The historic action that four North Carolina college students took that led to desegregation at lunch counters more than half a century ago shows what young people can do to change their world for the better, first lady Michelle Obama said during a commencement speech Saturday.
Mrs. Obama addressed a crowd of about 15,000, including more than 1,200 graduates of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, one of the state university system’s historically black schools.
In 1960, four of the school’s students put their careers and lives on the line by sitting down at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter a few miles away, asked to be served coffee and were refused. They returned day after day in greater numbers, and others across the South followed their example, until the company eventually was forced to end separate treatment for black and white customers.
North Carolina is considered a battleground state in the presidential election and the first lady’s visit was expected to generate goodwill within a core Democratic Party constituency as President Barack Obama seeks re-election this fall.
Mrs. Obama steered clear of references to politics and her husband’s re-election bid, though the audience cheered when the first lady told graduates: “We have the responsibility to protect the ground that has already been won, because it can just as easily be lost.”
President Obama has visited North Carolina more than a dozen times, including four since June. Most recently he blasted Republicans about student loan debt during a visit two weeks ago to the University of North Carolina of Chapel Hill. The Democratic National Convention will be in Charlotte this September.
Obama’s likely Republican opponent for the White House, Mitt Romney, visited a Charlotte manufacturing plant on Friday to blame Obama for the slow pace of economic recovery. It was Romney’s second visit to the city in a month.
Obama carried North Carolina over John McCain in 2008, with 95 percent of black voters supporting the Democratic nominee, according to exit polls. Whether they can deliver another win for Obama, as the state continues to grapple with unemployment rates that hover above the national average, remains to be seen.
North Carolina voters this week approved amending the state constitution to ban gay marriage. Obama followed the next day by becoming the first president to express support for same-sex marriage.
Mrs. Obama’s Greensboro address was the second of three spring commencement addresses for the first lady. She spoke at Virginia Tech on Friday and also is scheduled to speak June 17 at Oregon State, where her brother, Craig Robinson, is the men’s basketball coach. Read more:
Mrs. Obama addressed a crowd of about 15,000, including more than 1,200 graduates of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, one of the state university system’s historically black schools.
In 1960, four of the school’s students put their careers and lives on the line by sitting down at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter a few miles away, asked to be served coffee and were refused. They returned day after day in greater numbers, and others across the South followed their example, until the company eventually was forced to end separate treatment for black and white customers.
North Carolina is considered a battleground state in the presidential election and the first lady’s visit was expected to generate goodwill within a core Democratic Party constituency as President Barack Obama seeks re-election this fall.
Mrs. Obama steered clear of references to politics and her husband’s re-election bid, though the audience cheered when the first lady told graduates: “We have the responsibility to protect the ground that has already been won, because it can just as easily be lost.”
President Obama has visited North Carolina more than a dozen times, including four since June. Most recently he blasted Republicans about student loan debt during a visit two weeks ago to the University of North Carolina of Chapel Hill. The Democratic National Convention will be in Charlotte this September.
Obama’s likely Republican opponent for the White House, Mitt Romney, visited a Charlotte manufacturing plant on Friday to blame Obama for the slow pace of economic recovery. It was Romney’s second visit to the city in a month.
Obama carried North Carolina over John McCain in 2008, with 95 percent of black voters supporting the Democratic nominee, according to exit polls. Whether they can deliver another win for Obama, as the state continues to grapple with unemployment rates that hover above the national average, remains to be seen.
North Carolina voters this week approved amending the state constitution to ban gay marriage. Obama followed the next day by becoming the first president to express support for same-sex marriage.
Mrs. Obama’s Greensboro address was the second of three spring commencement addresses for the first lady. She spoke at Virginia Tech on Friday and also is scheduled to speak June 17 at Oregon State, where her brother, Craig Robinson, is the men’s basketball coach. Read more:
BALTIMORE, Md. (May 9, 2012)-Morgan State women’s basketball head coach Donald Beasley has announced the signing of seven student-athletes to National Letters of Intent. Sabrina Montgomery, Alauna Jackson, Dinah Jones, Summer Reeves, Shabazz Reeves, Simone Sampson and Danielle Robinson will all join the Lady Bears as freshmen for the 2012-13 campaign.
Montgomery, Jackson, Jones, Summer Reeves and Shabazz Reeves signed during the early period in the fall, while Sampson and Robinson signed during the most recent signing period.
A 6-foot-2 center, Montgomery was a four-year player for T.F. North High School in Chicago, Ill., earning first-team all-conference honors, while averaging 11.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game on a team that finished 20-8. Montgomery, who likes having a chance to make her mark as a freshman, was an inside force for her club team of Illinois X-Citement. Her club team coach, Xavier Walton said, “she has really worked at getting better.”
“Sabrina [Montgomery] is a physical post who enjoys contact and can be a very dominate rebounding force,” said Morgan State recruiting coordinator Chris Lewis. “She has the ability to force double teams in the low block and help initiate transition baskets with her defensive rebounding. She will be a great addition for us in the post.”
Jackson is a post player that stands 6-foot-1 and was the leading scorer for the Maryland 3A State runner ups – River Hill High in Columbia Md. Jackson averaged a team-high 12.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 block shots during the state tournament. She was able to lead her team to the championship game in her only season at River Hill after being a standout performer at Howard High School the year before.
“Alauna Jackson is a forward who excels in the half court, because of her high basketball IQ and overall skill set,” Lewis said. “She has the ability to pass and shoot from the high post as well as finish around the rim using a variety of low post moves while using either hand. She will add more depth at the forward spot with her ability to play both post spots.”
Jones is a 6-foot-1” forward who played at Broadneck High School in Annapolis, Md. According to her former club team coach and Morgan State alum, Donchez Graham of Team Maryland Shooting Stars, “Dinah is an ultra-athletic, fierce rebounder with a very smooth jump shot.” Added Graham,“she worked very hard to improve her ball handling and 3-point shooting this spring and it really showed during the evaluation period. Her best basketball is ahead of her.”
Jones was selected first-team All-Anne Arundel County in 2012 and honorable mention as a junior for Broadneck, was team MVP her senior season and was defensive MVP as a junior after averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds per game. Jones was also an honor roll student and a member of the National Honor Society and will join the Lady Bears’ volleyball team in the fall.
Summer and Shabazz Reeves, are 5-foot-6 combo guards from Lakota West High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Summer and Shabazz averaged 9.6 and 4.2 points per game respectively in 2010-11. Summer added 5.2 rebounds and Shabazz 1.6 steals per contest. The girls chose MSU over the likes of New Hampshire, Richmond and Saint Francis (Pa.). Shabazz also considered playing soccer at the University of Cincinnati and Summer considered playing basketball at American.
“I chose MSU because I felt most comfortable with the coaching staff and (they) also assured me that my education would come first,” said Shabazz. Summer agreed and is excited to continue playing with her sister. “At MSU I can get a great education and most importantly the coaches make me feel very comfortable,” said Summer. “I am happy Shabazz and I both get to experience this wonderful adventure together. Go Lady Bears!”
“The twins are flat out athletic,” said Lewis. “They both are almost un-guardable in transition with their combination of speed, quickness and ball handling ability. They both have the ability to play both the point guard and shooting guard positions. They will give us a boost in the scoring department, but more importantly they will defend on the perimeter relentlessly. We look forward to them having great success at the college level.”
West Virginia State University’s Board of Governors has offered the position of president to Brian O. Hemphill. Upon approval by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, he will become State’s 10th president on July 1. His selection followed a nationwide search.
Hemphill will succeed Hazo W. Carter Jr., who will retire as WVSU’s president on June 30 after 25 years of service.
Hemphill currently is vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Northern Illinois University near Chicago. It has an enrollment of 23,000 students. He earned a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Iowa State University.
“Bringing Dr. Hemphill to West Virginia State University from a major university near Chicago in the prime of his career is a very strategic hire that will allow our institution to grow,” said WVSU Board of Governors Chairman Larry Rowe. “He has been recognized by students and his peers as an outstanding educator. I am confident that he will expand WVSU’s role as a great university not only in central and southern West Virginia but also in the tri-state area.”
Hemphill said the first item on his to-do list would be to reach out to students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors, legislators, the Chancellor and members of the Higher Education Policy Commission, as well as to the greater Kanawha Valley community.
“We need to spread the good word about West Virginia State,” said Hemphill. “Once it’s out there, the excellence of the institution will speak for itself. It’s up to us to brand this university for its high-quality higher education and to communicate our vision to our stakeholders internally in West Virginia, as well as across the country and internationally.”
At NIU, Hemphill has been responsible for all aspects of student life and enrollment management. He also is a tenured associate professor who has received NIU’s Outstanding Faculty Award and twice received the Students’ Choice Award. In 2009, the National Association of Student Professional Administrators honored him as a “Pillar of the Profession.” His peers have recognized Hemphill nationally for his work following a mass shooting at NIU in 2008. He has edited a book on campus violence and has extensive experience in publishing and presenting papers on leadership and crisis management in higher education.
“Dr. Hemphill brings a wealth of experience in successfully leading academic initiatives that are critical to ‘State’,” said Ann Smith, president of the National WVSU Alumni and Board of Governors member. “His strong background of success in establishing and leading a shared governance team focused on student success and institutional growth makes him an absolute fit for West Virginia State University.”
Thomas Guetzloff, faculty representative on the Board of Governors, added, “I am happy with the selection of Dr. Hemphill and how he wants to move the institution forward in the 21st century. His ideas on transforming the University create a level of excitement for us. There is a consensus among faculty members who attended a meeting this week to support Dr. Hemphill’s appointment.” Read More
By Randy Stutzman
The PGA of America
Series: PGA Feature
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Drama ruled the day on Sunday at PGA Golf Club, as the University of Texas-Pan American took home the Men’s Division I title and Bethune-Cookman University claimed its Championship-record ninth team title in the Women’s Team Division at the 26th PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship presented by Brown Capital Management.Texas-Pan American, the first-round leader, used a furious comeback to claim its fifth overall title.
2012 PGA MINORITY COLLEGIATE GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
To return to the home page of the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship, click here.
The Broncs, who finished with a total team score of 904, trailed Tennessee State University by five strokes entering the final round. But the team used a solid 1-under-par 71 by team captain Kevin Kirakossian, and solid play by the rest of the team to win the division by two strokes over Tennessee State.
Bethune-Cookman University and Savannah State University tied for third at 911. Savannah State senior Cedomir Ilic of Serbia took home medalist honors in the Division with a 220 total in the 54-hole event.
“My team has worked hard all year and it really paid off today,” said Ofelia Lopez, the director of golf at the University of Texas-Pan American. “They came out with fire and determination and looking to win a title. And it happened.”
Lopez was particularly impressed with Kirakossian, a junior from Oregon.
“He has always been our go-to guy,” said Lopez. “He plays to win and plays for his team. That’s what a leader is all about. That’s what being a team captain is all about.”
The Bethune-Cookman women’s team, which led South Carolina State University by five strokes entering the final round, used a team effort to take home its second consecutive title, this time by eight strokes. The Wildcats finished with a 916 team total.
Hampton (Va.) University finished third at 956.
“We fought all year and it all led to this,” said head coach and PGA Professional Scooter Clark. “We needed to come out and respond to South Carolina State, who played great, and we did. It was no doubt a challenge.”
Tiana Jones of Alliance, Ohio, was the medalist in the Women’s Team Division. The junior opened with an 82 on Friday, but bounced back with a sparkling 68 on Saturday, and a solid 74 in the final round on the Ryder Course.
Jones also earned an exemption from the LPGA into one Symetra Tour event during the 2012 or 2013 season.
“I wanted to play smart but I also wanted to play aggressive,” said Jones. “I was dreaming about winning the individual title last night and my heart was in my throat all day. It feels awesome.”
In Division II, Fayetteville (N.C.) State University ran away with the title, winning the division by 36 strokes and finishing with an 896 total.
The Broncos were led all weekend by Junior Jake Barge. The Fayetteville native shot a final-round 70 on the Ryder Course, and also claimed Division medalist honors.
“It was great for our team to get back in the winner’s circle this year,” said Barge. “We haven’t won since 2009 so this is really satisfying. We got the job done.”
Lincoln University of Jefferson City, Mo., finished second overall, while Morehouse College of Atlanta, finished alone in third.
In the Men’s Independent Division, Justin Watkins from the University of Central Oklahoma took home medalist honors after a final-round 78.
Aaron Burton of Adelphi University in New York finished second, two strokes back of Watkins. Casey Foster of Central Oklahoma was third.
“It wasn’t exactly the way I wanted to finish but I was still able to close it out with a win,” said Watkins. “I am exhausted mentally, but was still able to hold it together. It feels amazing.”
In the Women’s Independent Division, Ariel McNair of Xavier University closed with a 76 to win the title by two strokes over Mia Campbell of Alabama State University.
Shanequa Valentine of Prairie View A&M University finished third.
“I made a couple of birdies on the back nine which really propelled me to this win,” said Campbell. “It was a grind all day, but was satisfying to finish strong like this.”
The 2012 Championship was played on the Wanamaker and Ryder Courses at PGA Golf Club, and featured nearly 180 players representing over 40 colleges and universities.
The PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship presented by Brown Capital Management, which celebrated its 26th edition this year, originated in November 1986 following the Jackson State University Golf Tournament and has elevated golf in minority colleges and universities by providing opportunities to more players to compete in a national championship.
In 2006, The PGA of America was granted complete ownership and management of the championship by the National Minority Collegiate Golf Scholarship Fund. In 2008, the Championship featured a record number of participants, with nearly 200 students from 47 schools, with representatives from 14 countries.
Final-Round Scores
Men’s Team Division I
1. Texas-Pan American 294-309-301–904
Kevin Kirakossian 73-78-71–222
Santiago Bueno Bragado 72-73-79–224
Mathew Charles 74-78-73–225
Jonathan Sloss 75-80-78–233
Chris Felix 76-82-79–237
2. Tennessee State 302-296-308–906
Cameron Scitern 74-74-76–224
Ryan Pierson 75-73-76–224
Dallas Hill 79-81-80–240
James Stepp 77-77-80–234
Andrew Warner 76-72-76–224
T3. Bethune-Cookman 306-303-302–911
Matthew Mcknight 77-77-79–233
JaMichael Jones 80-76-73–229
Alex Clapp 74-74-80–228
Emmanuel Petrich 75-80-72–227
Rafael Abad 83-76-78–237
T3. Savannah State 304-308-299–911
Cedomir Ilic 76-72-72–220
Travis Roe 76-79-76–231
Ryan Lassiter 75-82-76–233
Brandon Neals 77-84-75–236
Calib Simons 80-75-81–236
5. Alabama State 301-311-307–919
Scott Benson 77-73-71–221
John Montgomery 74-77-72–223
Jose Rodriguez 85-NC
Robert Grant 73-79-84–236
Joseph Killebrew 77-82-80–239
6. Florida A&M 306-309-308–923
Justin Stills 78-77-70–225
Cody Sapp 80-83-79–242
Randon Holt 87-74-79–240
Anthony Phipps II 76-77-84–237
Shephard Archie III 72-81-80–233
7. Arkansas at Pine Bluff 305-318-326–949
Caleb Ray 75-84-84–243
Nqobani Ndabambi 75-77-77–229
Gregory Robinson 78-76-83–237
Shane Kelly 77-81-82–240
Elliott Rollins, Jr. 86-87-84–257
8. Texas Southern 322-321-322–965
Dominique Worthen 78-80-67–225
Jason Barton 78-73-78–229
Michael Calvillo 87-87-92–266
Quinton Leonard 93-90-91–274
Luis Colon Gonzalez 79-81-86–246
9. Maryland-Eastern Shore 322-329-333–984
Mike Veverka 78-76-79–233
Greg Raad 81-85-83–249
Paul Cecil 82-85-84–251
Christopher Toney 81-83-87–251
Sedrick Bailey 92-98-98–288
10. North Carolina Central 333-343-345–1021
Spencer Jones 78-80-82–240
Ryne Toole 83-85-82–250
Andre Jones 84-86-82–252
Walter Batts 88-92-99–279
Jack Waissen 115-100-108–323
11. Hampton 351-359-346–1056
Geoffrey Napper 100-93-102–295
Curtis Fearrington 79-82-77–238
Mark Irwin 91-88-92–271
Tyler Davis 90-103-94–287
Sean Moore 91-96-83–270
Men’s Team Division II
1. Fayetteville State 300-293-303–896
Jake Barge 72-71-70–213
Brandon Jobe 80-74-76–230
Jedidiah Frazier 71-73-76–220
Lincoln Jackson 77-75-81–233
Michael Wallace 81-89-NC
2. Lincoln 313-305-314–932
Steven Mallow 84-74-77–235
Jacob Sandbothe 77-77-76–230
Kyle Brennaman 76-76-83–235
Eric Kosmatka 76-78-78–232
Jordan Morris 93-86-87–266
3. Morehouse College 319-323-313–955
Bryan McElderry 78-75-82–235
Clifton Jordan 81-85-79–245
Justin McElderry 78-84-78–240
Alexander Atkinson 82-84-78–244
Bruce Cousin 85-80-78–243
4. Virginia State 317-338-328–983
Stephen Genchi 70-NC
Rashad Hunt 79-84-83–246
Aaron Bryant 88-88-77–253
Adam Clary 82-80-83–245
Dalton Jolly 86-86-85–257
5. Benedict College 344-328-330–1002
Anthony Wik 83-82-80–245
Eddie Smith III 94-80-79–253
Jordan Buchanan 78-75-84–237
Kelly Willis 89-91-87–267
6. Paine College 341-332-337–1010
Carlos Solis 76-74-75–225
Victor Tapia 82-82-77–241
Patrick Mobley 90-82-85–257
Ralpph Godbee 93-94-100–287
Keith Godbee 123-116-122–361
7. Winston Salem State 341-335-339–1015
Glendon Mabe 75-77-82–234
Zach Sheets 83-78-74–235
Mike Asbury 86-82-80–248
Kyle Collins 97-98-103–298
8. Kentucky State 362-346-360–1068
George Dundon 89-86-96–271
Josh Jackson 83-81-77–241
RhoShawn Johnson 99-82-84–265
Carlton Foreman 104-107-103–314
Women’s Team Division
1. Bethune-Cookman 305-311-300–916
Patrizia Trevisan 72-79-74–225
Estefania Acosta 78-75-80–233
Andrea Orozco 74-79-76–229
Marie Bergelin 81-78-75–234
Jennifer Hide 81-81-75–237
2. South Carolina State 324-297-303–924
Tiana Jones 82-68-74–224
Cheryl Chua 79-76-74–229
Carmen Jones 83-87-78–248
Cherie Chua 82-79-78–239
Cabriel Duren 81-74-77–232
3. Hampton 329-314-313–956
Kayla Williams 80-76-81–237
Nicole West 83-76-71–230
Iman Ellis 87-87-86–260
Dionne West 81-85-78–244
Maria Stewart 85-77-83–245
4. Texas-Pan American 329-322-318–969
Sam Garcia 80-82-76–238
Elena Arroyo 84-76-78–238
Blake Peterson 87-82-82–251
Marisa Canales 78-82-82–242
Ashley Garcia 89-83-85–257
5. Lincoln 351-332-312–995
Kaitlyn Schwartze 81-84-74–239
Payton Schooler 84-74-82–240
Shea Colley 87-87-82–256
Sophia Pardalos 100-87-74–261
Kara Harwood 99-98-90–287
6. Texas Southern 337-339-321—997
Kassandra Rivera 78-82-70–230
Adrianna Trevino 89-86-77–252
Bridget Johnston 89-81-89–259
Tyler Lawrence 85-90-85–260
Angela Rafac 85-98-89–272
Men’s Independent Division
Justin Watkins, University of Central Oklahoma – 74-74-78–226
Aaron Burton, Adelphi University – 79-75-74–228
Casey Foster, University of Central Oklahoma – 80-76-76–232
Juan Diego Fernandez, Louisburg College – 83-72-78–233
Julio Gonzalez Galvan, Louisburg College – 77-74-83–234
Louis Kelly, Adelphi University – 76-74-84–234
Michael Ferguson, Univ. of Maryland East Shore – 79-81-82–242
Joseph Morrison, Alabama State University – 82-81-80–243
Christopher Davis, Carroll University – 74-87-84–245
Corey Price, Alabama State University – 88-82-75–245
Barry Davis, Alabama State University – 78-89-79–246
Minsoo Soh, Univ. of Maryland Eastern Shore – 87-82-78–247
Jacob Mendez III, Calumet College of Saint Joseph – 86-79-83–248
Lawrence McKenzie, Livingstone College – 89-79-81–249
Erik Potts, Hannibal-LaGrange University – 85-83-82–250
Ben Davis, Calumet College of Saint Joseph – 86-86-83–255
Bryan Martin, Univ. of Maryland Eastern Shore – 85-90-83–258
Joseph Journey, Univ. of Maryland Eastern Shore – 85-89-85–259
Edgar Evans Jr., Southern University Baton Rouge – 87-83-90–260
Norris Brown, Univ. of Maryland Eastern Shore – 84-90-87–261
Sean Wilson, Chowan University – 96-90-88–274
Delton Pounds, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC – 98-88-89–275
Michael Harden, Clemson University – 97-93-94–284
Richard Sheppard, Univ. of Maryland Eastern Shore – 98-91-99–288
Patrick Harris, Methodist University – 98-97-98–293
Dylan Watts, Edward Waters College – 99-95-100–294
William Brown, Prairie View A&M – 100-97-99–296
Richard Fleming, Univ. of Maryland Eastern Shore – 102-100-97–299
Charlois R. Fletcher, Louisburg College – 96-105-106–307
Spencer Smith, Edward Waters College – 112-126-109–347
Anthony Long, Univ. of Maryland Eastern Shore – 89-91-WD–WD
Buddy Senatore, California Polytechnic State Univ. – 80-87-WD–WD
Joseph Sable, Prairie View A&M – 117-88-WD–WD
Women’s Independent Division
Ariel McNair, Xavier University – 84-79-76–239
Mia Campbell, Alabama State Univ. – 83-80-78–241
Shanequa Valentine, Prairie View A&M – 88-78-78–244
Whitney Young, Wheeling Jesuit University – 85-89-85–259
Alexandra Uduk, Univ. of Maryland East Shore – 98-87-83–268
Michelle Gifford, Savannah State University – 98-90-93–281
Allison Brown, SCSU – 105-106-96–307
Cheiwah Ferguson, Texas Southern University – 106-103-100–309
Jamie Bruce, Benedict College – 112-119-111–342
Sean Woods, who has spent time with five Division I men’s basketball programs and led Mississippi Valley State to the 2012 NCAA Tournament, has been named head coach at Morehead State University.
Woods will be formally introduced during a press conference on Monday.
“I am very pleased to welcome Sean as the new head men’s basketball coach at Morehead State University,” said Dr. Wayne D. Andrews, MSU president. “I believe that Coach Woods’ experience, character and integrity will help us continue the momentum that our basketball program has achieved in recent years. I have no doubt that he will be an outstanding leader for our young men.”
“We are very excited to add Sean and his family to the Morehead State athletics family,” said Brian Hutchinson, MSU director of athletics. “Sean is a strong leader and tireless worker. We were impressed with his energy, character, vision and professionalism throughout the interview process.”
Woods led Mississippi Valley State to 50 overall wins and 44 Southwestern Athletic Conference victories the past four years. The 2011-12 Delta Devils finished 21-13 overall, 17-1 in the SWAC, won the conference tournament and advanced to the school’s fifth-ever NCAA Tournament.
Woods led the Delta Devils on a 17-game win streak (second in the nation) and won the SWAC Tournament for the first time since 2008. MVSU advanced to the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Western Kentucky.
The Delta Devils finished with 21 wins – the most since the 2003-04 season when MVSU finished 22-7 under Lafayette Stribling.
(CBS News) The longtime band director at Florida A&M announced his retirement Thursday.
Dr. Julian White’s leadership has been under scrutiny in the wake of a hazing death of a drum major, and it turns out not all of those arrested in the scandal were students; 101 people on the band’s roster were not enrolled in school’s music department.
Now Florida’s top education official says the band should remain suspended indefinitely.
CBS News correspondent Mark Strassman reports that when Florida A&M’s famed band traveled to Orlando last November, 60 of the more than 300 performers on the field had no business being there because they were not enrolled in a mandatory band course. It was a direct violation of school policy. The school can’t confirm they were even enrolled in college.
Hours later, drum major Robert Champion Jr. was beaten to death in a hazing ritual aboard a band bus.
Eleven defendants were charged for that crime; three – Caleb Jackson, Bryan Jones and Lasherry Condor – were among the ineligible performers.
Pictures: Florida A&M hazing case
Watch: Julian White: “I did all I could”
Julian White, director of embattled FAMU marching band, retires
Former band director White admitted to CBS News last November that hangers-on, including alumni, were a problem in the school’s hazing culture.
“I think that a small percentage of our alumni may not have been mature enough to move on with their lives,” White said, adding he had suspicions some of the alumni participated in the hazing rituals.
FAMU band member Aaron Golson, 19 years old and another defendant in Champion’s death, is also charged in a separate hazing attack in which the leg of a freshman female clarinet player was broken.
Robert Champion’s mother Pam believes the school lost institutional control over the band. Read More
“The sad thing is Robert loved that school. He loved that band. And they all failed him,” Pam Champion said. “They’re going to have to clean house. Get rid of the filth that’s there. Everything is out in the open now.”
In a statement, FAMU spokeswoman Sharon P. Saunders said: “We were recently made aware of the fact these individuals were not enrolled. The university clearly has written guidelines that require marching band students to be enrolled at FAMU, Florida State University or Tallahassee Community College and in a specific band course. According to the Marching “100” Band Handbook, students cannot be issued a uniform unless their class schedule is submitted to the Department of Music. To the extent any employee has failed to adhere to these guidelines, they were acting outside the scope of their employment. The University is reviewing this situation and ways to ensure that band guidelines are followed.”
The school’s board of trustees could meet as soon as Thursday to discuss the band’s future.
Middle Tennessee State University broke ground Thursday on its long-awaited $147 million Science Building, a project that will help the institution produce more college graduates ready for emerging high-tech jobs.
The turn of the shovels also was the official construction launch for the building, which is aiming for a spring 2015 opening date.
Gov. Bill Haslam said the building will help address the state’s need for more college graduates, especially in STEM areas—science, technology, engineering and math.
“Graduates with STEM degrees are vital to our state’s ability to thrive and compete in the 21st century economy,” Haslam said during the ceremony. “With more space to train in these areas, this building will help us toward our goal of increasing STEM graduates.”
The governor included almost $127 million for construction of the Science Building in his 2012-13 state budget, which passed both chambers of the General Assembly late Monday. About $20 million has been spent to prepare for the facility.
“It is fitting that we celebrate the end of the University’s yearlong Centennial observance with this investment toward its second century of service,” Haslam added.
Middle Tennessee State Normal School opened in 1911 to educate Tennessee’s teachers. Its focus has expanded with enrollment, course offerings, buildings and acreage in the century since then, but the University’s science facilities have not kept pace. Read Full
BALTIMORE — Steady progress could help improve college graduation rates and place students on a level playing field.
The University System of Maryland Board of Regents has released a report on college retention and graduation rates covering a 10-year period. As concerns mounted over students who don’t finish college, the new report seems to signal a change.
WBAL-TV 11 News Education Alert reporter Tim Tooten said the report is based on first-year college students and tracked how long they stayed in school before dropping out.
The University System of Maryland Board of Regents has released a report on college retention and graduation rates covering a 10-year period. As concerns mounted over students who don’t finish college, the new report seems to signal a change.
WBAL-TV 11 News Education Alert reporter Tim Tooten said the report is based on first-year college students and tracked how long they stayed in school before dropping out.
Coppin State University is one of a dozen or so state schools where the student retention numbers have improved
“Information like this shows that it’s not as bad as everyone is saying, that Coppin State is actually doing what it needs to do to become a great school in Baltimore,” said Bernard Reeves, a second-year student at the west Baltimore campus.
According to the report, the second-year retention rate for Coppin increased 64 percent. For the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, it increased 68 percent, and retention increased 72 percent for Bowie State University.
Student retention numbers also increased for the University of Baltimore, University of Maryland Baltimore County and Towson University.
Coppin administrators said they’ve been targeting first-year students with summer and mentoring programs. Read more
North Carolina Central University (NCCU) announces a grant of $1.5 million from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation for science and math student scholarships and program enhancements. The grant will assist NCCU in its efforts to increase the number of women and minority students who graduate with a STEM (science, technology, engineering or mathematics) degree and pursue STEM careers.
The funding will underwrite scholarship support for four years for 40 STEM majors, along with student and faculty support services. Students will be assigned peer, faculty and professional mentors according to their goals and interests. They will take part in a learning community, live together in dedicated residential space and obtain professional internship experiences each summer. The grant will help to fund a new staff person to coordinate this program and recruit professionals to serve as mentors and provide internships.
“The intention is to surround these students with faculty and staff who demonstrate a passion and commitment to science education that will help carry them through these challenging programs,” said Chancellor Charlie Nelms. “We are so grateful to the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation for enabling us to differentiate and enhance our STEM programming in a way that benefits our students and faculty.”
Marilyn Foote-Hudson, executive director of the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation said, “At the NC GSK Foundation, we have a long history of furthering science education. We are especially proud that this funding will encourage women and minorities to successfully pursue STEM studies and careers.”
In addition to the recent award of $1.5 million to develop and implement a multi-year educational program to support STEM majors, NCCU has received the following grants from the NC GSK Foundation: read full
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — As the board of trustees at Alabama A&M University cycles through changes in membership, one new member said keeping students foremost in mind is critical.
Richard Reynolds, director of Huntsville Achievement School, has been confirmed by the state Senate to replace Tom Bell, who resigned earlier this year. Bell was one of two trustees on the board representing the 5th Congressional District, which includes Huntsville.
“The ultimate goal (for trustees) is not just about administration,” Reynolds said. “The ultimate goal and mission of Alabama A&M should be helping every student find their potential and reach their dreams.
“Therefore, that’s what my goal would be as a trustee – to create an atmosphere for success at Alabama A&M for every student.”
Two other trustees have been confirmed by the Senate during this legislative session. Velma Tribue of Dothan was appointed to the board by former Gov. Bob Riley in 2003 and will begin serving her second full term.
John Hudson III of Birmingham, who has an undergraduate degree from A&M, has been confirmed to fill the vacancy created by the resignation last year of Raymond Burse. Hudson is vice president for public relations at Alabama Power.
The status of trustee Lucien Blankenship of Birmingham appears to be in doubt. While he was one of three nominees for an at-large seat, Blankenship’s name was not selected to be sent to the Senate for confirmation. Bernice Richardson of Huntsville, a retired Alabama A&M professor, was Gov. Robert Bentley’s choice.
However, Richardson’s name was introduced to the Senate on Feb. 28, and no action has been taken.
In the 3rd Congressional District, incumbent James Montgomery of Anniston was not nominated for a second term, and no candidate to replace him has been introduced before the Senate for confirmation.
Blankenship and Montgomery will continue to serve until replacements are confirmed.
Reynolds earned a master’s degree from Alabama A&M and said his work at Huntsville Achievement School gives him a unique perspective as a trustee. Huntsville Achievement School is a private school that works with students with dyslexia, high-functioning autism, Asperger’s, ADD, ADHD and at-risk students.
The school has about 25 students, Reynolds said.
“A lot of these students, with just a little help, can be great success stories,” he said.
He also said Alabama A&M has a bright future. Read Full
Middle Tennessee State University broke ground Thursday on its long-awaited $147 million Science Building, a project that will help the institution produce more college graduates ready for emerging high-tech jobs.
The turn of the shovels also was the official construction launch for the building, which is aiming for a spring 2015 opening date.
Gov. Bill Haslam said the building will help address the state’s need for more college graduates, especially in STEM areas—science, technology, engineering and math.
“Graduates with STEM degrees are vital to our state’s ability to thrive and compete in the 21st century economy,” Haslam said during the ceremony. “With more space to train in these areas, this building will help us toward our goal of increasing STEM graduates.”
The governor included almost $127 million for construction of the Science Building in his 2012-13 state budget, which passed both chambers of the General Assembly late Monday. About $20 million has been spent to prepare for the facility.
“It is fitting that we celebrate the end of the University’s yearlong Centennial observance with this investment toward its second century of service,” Haslam added.
Middle Tennessee State Normal School opened in 1911 to educate Tennessee’s teachers. Its focus has expanded with enrollment, course offerings, buildings and acreage in the century since then, but the University’s science facilities have not kept pace. Read Full
5/4/2012 2:17:00 AM
Day 1 ResultsGREENSBORO, N.C. (May 3, 2012)–The 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) men’s and women’s outdoor track and field championships got underway Thursday at the Irwin Belk Track on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University.Last season the Morgan State men’s team made one of the program’s greatest turn-around, as they finished second after placing last (11th) at the 2010 championships.
The Bears currently rank third after two events with 13 points, just three points behind MEAC newcomer North Carolina Central, who sits in second-place with 16 points. Norfolk State is in first with 19.50 points.
Emmanuel Stewart was unable to defend his title from last year in the discus, as he placed second with a toss of (164-00 ft.). Simpson Penn placed fourth in the high jump with a jump of 6-08.75.
Trey Charles was the lone Bear out of three to make it out of the preliminaries of the 400 meter hurdles. Charles, who won his Heat, ran a qualifying time of 53.26 to advance to the finals.
Last year senior Calvin Dascent captured gold in the 200 meter dash, unfortunately that will not be the case this season. Dascent placed third in his heat on Thursday with a time of 21.21 and did not qualify for the finals.
On the women’s side, the Lady Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore tallied 19 points to take the lead heading into day two action. The defending MEAC women’s outdoor track and field champion Hampton Lady Pirates, were second with 18 points and Morgan State follows in third with 17.50 points.
Monae Waller captured the first gold medal of the day with a 1.75m leap in the high jump, while Angela Bursey placed sixth in the discus throw with a toss of 127-01.
Britney Wattley and Teyanna Green advanced out of the preliminaries of the 200 meter dash. Wattley, who won her Heat in a time of 23.88 and Green, who finished with a time of 23.95 will compete in the finals on Saturday.
Read full
At 81, Toni Morrison, who’s won the Nobel Prize for her novels about the sorrows and joys of African-American life, has a new book and a new hip.
Her 10th novel, Home (Knopf, $24), released Tuesday, features an angry and troubled black Korean Warveteran in the 1950s. It’s set mostly in Georgia, where Morrison has never lived. But it’s brought her from her home in New York back to Ohio, where she was born and raised.
In an interview during a three-day visit to Oberlin College, she says that despite a hip replacement, her back is “problematic.” Her diagnosis: “Two little discs seem to be engaged or something.” She gets around by wheelchair or supported on the arms of others.
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PHOTOS: Toni Morrison’s 10 novels
Her dreadlocked hair, tucked under a scarf, is gray, almost silver. But her voice remains strong. At Oberlin, where she previewed Home in March, Morrison has unconventional advice for the adoring and cheering students who fill all 1,200 seats in the college chapel:
“People say to write about what you know,” she says. “I’m here to tell you, no one wants to read that, ’cause you don’t know anything.”
Her own family was “poor,” she says, “but we were never degraded.” Her dad, who assumed “all whites were unredeemable,” worked as a welder, among other jobs. Her mother, “the most non-racist person I knew,” worked as a restroom attendant “so she could send me $5 a week when I was at Howard. Back then, that made a difference.”
Morrison, who worked as an editor at Random Housefrom 1967 to 1983, says she has followed her own advice to write about what you don’t know: “I write to find out something. I write with questions in mind. ‘What would it feel like if …’ Or, ‘What would happen if…’ ”
The plots are simple to construct, she says. “The characters are complex.” She says they talk to her, like ghosts: “On a good day, they shut up and let me work.”
In Home, told from multiple viewpoints, she does something she’s never done before.
Her main character, Frank “Smart” Money, who harbors a terrible secret from Korea, talks back to the author, challenging what she knows and doesn’t.
Money is summoned home to Georgia, to a “no-count, not-even-a-town place,” to save his naive sister, Cee, who’s been abused by a white doctor. That part of her plot was inspired by Harriet Washington’s 2007 book, Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans From Colonial Times to the Present.
Morrison’s novels, which often blend reality and myth, arise from her imagination and research. They are not autobiographical. One book she won’t write is a memoir. She’s canceled plans to do so after deciding, “A) I don’t remember everything anymore, and B) as a subject to write about, I’m not that interesting to myself. I’m more interested in my imagination. Fiction is my place.”
On Lorain, Obama, Oprah
That doesn’t surprise Carolyn Denard, a dean at Emory University in Atlanta and president of the Toni Morrison Society, a group of 600 scholars and fans. “She has been so generous with her life story in appearances and in countless interviews,” Denard says. “And she has now written 10 novels. She has always told me that everything we need to know about her is there — in the works.”
Morrison doesn’t discuss her 1964 divorce from Harold Morrison, a Jamaican architect she met at Howard. (As a single mother, she raised two sons. Ford, 50, is an architect in Princeton, N.J., where his mother used to teach. Slade was an artist and illustrator, who collaborated with his mother on several children’s books and died in 2010 at 45 from pancreatic cancer.)
But in an interview, on a variety of topics, she’s funny and biting:
•Growing up in Lorain: “All those immigrants. I thought it was typical. It helped me feel comfortable in the world at large. There wasn’t a ghetto sensibility.”
•Her mother: “Whenever a new place or store would open in Lorain, she would go just to check it out and see how we were treated. When the Dreamland movie theater opened, all the black kids sat on the left side. My mother deliberately made us sit on the right side. I was furious because my friends were on the other side. But my mother wanted to make a point.”
•President Obama: “As good as it gets … I think what drives some of his critics is not that he’s black, but that he’s such a smart, articulate black … and that causes all this vulgarity about his birth certificate or the Muslim thing.” She’s “thrilled” that she’s one of 13 recipients of this year’s Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor, and is eager to meet Obama for the first time at a White House ceremony to be scheduled soon.
•E-books: She likes reading books on her iPad — to a degree. She recently found that Hilary Mantel’s 2009 novel, Wolf Hall, set in Henry VIII’s England, “was so good, I had to go buy the book book, or whatever it’s called now. When I like a book, I want to add my notes. Exclamation points! And questions marks! I want to corrupt it with my responses.”
•Her friendship with Winfrey: “I adore her. She sends me flowers every year on my birthday. She did what they said was impossible: She used TV to get people to read books.” (Morrison says Winfrey’s embrace of three of her novels, Song of Solomon, Paradise and Sula, did more for her sales than the Nobel Prize ever did.)
But no, Morrison hasn’t urged Winfrey to revive her televised book club. “We stay friends because I don’t ask her for anything. Everyone else does.” (Winfrey likes to say that when she told Morrison she often has to reread parts of her novels to understand them, Morrison replied, “That, my dear, is reading.”)
•Home as a place: These days, it’s mostly Morrison’s riverfront house in Grand View-on-Hudson, N.Y., which lives up to its name, 20 miles north of Manhattan on the west bank of the Hudson. “I love the river. As a girl, I loved Lake Erie. There’s something about water.”
•Home, her new novel, set in the ’50s: “I wanted to rip the scab off that period. There’s all this Leave It to Beaver nostalgia. That it was all comfortable and happy and everyone had a job. Oh, please. There was violent racism. There was (Joe) McCarthy. There was this horrible war we didn’t call a war, where 58,000 people died.”
•The length of her new novel (just 147 pages): “Some reviewers say it’s too short. They used to say my novels were too long. Someone called it a novella. What’s the ella? It’s a novel. The better I can do with less is more.” Read Full
Hard times for the SWAC?
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The Southwestern Athletic Conference has given the NFL Jerry Rice, the league’s all-time reception leader; Walter Payton, the No. 2 all-time rushing leader; Michael Strahan, the league’ single-season sack champion and Doug Williams, MVP of Super Bowl XXII. In three of the past four NFL drafts, the SWAC has given the league nothing.
Zero. Zilch. Nada. Bupkiss.
Have the SWAC and HBCUs lost their swagger? To get a handle on this, consider that Alabama had four players drafted in the first round this year, a number equal to players from Historically Black Colleges and Universities taken in the last two years – all four coming from the Mideastern Athletic Conference. The only player taken this year was Christian Thompson, a safety from South Carolina State selected in the fourth round by the Baltimore Ravens. Since 2005, only five SWAC players have been drafted.
The landscape of college football has changed so dramatically, it would appear to be unfair to today’s SWAC athletes to compare their situation to those of players three decades ago. Hampering contemporary players is too many options to play. There was a great concentration of talent in the old SWAC. Now kids who didn’t go to power conference Division I programs are going to other FCS schools or strong Division II programs and the draft has been truncated from 20 rounds in 1965 to seven, a format the NFL has used for several years.
Still the lack of draftees is staggering.
“It’s not like great players have stopped coming out of the SWAC, so it is a surprise to me,” said Michael Strahan, formerly of Texas Southern and now a FOX Sports analyst. “I know there are only seven rounds and maybe the guys were picked in later rounds before. I am stunned by that. One person out of seven rounds and 32 teams that is amazing to me.”
Strahan always sought out HBCU players when he played for the Giants. He’d look for a Donald Driver (Alcorn State) and Lewis Tillman (Jackson State) was already in New York when he got there. And then there was the pregame ritual that kept him grounded.
“I would pick up the Game Day magazine and look down the rosters and see where they went to school,” Strahan said. “I wanted to see if there was a guy from the SWAC or a black college and make sure I would look for him after the game and say hi.
“I know when I came out and was a second round pick they said, ‘Well I’m not sure about the competition he played against. I thought by now that would be an obsolete observation. That doesn’t make any sense because if you’re a good football player, you’re a good football player. It doesn’t matter what school you come out of.”
Unfortunately, for HBCU players, Doug Williams begs to differ.
“A lot of NFL scouts come with a negative mentality,” said Williams, now head coach at Grambling. “They come in thinking there’s no players there. They will grade the school instead of the player. They’ll think, ‘There’s nobody [worth drafting] at Grambling, or Jackson State or Southern. I’m not saying all scouts are like that. But I know there are some.”
Even in the heyday of the SWAC, when a kid was drafted he was considered a project. Their coaching and individual techniques dismissed as they more times than not were drafted on pure physical attributes. The most common term used in evaluations was “raw.”
“You hear you’re raw, you’re raw, you’re raw,” Strahan said. “But how many of those so called polished players turned out to be horrible football players? I think it’s about the heart of the guy and about the commitment of the player. I don’t know. Maybe the scouts are lazy now. Read Full
Thieves ordered some Spelman College students and their friends to strip down to their underwear and jump into a pond during an
The incident happened at about 2 a.m. at Dean Rusk Park, just west of the southwest Atlanta campus near downtown.The victims, three females and two males, told police that the robbers were holding hands and walking behind them at the park. When the robbers got closer, they dropped their hands and pulled out guns.”They told them to remove their clothes and (the robbers) left with their clothes,” Atlanta Police
They have not indicated why the victims were at the park after hours. None of them were hurt. Read More