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Honors Society, a saxophonist with the Sound Machine, and a member of the Worship and Praise Inspirational Mass Choir. She had been a reporter and staff photographer for the Campus Echo, earning a fellowship at the prestigious New York Times Student Journalism Institute. Smith earned her undergraduate degree in 2004. As a graduate student in English, she was working on her master’s thesis on the expression of black identity in the work of Richard Wright and Tupac Shakur. She mentored undergraduate students in the Writing Studio, was still contributing news stories to the Campus Echo, and had recently crossed to the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. The shooting shocked the NCCU community. “For anyone who knows Denita, sadness will be in the air,” said Gerard Farrow, a Campus Echo A&E editor who worked with Smith. “It’s so sad,” said Bruce dePyssler, Campus Echo adviser. “She was doing everything right.” At a memorial held at B.N. Duke after her Jan. 11 funeral the Rev. Michael Page, of Campus Ministry, put the University’s grief like this: “Our hearts are numb. And our minds are confused.” In his opening statements, Saacks argued that Shannon Crawley, a 911 operator in Greensboro, drove to Durham alone on Jan. 3 to locate Smith’s apartment and again on Jan. 4 to murder Smith. He argued that she was driven by the “deadly sin” of “envy.” In his testimony Smith’s fiancé, Jermeir Stroud, said that he had been in overlapping relationships with Smith and Crawley, but that the relationship with Crawley had ended in 2005 after she had an abortion. “I never told Denita about Shannon,” he said on the stand. “It was out of immaturity. I didn’t want to put this on her.” In opening statements, Crawley’s defense attorney, Scott Holmes, argued that Stroud coerced Crawley to ride with him to Durham on Jan. 3 and on Jan. 4, 2007. He said that on Jan. 4, Stroud threatened to harm Crawley’s two children, a son who is now 11 and a daughter who is now 9. “Shannon Crawley was not on top of the world,” Holmes said. “She was under the influence of a controlling Mr. Jemeir Stroud. And she couldn’t handle it.” Holmes argued that Stroud shot and killed his fiancée while Crawley was in the car. Durham homicide investigator Shawn Pate testified that Crawley, in a Jan. 5 interview the day after the shooting, said she had never been in Durham, just “through” Durham. He testified that she changed her story in a May 8, 2007 interview in which she said that she had been to Durham both days with Stroud. Michael Hedgefield, a Campus Crossings maintenance man, testified that he first saw a black woman running “from an unusual direction” at the apartments. Hedgefield said he spoke to the woman while she was driv-
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Greenhouse nurtures transgenic plants
Greensboro police officer Jermeir Stroud. Stroud was Denita Smith’s fiancée in 2007 when she was murdered. ASHLEY GRIFFIN/Echo staff photographer JERRY
Jiahua Xie and his students experiment with tobacco plants to find medical uses. CORLISS PAULING /Echo staff photographer
BY AMARACHI ANAKARAONYE ECHO STAFF REPORTER
Have you ever wondered what exactly is being grown in the greenhouse behind the Lee Biology building? Under the controlled conditions of the greenhouse, Jiahua Xie, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, is growing transgenic tobacco plants infused with genetically engineered human protein. Transgenic plants contain human or animal genes. Tobacco plants are a popular research product for plant genetics and physiology, due to their regional adaptability and ability to be mass reproduced. “In our lab, we use tobacco plants to produce biopharmaceuticals,” said Chiu-Yueh Hung, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and
Courtesy of the Denita Smith familiy
ing off in a burgundy Explorer SUV at about 8:30 a.m. He said she was distraught and crying and that he did not see anyone else in the car with the woman. His description of the car led detectives to Crawley. At the time of the shooting and in court, the maintenance man said he could not positively identify the woman he spoke to. According to Hedgefield’s testimony, the woman said she was frightened by gunfire and that she lived at Campus Crossing. Hedgefield testified that he had never seen the woman in the apartment complex. Stroud, Smith’s fiancé, testified that he had last seen Crawley a week or so before the shooting, pointing at him and Smith at his church in Greensboro. Cell phone records provided in court indicated that on Jan. 3, Crawley’s phone had been used by a cell phone tower about one mile from Campus Crossings and by towers between Greensboro and Durham. On the day of the shooting, records for Crawley’s cell phone indicate calls made at 5:50 a.m. in Greensboro and later at 9:40 a.m. in Greensboro. Campus Crossings keyusage records that indicate when individuals enter and leave their apartments show that Smith left her apartment at 8:10 a.m. Crawley’s 911 supervisor testified that Crawley was scheduled to work at 7 a.m. the day of the shooting, but
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Their research with the tobacco plants has been published in The Plant Biotechnology Report, a collection of scientific journals. “The tobacco plant project helped me understand scientific methodologies and approaches to scientific problems,” said Musa, now a BRITE research associate. “The research institution at N.C. Central University (BRITE and BBRI) offers great opportunities for minority students to take advantage.” Xie said, “Without plants, we cannot survive. Besides their most basic usages they provide knowledge for my students through scientific training and hands-on-experience. This knowledge leads to opportunities for them to educate society through research and exploration.”
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 career exploration. They also attended information sessions with the offices of U n d e r g r a d u a t e Admissions, Financial Aid and Residential Life. “We want to bridge the gap between 2- and 4-year schools for all minorities, not just black males,” said Jason Dorsette, public administration graduate and graduate assistant to the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. Dorsette also coordinates the Centennial Scholars Program. Dorsette serves as a “big brother” to 48 men, encouraging them to develop academically and professionally while being involved in the community. Dorsette said some of the Centennial Scholars had GPAs that barely allowed them admission to the University, but that with mentorship they now have 3.0s and 3.5s. With this program, “Students get a sense of accountability, so they produce,” said Dorsette. “When you’re outside coming in it’s hard to find a niche,” he said. “A mentor can help lead to the light and provide insight and
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clocked in after 10 a.m., saying that she had taken her children to a doctor’s appointment. As of yesterday, no testimony had been provided to the jury documenting Crawley’s claim that she was at a doctor’s appointment. A state forensics witness testified that gunshot residue was lifted from the driver’s side of Crawley’s SUV, and a co-worker of Crawley’s has testified that Crawley bought a .38 mm handgun from him several weeks before the shooting after Crawley told him the her house had been broken into numerous times. According to state forensics testimony, a .38-caliber bullet was recovered from Smith’s body. Stroud testified that the handguns he uses as a police officer are both .40 caliber. During the course of the ongoing trial, several defense motions to suppress evidence have been denied by the superior court judge. These include a motion to suppress the Jan. 5 interview with Crawley and accusations made by Crawley that Stroud had raped her in June 2008 in Charlotte while she was out on bail. These charges were dropped when cell phone records and a restaurant receipt showed that Stroud was in Greensboro, not Charlotte, at the time.
Technology Enterprise senior scientist. “Our research focuses on increasing the production and efficiently isolating these biopharmaceuticals from plants,” said Hung. “We have been exploring various genetic modifications to enhance the production as well as the quality.” The human proteins reproduced by transgenic tobacco plants can be administered to people who have suffered injuries to the brain and spinal cord, usually as a result of strokes and heart attacks. Treatment with this protein may prevent death and extensive tissue damage to the brain, spinal cord, kidney and heart. Xie and Hung are also assisted by Diane Darlington and Tamba Musa, pharmaceutical science alumni.
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A collage of Denita Smith from her Jan. 11, 2007 funeral.
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career guidance to any student.” “The men need real down-to-earth, uncensored talk to prove we care,” he said. “We need to plant the seed and provide mentors to go beyond all measures to ensure success.” The mentoring program seeks to do the same for young men attending area community colleges. Dorsette said each university in the program will focus on nearby community colleges; NCCU will target DTCC and VGCC. “We don’t want to take away from the associate degrees or trades,” said Dorsette. “We’re just leaning toward more education. Market yourself better and demand a six-figure paycheck.” Daniel Alvarado, VGCC director of counseling services said his office considers males with a minimum 2.0 GPA and leadership potential for the program. “Currently we have 25program participants but the goal is to recruit an additional 25 more by this fall term,” said Alvarado. Education freshman Tyquan Ward, a Centennial scholar who took part in the tour, said several of the visiting men had already
verbally committed to NCCU. “Our very own prestigious Greek Fraternity/Sorority bowl and adequate library seemed to be the most interesting part of the tour,” said Ward. He said participants debated the best qualities for a mentor. “Common responses were trust, love, and leadership.” Kevin Rome, vice chancellor of student affairs and enrollment management, spoke to the group in a session titled “Pros and Cons of Effective Mentorship.” “We have received very positive feedback from the participants,” Rome wrote in an e-mail. “I hope that we are able to do more such events in the future. The staff at NCCU did a great job with the event.” Dorsette said the same event is planned for next year around the same time. “Several of the young men told us that they will be joining the NCCU family after they graduate from their community colleges,” he said. “NCCU is honored to be participating in this program and excited to be reaching out to minority males. They’re our future.”
Home Screening for Bacterial Vaginosis to Prevent STDs (The BRAVO Study) Nationwide research study with approved medication to see if more frequent testing and treatment for bacterial vaginosis, a vaginal infection that is not an STD, will help to reduce the chances of women getting gonorrhea and chlamydia. After the initial visit, swabs are collected at home and mailed, every 2 months for a year. Qualifications: female, ages 18-25, no vaginal symptoms at time of first visit, and other criteria. Testing & treatment at no cost, compensation will be provided. Please call: UNC Clinical Research Staff in DURHAM Karen Lau, FNP: (919) 560-7849 or Adriane Osborne, FNP: (919) 560-7850