“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. . ” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
TRIBUNE he Hornet
VOL. 50, ISSUE 3
www.thehornettribune.com
The official student newspaper of Alabama State University
NOV. 9, 2010
SGA Senate denies Cleveland seat on SGA Judicial Court By Kieyana Edwards EXECUTIVE EDITOR
kiedwards2011@gmail.com
An Alabama State University student was forced by one of the Student Government Association Senate committees to make a choice between two student organizations. Junior history m a j o r Ronarro Cleveland II Ronarro Cleveland II was given the ultimatum to choose between working on the campus newspaper as a staff correspondent or becoming an associate justice for the SGA Judicial Branch. Cleveland, a native of Detroit, has been working with the campus newspaper since September 2010.
According to Cleveland, before he obtained his position as staff correspondent, he applied for a judicial seat on the SGA Judiciary. Within a week after submitting his application, Cleveland was called and interviewed. His interview led to him being selected as an acting associate justice. After his selection, Cleveland was offered the position of first chair to the chief justice. He had a scheduled appointment with the SGA Confirmations Committee on Oct. 7 to confirm his selection. During the interview, Cleveland was asked a litany of questions by the committee. However, the question that baffled him most was, “If you had to choose beSee DENIES on page A4
Student media offers packages to seniors Staff Report THE HORNET TRIBUNE
thehornettribune@gmail.com
Seniors who are graduating in December 2010 will now have an opportunity to take advantage of a “special package” that is being offered by the Office of Student Media’s Media Advertising Divsion. According to Student Media Advertising Chief Ashley Clark, several packages have been designed especially for seniors who are graduating in December.
“Our first package is Senior Special A, which allows a senior to purchase a personalized (name printed on the cover) 2011 HORNET yearbook, one-year subscription to The Hornet Tribune (to begin in January 2011), senior portraits in cap and gown (two 8 x 10s, four 5 x 7s and 16 wallet sizes) for $100,” Clark said. She indicated that the next package is slightly reduced. “Our second package See OFFERS on page A4
Photo by Tedarius Lewis/Staff Photographer
Due to water problems within C.J. Dunn Tower, niversity officials turned off the water in from 11 a.m. until midnight.
Dunn Tower faces water woes By Scottie Hunter STAFF CORRESPONDENT
shunter2011@gmail.com
Photo by Dale Clarke II/Visual Services Editor
Construction workers are moving rapidly to complete the new athletic complex by 2011.
University constructs new athletic complex By Scottie Hunter STAFF CORRESPONDENT
shunter2011@gmail.com
Athletes from across the campus are keeping an eye on the new construction adjacent to the George H. Lockhart Gymnasium. This new building, affectionately called the “athletic complex,” will be primarily for the Hornet football team, but will be equipped with an academic laboratory that will be used by all student athletes.
“This new facility is replacing a deteriorating building, and the football team needs this new building to handle its business,” said Vice-President for Buildings and Grounds Kippy Tate. The new complex is replacing the trailers that are located across from the Norman Walton Aquatic Center. These trailers, according to Tate, were supposed See ATHLETIC on page A4
Residents of C.J. Dunn Tower began the month of November without water. On Nov. 1, the water for the entire residence hall was shut off, forcing students to either go off-campus or turn to other means to shower and handle other water needs during the day. This inconvenience spanned from 11 a.m. to midnight and caused some of the residents to become rather alarmed. “It was ridiculous,” said first-year resident Imma Sanders, while being interviewed on the steps of the Tower on Tuesday morning. “I had to get up earlier, and I was unable to wash my hands or do the little things throughout the day.” Sanders explained that this is not the first time that she had to deal with complications from the residence hall, but that
Photo by ChelseaT. Williams/Staff Photographer
During the period without water, various workers came to the basement to install a new water pump in C. J. Dunn Tower.
other problems, including not having hot water and the lack of conditioned air, has plagued the Towers for months. “There are too many problems, and I don’t want to live here,” she complained. Sophomore Jade Printup, a business management major, stated that she was not directly affected by the lack of water on Monday. “I was not on campus, so this issue didn’t affect my day,” she said. Printup also pointed out some of the
flaws of the residence hall. “That’s not the only issue. Lack of hot water, early morning construction, and the random fire drills always happen in this dorm.” Though she was not happy about the issue, she had to admit that signs were posted well in advance to alert students that the water would be turned off on Monday. While students were not pleased by this day-long deprivation, Bernetta Jackson, residence hall director for the Tower, cleared up a
few of the circumstances surrounding the water problem. “The Physical Plant’s plumbing department installed a new water pump in the entire building,” she explained. She pointed out that measures were made to accommodate students’ needs during the day. “We always call other residence halls and let them know when we will be having problems,” Jackson said, “so that our students can come and take showers and handle there other needs.” She also said that she did all she could to inform the girls that the problem would take place, which included putting signs up on all suite doors, doors of the elevators, in the main lobby of the residence hall, and in as many other areas as possible. “We really tried to cover all our bases,” she added. Jackson and her asSee FACES on page A4
PAGE A2
The Hornet Tribune
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Nov. 9, 2010
CONTACT US ADDRESS: The Hornet Tribune, Office of Student Media, Alabama State University, 915 South Jackson Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36104
OFFICE HOURS: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
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TRIBUNE he Hornet
The Official Student Newspaper of Alabama State University 87th Year of Publication
Photo by Bryant Magee/Chief Photographer
Photo by Bryant Magee/Chief Photographer
Members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. display some of Members of Alabama State Activities Club pose in front of their their awards as well as some of the photos from various events. display during the Organization Fair.
Organization Fair attracts hundreds
Editorial Leadership The Hornet Tribune Editorial Board is the decision-making body for The Hornet Tribune. Members include the administrative editors and content editors. The Hornet Tribune Editorial Board meets weekly at 5 p.m. on Sundays. Unscheduled meetings may also be called by the faculty adviser or chief editor if special problems or issues arise. All Editorial Board members will vote on issues such as policy-making decisions when the need arises. A majority vote determines the decision. The adviser will not vote, but may disagree and make suggestions or comments. Concerning the publication of controversial issues, the Editorial Board will discuss and vote on the approach to be taken. A majority vote will be the deciding factor. The faculty adviser may veto the decision, but the Board may overrule with a unanimous vote.
General Policy The Hornet Tribune is written, edited and published by members of the student body at Alabama State University. All articles, photographs, and graphics are property of The Hornet Tribune and its contents may not be reproduced or republished without written permission from the Coordinator of Student Media. The Hornet Tribune is published once-weekly (Thursday) with a run count of 5,000 copies per issue during the Alabama State University campus fall, spring semesters. The paper is free to students, staff, faculty, and general public every Thursday morning on the ASU campus. The Hornet Tribune student offices are open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday-Friday. The offices are located on the second floor of the John Garrick Hardy University Center. The Hornet Tribune is the official student newspaper of Alabama State University and located in Montgomery, AL. Articles, features, opinions, speak out and editorials do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the administration and its policies. Signed articles, feedback, commentaries, and features do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors, staff, or student body. The Hornet Tribune is a 12- or 16-page newspaper produced by The Hornet Tribune staff. The entire student body, the primary audience of readers, receives the newspaper free of charge to encourage readership and to ensure the showcasing of our journalistic work. Our secondary audience includes faculty, local community and other collegiate newspaper staffs throughout the country.
By Scottie Hunter STAFF CORRESPONDENT
shunter2011@gmail.com
The Office of Student Activities, organized a onestop method in which students could become familiar with the organizations at Alabama State University during an Organization Fair. The fair, held in the Dunn-Oliver Acadome, allowed each organization to set up booths or table so that spectators could briefly visit each booth or table to learn about the individual organizations. First-year student Jasmine Course was excited about the event. “I enjoyed it,” Course said. “The organization that stuck out to me the most was ‘House Arrest’ because they where fun and energetic.”
Photo by Bryant Magee/Chief Photographer
Members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. display some of their awards as well as some of the photos from various events.
First-year student Jeremysha Williams agreed. “I loved it! It was very informational,” Williams said. “The AKA’s stuck out to me the most. That’s what I want to be.” Organizations, such as “Up ‘Til Dawn,” which raises money for children in
St. Judes Children’s Hospital, also set up there booth in the concourse along with MEISA and NAACP and many more. Each organization also informed there visitors about events that their specific organizations are planning in the near future.
Assistant Coordinator of Student Organizations Kamela Kennedy said that “the objective for tonight was to get students to get involved and network and to enjoy themselves on campus. Its also for other organizations to showcase there talents as well.” According to Kennedy, this annual event, held every fall semester, is looking to increase it participation from students and the groups of campus so that they will be able to have a organization fair in the spring and the fall so that organization can showcase themselves a lot more and students can get more involved in the activities that are held around campus.
The newspaper attempts to inform and entertain its audience in a broad, fair and accurate manner on all subjects that affect readers. The medium seeks also to provide a forum for the opinion of students, the staff of The Hornet Tribune and the faculty to encourage an exchange of ideas and opinions on issues of prominence to the readers. While the staff will allow constructive criticism of any part of The Hornet Tribune after publication, final authority for content of The Hornet Tribune rests solely in the hands of the staff, with the chief editor making the final decision.
Letters Policy The Hornet Tribune encourages letters as they constitute a constructive avenue for student opinion, but the writer must sign the letter to be considered for publication. Due to space limitations, not all letters can be published, and the Editorial Board reserves the right to edit all letters for appropriate placement in the newspaper as long as the meaning and intention of the letter remains clear and unchanged. Although the staff writes the majority of the articles appearing on the paper, guest commentaries and stories may be included if the staff feels it enhances coverage of a unique topic. Trivia such as gossip columns, song dedications and student best/worst will be avoided due to the narrow audience they serve and the probability of libelous material. No material, opinionated or otherwise, will be printed which is libelous, irresponsible, advocates an illegal activity or which the chief editor and/or the adviser deems in poor taste.
Editorial Policy Several editorials will appear regularly in each issue. Stands taken in the main editorial will represent the opinions of the staff and will not be bylined. All other articles receive a byline. Other opinion pieces, including those differing with the editorial, will be handled through cross-point columns, editor’s columns, feature columns, letters-to-the editor, exchange columns, student opinion photo forums and entertainment reviews. Photo by Dale Clarke II/Visual Services Editor
Corrections and Clarifications Policy If the staff discovers, from any source, that a mistake bypassed the editors, a correction of major errors will be printed upon request in the next issue in the section in which the mistake appeared.
Obituary Policy Should a student or faculty member die any time during the current coverage period, the staff will treat the death in a tasteful, respectful manner. An obituary, with the individual’s name, school activities, date of birth, date and manner of death (if appropriate) and any other pertinent information, shall appear in the news section. No mug shot will be used. This sensitive treatment will provide an adequate remembrance of the individual for those closely associated, while not overemphasizing it for other readers.
Construction on the new residence halls can be easily seen as students are walk to and from classes. The residence halls are scheduled to open in the fall of 2011.
New residence halls begin to take shape By Scottie Hunter STAFF CORRESPONDENT
shunter2011@gmail.com
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Alabama State University residential students will soon enjoy some of the benefits of the ongoing construction that has been taking place on the campus within the last year. Two residence halls are being constructed behind the William H. Benson Hall. One of the buildings will serve as a male residence hall while the other will serve as a female residence hall. Each residence hall
will house approximately 500 students. The new capital building projects have Vice President for Buildings and Grounds Kippy Tate excited. “These residence halls will be more like apartments,” he said. “The rooms will be more spacious and student friendly.” According to Tate, some of the new amenities that students will enjoy in these new residence halls will be study labs, computer labs, and visitor lounges. Students who get the opportunity to stay in these resi-
dence halls may just get their prayers answered when it comes to more visitation rights. With the construction of the new residence halls, Tate is excited that ASU is staying on track with its “2020 Vision” plan for the revitalization of the campus. “As we update the living arrangements on campus, we are making sure that we are on the cutting edge of new residential trends that are being implemented at other schools across the country,” Tate said. “Students can expect an enhanced
living environment that’s modern, fresh, and new. This will help make their home away from home more comfortable.” These new additions to the campus come with a hefty price tag. The complete cost of these new facilities will be $15 million that the university obtained from bonds. “The price and the current discomforts that the students are facing will be well worth it soon enough,” Tate said reassuringly. The two new dorms are set to open fall of 2011.
SGA Revisions Committee revises 21 year-old constitution By Kieyana Edwards EXECUTIVE EDITOR
kiedwards2011@gmail.com
This semester, the Student Government Association on Alabama State is getting ready to bring change to the student body, in the form of a revised constitution. The SGA has set the Constitutional Revisions Committee with the task of implementing these changes.
The revisions started with Brian Weaver’s administration. It was not passed while he was in office and this year’s SGA decided to use it because, “The Old One was inadequate”, said Christian Rogers, off campus Senator and member of the Constitution Committee. “We initially worked off of Weaver’s document, basically revising his edition of the constitution because of it
being more recent and comprehensive.” There are five members on this Committee. They are Brittani Holmes, Shanquilla Bettis, and Christian Rogers who are the general members of the committee. Dorien McCall is Co Chair, and Casey Handy is Chair of the Constitution Committee. There are many changes that will be taking
place through this constitution. There will be a Bill of Rights for the students. “These are the rights that the students should have. We are trying to model it after the United State’s constitution because it works.” said Rogers. These Rights include; freedom of expression in speech, freedom from discrimination, freedom to peaceably assembly, right to university wide student elec-
tions, right of student participation in the formulation of institutional policy, freedom of access to information and inquiry of the university, right to a voice in the curriculum, right of ownership of intellectual property, freedom of campus media outlets and press, right to healthy and safe campus, right to fair, academic, evaluation, right to privacy, and right to due process.
The Committee also plans to ensure that senators are elected in a more efficient manner. They will no longer be elected by dorm or off campus students, but by colleges. Rogers explains, “It will better the representation of students”. The mention of Miss Alabama State University will also be removed from See REVISES on page A4
The Hornet Tribune
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Nov. 9, 2010
PAGE A3
Dunn Tower residents spend a week without cable television By Brianna Porter STAFF CORRESPONDENT
bporter2011@gmail.com
Photo by Bryant Magee/Chief Photographer
Pictured are newsletters that were disseminated in September and November. Neither of the newsletters contain minutes from the Student Government Association Executive Branch.
Minutes lacking in SGA newsletters By Ronarro Cleveland tions as well. STAFF CORRESPONDENT
rcleveland2011@gmail.com
The Student Government Association Executive Branch published two newsletters this semester one dated September 2010 and the other without a date, and both newsletters failed to contain the minutes from the Executive Branch meetings. Minutes are a record of the proceedings in a meeting. They keep track of everything that is discussed, which includes mo-
According to the SGA Constitution, Article IV, Section 6I, the responsibility of the SGA secretary is to create a newsletter to be issued to the student body at least once per month. It also says that the newsletter must include SGA happenings and events as well as Executive Branch meeting minutes. Since the provision specifically mandates that a newsletter is printed each month with Executive Branch meetings included, leaving the minutes out of the newsletter is an impeachable
or censureable offense. According to SGA Secretary Travis Smith, the minutes were originally in the newsletter that was printed for October (the newsletter without a date). “There was supposed to be an insert in the newsletter,” Smith said, “but duplications left it out.” According to Manager Gerald Cobb, who is in charge of university copying and duplication, he never received the minutes. “The newsletter is sent to the university’s graphic designer first and then e-
mailed to duplication,” Cobb said. “I printed what I had.” Cobb said that Smith called him after receiving the completed newsletters. “He told me that there was an important page missing and that he would e-mail it to me,” Cobb said. “But I have not received an e-mail from him yet.” Though the minutes were omitted in the newsletter, Smith said that they are readily available in the SGA Complex.
How does it feel to spend a whole week without cable television? The residents of C.J. Dunn Tower received an opportunity to experience a an entire week without cable television. There are approximately 403 students who reside in the Tower. Each semester students pay $426 for building and technology fees. IT manager, Henry McCreary said “The problem is all the construction going on to build the new student services center.” According to McCreary, A&L Contractors Company out of Birmingham is working to remove all of the telephone poles on South University Drive, putting everything underground. McCreary additionally said the job first started two weeks ago, and the university lost internet and phone services in Martin Luther King Residence Hall Bessie Benson Hall, Bessie Sears Estell Hall, and Peyton Finley Apartments.
It was only down for two days. When the cable was cut off in the Tower, the intentions were to have the service on by the next business day (Friday). However, they couldn’t get in touch with the contractors. C.J. Dunn Tower Director B.H. Johnson says, “I believe it was inconvenient for students, but things happen.” Resident Tiara Kizeart says, “I felt that it was a big inconvenience, and that we pay all of this money for these services such as water and cable, for it to be interrupted. What’s next? I believe that tech fees should be lowered.” McCreary said that there will be more interruptions until the workers are finished digging. Senior B. H. Johnson said “Success is always under construction. I hope the president addresses the issues and thank students for the inconvience.” McCreary asks students to be patient, for all the inconvience. “Students are our number one priority,” McCreary said. “All the construction is to build a better ASU.”
HIV seminar promotes healthier living, offers Students express mixed feelings more awareness
regarding Republican takeover By Abraham Chopin STAFF CORRESPONDENT
achopin2011@gmail.com
On Nov. 2, Americans made a decision that Republicans had a better strategy for America and replaced many long-term Democrats. The division in national as well as state politics have Alabama State University students divided in their opinions of what it means to have Republicans back in power. Rachael Snow, a senior majoring in biology pre-health believes the vote on Tuesday will set America back. “Did Alabama really need to take a step back to the 1920s and elect a governor who doesn't consider Evolution a valid theory not for scientific reasons, rather religious?” Snow asked. “He seeks to limit education in this state, which already lags behind the rest of the U.S., because of his personal religious convictions. Where has the tide of nationalism gotten us if our leaders can't see that they govern
the ENTIRE electorate, not just the people they go to church with?” There were some students who did not know for whom they were voting or if those candidates had their best interests at heart. “I don’t think our generation is focused on the parties,” Senior Cara Burroughs. “We are not focused on who is doing what and what policies are going in place over the years. Party affiliations have become blurred. People are going Democrat to get votes but voting against anything that benefits Democrats.” Some students believe that the lack of on-campus promotion, which led to fewer students voting, helped to swing the balance of power towards the GOP winners. One of those who are dismayed is first-year student Bryanna Henry, a bio-pre health major. “I am disappointed that they are in office, because I feel the Republicans are not really here to represent the people,” Henry said. “I feel they are against anything Obama has planned, re-
gardless if it is right or wrong.” The change in representation, however, did not leave all of ASU students feeling defeated. Some are optimistic about the Republican’s gain in power while others feel their presence and policies are nothing new to the people. “I really don’t know if it will be better or worse,” said senior criminal justice major Carlencia Grant. “I’m being very optimistic about the situation. From what I’ve been hearing, it seems that everyone has a mind frame to help restore or reshape the economy. I just hope the Republicans keep their word.” Simone Buford, another senior criminal justice major added, “The poor working class and people who are on government aid are going to be cut out. People with jobs will have to work harder, but no significant change because we have been there before.” Some students believe the shift in power will be good for the Democrats. “Now that the shoe is on the other foot, Republi-
cans have to perform,” said David Washington, a senior majoring in political science. “The good news is that the Republican Party did an outstanding job on giving the impression that a Democratic Congress was a do-nothing Congress, as a result the pressure will be on them to be about improving the economy and putting Americans back to work. If they do not do these things, they will be given a tag as a do-nothing Congress for the next election cycle. The bad news is that a Republican Congress will be a more conservative Congress and will be about cutting the Pell grants and other legislations during the Obama Administration.” Senior social work major Natalia Jones said, “I feel like we are at a point where we have taken 10 steps forward and 20 steps back. We have already seen Republican power under the Bush administration, and that left us nowhere. The rich will be richer and the poor will stay poor.”
By Sharanna Polk STAFF CORRESPONDENT
spolk2011@gmail.com
The HIV seminar, “Rural Care in Alabama” was held on Nov. 9 at 11a.m. in the Life Sciences Auditorium. Montgomery AIDs Outreach Executive Director Michael Murphree spoke on what the MAO is doing to serve not only Montgomery, but 26 surrounding counties. He also shared HIV facts that directly affect Montgomery residents. “We are promoting healthier living, keeping our patients from infecting others as well as getting reinfected themselves,” Murphree said. Re-infection is the exposure to a different strand of HIV that could be resistant to the current medicine a patient is taking. The South has the highest number of adults and adolescents living with and dying from HIV/AIDs in the United States. Also, the deep South accounts for the highest number of new HIV/ AIDs diagnoses in the country. “I have had to tell 16 to 70 year-olds that they are HIV positive,” Murphree said. There are 15,683 known cases in Alabama, 4292 of which are in the MAO service area, with Montgomery having the highest rates in the state. “What I’ve noticed is an influx of women coming in, and more and more young males,” Murphree said. African Americans account for 77% of the cases, 63% being male and the percentage of women steadily climbing. “One third of HIV/AIDs victims don’t even know they’re infected,” Murphree said. According to Murphree, the increase of rural area cases is serious because these are smaller areas where it is more likely that you will encounter someone with the virus, which is why Murphree expressed MAO’s
desire to branch out in to these areas where sometimes there is no HIV care going on. The MAO has two main clinics located in Montgomery and Dothan with five satellite clinics traveling to Auburn, Selma, Troy, Greenville and Clayton. Annual expenses amount to $2,451,412, and 77% of which comes from federal monies and only 10% from the states. This is a problem, because Alabama has one of the highest rates of known cases, and the state is only spending 10%. This means the increase in infections is not coinciding with an increase in money needed to care for the patients. “More private doctors are recommending MAO, because the cost of treating an HIV/AIDs patient is more than the insurance is willing to reimburse,” said Murphree. If the federal government were to cut funding of MAO, which is a non-profit organization, a lot of patients would be in serious trouble. “We are keeping patients alive, but the increase leaves me, as a director, wondering where will we get the money to help all of these people?” Murphree said. The cost of medical care is steadily rising even with the new health care reform being implemented. “It will be costly in the long run, but it will be even more costly not to help at all,” Murphree said, who doesn’t believe the new health care reform will go away any time soon due to the help it gives so many different people. Two vaccines currently under development are the therapeutic and preventative vaccines. “University at Arkansas Pine Bluff, is doing a lot of work with the preventative vaccine, which will keep people from getting the virus,” Murphree said. “I think the finding of a cure for AIDs is much closer today ...”
PAGE A4
The Hornet Tribune
Complex: “This complex will come from bond money that ASU ...” Continued from page A1 to be a temporary facility for the football team to use, but instead has turned into a tenyear home. “The new athletic complex is exactly what the university needs,” Tate said. “The football team will have a state-of-the-art facility which can also serve as an excellent recruiting tool for prospective athletes in the future who wish to make ASU the college of their choice.” He marveled at the impact that he believes the new athletic complex will bring to the campus. Not only does he believe that the student athletes will enjoy the new facility,
but that it will actually allow the team and coaching staff to continue to improve with the addition of this new complex. “This is just what our team needs,” he added. The new athletic complex will not come without a price. The state-of-the-art facility is projected to cost approximately $7 million, and the building is slated to be finished in mid-February of next year. “This complex will come from bond money that ASU received as a part of its Vision 2020 plan for the university,” added Tate, who is confident that the new building will be worth the money.
Offers: “We want all of those seniors who are interested in ...” Continued from page A1 is Senior Special B, which allows a senior to purchase a 2011 HORNET Yearbook, a six-month subscription to The Hornet Tribune, senior portraits in cap and gown (one 8 x 10, two 5 x 7s and four wallet sizes) for $85,” Clark said. The last package, Senior Special C, consists of a 2011 HORNET Yearbook, senior portraits in cap and gown (one 8 x 10, one 5 x 7 and four wallets) for $65.
According to Clark, those students who purchase the specials will take their portrait shots during the first week in December. “We want all of those seniors who are interested in the special packages to email the division their names, and e-mail addresses. Clark said for those students who are interested in taking advantage of this special, it is urgent that they e-mail her at asusmadvertising@gmail.com
Faces: “I want the students to know that nothing that we do is ...” Continued from page A1 sistants that work in the dorm were very concerned by how the students would cope with the issue and really didn’t want the students to get discouraged with the performance of the dormitory or the campus. “Things happen,” Jackson said. “I want the students to know that nothing that we do is intentional, and all of these things are done for the benefit of the students living in this resi-
dence hall. Sometimes we have no control over situations, but I just hope that the students continue to work with the staff here and know that we are doing the best that we can.” Jackson remained firm in her belief in the campus of Alabama State University, and she urges students to do the same by being optimistic and cooperative. “Progress is constantly under construction,” she concluded.
Revises: “We are changing it to modernize order, in order for it ...” Continued from page A1 the constitution. Rogers said, “She is not a part of SGA and from what I understand, her department has their own handbook.” SGA also plans to add an efficient way to document senators because there are no current records of previous senate members. Adding this way will leave the future open to more change if there is a documentation of changes that the previous SGA senate has done. SGA also plans to add an attorney general added to its addition. He or she will be elected by the SGA president. Also, all elections will be set to occur around the
same time so there is not so much backtracking when obtaining positions within SGA. The committee believes in the ability of this constitution to be better for students. “We are changing it to modernize order, in order for it to fit the needs of today’s student,” McCall said. “It deals more with SGA issues and accommodates modern activities on campus. With a smile, Rogers said, “A better constitution equals a better SGA. A better SGA equals better student representation or effective student representation. And a Better student representation means a better campus.”
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Nov. 9, 2010
Alumni sponsors resume-writing contest By Rita Usher STAFF CORRESPONDENT
rusher2011@gmail.com
Alabama State University's National Alumni Associated conducted a resume-writing contest for their 17th annual Career Day in the Ralph Abernathy Auditorium on Nov 1. After close evaluation, five contestants were chosen for their outstanding resume writing abilities and 17 more contestants received $25 for their effort. First place award of $200 and was given to Laquisha Gray, and second place award with a value of $150 for Iesha Bennett. “I am so happy, it was a great experience!” Bennett said, who is a sophomore Psychology major. The other contestants were not present to claim their prizes. The event was hosted by numerous alumni who partook in putting this event together. Cromwell Handy, director
of Alumni Relations, opened up with warm greetings and encouraged the students to aim high. “As you leave us,” Handy said, “remember it is wonderful to come back and give back.” There were more greetings and welcomes to students, as well as an apology by Janet Sutton, former president of the National Alumni Association, who apologized on behalf of President William H. Harris, PhD, who could not be there due to death in his family. “Dr. Harris apologizes for not being here today. He wishes he could be, but he has personal business that he must attend to.” Vice President of University Relations Dannielle Kennedy-Lamar shared a few words of advice for the contentstants. “Your resume is important,” Kennedy-Lamar said. “It is a representation of you before they even meet you.” Upon hearing this comment, many contestants felt proud of their attempt . “I'm glad I entered this
contest it makes me want to get involved more and learn more!” said Brittney Anderson, sophomore communications major. The judges explained what qualifications that they were looking for when judging the resumes. “You determine the winner on how well you followed instructions and guidelines, and how good of a resume you had, but the main thing is to follow the format that they give you,” said Zainah Olomada, sophomore and finance major. There were strict rules and guidelines students had to follow in order to at least have a chance of winning. The students were asked to submit their resumes to the Office of Career Services when meeting the guidelines issued to them. “ We could not use any of the Microsoft words resume templates,” adds Andrea Alexander, sophomore communications major. Following these instructions put the students at a high chance of winning the
competition. One student that seemed very confident, shared the strategy he had to enhance his chances of winning. “ I think I have a pretty good chance since prior to the competition I took it upon myself to go an get my resume critiqued,” said Julian Bolden, junior computer science major. During the event, lunch was served to all the contestants. There were words of encouragement left for everyone. “A special thanks to the staff that helped put this event together, and students, you never know who you meet that can help you in your life,” Kennedy-Lamar said. Handy explained the purpose of the event. “The purpose of this event was to help our Hornets excel in what they do,” said Handy. Contestants went home with a better outlook on success after this inspirational event.
Denies: “I can do it if I feel it would be for the later ...” Continued from page A1 tween student media and being a justice, which would you choose?” Cleveland replied, “I don’t feel I have to answer that question.” According to Cleveland, Senate Committee Chairman La'Travious B. Rutledge responded, “I can do it (ask the question) if I feel it would be for the later protection of the SGA.” Cleveland promptly answered that he could not decide and the interview continued. Almost a week later, on Oct. 11, Cleveland was called to the SGA Complex to pick up a letter. The letter informed Cleveland that he had not yet been confirmed and no decision had been made. It also stated that he had 48 hours to decide between the SGA Judiciary and The Hornet Tribune in order for the SGA to protect privacy within their student organization. On Oct. 13, Cleveland sent an email to the committee stating, “After
considering your recommendation, a review of the Student Government Association Constitution, and The Pilot, I have decided to consult an attorney on this matter.” On Oct. 14 Cleveland received a reply from the committee. “As chair of the Appointments and Confirmations Committee, I hereby stand by my committee’s decision. We feel that our decision was in the best interest of the Alabama State University Student Government Association and yours as well. We usually do not give an interviewee the opportunity to choose, however, we voted and gave you an opportunity to make a decision that was best for you. Due to privacy issues, such as executive sessions or discussing issues about one’s character, we deem that is was necessary not to let you be in both Student Government Association as a Justice and be a part of the Student Media. If you refer to the U.S. Government, you will not see a justice or a senator or a mem-
ber of the Executive Council also serving as a reporter or working with the media at all. Please understand our decision in this matter. Within the 48 hours, you had to make a decision and looking at the statement that was sent, you still did not give us an answer. Therefore, the Committee has denied you to serve as an associate justice. At this point, if you have any more questions or concerns, especially in the matter of an attorney, please contact Mr. Rick Drake, associate prosociate provost for Student Services in the Office of Student Services located in McGehee Hall. You may also talk to Mr. Keith Edwards, director of the Hardy Center. If you would like to address the Appointments and Confirmations Committee, then please contact me, La'Travious B. Rutledge, chair and I will set up a time and place for you to address the entire committee. Thank you very much and I hope to hear from you very soon and I hope that all goes well.” After speaking with
two attorneys, Cleveland decided it would demand too much of his time. “I know a legal case would have been a lot of time and energy and I do not have time for it,” Cleveland said. “I feel that if they were going to deny me, then why not go ahead and do it from the beginning instead of giving me a statement in writing, which explained why they did not want to deny me. That was stupid, because now I really have a valid legal case.” Rutledge could not be located for a comment on this matter, but SGA President, Ashley Thomas did respond to the situation. “I understand where both sides are coming from,” Thomas said. “I worked with Ronarro last year on the Senate, and he was a good senator ... I support the Chief Justice’s decision ... At the same time I do understand the role of the Senate as far as checks and balances go.”
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New obstacle stalls aid funds for Haiti PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — As if Haitians living in tents and under scraps of plastic don't have enough to grapple with as a tropical storm bears down and cholera spreads, the U.S. Congress has put up another obstacle to delivering the $1.15 billion in reconstruction money it promised back
in March. The State Department still has to prove the money won't be stolen or misused — not an easy task in a country notorious for corruption. "Given the weak governmental institutions that existed in Haiti even before the earthquake, Congress wants to be sure we have that
accountability in place before these funds are obligated," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told The Associated Press. Crowley had no immediate estimate Wednesday for how long this bureaucratic step — known as a Section 1007 proceeding — will take to complete, but said it would
be "very soon." Haiti aid organizers had hoped to avoid this. While the country has a reputation for corruption, measures were put in place — including a reconstruction oversight commission cochaired by former President Bill Clinton — to ensure such concerns would not
hold up the money. It has been nearly 10 months since Haiti's capital was leveled by an earthquake that killed at least 230,000 and left millions homeless. Seven months have also gone by since Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton promised $1.15 billion in reconstruction money for
Haiti meant to build homes, create jobs and improve lives. Separately, an immediate $1.1 billion in U.S. humanitarian assistance was spent in Haiti without having to go through this proceeding. Some of it went to emerSee STALLS on page B2
Election nearly wipes out white Southern Democrats
Nationally syndicated journalist Juan Williams was terminated from National Public Radio. He said on the Fox News Channel that he gets nervous when he sees people on a plane with clothing that identifies them as Muslim.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The white Southern Democrat — endangered since the 1960s civil rights era — is sliding nearer to extinction. After this week's elections, the Democratic Party barely holds a presence in the region outside of majorityblack urban areas such as Atlanta and Memphis. The carnage for the party was particularly brutal in the Deep South, where just one white Democrat survived across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. The Republicans' effort to win over the South, rooted decades ago in a strategy to capitalize on white voters' resentment of desegregation, is all but complete. "Right now in most of Dixie it is culturally unacceptable to be a Democrat. It's a damn shame, but that's the way it is," said Dave "Mudcat" Saunders, a cam-
paign strategist for conservative Democrats such as Jim Webb of Virginia, one of the few remaining Southern Democratic senators. The losses were particularly disappointing for the party after the baby steps it made in the South in 2006 and 2008, when it picked up a host of Republican-leaning House districts and won Senate seats in North Carolina and Virginia. Many thought the party had learned its lessons and had begun to reverse recent history by nominating conservative candidates who hit the right notes on divisive social issues such as abortion and smaller government. None of it mattered Tuesday. Democrats didn't just see most of their recent gains obliterated, they lost at least 19 Southern House members and a senator, Blanche LinSee WIPES on page B2
Juan Williams' boss regrets the way he was terminated NEW YORK (AP) — NPR's chief executive says she's sorry for how analyst Juan Williams' dismissal was handled — but not for firing him. Vivian Schiller sent an apology to National Public Radio staff members on Sunday night and wrote to managers at NPR stations. Her dismissal of Williams for saying on Fox News Channel that he gets nervous when he sees people on a plane with clothing that identifies them as Muslim became a "public relations disaster," NPR's ombudsman said. The question now for NPR is whether the situation will cause lasting damage to public broad-
casting permanently, or whether in some ways it might help it. Williams, who was fired in a phone conversation, deserved a face-to-face meeting, Schiller wrote. She has also expressed regret for saying, after last Wednesday's firing, that whatever feelings Williams has about Muslims should be between him and "his psychiatrist or his publicist — take your pick." NPR, which had long been troubled by Williams' dual role as an analyst at Fox, said his remarks violated its standards of not having onair personnel giving opinions. "I stand by my deci-
sion to end NPR's relationship with Juan, but I deeply regret the way I handled it and explained it," Schiller wrote to staff members. Williams said Monday that he had not received any apology from NPR or talked to anyone at the station since his dismissal. NPR said Schiller has tried to reach him. "Obviously, I feel that I should have had the opportunity to supply NPR with the entirety of the context of the statement to make sure they understood, and I am hurt by the suggestion that I need a psychiatrist and am a bigot," he said. Schiller's decision unleashed conservative critics
already suspicious of public radio at a time when many stations were soliciting pledges, right after a liberal icon donated $1.8 million, and shortly before an election that could put some of its opponents in a position of power. NPR had previously asked Williams not to identify himself as an NPR analyst when he appeared on "The O'Reilly Factor" or other Fox shows. The journalist said last week he believed his bosses were looking for an excuse to fire him. It looked to many on the outside as if Williams was losing his job for See REGRETS on page B2
George W. Bush says he forgives Kanye West (AP)NEW YORK Kanye West now says he "didn't have the grounds" to call George W. Bush a racist, and the former president said Wednesday that he appreciates the rapper's regret. Bush appeared in a live interview on the Today show, part of a book promotion tour, and also said that his conscience was clear when it came to recognizing ahead the financial problems at the end of his administration. In his book, Decision Points, Bush wrote that it
Kanye West
was a low point in his presidency when West declared at a fundraiser to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims that "George Bush doesn't care about black people." In an
George W. Bush
interview taped Tuesday with NBC's Matt Lauer, West said he would tell Bush that he was speaking in a moment of frustration. "I didn't have the
grounds to call him a racist," West said. "I believe that in a situation of high emotion like that we as human beings don't always choose the right words." Shown a tape of West's remarks, Bush said he appreciated them and forgave him. "I'm not a hater," he said. "I don't hate Kanye West. I was talking about an environment in which people were willing to say things that hurt. Nobody wants to be called a racist if in your heart you believe in equality of races."
Democrat Kendrick Meek was approached by former President Bill Clinton about his remaining in the race.
Is it all over for Kendrick Meek? (AP) The wacky political chicanery between Democrat Kendrick Meek and former President Bill Clinton will thankfully end on Tuesday when voters decide the outcome of a contentious three-way race for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida. Clinton plans to campaign with Meek on Monday, three days after a messy backdoor deal was exposed when Clinton reportedly became furious because Meek reneged on an agreement to drop out of the race and endorse independent candidate Gov. Charlie Crist. Clinton, according to CNN, "flew into a purple rage" because Meek broke a “private pledge” to quit the race. Meek, for his part, said Thursday night that Clinton continues "to be a supporter of this campaign. ... "We talk about issues all the time, but to say that he
asked me is totally false." Meek, who was never able to consistently raise large amounts of money, has been stuck in third place since he announced his candidacy months ago. Several media organizations reported that Clinton asked Meek to quit the race, but Clinton insists that he never made a clear overture, although, he said, the two men did talk about whether Meek should continue to campaign. It all sounds pretty shady, but the numbers don't lie: A new poll shows Republican Marco Rubio with a commanding lead over Meek and Crist. The Mason-Dixon poll released Friday shows Rubio with 45 percent of the vote, followed by Crist at 28 percent and Meek with 21 percent. An NBC See OVER on page B2
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Stalls: “Therefore, any additional aid we provide ...” Continued from page B1 gency rescue and medical care, and some to expenses like travel and support for aid workers immediately after the quake. That kind of aid continues — the USS Iwo Jima was steaming toward Haiti Thursday to provide more relief after the storm. But without the reconstruction money, Haiti's long-term needs remain unaddressed: Temporary shelters have gone unbuilt, rubble has not been removed and some 1.3 million people remain homeless in and around the capital, unable to find or afford safe places to live. The cholera outbreak has killed more than 440 people and sickened thousands, spreading too quickly to be contained. Now aid groups are rushing to protect the fragile tent camps where an estimated 1.3 million people live ahead of Tropical Storm Tomas, which forecasters said could regain hurricane strength by Friday and dump up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain. Haitian civil protection officials advised all camp residents to find other shelter, but most have nowhere to go. Any significant rainfall could cause widespread flooding in the severely deforested country, with the storm expected to strike nearly every part of the nation of 10 million. "As Haiti faces another natural disaster and is still reeling from the recent cholera outbreak, this is not the time to delay assistance," Sen. John Kerry, the Massa-
chusetts Democrat and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman who sponsored the aid bill, told the AP on Thursday. In September, an AP investigation revealed that not one penny of the promised U.S. reconstruction money had arrived, due to a combination of bureaucracy, disorganization and a lack of urgency in Washington. President Barack Obama wasn't able to sign the appropriations bill containing the money until July 29. A subsequent bill to authorize release of the funds stalled, and it took until Sept. 20 for the Obama administration to submit a spending plan in an attempt to free up the money. Crowley told the AP "there has not been a delay," describing the 1007 notification as the final piece of a process that has kept to a schedule laid out in the aid bill. Still, requirements like these can hold up aid money for years. Some of the millions promised by President George W. Bush to help Mexico fight drug cartels still hasn't been released because of conditions that U.S. lawmakers put on that aid. "There is no question we should do everything we can to assist our neighbors in Haiti," Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma wrote in an Oct. 8 letter explaining why he objects to quick approval of the bill Kerry and Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker wrote to authorize the spending. Haiti must first commit to fighting cor-
ruption, and any additional Haiti spending must come only at the expense of other State Department programs, Coburn said. "I do not object to fulfilling our pledge to assist Haiti recover. However, I believe our charity today should not come at the expense of the next generation," Coburn wrote in the letter, addressed to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. "Therefore, any additional aid we provide must be paid for with cuts to lower priority programs elsewhere within the federal government's bloated $3.7 trillion annual budget." Crowley said the Obama administration has no objection to requiring that Haiti demonstrate "a commitment to accountability by removing corrupt officials, implementing fiscal transparency and other necessary reforms of government institutions, and facilitating active public engagement in governance and oversight of public resources." "We completely agree" that Haitians should account for how U.S. taxpayer money is spent, Crowley said. "Which is why we have worked with Haiti and the international community to make sure that ... the assistance we provide meets the genuine needs of the Haitian people, supports the plan that Haiti has developed and has the desired impact." As Republicans and Democrats point fingers in Washington, some contractors are giving up on recon-
struction projects that depended on the money. For months after the quake, U.S. officials met with contractors to discuss how to apply for the aid money, with plans for building everything from model homes to sanitation systems that could have prevented outbreaks of waterborne diseases like cholera. Jeff Cazeau, a HaitianAmerican procurement attorney in Miami, went to about a dozen of these sessions in Port-au-Prince, Washington and Miami, representing clients wanting to build housing, install solar-powered cell phone towers and put in roads. "But then absolutely nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. The frustration level just got higher and higher and higher," he said. "At some point it became pretty evident that nothing was going to happen and I had to get back to my regular law practice." The human costs have been severe, Cazeau said. "Now you've got a cholera epidemic, a hurricane bearing down on the place, people are living in the roadway medians, in city parks. It's just misery after misery after misery and none of this should have come as a surprise. Everyone was saying back in January that we need to get on this." Mendoza reported from Santa Cruz, California. Associated Press Writer Desmond O. Butler contributed from Washington.
Wipes: “It’s about a very activist agenda in a very ...” Continued from page B1 coln of Arkansas. Even some of the most conservative Democrats such as four-term Rep. Jim Marshall of Georgia and 10-term Rep. Gene Taylor of Mississippi couldn't withstand the wave. It also snared such veterans as John Spratt of South Carolina, the 14-term chairman of the House Budget Committee, and 14-term Rep. Rick Boucher of Virginia. When the new Congress convenes in January, there will be at most 16 white Southern Democratic House members out of 105 seats in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. Two races in Virginia and Kentucky were still too close to call, so the total could be as low as 14. The setback continues a four-decade decline for Democrats in the South, where they once dominated. The slide began after the civil rights movement, when Republicans under President Richard Nixon began employing a Southern strategy to retake the region by appealing to white anger over
desegregation. The GOP later highlighted liberal Democratic positions on social and welfare issues. Most of the losing Democrats this year were moderates representing Republican-leaning districts. And the challenges could get even tougher for Southern Democrats as legislatures begin redrawing congressional districts from the 2010 census. With some exceptions, including Mississippi and Louisiana, Republicans control statehouses across the South. They picked up North Carolina and Alabama on Tuesday. The legislatures are likely to loop more conservatives into swing districts that still vote Democratic, making it even harder for white Southerners to hold on in the future. The party's conservative Blue Dog coalition, which was founded in part by Southerners after the last Republican landslide in 1994, lost more than half of its 54 members, many in the South but others in swing states such as Pennsylvania and Ohio, as well as conser-
vative-leaning Western states. John Anzalone, an Alabama-based Democratic pollster who specializes in swing-state races, saw six of his House clients lose and said the wave was unavoidable in conservative districts given the economy. He called the election a temporary setback from which Democrats will gradually recover. "It's about a very activist agenda in a very difficult time. That makes people queasy," he said. "These are the guys who didn't vote for the activist agenda yet they were penalized. ... They were just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Others said that while the economy was the driving factor, party leaders got sidetracked on the messy health care bill debate and at times forced members into difficult votes that weren't necessary. Several conservative Democrats pointed to a contentious emissions-control energy bill that squeaked by in the House but never got a vote in the Senate. "If you know the Senate's not going to pass
something, why bring it up in the House when you also know it's going to be awfully controversial in these districts that are hard to hold," said Rep. Marshall, the Georgia Blue Dog who lost. Marshall and Blue Dog co-chairman Jim Matheson, D-Utah, said the party needs more centrist leadership, suggesting Speaker Nancy Pelosi should step aside. "She was certainly an issue in many races, including mine," said Matheson, the only one of the three Blue Dog co-chairs to survive Tuesday, and only narrowly. "I think there's an argument you gotta shake things up." Saunders, the campaign strategist from Virginia, said the party got off track by focusing for so long on the health care bill, which he said was too big and confusing, and played into Republican criticism of government run amok. "The idea that government can force you to buy health insurance just goes against the independent spirit," he said. "It's a cultural thing. Democrats just don't get the culture down here."
Nov. 9, 2010
Regrets: “In my opinion, this is going to be a tempest in a ...” Continued from page B1 saying something that hardly seemed like a fireable offense. Yet the decision also eliminated a distraction — NPR ombudsman Alicia Shepard said Williams had long been the subject of the most listener complaints — and allowed NPR's leaders to portray themselves as defenders of oldschool journalistic values. The fallout spread quickly. PBS ombudsman Michael Getler said he had received hundreds of calls or e-mails critical of the decision, even though Williams did not work for public television. When Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina introduces planned legislation to eliminate government funding for public radio, he said it would include television, too. The Williams dismissal also came shortly after the Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros, a frequent target of conservative critics, donated $1.8 million for NPR to hire people to report on government in all 50 states. One danger for NPR is that Williams' exit calls attention to the network's lack of on-air diversity, said Richard Prince, who blogs about diversity for the Maynard Institute of Journalism Education. Williams was one of its few nonwhite personalities. NPR has two programs hosted by black women, an on-air reporter who is black and another who has just been hired, a spokeswoman said. More than 100 people called or e-mailed Cincinnati's NPR affiliate,
WVXU, with the majority complaining about the decision, said Rich Eiswerth, the station's CEO, president and general manager. Two people canceled their memberships, he said. "In my opinion, this is going to be a tempest in a teapot," Eiswerth said. "The news cycle being what it is — a week from now is a decade in the news cycle — I don't think it will have a big impact on NPR." WAMC radio in Albany, N.Y., said it received several complaints, not necessarily from its members. "There was an organized right-wing attempt to use this to embarrass NPR," said Alan Chartock, the station's president. "NPR had it coming, because they really blew it." But he said the decision to fire Williams might help fundraising for NPR stations in some parts of the country. Fourteen percent of NPR listeners identified themselves as Republican, 40 percent said they were Democrats and 41 percent were independent, according to a survey taken in June by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Among all surveyed by Pew, the breakdown was 25 percent Republican, 33 percent Democratic and 34 percent independent. "With their listeners, (Williams' exit) would be a positive," said Robert Lichter, author of "The Media Elite," a 1986 book that traced political leanings of journalists. "I don't imagine a lot of their listeners are regular Fox viewers."
OVER: “We did talk last week following a rally ...” Continued from page B1 poll in Miami shows Rubio 50 with percent; Crist 25 percent and Meek 19 percent. One political strategist told BlackAmericaWeb.com that some black Democrats have believed for some time that Meek couldn’t win, and, like many other congressional leaders, they fear a Rubio victory in Florida could help Republicans take control of the House during Tuesday’s elections. The Obama administration reportedly knew about Clinton’s discussions with Meek, but deliberately stayed out of the negotiations to protect Obama from being tainted by the perceived botched backdoor deal. Some black voters in Florida, according to The New York Times, say they won’t vote for Meek because they don’t believe Meek has a legitimate shot. Other black voters said when they heard that Clinton tried to talk Meek into dropping out, they were convinced that Meek was finished. “A vote for Meek is a wasted vote,” Kevin Roberson, a postal worker from Miami, told the Times. “I would like for him to win, but you know what? He’s behind,” Betty Chambers, a hospital secretary,
told the newspaper. “And if Rubio wins, we’re in trouble.” Meek has put himself in a precarious position. It’s not likely that he will win on Tuesday, and if he loses, he’ll not only be out of politics - he gave up his congressional seat to run for the U.S. Senate - but he could also fall out of favor with the Democratic Party because of the perception that he’s not a team player. Clinton, for his part, stuck to his version of events during the past three days. "We did talk last week following a rally in Orlando about the race and its challenges," Clinton told reporters. "I didn't ask Kendrick to leave the race, nor did Kendrick say that he would. I told him that how he proceeds was his decision to make and that I would support him regardless." "I still believe he could be the best senator to help Florida and America emerge from the current crisis and build a growing middle class economy," Clinton said. He described Meek as "a close friend" and said their relationship "extends far beyond politics." And he'll be stumping with Meek in Florida on Monday, the eve of Election Day.
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ANALYSIS
Did black voters bail on President Obama Tuesday? For President Barack Obama, Tuesday’s hostile takeover of the House of Representatives by Republicans was a stunning political setback, a fundamental rejection of Obama’s sweeping legislative agenda. It was also Obama’s first failure as president to rally black Americans around a slate of Democratic candidates during a critical mid-term election cycle. Unfortunately for Obama, black voters, collectively, did not answer his call. Obama now faces a harsh political reality: The historic shift in power in Washington, D.C. that resulted from Tuesday’s elections could stall parts of the president’s ambitious initiatives for the next two years, unless he decides to compromise with a GOP that he has described as misguided and irresponsible. “All sides are going to have to compromise to get anything done,” Karen Finney, a Democratic strategist, told BlackAmericaWeb.com Wednesday. “It’s easier said than done, however.” Obama will likely experience political gridlock like he’s never seen as president – the same kind of extreme partisan divisions he vowed to mediate from his White House perch. In 2008, the president campaigned as a national healer who would cut through the hardcore Washington politics and unite both parties. Starting this week, Obama will get his chance to prove that he’s a genuine consensus builder. During a White House press conference Wednesday, Obama appeared humbled and admitted that he took a “shellacking” in Tuesday’s elections. “This is something that I think every president needs to go through because the responsibilities of this office are so enormous and so many people are depending on what we do,” Obama said, “and in the rush of activity, sometimes we lose track of the ways that we connected with folks that got us
President Barack Obama presents his inaugural speech during his swearing in ceremony at the capitol in January 2009
here in the first place.” “I’m sure there are easier ways to learn these lessons,” he added. “But I do think that this is a growth process and an evolution.” As part of Obama’s growth process, perhaps the president will reflect on the particular economic needs of the black community and ask himself – and his political advisors - why many black voters did not respond to his request for a strong turn-out on Tuesday. Despite his last-minute pleas on black radio, many AfricanAmericans largely sat out on Tuesday because they were disengaged. Obama not only failed to rally women, independents and college students around Democrats, but he also failed to fire up his own black base. Perhaps black voters didn’t turn out Tuesday because Obama’s name was not on the ballot. Or
maybe Obama hasn't visited enough black neighorhoods as president. With the black unemployment rate rising to 15.6 percent, some civil rights activists say Obama could rally the faithful simply by addressing the black unemployment crisis directly – and publicly. The collapse of the economy has taken its toll on families everywhere, and black Americans are frustrated and angry, too. Many black professionals tell BlackAmericaWeb.com that Obama can’t expect the black vote again simply because he’s black – African-Americans need a legitimate reason to enthusiastically support Obama’s candidacy. “Frankly, I’m tired of defending Obama,” one lifelong black Democrat told BlackAmericaWeb.com Wednesday.
Obama is recovering from a strategic body blow in the form of Republicans gaining at least 60 seats in the House - the largest victory for either party since 1948. The GOP is hoping to capitalize on voter anger toward Democrats and turn Obama into a one-term president. Republicans are already preparing to repeal Obama’s controversial health care legislation, and there’s also talk that the GOP wants to abort Obama’s stimulus plan, saying the sweeping initiative is driving up the federal deficit. “Yesterday’s vote confirmed what I've heard from folks all across America,” Obama said Wednesday. “People are frustrated. They’re deeply frustrated with the pace of our economic recovery. They want jobs to come back faster, they want paychecks to go further.” And African-Americans
want to believe that America’s first black president embraces their concerns during tough economic times. Obama and Democrats need an immediate, aggressive, nationwide plan to inspire the black electorate. With the presidential election two years away, Obama can’t afford to take his message to black voters two weeks before the election. He must begin to solidify his relationship with the black community today - city by city, block by block. “So, the question I think that my Republican friends and me and Democratic leaders are going to have answer is what are our priorities?” Obama asked. “What do we care about?” It’s a great question – and black Americans who stood in line for hours to elect Obama in 2008 deserve a straightforward answer today.
It is time for the “economic realization” to hit ASU students American Society is known for its different organizations that focus on helping others outside of the country. Celebrities like Angeline Jolie and Oprah Winfrey give more than thousands of dollars to Africa to help better its living. Causes like these are wonderfully powered by the heart to help others in need. It just so happens that due to the financial situation of America, major changes are going to have to be made. Now is no longer the time to continue spending money on material things in this society. Too many people have a confused attitude. They define themselves by the clothes they wear or the jewels on their neck. It is too easy to find someone on our campus with a mindset of “I am not selfish,” when the reality of the situation, says something totally different. According to a press release, dated for October 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the U.S. Department of Labor found
that the amount of jobless people within our society is at a 9.6 percent, which are 14.8 million people. Out of these unemployed, 41.8 percent have been jobless for 27 weeks or more. The majority of these people probably have to take care of their immediate family and other loved ones during these difficult times. The government is making major cuts to decrease our national deficit. This means that many of the loans and Pell grants that students are obtaining will eventually be decreased in some manner to cut back on costs. It is time for ‘this realization’ to sweep Alabama State University. So many students still believe that no matter what happens, as long as “they” make it, then everything will be fine. Take a moment and question whether or not you will be ready tomorrow if the government suddenly stops financially helping you work through college? Some people go to school
BY KIEYANA EDWARDS EXECUTIVE EDITOR with the sole purpose of just using the school check to provide for their place of residence. If that is taken away, then who will those students turn to? The value of a dollar is no longer the same outside of the U.S. as it used to be. Students have to make a stand and get ready to change for the better. I urge you to encourage all of your friends and family to order their priorities correctly and be aware of the true impact each indi-
vidual has upon this economy. It is time to look beyond self and think of others. Blacks lead the demographic in shopping. If every black person were to not shop for a week in Montgomery, it would cause a chain reaction that would shock everyone. It seems that we as a general society have forgotten just how effective it is for us to stand together, instead of standing alone. Every student that walks on Alabama State University holds their own power in some way and so does everyone within the U.S. It is time for ASU as a whole to be more aware of their government and stop it from further drowning us into this upcoming depression that seems to be creeping around the corner. The majority of our generation has gone on, too long, being oblivious to the things that affect us as a whole the most. It is up to you to step up and take notice of the changes, so that you may be able to decide what is best for you
and your society. We all tend to ultimately want the best of things, whether it be material or emotional, but you need to ask yourself, “When have you ever gotten something you truly valued without putting some hard work into it?” The best of relationships, careers, and spiritual enlightenment have been achieved through hard work because as humans, we hold onto the things that we had to work for. It marks something within our souls that hold a lasting impact. Once we take the next step to help each other excel and stand together as a whole, the possibilities will be endless. As a race, the African American community is crumbling when it comes to true unity. This should not be happening, but if enough people do not put aside their differences to work for the good of all, then we will sabotage our own prosperity, not just as blacks, but for the human race as well.
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The Hornet Tribune
Nov. 9, 2010
THE HORNET TRIBUNE STAFF EDITORIAL ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ IT IS TIME TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE
When will Homecoming become a shared celebration? What college or university in America celebrates homecoming for 10 days or more? Alabama State University. Why? Because the university’s homecoming was designated at the same time as the Turkey Day Classic, which is the oldest rivalry among historically black colleges and universities, which happens to fall on Thanksgiving Day. For seven or eight decades, celebrating homecoming during the Turkey Day Classic was embraced by both students and alumni because the majority of students remained on campus during the holiday, and the holiday allowed many of the alumni to return home without a hassle. However, during the 1990s, students began to return home, more frequently, to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families, because transportation became more accessible and more afford-
able. This growing trend among students left a huge void for the university as thousands of students never attended a homecoming game or participated in the homecoming celebration during their four or five years because they opted to return home. To address the issue, the university decided to expand the celebration by giving the students a week to celebrate and then giving the alumni four or five days to celebrate. In fact, one of the brochures announcing the upcoming activities for the university referenced one week of activities as STUDENT HOMECOMING and the other week as HORNET HOMECOMING. However, this proposed solution has not worked well because homecoming really means that alumni return home to celebrate the progress and accomplishments of the university WITH the current
students who are there to help them appreciate the legacy of an institution that has done so much for so many. It should be a participatory event in which alumni and students benefit from the other. In addition, there is an interesting integration between the two groups (alumni and current students) that forms a bond and encourages current students to become giving alumni. This integration is currently not occurring, and thousands of students who become alumni never experience the joy of a homecoming celebration as students. What can we do to properly solve this problem? Separate the Turkey Day Classic from homecoming and celebrate homecoming during the time that the Gulf Coast Classic was originally scheduled (last week of September or first week in October. What are the benefits?
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First, if a students is able to attend the homecoming activities as a student for four years, the likelihood of that student returning as an alumnus is greater because of the “great times” that the student received as a student. Second, the economic impact of the Turkey Day Classic on the city of Montgomery and ASU is phenomenal and that does not appear to be changing as Montgomery is growing in the areas of sports and entertainment and the university is growing exponentially with new programs and new buildings. Third, moving homecoming to the last week in September or the first week in October will give the university an opportunity to return to a REAL homecoming where students and alumni participate in some of the same activities (example: alumni vs. student basketball game or a alumni-student talent show) and a real bond will develop and grow between the two
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groups. Finally, it will give the alumni another opportunity to return to alma mater, have meetings on campus with the various groups (example: Chicago alumni with students from Chicago, California alumni with students from California, or Detroit alumni with students from Detroit), which really reinforces the importance of the university and the impact that it has made on society for the past 143 years. It is also a time that the alumni chapters can publicly present a donation to the university and state how they want that money utilized. We know that change can be difficult and painful, and separating a long-standing tradition like the Turkey Day Classic and homecoming is a serious issue, but it is time to connect the student body with the alumni during the homecoming celebration during the second decade of the 21st century.
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Photo by Kiersten Nurse/Staff Photographer
Patricia Maggard, PhD, talks about her fight to keep from getting breast cancer and things students should know about the silent killer. Pictured, Maggard is posting her grades on blackboard
“Living in the shadows of breast cancer” By Joseph Cook STAFF CORRESPONDENT
jcook2011@gmail.com
“I had very large breasts and they were just packed with cysts. I think my first cyst was found when I was 13 years old, playing basketball. I had fibroid cyst disease, which means I had tons of cysts -well, you know, several. I believe they counted up to 20-something cysts in my breasts” said Patricia Maggard, PhD. There is no shortage of breast cancer survivor stories, but Maggard’s story is unique. In October 1993, because she was so high-risk, she opted to undergo a simple bilateral mastectomy, a removal of both breasts. Breast cancer is widely seen as a monster. Men, who are generally at lower risk than women, are still stalked by this deadly, indiscriminate disease. It takes mothers and daughters away from families, leaving homes fragmented and casting a veil of gloom. Breast cancer is the second leading killer of women around the globe. Through the years, breast cancer has stalked and lurked about Maggard’s family like a ruthless fiend. Her story is one that reveals the resolve to live and the very dangerous nature of breast cancer. “As a matter of fact,” as the professor of psychology furrows her brow, “I had one (tumor) that was growing on the outside of my breast. With that, and the history, the doctors decided that I had the option of lumpectomies or I could have my breasts removed. I would have only, like, a three percent chance of getting breast cancer because they removed all except for very little tissue near the bone.” A lumpectomy is the removal of the breast tumor (the "lump") and some of the normal tissue that surrounds it. Lumpectomy is a form of “breastconserving” or "breast preservation" surgery. Maggard explains some of the physical effects. “The scar tissue sometimes causes a problem. I’ve noticed there’s a problem with circulation.
Photo by Kiersten Nurse/Staff Photographer
Patricia Maggard, PhD, talks about her fight to keep from getting breast cancer and things students should know about the silent killer. Pictured, Maggard is posting her grades on blackboard
Photo by Kiersten Nurse/Staff Photographer
Patricia Maggard, PhD, talks to her students regarding their grades on a homework assignment that was given.
I can’t have my blood-pressure taken in my arms like other people; I have to have it taken in my leg because the blood flows differently having those mastectomies. But other than that, the side-effects are
people - women, in public showers, staring. The psychological effects … are something you have to get over. I went through my 35th birthday without my breasts; they hadn’t given me my prosthetics yet.
My theme for that birthday was ‘35 Still Alive’,” in which she gives a hearty laugh. She continued. “All the physical side-effects pale in comparison to the psycho-
logical side-effects. For example, going into Victoria’s Secret and only being able to buy the bottom and not the top. And that’s what some people take into consideration, which may be why some people don’t want to do the mastectomy.” Maggard explains the origin of her unusually high risk of breast cancer. “My mother had breast cancer when I was eight years old. I had to go stay with my dad at Ft. Lenningwood, Mo., because my mom was having surgeries. She was 28 years old. At 28 she had breast cancer. That was the first time my mother had it and then it came back when she turned 39, but this time it came back to her other side. My grandmother died at the age of 53 from breast cancer in 1964.” According to the American Cancer Society, “White women have a higher incidence of breast cancer than African American women beginning at age 45. In contrast, African American women have a higher incidence rate before age 45 and are more likely to die from breast cancer at every age.” “Fortunately or unfortunately, I don’t have any girls,” Maggard said. “And I’m the only child. One of the questions they asked me to find out the level of my risk was, ‘Do you have any sisters?’ Maggard repositions herself as she stands behind the classroom desk and said, “I had just gotten married in December 1992; hadn’t even been married for a year. So, I had to sit the family down because I had a 9-year-old son, and we had to decide if we were going to look for a cosmetic answer or some other answer because to my son, this would mean that “mom” isn’t going look like other women. Of course, I had the option of doing reconstruction surgery, but I chose not to do it just because my mom had so much trouble with her reconstruction.” With stoic contemplation, she reflects, “…Vanity kind of becomes something that you let go by the wayside.”
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Rapper T.I. ordered back to prison for 11 more months ATLANTA (AP) — Federal authorities have ordered the rapper T.I. to report directly to a federal prison in Arkansas by Nov. 1 to start serving his 11-month prison sentence. U.S. Marshal Beverly Harvard on Tuesday ordered T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., to report to the Forrest City low-security prison where he served parts of an earlier 10 month
stint on federal weapons charges. A federal judge in Atlanta sentenced the rapper this month to serve another 11 months in prison for breaking his federal probation after he was arrested on Sept. 1 in Los Angeles on drug charges. Prosecutors in Los Angeles said Monday they will not file a felony drug charge against the rapper.
Rapper Shyne resurrects his career in Jerusalem (AP) JERUSALEM The rapper Shyne is singing a new tune: After serving eight years in prison for a nightclub shooting, the former protege of Sean "Diddy" Combs has converted to Orthodox Judaism, come to Jerusalem, and is devoting his days to the study of Torah while plotting a musical comeback. His arrival in the Holy Land caps an unorthodox journey that began in Flatbush, Brooklyn, where he grew up and was shot at the age of 15. He then joined the high-flying hip-hop universe and ended up in a maximum security state prison before he was eventually deported to Belizewhere his father happens to be prime minister. "Being in Israel is just the exclamation point," he said Thursday. "This is the ultimate place to be who you are." During a two-hour conversation on a hotel balcony overlooking the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, Shyne said his connection to Judaism goes back to his childhood - when he was still known as Jamaal Michael Barrow. His mother claims Ethiopian Jewish ancestry, but the man who now calls himself Moshe Levi BenDavid says his roots go even deeper and that even as a boy
in the streets, he was oddly drawn to Judaism and identified with its biblical heroes. "I grew up in a war, constantly battling, and the only person I could relate to was King David. Of course I love Michael Jordan, I love Mike Tyson, I love the typical people that people love, Muhammad Ali, but I had more of a connection with King David," he said. Shyne, 32, has swapped his hip-hop attire of oversized basketball jerseys and diamond studded teeth for the traditional black suit and white knee-high stockings favored by the Belz Hassidic sect. He wears a black skullcap over his shaven head, but in a reminder of his former life, he still wears stylish black Ray Ban sunglasses. Where he once rapped about loose women, fancy cars and hollowpoint bullets, he now fires off staccato sentences about Jewish law, peppered with Yiddish, in the same raspy voice once compared to that of the Notorious B.I.G. "Wherever I go it is going to be the same shtick. This is who I am, you dig," he said. In his teens, he was discovered by Combs - then known as Puff Daddy- who signed him to his Bad Boy
“Africa to America” By Stephanie Speers STAFF CORRESPONDENT
sspeers2011@gmail.com
Alabama State University Department of Theatre Arts preformed a play entitled “Africa to America: Prospective, Pride and Power – A Celebration of Who We Are.” A cast of 52 talented students opened the event with a much-anticipated premier night on Tuesday Oct. 27 in the Tullibody
Music Building. In the journey from Africa to America, students discover the turmoil of our forefathers and what they endured in order for the generations after to live a somewhat respectable life when competing with the “other man.” These life changing events were separated in movements, taking use all the way back to when African were kings, suffering through the middle passage,
the auction blocks, slavery, the underground railroad, Jim Crow Laws and segregation during the civil rights movement, highlighting the men and women making an impact in their time, and ultimately, claiming their true identity. The chairwoman and director of Africa to America, Wendy R. Coleman, PhD, emphasized in her welcome that “I believe it is paramount that we continue to reveal the layers of history which are
often glossed over in history books or only spoken of during Black History Month. We who have received this great inheritance must know that it is ours at all times. We must carry it proudly and honor it humbly.” Along with Africa to America, the Department of Theater will be presenting more events. “Brokeology” coming in November and “A Song for Coretta” coming in January to ASU.
See RESURRECTS on page E2 Denzel Washington stars as Frank Barnes in the film “Unstoppable”
"Unstoppable" Photo by Bryant Magee/Chief Photographer
The members of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, in an effort to demonstrate unity between the Divine 9 hosted a “Family Feud.
Zetas host “Greek Fued” By Tamika Bentley STAFF CORRESPONDENT
tbentley2011@gmail.com
A night of screaming, yelling, laughing, running, and a host of other fun expressions between a mix of Greek organizations and the audience made for a family like atmosphere. Members of the Epsilon Beta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated
held the “Sweet Greek Feud” on Nov. 04 at 7 p.m. in the Alabama Room as part of their fall 2010 Zeta Week. This Greek-influenced game, inspired by the popular game show, “Family Feud,” was centered on fun and togetherness between a majority of the Divine Nine and the students of Alabama State University. Those repSee HOSTS on page E2
(AP) Frank Barnes (Denzel Washington) is winding down a 28-year career riding the rails with the Allegheny and West Virginia Railroad (AWVR). Despite the lack of a blemish on his sterling record, the veteran engineer’s being forced by the company to take an early retirement in a costcutting measure set to take effect in just a couple of weeks. To add insult to injury, Frank finds himself partnered with Will Colson (Chris Pine), a young conductor who’s recently been hired because of his union connections. It is therefore understandable that there might be some tension in the air when, because of
the rookie’s mistake, they end up leaving the train yard pulling a few more freight cars than intended. However, that faux pas pales in comparison to the one simultaneously being made elsewhere in Southern Pennsylvania. For some inane reason, AWVR’s worst engineer (Ethan Suplee) decides to jump off his slowmoving locomotive to throw a switch to direct it onto another track. Trouble is that, before he can climb back up, the throttle inadvertently slips down into the “FULL” position and the half-mile long freight train takes off without anyone aboard, quickly accelerating to 70 mph. Worse, this frightful development puts the runaway
diesel on a collision course with a passenger train filled with school kids on an outing emanating from the Northern end of the state. Can what looks like certain disaster somehow be averted? Of course, that challenge falls at the feet of fearless Frank who nobly rises to the occasion as soon as he learns about the dire situation. In so doing, he both grudgingly buries the hatchet with inexperienced Will and also suppresses his bitterness about being fired. That, in a nutshell, is the clichéd premise established practically at the outset of Unstoppable, an edgeof-your-seat roller coaster ride designed with the Attention Deficit Generation in mind. The thrill-a-minute
adventure, based on actual events, proceeds to serve up a series of near misses one after another, much like the mind-numbing, taser-like overstimulation offered by your typical computer game. Though this film features Denzel Washington doing what Denzel does best, namely, playing the selfless stoic with good teeth, the performance is undermined a bit because his character feels so familiar. There’s definitely a “been there, done that” about the predictable goings-on here since, just last year, he similarly saved the day in the remake of another train thriller, The Taking of Pelham 123.
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ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Nov. 9, 2010
“For Colored Girls” MOVIE REVIEW By Courtlyn Boykin STAFF CORRESPONDENT
cboykin@gmail.com
Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf made a big splash when it debuted on Broadway back in the Seventies. The emotionallydraining “choreopoem” was essentially a series of soulbaring monologues plumbing the depths of the AfricanAmerican female psyche on sensitive subjects ranging from sexuality to spirituality. Performed by a nameless cast of seven troubled women, this hybrid of drama and poetry met with critical acclaim, although it particularly resonated with sisters. Shange subsequently wrote the screenplay for a made-for-TV version of her opus which aired on PBS’ American Playhouse in 1982. And she also appeared in the movie version opposite Alfre Woodard, Sophie Okenedo and Lynn Whitfield. The unenviable challenge of adapting her muchbeloved production to the big screen has now fallen to Tyler Perry, a man who proves himself up to the challenge. He ostensibly began by abbreviating the original’s cumbersome, grammatically-challenged name, which only makes sense,
since it had been coined back during a more loquacious era when wordy was fashionable not only in terms of movie titles (Dr. Strangelove: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) but in advertising slogans (“Vicks’ Nyquil: The nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching,stuffy head fever so you can rest medicine”) as well. Next, the inventive Perry fleshed out the lead roles, while adding a number of support characters to the
ensemble and updating some themes (ala AIDS and the down-low) as concessions to 21st Century cultural sensibilities. More importantly, however, he has preserved the source material’s relentlessly-harrowing tone. Loyal Tyler Perry fans will appreciate how his enhanced plotline emulates that of his ever-popular morality plays, except for those trademark touches of humor. The stellar cast assembled to execute his vision includes Janet Jackson, Thandie New-
ton, Kerry Washington, Loretta Devine, Kimberly Elise, Phylicia Rashad, Macy Gray, Anika Noni Rose and Whoopi Goldberg. The story is set in a seedy, Harlem tenement inhabited by several of the protagonists. Each, we learn, is already deeply enmeshed in some sort of family dysfunction, from promiscuous bartender Tangie (Newton) who brings home a different stud every night, to her pregnant, teenage sister (Tessa Thompson) in urgent need of an
abortion, to their clueless mother (Goldberg), a hoarder caught in the clutches a religious cult. Just across the hall, lives the apartment building’s relatively-composed manager (Rashad) whose self-assured manner might be a mask. On the floor below, we find Crystal (Elise) being battered by the unemployed, alcoholic boyfriend (Michael Ealy) she refuses to marry yet can’t summon up the gumption to dump. Then there’s Juanita (Devine), a
free clinic nurse who counsels others about relationships, but remains in denial about the abysmal state of her own. Naïve dance instructor Yasmine (Rose) comes to regret accepting a date from a flirtatious stranger (Khalil Kain) she meets on the street. More upscale, but no less troubled are Kelly (Washington), a social worker worried about how her police officer husband (Hill Harper) will react to the news that she can’t conceive. Last but not least, there’s Jo (Jackson), a famous fashion magazine editor, whose closet-gay beau (Omari Hardwick) has been using her for a beard. Eventually, all of the assorted melodramas serendipitously merge and resolve themselves satisfactorily right on cue for a typically-preachy, Perry denouement during which our heroines take turns expressing their resolve to rise above their overwhelming personal challenges. A fresh interpretation of For Colored Girls which puts to rest the question of whether that black feminist classic was too dated to be adapted to the screen. All that was missing was a pistol-packing granny in drag, chirrun!
Shyne: “He gives kindness and he gives judgment ...”
Host: “The Zeta Family Fued showed most of the different ...”
Continued from page E1 record label. Shyne embraced the lifestyle of women, booze and partying but said he was already turning away from that when "the incident" happened. In late 1999, Shyne was at a Manhattan club along with Combs and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, when he was involved in a high-profile shooting that left three people injured. Combs was cleared of gun possession charges but Shyne was sentenced to 10 years for assault, gun possession and reckless endangerment. Shyne says he acted in self-defense after someone else pulled a gun.
Continued from page E1 resented included Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. The six representatives of the different Greek organizations who participated in the game show symbolized an admired unity among Greeks. They were split between two groups of six: team one, “Team Gucci,” versus team two, “The Team That Won.” Each question, for a total of twelve, started as a race between one contestant from each team and whoever made it to the front first got a chance to answer
It was in prison where he said he became "Baal Tshuva," the Hebrew term for a newly observant Jew. He changed his name, prayed regularly, kept kosher and observed the Sabbath. His faith helped him come to peace with his troubled past and his lengthy incarceration, saying it was God's will and part of his 'Tikkun' - a spiritual voyage to make amends. "He (God) gives kindness and He gives judgment. I've done some terrible things in my life, I've not always been the best person I can be and I gotta pay for those mistakes," he said. Discussing the shooting, he said, "my guilt is endless for a lot of other things
that I didn't get caught for, so that is how I try to look at it." He was released a year ago, then deported to his native Belize where he is appealing the decision so that he can return to the U.S. and go on tour. He reconnected with his estranged father, Prime Minister Dean Barrow, and he now serves as a goodwill ambassador for Belize. He arrived in Israel several months ago for the Jewish New Year and has since undergone a conversion process and a symbolic circumcision. Amid his religious studies he is preparing a comeback. His two new albums, "Gangland" and "Messiah," are scheduled to
be released in March by Def Jam records. His new goals include becoming the biggest music star in the world, but also marrying an "Israelite" and building a religious seminary in Jerusalem for Ethiopian children. More than 120,000 Ethiopian Jews now live in Israel. The journey has influenced his music. He said the themes of helping others by highlighting injustice remain the same, but toned down. "I naturally stopped using the N-word, I naturally stopped being misogynistic," he said. "My connection to God is the water that nourishes who I am and allows me to grow."
the question. “The Zeta Family Feud showed most of the different Greeks on Alabama State campus having fun and coming together to provide a humorous and pleasant night,” said Carleddy Saint Jean, sophomore. Many students enjoyed the event. "The Zeta Family Feud was very fun and entertaining.” Said sophomore, Brittney Turner. “It showed a connection between the different organizations" First-year student Bryanna Henry said, "It was good because all of the Greeks were united, and played an awesome game"