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Vol 67 | Number 12 THE TSU HERALD | March 24, 2015
CAMPUS NEWS page 3
STUDENTS LOOK FORWARD TO SPRING FEST 2015
LIFE & STYLE page 5
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH SPOTLIGHT: EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON
OPINION page 7
OUTRAGE SPREADS AFTER SAE FRATERNITY VIDEO
SPORTS page 7
SPORTS RUNDOWN
Second Straight NCAA Tournament Yields Same Results For Tigers
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Campus News Letter From The Editor
The five easiest trends to follow for Spring 2015
BY MECOLE’ HAYES Editor-in-Chief
Greetings Tigers, and welcome back to another semester, which I hope, will be prosperous for you all. Here at the TSU Herald, we are always looking for tools, techniques and personalities we think will motivate the student body to take a more active role with the publication. Within the past year, the circulation of our publication has seen a drastic increase in reader activity both online and on campus, and we couldn’t be more excited to know that students, faculty and alumni are enjoying the content we work tirelessly to keep updated and engaging. As I enter my final semester here at Texas Southern University,
I can’t help but to reflect on the two terms that I have served as your Editor-in-Chief. During my first term, my focus was to engage students by allowing them to speak vicariously through The TSU Herald and to contribute their ideas along with the ones of The TSU Herald staff, advisors and publication manager. I believe that in the past, a number of factors caused students to feel a disconnect with the publication and my focus was to bridge that gap. I wanted students to know that our publication cannot thrive without their support and participation and I sit here today, proud that many of those barriers have been knocked down. This year, my EDITORIAL STAFF staff and I focused on covering a wide The TSU Herald EDITOR-IN-CHIEF range of subjects, is MECOLE’ HAYES p u b l i s h e d b y t h e events and investigastudents of tive stories that stuManaging Editor Te xas Southern LENZI CAUSEY dents may otherwise, U n i v e r s i t y. Campus News Editor Opinions exhave no knowledge MARIEA BOYD p r e s s e d a r e t h o s e of. of the Sports Editor w r i t e r a n d d o The idea was to keep SIDNIE HOLMES not the content fresh, the n e c e s s a r i l y r e - layout engaging and flect those of the Opinion Editor a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . the circulation at an LINDSAY GARY T h e n e w s p a p e r i s all-time high. p r i n t e d b i w e e k l y, In closing, I would Life & Style except KENNETH WARE JR. d u r i n g h o l i d a y s like to thank my staff, and publication manager, Publications Manager e x a m i n a t i o n p e r i TIYOSHA TURNER advisors, and the ods. F o r a d d i t i o n a l student body for the Advisors i n f o r m a t i o n , c a l l support you all have SERBINO SANDIFER-WALKER ( 7 1 3 ) 3 1 3 - 6 7 1 0 . shown throughout my MICHAEL BERRYHILL terms. Had it not been for
you all, I have no idea how I would’ve found the courage to continue. To graduates of May 2015, I want to wish you all the best of luck with your future endeavors and join you as we collectively shout “Mama, I made it!” Best Regards,
Mecole’ Hayes Editor-in-Chief
Keep Voting! Help Texas Southern University win up to $50,000 for campus improvements! Vote daily until April 20th, 2015 http://retoolyourschool.com
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Campus News Students look forward to Spring Fest 2015 BY JORGE MOSCOZO Contributing Writer
Students gear up for a week full of events as UPC prepares for its annual Springfest Week to be held April 12th-18th. TSU will be enjoying some exciting activities this semester at an event like no other. While the festivities won’t start until the midweek of April, students can get an update on what will be occurring throughout the months of March and April. TSU senior and vice president of Event Services, Porcherria Johnson, discussed a few details about the event from the perspective of one of the organizers of Spring Fest. Titled “Welcome to the Fabulous TSU Spring Fest,” this year’s theme falls along the
lines of extravagant awards shows and capturing the essence of Las Vegas. “Last year’s didn’t go as planned because we had a couple of issues,” Johnson said. Those issues prevented the time flow of the activities, but Johnson and her team are making sure this upcoming Spring Fest will go as planned. In hopes of its truth, Johnson says that Spring Fest will “bring life to the university.” Not only does UPC plan to work and deliver that action, students are expecting great things once the festivities arrive. “New ideas made by new people [are
the basis for Spring Fest],” Johnson said. Those ideas will executed through the week’s events including the Tiger Choice Awards Show, Woodstock Festival, and a concert. The concert will have a performer, but according to Johnson’s staff, that information will not be disclosed until a later date. In addition to a concert, a fashion show will also take place in a “Vegas Strip” setting. Johnson thanks those who aided her in its planning making everything happen for Spring Fest; those new perspectives, mindsets and ideas are what fueled its organization.
Local news station solicits for negative images from recent university brawl BY ASHANTI HOWARD Contributing Writer
Texas Southern University Lady Tigers took on Baton Rouge’s Southern University ending with double forfeits and negative headlines. Tensions were high during the Southwestern Athletic Conference on Saturday, March 8th to end the women’s basketball regular-season title game to move forward in the SWAC tournament. With only 12:36 left in the quarter, a fight broke out between Southern and Texas Southern. Southern was leading 51-49 before officials ruled the game a double forfeit. It’s no secret TSU has been in the news for its athletic accomplishments and downfalls. Local Houston broadcast network ABC 13 took full advantage of the unfortunate event asking faculty and staff to provide footage for a story. Following the incident, the news outlet
tweeted, “An altercation broke out last night @ Southwestern Athletic Conference Did you snap photos, videos of the brawl, send them to news@ abc13.com.” ABC’s soliciting ads to the negative stereotypes of HBCUs, African Americans, and women in this particular case. This is the first time a news outlet has inquired information via social media from TSU. It’s very seldom that local news outlets cover positive issues in regard to the university both on and off campus. TSU offers over 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and produces nearly one-third of the black pharmacists practicing nationwide. Their request did not go over well with
SGA president Terrance Bolton. “I’ve noticed a trend. When something bad happens at the university, five minutes later it’s all over the internet and the news! People tend to flock to the negative because it’s more of a form of entertainment than reporting,” Bolton said. Nearly three weeks ago, TSU sent three busloads of students for TSU day at the capital. There was no media coverage over this event. Fox 26 tweeted about hundreds of Catholics heading to Austin for Catholic Advocacy Day. As students, we have to be mindful of keeping the university’s positive legacy and stop the reckless social media postings and negative spewing while discussing the university.
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Cover Story
Second straight NCAA tournament yields same results for Tigers BY TONY MONK Sports Writer
Photo Courtesy of: TSUBall.com For the second straight year the Texas Southern Tigers men’s basketball team found themselves in the NCAA tournament, but were denied yet again at the hands of a 93-72 defeat against the Arizona State Wildcats. Credit the Tigers for making another appearance in the NCAA tournament, after winning back-to-back titles in the Southwestern Athletic Championship games, with the latest win against Southern University in a 62-58 showdown. The win marked the second time in history the team would go to the tourney in back-to-back years since earning the nods in 1994 and 1995, and the third championship under head coach Mike Davis. With a record of 22-12 leading into the game, TSU found themselves as the 15th seed in the tournament going up against the Wildcats who were ranked as number two. Though they were underdogs going into the matchup, the Tigers weren’t counted out as Arizona needed to stay on their heels going against a team that had bested notable
schools like Michigan State ranked at no. 25 during the season, as well as Kansas State. And so the game commenced with the Tigers finding themselves in an early hole, as they missed seven of its first eight and 10 of 14 shots to start the game. The Wildcats would take advantage of their mistakes as they went up 15-2 within the first few minutes of the game. After managing to get the offense rolling, the Tigers were shooting 47.1 percent from the field in the first half due to the breakdown of Arizona’s defense, though it would not be enough as the Tigers were still trailing by 21 at the end of the half. The Tigers were led by SWAC player of the year Madarious Gibbs who added another 15 points to close out an amazing career, assisting him was Tonnie Collier who finished with 10 points after posting eight of those within the first seven minutes of play, the Tigers couldn’t match the high octane offense of the Wildcats as Arizona’s Rondae HollisJefferson and Stanley Johnson combine for 45
points. Though the score tells a different story, the Tigers were efficient once they got the ball rolling shooting 54.5 percent in the second half, their bench outscored the Arizona’s bench 23-9, but the Wildcats primary players was all it took to make the difference. Leading by double digits since the beginning of the first half the Wildcats never looked back forcing the Tigers to play catch up the rest of the way, taking the 93-72 victory. Despite the heartbreaking loss, head coach Mike Davis had high praise for the Tigers, telling TSU Athletics he was “proud of the team and the overall effort throughout the game” calling it a great season, also adding the Wildcats were “extremely athletic” playing very disciplined basketball. The Tigers men’s basketball team would finish the season on a 23-13 record and 16-2 in league play, expect them to be the front runners for a third SWAC Championship and another NCAA tourney invite.
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Life & Style Women’s History Month Spotlight: Congreswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson BY JABARI SHERMAN Contributing Writer
Eddie Bernice Johnson was born December 3, 1935 from Waco, Texas. A politician who served as a U.S. House of Representatives Johnson’s aspirations were in medicine she attended Saint Mary’s College where she received her diploma for nursing in 1956. Johnson attended Texas Christian University for her Bachelor’s degree in its nursing program, and later went on to get her MPA from Southern Methodist University in 1976. She was the first African American who served as Chief Psychiatric Nurse at the Dallas Veterans Administration Hospital where she served for 16 years before going into politics. In 1972, Johnson ran for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives. She not only became the first black woman to have this position but she is the first woman in Texas history to lead a major Texas House of Representatives committee, the Labor Committee. She left office in 1977 after President Jimmy Carter appointed her as the Regional Director for the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, also the first African-American woman to hold this position. Johnson entered politics again in 1986, and was elected a Texas State Senator. BY NANDI GEIGER Her focuses while holding that Contributing Writer position were on healthcare, education, public housing, racial equity, economic development, and job expansion. She served on the Finance Committee, for which she chaired the subcommittee
on Health and Human Services, and on the Education Committee. Her interest in health care led her to
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson write legislation to regulate diagnostic radiology centers, require drug testing in hospitals, prohibit discrimination against AIDS victims,
improve access to health care for AIDS patients, and prohibit hospital kickbacks to doctors. As a fair housing advocate, she sponsored a bill to empower city governments to repair substandard housing at the expense of landlords, and wrote a bill to enforce prohibitions against housing discrimination. The 17th chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, she was a leading voice in opposition to the Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq Resolution of 2002. During debate on the House floor, she stated: “I am not convinced that giving the President the authority to launch a unilateral, first-strike attack on Iraq is the appropriate course of action at this time. While I believe that under international law and under the authority of our Constitution, the United States must maintain the option to act in its own self-defense, I strongly believe that the administration has not provided evidence of an imminent threat of attack on the United States that would justify a unilateral strike. I also believe that actions alone, without exhausting peaceful options, could seriously harm global support for our war on terrorism and distract our own resources from this cause.” Johnson was handily re-nominated in the Democratic primary election held on March 4, 2014 and re-elected.
Celebrating Women’s History Month
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Life & Style Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative get’s America Fit BY MARIEA BOYD Campus News Editor First lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” fitness initiative floods social media as she travels the world on a mission to lower the obesity rates of children in America. “The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake,” Just a week ago Michelle posted a video promoting a duo personal trainer team account, @TwoBadBodies. Featured on their instagram account spotted is the first lady not only acknowledging the team, but also challenging them to post 5 new workouts for the five-year anniversary of the fitness initiative. Award winning singer Beyoncé Knowles also was featured on Mrs. Obamas
page celebrating the 5th anniversary by showing off a speedy version of her home workouts. While in Thailand visiting high schools and speaking on the importance of education Michelle Obama uploaded a picture of her practicing Tai Chi a graceful form of exercise originally developed for self-defense with young students. “Tai Chi is a truly beautiful form of physical activity and I loved giving it a try,” Michelle exclaimed. In 2009 Let’s Move! A comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady, dedicated to solving the challenge of childhood obesity. Since then the Let’s Move initiative
has backed up by the first ever White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity Report to the President. This report is set to develop and implement an inter-agency plan that details a coordinated strategy, identifies key benchmarks, and outlines an action plan to end the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. The goal of the action plan is to reduce the childhood obesity rate to just five percent by 2030 – the same rate before childhood obesity first began to rise in the late 1970s. In total, the report presents a series of 70 specific recommendations. With the help of Big Bird and the whole Sesame Street the First Lady has been the leading lady for a healthy and active lifestyle.
Preparing for summer travel on a college budget BY KENNETH WARE JR. Life & Style Editor You survived Spring Break, and even with Springfest and final exams right around the corner, it is not too early to plan your summer vacation. Staying safe, enjoying yourself and keeping track of finances should all be top priorities. The earlier you book your trip will determine how much you save on airfare. Do not wait until the end of May to start searching for roundtrip tickets in June. For domestic flights, Southwest Airlines usually has the lowest fares, plus you can fly with two bags for free. “I booked three trips this summer to New Orleans, San Francisco and Fort Lauderdale and only had to spend $1,000 on airfare with Southwest,” Damien Carter, a freshman studying computer science said.
For the best prices on international travel, Google Flights offers users flight search tools that make it easy to quickly find the best flight. You can use Google Flights to search for countries, states, islands and more from any origin in the United States and many countries around the world. Texas Southern University alumnus Tremayne Parks never books an international trip without first checking the U.S. Department of State website. “They provide all the current travel alerts and warnings,” Parks said. For the budget conscious, Eastern Europe, certain Latin American countries, India, Nepal and southeast Asia offer some incredibly economical deals. Graduating senior Alan Williams plans
to finally use his passport this summer. “I am planing a trip to Greece before I enter graduate school,” Williams said. If you do not have a passport, then you can never go wrong with visiting Miami, Las Vegas or New York City. For safety reasons, always keep a list of phone numbers with you and photocopies of your U.S. federal or state-issued photo ID. Make sure you also have enough spending money available just in case you experience an emergency. After completing another semester of college work you deserve to have some fun this summer. Book a trip now and thank me later.
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Opinion/Politics #RacismIsAliveandWell: Outrage spreads after SAE fraternity video BY AMBER VERNON Contributing Writer
Outrage spread like wildfire after a video of a University of Oklahoma fraternity chanting racial slurs went viral. Members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity were found using chants that made references to lynching. Their chant also suggested that blacks would never be sworn into their fraternity. Almost immediately following the online disclosure of the video, social media blew up with the hashtag #RacismIsAliveAndWell. Just as the hashtag states, racism is still a very prominent issue in the United States. Amidst the public outrage for the SAE fraternity video, it seemed like everyone was on one accord. It wasn’t until Nevada GOP lawmaker Michele Fiore decided to open her mouth that it dawned on me that history is starting to repeat itself. The Huffington Post reported that Fiore made a comment regarding the current status of racism during a hearing about voter ID legislation. “We’re in 2015 and we have a black president, in case anyone didn’t notice,” Fiore said. “So the color and the race issue, I think it’s time that we put that to rest.” BY TONY MONK Sports Writer
reported. There is many more that haven’t received enough attention. People who don’t think it is an issue that continue to condone racism are making the problem worse. The two SAE fraternity brothers, for example, who were expelled from OU for leading the racist chant, said it was taught to them. Although they learned it from someone, they knew of the consequences for reciting something so repulsive and still continued to do so, despite recent headlines. With people who think this kind of behavior is okay, all society is doing is breeding more racially biased and insensitive individuals and thus passing the racism torch down from generation to generation. With this type of pattern in place, it is almost impossible to dilute the problem. Members from past generations agree that not much has changed since the days of the Civil Rights era. They say if you live long enough, you’ll start to see history repeat itself, a saying that could not have rung with more truth in this day and age.
Sports Rundown
TSU Men’s Cross Country places second in SWAC Championship Texas Southern placed second to rival school Praire View A&M in the cross country championship held in Clinton Mississippi at Choctaw Trails. TSU’s own Jose Medina and Isaac Romero along with D’Ante Almo, from Jackson State earned first team honors. The Flying Tigers ended the day with 48 points, claiming two of the top three spots. Rival SWAC school Alabama State would close out the top three spots along with TSU with 84 points. New signees to join the Lady Tigers Volleyball team Texas Southern Head Volleyball Coach Jocelyn Adams recently announced that Asia
It is outrageous that someone would think that because America has a black president, the “race card”, as some have come to call it, should be put away. Fiore must have missed the headlines that have been in the news the past eight months. In fact, it was revealed earlier in March that the federal investigation surrounding the Ferguson Police Department accused them of infringing on the rights of black civilians. The report found FPD officers guilty of stopping drivers without reasonable suspicion, making arrests without probable cause and using excessive force. The Justice Department also found several racist emails that were exchanged. After the report was publicized, the Ferguson police chief resigned. The University of Oklahoma and the city of Ferguson are not the only places experiencing racism. It is happening right here in Texas. CNN reported that authorities are investigating who put “white-only” stickers on businesses in Austin. The horrible truth of it all is that these headlines are just the events that have been
Howard and Natashia Barker will both be joining the Tigers program in the upcoming Fall. Barker is a 5-11 outside hitter from South Mountain High School in Phoenix, Arizona she led her team in almost every category, she was an AllTournament team recipient for three years while a part of the program Howard, a 5-9 setter from C. E. Ellison High School in Killeen and was the MVP during the 2013 and 2014 volleyball seasons, she was also named to the First Team All- District.
Prairie View A&M started the day winning the first set with a total pin-fall of 214 to 166. The Lady Panthers bowled five strikes, while Texas Southern bowled two strikes of their own. PVAMU collected the second victory of the day, 205 to 174. The Lady Panthers submitted strikes in all frames except the eighth, gaining the win and leaving the round 3-2. Seven strikes in the sixth set from the Lady Tigers created a tie between the two teams, 3-3, forcing a seventh and deciding game. Lady Tigers bowling teams falls to rival Praire PV would finish with a 222 count to get View in SWAC Championship match the edge over the Tigers with a 4-3 win in a seven The Lady Tigers lost a heated title match set matchup. against Prairie View Sunday afternoon at the Inter- In the final frame of the round, Prairie national Training and Research center in Arlington View A&M got a 222 pin fall count and a 4-3 win Texas. in the best of seven matchup
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What’s Happening on campus & around town
Monday - 3/23
Tuesday - 3/24 Collegiate 100 Black Women presents: Joe Knows Abs Trimming Movement
Wednesday - 3/25
Thursday - 3/26
Friday - 3/27
Hump Day 12:00-1:00 p.m.
The Weekend 3/28 & 3/29
Communication Preview Day Townhall 6:00 p.m. Delta Gamma and Houston 12:00 p.m. Alumnae chapter presents: MLK Building Room W.O.W. Anti-Hazing Panel 104 Discussion 6:30 p.m. Tiger Room
Student Government Association Week Monday - 3/30
Tuesday - 3/31
Wednesday - 4/1
Thursday - 4/2
Friday - 4/3
The Weekend 4/4 & 4/5
QEP presents: Filming Luncheon TBA Room 207 A
Our calendar is reserved for the advertisement of on and off campus events. If you are interested in having your event placed on our calendar, then please stop by room 221 of the Student Center or call us at (713) 313-6710.
20 Questions
Anonymously submit your questions via Ask.Fm today: TSU20Questions
1. Which spring break location was better? 2. Panama or Padre? 3. Did you do anything that you regret? 4.Who all knew about the election meeting? 5. Who’s running for Miss TSU? 6. Are they going to bring the pageant back? 7. Or is it going to be another popularity contest? 8. Anybody running for SGA President? 9. Why have administrators led us to believe that Rudley was the reason we couldn’t DISCLAIMER: The questions are hold some of the events we’ve requested? submitted by the student body and 10. Why don’t they want the students to enjoy themselves on campus? are not the views of The TSU 11. Why are the events being held inside and in front of the student center keep Herald or Texas Southern University being stopped? as a whole. Feel free to bring your 12. Where else can students be students if not in the student center? questions to room 221 of the Student 13. Which org. is going to take an active role to #bringbacktheyard? Center. Questions are printed at the 14. Are yall going to #GoneToTheMoon or the tent party for springfest? discretion of The TSU Herald. 15. Is every hump day going to be at noon now or will they still be reverse? 16. Is it sundress season yet? 17. Can we retire the word “thot” now? 18. Which org. week do you think will be the livest? 19. SGA, Alpha, Delta, Zeta? 20. Did anybody know it was Zeta week?