60.8 Spartan Echo

Spartan Echo The Voice of the Spartan Community

SpartanEcho.org | 700 Park Avenue. Norfolk, Va. 23504

Vol. 60, I ssue 8

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Stories Inside

Find how students agree with President Obama on gun control. See page 2.

Photo credit: DeVanique Riley | The Spartan Echo.

View how the underrated track and field team are off to a solid start this year and who’s leading the way. See

College students file 1098-T form, eligible for bigger tax refunds

C

By Shelly Land

ollege students who are filing their income taxes may get back additional money by using a little known document called the 1098-T. “The majority of my customers are students trying to further their education and save a dollar. Usually, they do not know that dur-

ing the college enrollment process, they will receive a 1098-T document which can be used if they are filing taxes,” said Michael Johnson, a tax preparer at Liberty Tax in Norfolk.

Customers can utilize services such as The Refund Anticipation loans, direct deposit and refunds loaded on debit cards

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Form 1098-T, Tuition Statement can be found on Spartan Shield where students can access the appropriate information to file taxes. Photo credit: DeVanique RIley | The Spartan Echo.

available onsite. Potential clients are offered free estimates and a variety of filing options like the 1098-T form.

The 1098-T document is available to any student who hasn’t been convicted

of a felony and is enrolled at least six months in an accredited institution during their first four years.

“Under The American ■ See 1098-T tax form p. 2

Tide study results will come sooner than expected

page 4.

Photo credit: NSUSpartans. com.

By Bethany Cartwright After years of waiting, Hampton Roads residents may not have to wait too much longer to ride the Tide to Virginia Beach.

The study for the extension of the

Check out a few tips to help you achieve your goals and graduate with ease. See

page 6.

Photo credit: Keith Offutt | The Spartan Echo.

The Tide expansion will be beneficial, allowing more travel options for NSU students. Photo credit: Keith Offutt | The Spartan Echo.

■ See Tide Extention p. 2

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Spartan News

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1098-T Tax Form President Obama pushes

■ Continued from front page Opportunity Act, the recipient could get up to an additional $2,500 in refunds.

Graduate students can utilize the same type of relief under The Lifetime Learning Credit,” said Johnson.

The 1098-T form is provided by the IRS to assist students and parents in determining whether or not they qualify for educational tax credits. The 1098-T

forms are sent to all qualified students from their college or university at the end of January.

Some individual colleges and universities do not inform students if they qualify for tax credits, so contact your tax professional and get additional information from the IRS at http://www.irs.gov or 1-800-829-1040.

Tide extension ■ Continued from front page light rail into Virginia Beach started in 2009. After a few delayed deadlines, some results for the study are expected to be released Sept. 2013, instead of the original early 2014 deadline, according to an update released by HRT Tuesday, Jan. 22.

The study was placed on hold so HRT could observe the Tide’s ridership in Norfolk. According to Mayor Will Sessoms, the results are encouraging.

"We have every reason to believe it will be very favorable because of the high ridership in Norfolk," Sessoms told WVEC.com.

In the fall, 62 percent of voters supported the Tide extension. For some NSU students, the sooner this study is finished, the better.

Virginia Beach resident and sophomore computer science major Christopher Okonkwo takes the Tide to class every day.

“I drive to the train station and ride the train to campus. It saves money and time,” said Okonkwo.

“I would walk [to the light rail] if it was closer to where I live.”

The results of the study should detail cost and design issues, as well as ridership. While these details should take time to complete, some students believe the delays are not justified.

“I think it’s unorganized,” said Kwanisha Gibson, senior social work major.

Both Gibson and Okonkwo believe researchers want to make sure the Tide does not attract anyone other than students, workers and tourists. This way, the city’s culture remains the same.

HRT will update the City Council Feb. 19, according to The Virginian Pilot, with reports on ridership, costs and the impact on traffic.

for advanced gun control, students agree proposal is needed

By Krysta Ricks

After the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., President Barack Obama informed the public of his plans for universal gun-control.

The president traveled to Minneapolis on Feb. 4, to discuss his plans to reduce violence because the city [Minneapolis] has seen significant success in fighting gun violence with an improved background check system for gun purchases and a youth violence initiative.

NSU students weighed in on President Obama’s guncontrol plans and what it would mean for the rest of the country to follow the example of the city of Minneapolis.

“It [gun violence] is getting out of hand. Too many people are getting their hands on guns,” said junior sociology major Xavier Jackson.

“The US needs to do exactly what they [Minneapolis] are doing.”

Senior mass communications major James Underwood said, “Without proper gun-control we would be raising a generation of children who think that you can get access to these weapons and create even more dangerous environments.”

School safety and mental health programs, a renewal of the assault weapons ban and universal background checks are some elements of the president’s proposal.

The country remains divided on whether or not the initiative is necessary considering the age-old question, “Do guns kill people, or do people kill people?”

Jackson believes the answer is quite simple.

“It’s the gun that has the power but it’s the person behind the gun that makes the decision to shoot,” he said.

Despite substantial po-

litical opposition, President Obama has continued to push his proposal with the hope that the United States will see improved gun-control measures in 2013.

However, he is aware that the nation’s division on this controversial matter guarantees the need for great compromise.

In a speech to the Minneapolis Police Department’s Special Operations Center, President Obama said, "We don't have to agree on everything to agree it's time to do something.”

Opponents to gun control legislation in Maryland hold a rally in Annapolis, Md., on Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2013. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: spartanecho@nsu.edu

Spartan Opinion

Are amateur bloggers worthy of the

journalist title?

By DeVanique Riley It seems there are hundreds of bloggers who have a lot to say on news topics but are not aware of their place in the media field.

While I have done both actual news reporting and amateur blogging on Facebook and Twitter, I still consider myself a journalist. Some writers, however, have not dabbled in both areas.

Now the question arises: Are we all journalists?

Some bloggers can barely construct a sentence, let alone produce content worthy for the mass media. These writers should not be called professionals. A professional writer has had training and experience to write for a media source.

Whether or not bloggers are true journalists is a topic of discussion among real journalists because people have the ability to post anything to their blogs.

There must be some kind of word for their writing. It surely is not “journalism.” True journalism requires skills beyond writing what one thinks or believes.

In reality, the only comparison of a real journalist’s work to an amateur blogger’s work is an opinion editorial.

One example is a blogger named Crystal Cox who worked for Electronic Frontier Foundation, a non-profit organization geared towards protecting fundamental civil

liberties, was sued for posting brutal remarks about a lawyer named Kevin Padrick.

Cox blogged on many domains about Padrick. She once included the name of his company, Obsidian Finance Group, saying “ObsidianFinanceSucks.com.” She accused him of tax fraud, paying off media and politicians, money laundering, and a host of other unlawful actions.

Although Cox tried to argue that she was protected under the shield law (a law that protects journalists from revealing sources), the judge claimed that Cox was not a journalist; therefore, the shield law did not apply to her. The courts found Cox liable and awarded 2.5 million dollars to Padrick and his company.

This instance proves that bloggers may think they are entitled to journalists’ privileges; however, a true journalist knows and obeys media ethics.

Ruining reputations with possibly fabricated details is illegal, and it also ruins the reputations of journalists who take pride in practicing legal journalism.

So are we all journalists?

No. Just like not every owner of a Huffy is a professional cyclist, not everyone who wants to be a journalist can be one.

There should be an established boundary to distinguish the difference between a blogger and a journalist.

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Spartan Sports

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Track and field off to solid start for 2012-2013 indoor season B y M arian B rooks Norfolk State University’s men’s track and field program is one of the most successful programs in the country. The team is keeping up the tradition with a solid start to the 2012-13 indoor season.

Junior sprinter James Taylor has set the tone for the Spartans with his individual performance while the others have followed suit and elevated their performance as well.

Taylor has posted wins in the first couple meets including a standout performance at Penn Relays, where he won the 60 meters clocking a time of 6.75 in the final and posting the nation’s fastest 200m time for the first month of the season with a tremendous 20.92. Taylor was named MEAC track athlete of

the week on January 10.

“My hard work and personal dedication to perfecting my craft has allowed me to succeed early this season,” said Taylor. “I eat, sleep and breathe track and put in the work needed to perform at a high level.”

Several other Spartans have excelled at the CNU Captains Invitational and Penn Relays. Junior long distance runner, Nathaniel Meseret won the mile run with a personal best of 4:16.14.

Senior jumper John James claimed top honors at the CNU Invitational with a high jump of 6 feet 10.75 inches.

Senior sprinter Keith Nkrumah posted a 7.88 in a comfortable win in the 60m hurdles and junior distance runner Damtew Adnew also won the 5,000m with a time

of 15:35.73 at the CNU Holiday Open.

“It means a lot when my teammates are performing well,” said Taylor. “When they respond well to leadership, it builds character.

You have to crawl before you can walk, and we are taking steps in the right direction so far.”

Freshman jumper Jamarian Bates and freshman sprinter Damian Smith both won multiple titles at the CNU Holiday Invitational.

“Our youth is stepping up very well,” said the senior Smith.

“They have some big shoes to fill, and I am confident that they will be able to do so as the season continues.”

The 2012 team was awarded MEAC championship rings before the NSU home basketball

Junior sprinter James Taylor wins twice in record at Penn State, where he won the 60 meters clocking a time of 6.75 in the final and posting the nation’s fastest 200m time for the first month of the season with a tremendous 20.92. Photo credit: NSUSpartans.com

game versus Morgan State on January 21.

“We are looking to continue our dominance in the MEAC,” said Smith. “I feel that the ring cer-

emony gave the ones who were not here last year the hunger they needed to go out and ‘bring home the bacon’ as Marty Miller [NSU Athletic Director] would say.”

Basketball walk-ons walk into key roles

By Marian Brooks

Gray (left) and Brown (right) spin the basketball on their fingers effortlessly after practice. Gray plays solid defense and recorded five assists in two games. Brown has had two double-digit games including a career-high of 13 points versus Morehead State. Photo credit: Marian Brooks and Leonard Fairley|The Spartan Echo.

Becoming a part of the normal rotation of a college basketball team as walk-on is a difficult task, but a few Spartans have managed to do so and gain significant playing time as well.

Men’s guard Kris Brown and women’s guard Jazamine Gray made their respective teams as walk-ons and have seen significant minutes in the majority of games this season.

“What drove me to play at NSU was basically my pops and it was close to home,” said Brown. “I felt that it could fit for me and everything worked out in the end.”

“What we saw in Kris was that he was a good athlete and that he was developable and coachable,” said head coach Anthony Evans.

“The coaches here are good people,” said Gray. “When I was looking at schools, I looked at the educational aspect, but I also looked for somewhere that would make me feel at home. I got both here at NSU.” Brown and Gray have worked tirelessly to improve, but it has not been easy. Gray saw limited minutes in 22 games last season and Brown played in 18 games.

This year has shown the improvement and maturation of Brown and Gray as players. Both have seen action in every game.

Brown played at least 25 minutes in seven games and started in 10 games this year. Gray played at least 15 minutes in six games and at least 20 minutes in three

games.

Brown has grown as a team leader in his senior year.

“He’s had a chance to sit behind the guys from last year and experience what a championship team is like,” said Evans. “He has taken that experience into this year and has been a vocal leader for us.”

Gray plays solid defense and recorded five assists in two games.

Brown has had two double-digit games including a career-high of 13 points versus Morehead State.

“I am much more confident now more than last year,” said Gray.

“This year I understand more what the coaches want and how I can help the team. I am really big on working hard because without hard work talent is nothing.”

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2.12.13

Spartan Sports

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Smith, Trice talk joining Greek organizations as as key players on athletic teams

By Marian Brooks F ra ter nities and sororit i e s have been adde d to p l e n t y of N SU stude nta t h l e tes ’ lis ts of orga niz a t i o ns . With the ma jori t y o f their tim e divided b e t w e en an inten se ga me sc h e d ule and homework, a t h l e tes ar e lef t with litt l e t i me to com mit to e xt ra c u rr icular activitie s.

Me n ’s tr ack and fie ld sp ri n ter Kenneth Smith i s a m em ber o f Alpha P h i Alpha Fr aternity, Inc o rp o r ated and women’s b a sk e tball playe r R ec ca Tri c e is a member of Alp h a Kappa A lpha S orori t y, Incor por ated. “ M y coaches we re fine w i t h it. I jus t had to le t

them know i n adva nc e an d ke ep pe rfo rming to the best o f my a bility,” s ai d S mith.

“My soro rity understo o d that baske t b al l is wha t pa ys fo r my e duca t i o n ta ke s up lots o f my time ,” s ai d Trice .

S mith m ad e sure pledg i n g did not affe ct h i s sc hoolwork.

“Managing m y time wa s h ard but whenever I wa sn’t foc usi n g

on school or track I would find the time f o r m y f r at e r n i t y. T h e r e are 24 hours i n a d a y, ” s a i d Smith.

Although it appears they s t r u g g l e d l i tt l e , b o t h a d m i tted that there w e r e s o m e o ccasions where they needed support.

“The person that helped me was my mom,” said Smith. “I used to call her

whenever I needed to talk or get away from it all.” “ T h r o u g h o u t m y p r ocess a few of my line sisters, my mom and my coach helped me get t h r o u g h , ” s a i d Tr i c e .

Tr i c e o ff e r e d s o m e a dvice for student-athletes a s p i r i n g t o j o i n a f r a t e rn i t y o r s o r o r i t y.

“Make sure you can dedicate your time to both and understand that you have a responsibility t o b o t h , ” s a i d Tr i c e . “ I t [pledging] causes you to t a k e s o m e a t t e n t i o n o ff the sport you play which c a n h u r t y o u r p e r f o rmance.”

Recca Trice and Kenneth Smith display their organization s p i r i t . Photo credit: Marian Brooks|The Spartan Echo.

NSU football begins spring recruiting

By Anthony Irabor, Spartan Echo Correspondent Spring football is just around the corner and after a disappointing year, the Spartans are recruiting new talent to help get back to their championship performance level.

With a core group of seniors leaving, including All-MEAC honors wide receiver Xavier Boyce, the Spartans returned to the recruiting scene to add

more depth.

“Recruiting is crucial. Sometimes it’s not the X’s and O’s but the Jimmys and Joes,” said head coach, Pete Adrian.

NSU’s recruiting class includes 15 prospects with potential to have immediate impact on the field. The prospects’ talent combined with the talent from the remaining players

from the 2012 roster may comprise one of the most talented rosters NSU has had in years.

The team's 2013 schedule includes a second faceoff with rival ODU. The squad expects to show up and show out at each game in order to return to the playoffs. The first game is at home and fans can expect to see improvements in the run-

ning game and QB play.

“We recently had a QB on campus that we are pretty high on,” said recruiting coach Paul Macklin.

The QB position, some argue, was the Achilles Heel of the Spartans. With four returning QBs on the roster, competition will be high. Whoever wins this competition will be

somewhat responsible for the team’s return to winning football.

The recruiting process is another element of achieving their ultimate goal: dominance in their conference.

“In four to five years we expect to have maintained a high level of play and be a power in our conference,” said Macklin.

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Lifestyle

2.12.13

Keep calm

& graduate

By Mia Monk

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: spartanecho@nsu.edu

2.12.13

Lifestyle

NSU Celebrates Are college Black History Month Calendar Events and Images Courtesy of M a k i n g Wa v e s , I s s u e N o . 1 4

students investing more time in education or social lives?

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editors Krysta Ricks Editor-inChief

Brittany Elmore Online/ Managing Editor

Jasmine Battle Lifestyle Editor

By Mia Monk

Check your NSU email daily for updates on campus events and important information.

Friday afternoon used to be the start of the weekend for most college students.

However, students have now replaced Friday with “Thirsty Thursday,” which is when students indulge in alcoholic beverages at inexpensive happy hours or social gatherings. These social activities sometimes leave students hung-over and unable to attend class the next day.

A 2013 Time magazine article referred to college as “students enjoying a four-year paid vacation courtesy of their parents.”

The article outlined a study published in the American Sociological Review which found that 36 percent of students did not demonstrate improved learning after four years of college.

Should the want for a social life trump students’ drive for being successful in the classroom? Some students feel that there should be an equal balance be-

tween the two.

“I think when you first get to college it’s all about fun, but when you hit your junior or senior year is when you start hitting the books hard,” said senior journalism major Louis Tinsley.

Others believe the two activities complement each other.

“To get the max out of college you have to do both effectively. Academics is important but is going to mean nothing if you have no social skills to go along with them,” said NSU graduate Travis Ross.

Both statistics and NSU students agree that once a social life starts to make succeeding in the classroom more challenging than it needs to be, the investment in students’ education and future has ultimately been spent on nothing more than fun.

Marian JonesBrooks Sports Editor

Keith Offutt Multimedia Editor

Tony Batchler Jr. Entertainment Editor DeVanique Riley Graphic Design/ Layout Editor

Interested in writing for the Spartan Echo? Join our team! Meetings are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 in NSC 344.

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Spartan Entertainment Echo Review

By DeVanique Riley Movie 43 is a series of comedy shorts that range from very offensive to extremely obscene idiocy.

Even though it’s still early in the year, it’s not too late to name Movie 43 the “worst film of the year”. The comedy presented a handful of A-list celebrities like Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Terrance Howard, Emma Stone and Seth MacFarlane. Even with this crowd, the film still managed to be a total flop.

Of all the negative reviews, this film has got to be a prime example of the biggest waste of talent in cinema history. It gets to the point where the PR agents for Uma Thurman. Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts and so many other talented actress and actors should be fired.

This film wasn’t a movie where you laugh at jokes of stupidity, but cringe at the “jokes” about incest, animal abuse and child molestation.

Though classified in the genre ‘comedy’, the film appeared to be the complete opposite. Instead, it consisted of a series of shorts that made you wonder if the team was serious in the production of this $5 million project.

Earning only $4 million for its release weekend, Movie 43 already has some of its writers regretting taking part in the project.

The man behind the project, Peter Farrelly, is collecting a lot of heat from film critics.

Farrelly tries his best to bring back the gross-out comedy he once portrayed in his older comedies, such as 199’s There’s Something About Mary. He even reiterates jokes from his 1998 film in Movie 43.

It will take Farrelly much more than repeating jokes to bounce back from the film he just sadly created to get back on track with the world of comedy.

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SPARTAN SPOTLIGHT Kino Beats balances being a full time student while making great strides toward his career.Photo credit www.facebook.com/ pages/Kinobeats.

Kino Beats

By Tony Batchler, Jr. Markino Hay aka Kino Beats is a graduating senior at NSU and an emerging producer in the music industry.

Kino Beats has worked with a number of notable artists including 2 Chainz, Pusha T, Gunplay, Soulja Boy, Nipsey Hussle and Ace Hood. Recently, he added two more artists to that list: Juelz Santana and Wiz Khalifa.

Last month Juelz Santana released his much anticipated mixtape God Willin’ featuring the track “Everything Good” featuring Wiz Khalifa. The track was produced by Kino Beats.

“I’ve always retained a good relationship with Tobb Cobain (Juelz Santana’s DJ and onroad manager), said Hay. “I sent a few beats and within minutes of sending the track, I got a phone call from a guy named Bounce. He put Juelz on the phone. He told me that the beat was crazy and that he wanted to put Wiz on the song. It’s just crazy how it all formulated.”

Kino Beats is taking 18 credits this semester while recording at a couple different studios.

“I try to separate music from school and just be a student,” he said.

Hip-hop fans might find that one of their favorite songs was produced by Kino Beats as he releases future projects.

“I’m going to be working on an EP, and the EP is really just going to showcase some of the records that I have already done that some people may not know I’m responsible for,” said Hay. Visit spartanecho.org for the full interview.

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