[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuZImOM580A&w=610&h=443]
Currently the reigning SIAC Player of the Year and the conference’s leading rebounder thus far this season (9.8 rpg), Thomas had her first child at the age of 20. The full-time Early Childhood Education student and security screener at the Birmingham Airport is a single mom to not only her 4-year-old son, Glen, but to Sa’Naiya as well, who turned three on February 4th.
How does she balance these core responsibilities? Creating new life caused her non-stop schedule and is now what influences her to keep it up.
“If I didn’t have kids, I would never work, play ball, and be a full-time student,” Thomas said. However she also states, “My kids are happy and I never wake up and hate what I do.”
Waking up at 7:00 a.m., getting Glen, or “Lil’ G”, to pre-school, and trying to find a sitter for Sa’Naiya before her 10:00 a.m. class is now routine. She feels motherhood influenced her new world views, from campus life to her teammates.
Despite being a Birmingham, AL native, initially stepping foot on Miles’ campus was a bit of a culture shock for Thomas, who played at Rutgers University prior to joining the Lady Golden Bears as a junior. She compared the culture of the two schools as students who seemed focused on education and not necessarily their dress versus students who seemed to make their daily fashion a priority– Miles representing the latter.
“What are their intentions?” she remembers thinking. As a mother, she couldn’t grasp the message of their dress code, at least not at first. “But since I’ve been here, I’ve learned that the kids are really smart…You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
Thomas experienced differences athletically too. She’d learn to play a more well-rounded game rather than trying to beef up a single statistical category.
“I prefer to be statistically even,” she said, “[Miles] wanted me to dominate offensively, but I’ve been taught to do what you can across the board.” She also mentioned the level of knowledge differed as she expected players to execute fundamental moves, like setting screens or boxing out, without explicitly being instructed to do so.
“At first, I didn’t talk to nobody on my team,” she said it seemed her team thought she was arrogant as the new 6’2’’ forward coming from a major Division I program. “Now, they know what type of person I am, so they look up to me.” And while she’s out on the court, two little babies are also looking up to her.
Thomas sets positive examples for her children to follow. Glen loves sports and Sa’Naiya imitates everything her mom does. “I try to do stuff for them to remember that’s positive, both in performance and the way I carry myself during games,” she said. Displaying upbeat and encouraging images for her children is because she feels she can’t tell them to do something if she didn’t. “I can’t tell them to finish school if I don’t do it,” she said as she recalled her experiences with her own mother. “My mom couldn’t help me with the recruiting process, she was just happy that I got the opportunity. I want to be able to give my children insight about college.”
Her two bundles also taught her that you can’t always take advantage of things. She describes being around her teammates, who are mostly in their early 20’s, as a way to relive that age. “I was a mom of two when I was their age, so there are certain things they do that I don’t understand and can’t see myself doing,” but on the other hand she finished with, “God does everything for a reason. My early 20’s were taken away, but I still get to see them (teammates) live through them.”
Thomas’ name is prominent among the SIAC’s statistical leaders again this season, maintaining her “statistically even” teachings. In addition to leading the conference in rebounds, she ranks fourth in the SIAC in blocks (2.2 bpg), ninth in scoring (12.4 ppg), eleventh in assists (2.4 apg), and sixth in free throw percentage (.754). She also ranks seventh in offensive rebounds, averaging 2.8 per contest, while averaging a league-leading 6.9 defensive rebounds per game. Thomas, who was named SIAC Player of the Week three times as a junior, has received the same honor twice this season.
“I’d like for us to win the SIAC Championship game and repeat my player of the year award,” she said, expressing her season-ending goals. After playing since the seventh grade, she will exit the court this year. She’s always wanted to teach and coaching could possibly segue into it. Until then, she continues to tackle responsibilities in every facet of her life, especially maternally.
“Do not let your circumstances stop you from doing whatever it is that you want to do in life,” she said of single motherhood. Besides, Glen and Sa’Naiya didn’t prevent Thomas’ from finishing school or even playing basketball, they facilitated her successes
Isaiah Canaan had 31 points and six rebounds for Murray State (23-1, 11-1 Ohio Valley Conference), which was the last unbeaten team in Division I.
Murray State has won the last eight meetings against Tennessee State (16-10, 9-4) dating to 2008-09.
Covington hit a 3-pointer with 4 minutes left that gave Tennessee State a 65-62 lead.
The Tigers led 69-68 when a turnover gave Murray State the ball with 11.2 seconds to play. Tennessee State stole the inbounds pass. Covington was fouled with 9.7 seconds left but he missed both free throws.
Canaan turned the ball over and committed a foul with 3.5 seconds to play. Kenny Mooremade two free throws to make it a three-point lead.
Murray State again turned the ball over on a long inbounds pass and Jordan Cyphers made one of two free throws to seal the upset.
Courtesy of ESPN
Pretty typical, except that Roberts is one of the few whites who attend one of the nation’s traditionally black colleges. “When I tell people I attend Benedict, they comment, ’Well, you’re not black,”’ Roberts said. “But it’s still a school, I’m still getting an education. You don’t have to be black to attend.”
Officials for the nation’s historically black schools say Roberts’ experience is not that unusual. White students are being actively recruited, and attracting them has become easier for a variety of reasons, including the offer of scholarships and lower tuitions than those paid at non-black schools.
Private, historically black schools cost an average of $10,000 less per year than their traditionally white counterparts, according to the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education.
‘Increasingly black and brown world’ The head of the association says lower costs are not the only thing the schools have to offer. Whites who attend the schools are preparing for an “increasingly black and brown world,” said Lezli Baskerville, the association’s president and CEO.
“If you want to know how to live in one, you can’t grow up in an all-white neighborhood, go to a predominantly white school, white cultural and social events, go to a predominantly white university and then thrive in a world that is today more black, more brown than before,” Baskerville said.
White students say they’ve taken valuable experiences from their time at black colleges. Skin color, the students say, is much more of a factor away from the campuses than it is on them.
“You should get to know people based on who they are,” Roberts said. “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”
Read more at MSNBC
Evers-Williams is a native of Vicksburg, Mississippi. She enrolled at Alcorn State in 1950. On the first day there she met her future husband, Medgar Evers. The couple married a year later. Medgar became the Mississippi state field director of the NAACP and was one of the leaders of the civil rights movement in the South. In 1963, he was gunned down by an assassin in the driveway of his home.
Myrlie Evers-Williams fought for 30 years and went through three trials to finally bring her husband’s murderer to justice. During this period she earned a bachelor’s degree at Pomona College in California, twice ran for Congress, and was co-founder of the National Women’s Political Caucus.
At Alcorn State, Evers-Williams will teach in the department of social sciences and develop a research center focused on social justice and civic engagement. She will also work on organizing her papers for donation to the university’s archives.
“My relationship with Alcorn State University is at the core of who I am,” Evers-Williams said. “I met and married my husband on the Alcorn campus. It means so much to me now to be able to continue our work.”
Courtesy of JBHE
Studdard, who earned fame by winning the second season of American Idol, and Holliday, who has won Grammy and Tony Awards for her work in the stage play Dreamgirls, will sing pregame anthems that will be carried live on MLB.com and MLB Network.
Studdard, who attended Alabama A&M, will sing the national anthem before the 4 p.m. ET game between UC-Irvine and Alabama State. Holliday will perform “America the Beautiful” before the 8 p.m. ET game between her alma mater, Texas Southern, and Prairie View A&M.
Major League Baseball and the Astros will also host a “battle of the bands” between Texas Southern’s “Ocean of Soul” and Prairie View A&M’s “Marching Storm” at 7 p.m. ET.
The Urban Invitational will be held in Houston for the first time this year, and it will begin and conclude at the Urban Youth Academy’s facility at Sylvester Turner Park from Feb. 17-19. Grambling State and Southern will be the other two schools featured in the tourney.
Access to games at Sylvester Turner Park will be available on game day for a suggested $5 donation, and tickets to the events at Minute Maid Park will be made available to the general public for $5. Parking at Minute Maid Park is also available for $5.
All proceeds from donations at the Academy will benefit the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Foundation, a not-for-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation. There are also Urban Youth Academy facilities in Puerto Rico and Compton, Calif., with another expected to open soon in New Orleans.
Courtesy of MLB
After failing to convert on an alley oop at the buzzer Monday night, the Grambling State (3-18, 3-8 SWAC) Tigers dropped their third straight game in a 57-55 loss to Alcorn State (7-16, 4-7 SWAC), despite getting double-digits from three players other than Quincy Roberts.
GSU has been on a swoon recently. The Tigers lost their first of three games on Jan, 28. In a matchup against Mississippi Valley, the Tigers shot 36.8 percent and were out rebounded by 12 as they suffered a 77-59 loss at Harrison Complex in Itta Bena, MS.
That gamed was followed by the inaugural Bayou Classic on the Hardwood, where the Jaguars erased a 16 point first half deficit and Jameel Grace scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half for Southern to defeat Grambling State 57-53 in the Hobdy Arena.
The teams in the SWAC have been more intense on the defensive end to slow down Roberts and their strategy has been quite successful. In the first half of SWAC play Roberts averaged 27 points, but in the midst of the losing streak Roberts’ average has dropped 10 points.
Roberts, SWACs leading scorer, stated, “In the first half they played me man to man, so I was able to get to my own shot and create, but in the second half they played more of a face guard zone so it’s was really hard to get my shot off.”
Roberts scored 28 points against Southern on Saturday night, 21 coming in the first half and only eight in the second. His shooting slump carried over in the Tigers ensuing game as he tallied only one point in the first half and finished with nine, his career low since joining the SWAC.
Coach Washington stressed that although the team consisted of six walk ons and four scholarship players someone needs to step up and help Roberts out.
“The word is out that Quincy Roberts is the best player in the SWAC, everybody knows it,” said coach Washington. “It’s no secret. They are running two or three guys at him and they’re saying you know what don’t let him beat us because no one else on the floor can beat us.”
He also said that they are certain things that need to be done in order to be an integral part of men’s basketball and one of those things is a to get a bigger budget for recruiting. He feels that more funding will result in possible solutions in overcoming their offensive obstacles. Even with six walk ons and four scholarships, Washington said his team competes all game but continue to give games away.
The Tigers’ next game will be on Feb. 11, against Texas Southern in the P.E & Health Center and a number to take note of is seven. Last time these two teams battled the Tigers gave up seven points late in the game and TSU rallied for a victory. The rematch tips off at 4 p.m.
“Hazing is one issue that many colleges and universities face; yet, it presents a serious challenge to uncover and address as a hidden culture, shrouded in secrecy,” said Ammons. “I want our faculty members to be leaders in finding solutions and creating a body of work as FAMU becomes a part of this national discussion on hazing.”
The announcement of the research project comes on the same day the FAMU
Board of Trustees announced the appointment of the FAMU Anti-Hazing
Committee, an independent committee tasked with providing recommendations on determining the most effective and indelible approach to end hazing on campus. Both the Committee and grants are part of FAMU’s overall efforts — both immediate and long-term — to eliminate hazing.
The “FAMU Anti-Hazing Research Initiative with a “Focus on Evidence-Based Measures” will offer small grants for faculty to conduct collaborative research across disciplines to study the nature and extent of hazing behaviors among campus organizations and groups. This anti-hazing research initiative will serve as a mechanism to stimulate additional FAMU participation in research to help better understand hazing at FAMU and around the nation that will lead to the development of strategies to eradicate hazing from our midst. The specific focus areas of this initiative:
1. Promote interdisciplinary approaches to study the nature and extent of hazing behaviors among student organizations, unofficial sub-groups and off-campus entities;
2. Develop strategies that offer alternatives to hazing and promote respect and dignity;
3. Develop novel approaches to eliminating the fear of retribution and encourage unencumbered reporting when hazing incidents occur to include administrative structure, alignment and reporting; and
4. Identify effective education, training, communication, and awareness mechanisms for existing students, faculty, staff and alumni as well as new entrants into the university community.
“As academicians across this country engage in research in this area, we want to ensure that FAMU is represented in a very significant way among these scholars,” said Ammons. “We view this as seed money for faculty to be involved into the greater pool of resources available to address this issue.”
Quality begins on the inside… and then works its way out. ~Bob Moawad
Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLOs) were created for a purpose. The push behind why anything was ever done, created, or exists was due to individuals with a focused and prepared mind. The respective organizations that make up Divine 9 were created to serve the communtiy and to advocate equality, civil rights, political activism, all for the betterment of the African American community. But in today’s times, we are seeing more and more young men and women join organizations and then change. Change into something different, something completely different from the person they were before Greek Life.
Do those 3 Greek letters define you, or do you define the letters?
Does the popularity which comes with crossing blur the bigger picture, and encourage those with no self identity to be caught up in the hype and not the purpose? I worry about those who are now interested or wish to one day become Greek. Do people who aspire to become Greek know who they are? Or are they attracted to the glamour of being Greek?
What exactly pushes those who want to join to actually be Greek? Is it to serve a greater purpose, or to shimmy like the Kappas and stomp like the Deltas, because it’s the “thing” to do? Joining an organization such as the ones in the Divine 9 does provide opportunities that are once in a lifetime. However, if you have clear reason of what you’re doing or why you’re doing it, then why do it at all? There is a lot of work that goes into being Greek.
Everyone needs a clear understanding of who they are, if not you are cheating yourself. Try to be fully aware of how every single thing that you do, thought that you think, and feeling that you sometimes feel, affects your life and shapes your destiny.
Take a step back, and understand the responsibilit of being Greek. It will no longer be about you. Joining any organization of any kind requires responsibility, maturity, selflessness, and a undying love that no one can take away.
So when joining a BGLO, don’t get so caught up on who knows you but get caught up in how many lives you actually touch and impact. If you don’t have an understanding of who you are then, maybe you should think twice about joining a Greek letter organization, until you can actually answer the question: who are you?
Packwood is a graphic design major from Orlando, Florida. She plans on a career in animation. At Howard, she serves on the executive board of the Japanese Culture Club.
Burton is a biology major from St. Louis, Missouri. He plans to become a transplant surgeon. At Howard, he is the vice president of programming for the Phi Delta Epsilon International Medical Fraternity.
Courtesy of JBHE
A jury trial has been scheduled next month for 27-year-old Charles McCornell, a Central State University student charged with inducing panic and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.
The Dayton Daily News reported Thursday that McCornell remained in Greene County Jail on $10,000 bond following his arraignment a day earlier.
The paper quotes an incident report from the university’s Department of Public Safety that says McCornell had become frustrated while trying to schedule a meeting with professors to discuss a disputed grade.
The report says McCornell threatened to “pull a Virginia Tech.” Jail records don’t list an attorney for McCornell.
Information from: Dayton Daily News
Ciara Boderick, a senior at Johnson C. Smith University, whose mission has been to surpass the impossible, has taken on a new journey towards building and shaping the future for young ladies. Known around campus as the creator and Founder of Blank Canvas Magazine, an on campus publication that showcases the talent of art and expression from the students of JCSU, has created an outreach organization entitled Sistah2sistah. 
The organization’s focus is to help enrich the young female mind into understanding their full potential and positive outlook on life. The program has been quite a success garnishing more college women to join the movement.
Recently Ciara has established a weekly visit to the Bruns Ave. to dedicate time and effort toward being big sisters and mentors to these little princesses. Her huge contribution has allowed her to see many young girls become better students, better friends, and better selves.
The sistah2sistah movement has swept the campus of Johnson C. Smith University with over 30 women vowing time to go to these elementary schools to help empower these wonderful little girls that will one day help the nation.
“I take pride and dignity in helping my young girls see a better future, and if I just see one girl become that beautiful princess she is destined to be, I am fulfilled,” said Ciara, who was joyously smiling and in awe of what amazing things were to come for her little women as she would call them.
As the movement continues to strive, Ciara wants the dedication to continue on as she gears up for graduation this upcoming May. Imagine smiles, laughter, music, games, lessons, friendships, these are what these little girls or as stand corrected Princesses feel and hold on to with this organization.
“seeing my princesses inspires me to continue to be better and do better, I take what I see from them and help myself so I can help them,” explained Ciara as she headed out the door towards the car to journey off to yet another visit to Bruns Ave.
The futures of these little girls are so bright and sistah2sistah is there to open up the blinds and let the light shine. Ciara Boderick, woman of a calling and woman of excellence.
Lewis was a Wall Street financier who, through a number of shrewd business moves, became one of the nation’s richest businessmen and a major force in the world of corporate-takeover deals in the 1980s and 1990s.
A lawyer who was raised in Baltimore, Lewis gained attention in the business world in 1987, with his $1 billion acquisition of the international operations of the Beatrice Companies, a food company. With that acquisition, he formed his own company, TLC Beatrice International, and amassed personal assets of $400 million, according to Fortune magazine.
Additionally, the formation of TLC — which stood for The Lewis Company — led it to become the largest company in the United States that was run by an African-American executive.
Lewis was born in 1942 and raised in a middle-class family in Baltimore; his father was a postal worker and his mother a teacher. He often told the story of how he began in business by selling newspapers when he was 9 years old, a job that allowed him to earn about $20 a week, he said. He added that he saved $18 of that.
He was a graduate of Virginia State University and Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1969. He then joined the New York City law firm of Paul Weiss Rifkin Wharton & Garrison. Within a few years, he opened his own law firm, Lewis & Clarkson, which specialized in venture capital projects.
Overall, he had a flourishing business career that resulted from two significant business deals. The first was in 1983, with Lewis’s purchase of the McCall Pattern Company. He made headlines by using $1 million he saved from his work as a corporate lawyer to lead a $34 million leveraged buyout of McCall, a small dress-pattern company.
Lewis sold the company four years after he bought it, selling it to the John Crowther Group of Britain for $63 million in cash. He made a personal profit of $50 million from that deal.
What came after that was the deal that cemented his place as a major Wall Street financier. The Beatrice Companies placed for sale its international operations, which included a collection of 64 companies operating in 31 countries, ranging from a sausage producer in Spain to an ice cream maker in Germany. Lewis, with the assistance of the firm Drexel Burnham Lambert, put together the financing to buy the operations for $985 million in 1987.
“I’m very proud of the accomplishments of African-Americans,” Lewis once said in an interview shortly after he purchased Beatrice. “And I’m delighted that people feel this accomplishment adds to that list. But to dwell on race — to see that as something that becomes part of my persona — is a mistake, and I do everything I can to discourage it.”
He lived a lavish life, with homes in Paris, Long Island and Manhattan. He shuttled from between the United States and Europe on his own jet. But he was also a generous philanthropist, contributing vast sums to a number of institutions and organizations, including the NAACP and Virginia State and Howard Universities. In his adopted hometown of New York City, he also gave large contributions to the Abyssinian Baptist Church and the scholarship foundation of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, of which he was a member.
Lewis died in 1993 of a cerebral hemorrhage related to his having brain cancer. He was 50 years old.
Courtesy of BET
• Stephen Craig Robinson (Chairman) – Former U.S. District Court Judge and current partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom;
• Dr. Na’im Akbar – Clinical Psychologist and Former President, National Association of Black Psychologists;
• Dr. Elizabeth Allan – Professor, University of Maine and Co-Director, The National Collaborative for Hazing Research and Prevention;
• Dr. Michael V. Bowie – Executive Director of Florida Fund for Minority Teachers & former national president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council;
• David Brewer – Former Vice Admiral of the United States Navy and Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District;
• Dr. Mary Madden – Professor, University of Maine & Co-Director, The National Collaborative for Hazing Research and Prevention;
• David Starnes – Band Director and Professor of Music at Western Carolina University.
“To put us in the best position to permanently stop hazing at FAMU, we feel it is important to bring in many of the most respected minds on the subject and ensure that we are addressing this destructive issue from all sides,” said Solomon Badger, FAMU Board Chairman. Trustee Belinda Shannon led the FAMU Anti-Hazing Committee initiative on the board’s behalf.
“We are extremely grateful that these distinguished individuals have chosen to work with FAMU to help us find solutions to a problem that has persisted for far too long, both at the college and even high school level.”
The committee will be asked to examine the following issues:
• Hazing at other universities and how has it been handled?
• Getting students to resist hazing; what has worked?
• How do we best govern the Marching “100” and its activities?
The committee’s work will result in findings and recommendations to be presented to the FAMU Board of Trustees for consideration and approval. The FAMU Anti-Hazing Committee is part of the University’s comprehensive plan to end hazing at FAMU and was approved by the Board of Trustees during its January 2 session.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smEqnnklfYs&w=610&h=443]
Eichelberger earns his third weekly honor this season this season after averaging 22.3 points and 13 rebounds in three games, including finishing with 21 points and 16 rebounds in a win against Fort Valley State. The 6-foot-5 forward from Detroit, MI also averaged 1.7 assists and one steal while helping lead the Golden Tigers to a 2-1 record for the week which also included a win over conference-foe Paine. Averaging 17.5 points and 9.4 rebounds this season, Eichelberger currently ranks second in the SIAC in both scoring and rebounding, including a conference-leading 3.9 offensive rebounds, while ranking fourth with a .531 shooting percentage from the field. Eichelberger and the Golden Tigers are currently in first place in the SIAC with an 11-5 record.
Eubanks, a native of Tuscaloosa, AL, had a big week for the first-place Lady Tigers, averaging 20.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in three games. The 5-foot-10 forward also averaged four steals and 1.7 assists for the week, helping lead Stillman to a 2-1 record for the week with victories over Benedict and Albany State, moving the Lady Tigers to 12-3 in conference play. Eubanks is currently averaging 14.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game on the season which ranks seventh and fifth in the SIAC, respectively.
Wherry, a guard from Huntsville, AL, averaged 13.7 points and 3.7 assists in three games. The 5-foot-9 Prairie View A&M University transfer also averaged 2.3 steals and two rebounds while helping the Tigers to a 3-0 record for the week with wins over Benedict, Fort Valley State, and Albany State to extend their current winning streak to five.
Darrett, a forward from Evansville, IN, nearly averaged a double-double with 9.5 points and nine rebounds in two games, earning his second weekly honor this season. The 6-foot-7 Vincennes University transfer also averaged 1.5 blocks and one steal while dishing out three assists per contest, helping lead the Thorobreds to a 2-0 record for the week with victories over LeMoyne-Owen and Miles. Darrett is currently averaging 1.9 blocks per game, which ranks second in the SIAC.
Lloyd, a guard from Ribbons, IL, averaged 12 points and three rebounds in two games. The 5-foot-6 Moraine Valley Community College transfer also averaged 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals on the week.
