Report compiles its annual America’s Best Colleges rankings, which it releases each summer. The rankings are based on each school’s score with reference to graduation rates, class size, faculty qualifications, standardized test scores, incoming freshmen’s grade point averages in high school, acceptance rate and the alumni giving rate. The book helps prospective students determine the best higher education institutions to meet their needs. The Princeton Review compiles a similar list, which named KSU a Best College in the Southeast in August. read more…

Morgan State University shooting & stabbing leaves one injured

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Morgan State University was placed on emergency lockdown and classes were canceled Wednesday night after a man was shot on campus — the latest in a series of violent incidents that have touched the region’s schools this fall.

Many students had just gotten out of class for the day, and others were preparing for evening lectures around 4:15 p.m. when gunfire rang out in Morgan’s student center, rattling the Northeast Baltimore campus.

A message sent through Morgan’s campus alert system soon aired a warning: “EMERGENCY!!! STAY INDOORS AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS! LOCK DOORS & ONLY OPEN THEM FOR POLICE OR EMERGENCY SERVICES!”

The victim, whom police did not identify, was in critical but stable condition late Wednesday. He was not a student, according to university spokesman Clint Coleman, and officials do not believe the shooter was either. The assailant remained at large.

Download The Baltimore Sun’s iPhone app.

 

Nonetheless, many students worried about how the incident would affect Morgan State’s reputation. Others worried that the campus is too easily accessible to outside troublemakers.

“I feel like it’s a bad look for our school’s reputation,” said Darius Brock, a freshman civil engineering major from Baltimore who was in his nearby dorm when he received an alert that the campus was on lockdown. “People drive past and all you see are cop lights and reporters, and you know something bad happened.”

The shooting comes on the heels of several other school-linked incidents in the area. In one, an Essex middle-schooler allegedly threatened his teacher and other students with a gun. Another saw a Perry Hall High School student shot, allegedly by a fellow student, on the first day of school.

Also Wednesday, a man who had been shot by Baltimore County police fled and was found on the grounds of Catonsville High School.

At Morgan, students said they believed such an incident could happen anywhere, but questioned efforts at the university to improve safety.

“It’s nothing new. It’s not a cultural shock,” said Brandon Parker, a sophomore business major from Baltimore. “They make it seem like they’re working towards making our campus better, but nothing ever happens. … Less talk and more action is kind of what I’m speaking for.”

Coleman emphasized that the shooting was not a random act, and he said the university took the precaution of “combing every building on campus.”

“We believe this young man knew his assailant,” Coleman said. “A verbal exchange was heard just before the shooting. We believe this young man was targeted.”

Minutes after the shooting, the campus sent out the first in a series of alerts about the violence. An alert posted to the university’s website at 5:43 p.m. notified students that classes were canceled.

The lockdown was called off at about 6 p.m., according to campus police, and classes were set to resume Thursday morning.

Morgan’s emergency alert system was in the news earlier this year, when some at the university said they were unsure whether the university had properly warned them about an incident involvingAlexander Kinyua. Two weeks after an on-campus assault arrest, Kinyua was accused of killing a family friend and eating parts of his body at a Harford County home.

The university did not send out an alert after Kinyua’s assault arrest, a decision Police Chief Adrian Wiggins later said was based on the fact that the suspect had been “apprehended in a rather rapid fashion.”

Wiggins was recently promoted to the new post of campus chief public safety officer.

Coleman said the victim of Wednesday’s shooting was found outside the student center, but offered no further details about why he had been on campus.

Anthony Belton, a junior studying architecture, said he was relieved to find that the shooting was not a random attack. “Otherwise, our sense of safety would be purely limited.”

He said he’s never felt that the campus was unsafe but is concerned about crime in nearby neighborhoods. Several times a week last year, he said, the university sent out emails alerting students of armed robberies.

“You’re never certain who goes here, or who doesn’t go here,” Brock, the freshman civil engineering student, said. “Anyone can walk into the Morgan bookstore, buy a Morgan hoodie and be on Morgan’s campus.”

Baltimore City Councilman Robert Curran, who represents the area, went to Morgan’s campus after the shooting and met with university President David Wilson and other officials.

“My concern is we have issues with folks coming onto the campus to bring this type of violence,” Curran said. “I don’t want to see violence from the neighborhoods spill into the school.” Read More

ECSU seeking more support for athletics

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Elizabeth City State University is hoping that a change in direction at the top of its athletic department will invigorate contributions from former athletes and graduates.

That was the objective behind ECSU’s announcement last week to demote then-athletic director Thurlis Little and open a national search for a new athletic leader.

Chancellor Willie Gilchrist said it was a hard decision to remove Little.

“We’re at a point in the life of this university where it was time for more outreach for former athletes,” he said. “Not just spiritual support, but financial.”

He had no negative comments about Little.

“I really don’t want to say anything negative,” Gilchrist said.

The timing of the announcement in early September took a lot of people by surprise, 
including Little.

Little said he had no indication that his dismissal was coming.

“No … no … no, not at all,” he said.

Gilchrist admitted that the timing of a major decision is always an issue.

“Timing is everything,” the chancellor said. “Could this have waited? Yes it could. But the longer you wait, the further away you get. Do you wait until December? Then you’d be into basketball season. Do you wait until spring? Then you’d be in the middle of recruiting season. Timing is never perfect.”

Angelia Nelson was named interim athletic director.

Like Little, she earned her four-year degree at ECSU. read more…