Issue 20, Februrary 17, 2010

AGGIES vs. RAMS @ the Greensboro Coliseum Monday, Feb. 22, 2010

THE A&T

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REGISTER VOLUME LXXXIII, NO. 20

FEBRUARY 17, 2010

NCATREGISTER.COM

SERVING THE AGGIE COMMUNITY FOR OVER 80 YEARS

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF NORTH CAROLINA A&T

UNC System President Erskine Bowles To Retire JASMINE JOHNSON News Editor

Last Friday, Feb. 12 the President of the UNC System, Erskine Bowles, announced to the Board of Governors that he will retire from his position after four years.

According to News 14 Carolina, Bowles, who is a Greensboro native and who turns 65 in August, just left as if the timing was right for him to step down. Bowles said that being the UNC System president has been

“the greatest privilege of my political career.”

In 1993 Bowles was hired by President Clinton to Bowles serve as the director of Small Business Administration.

After that term he was chosen as White House Chief of Staff from 1994-95 and again from 1996-98.

“Erskine Bowles’ service to North Carolina and to our university system is a tremendous gift to our citizens as well as to our campuses,” said Governor Bev Perdue, the first woman to hold the office of governor in NC. “His talents, boldness, skill set, and determination have helped redefine how higher education works in this state.”

Bowles ran for U.S. Senator in 2002 and 2005. Previously serving as the vice chair of

WEDNESDAY

Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte and a trustee of the Duke Endowment, he currently serves on the boards of Morgan Stanley and Cousins Properties.

“His capacity to collaborate has strengthened all levels of education, Pre-K through 20, so that we truly have a seamless system that will help our students compete in this global economy. Although Erskine is retiring from the university later this year, he will remain actively involved in public service in

North Carolina and America,” said Perdue.

As president, Bowles oversees all 17 institutions in the UNC System. The University of North Carolina was the first public institution in the U.S. The Board of Governors will seek to plan a search committee for Bowles successor in the upcoming weeks. He said he plans to leave by the end of 2010, although it is contingent upon the board finding a replacement.

DID YOU KNOW???

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week are the last days for seniors to take their yearbook pictures?

A

SPECIAL

INVESTIGATION

THE HOUSING HUSTLE OF 2010

E

very year, college students across the nation scramble for housing.

For thousands of students at North Carolina A&T, this is no different. The Department of Housing and Residence Life is responsible for providing safe, affordable, and convenient housing for students on campus, and they have 3688 spaces to do that with. As campus has begun to grow and more people are seeking housing on campus, spacing has become tight, and changes have been made.

With the housing selection process starting this Friday, Feb. 19, many students may not be aware of the changes that have been made, or they may not know how the housing process works. The staff of the A&T Register took an in-depth look at the department in this special investigation. Some things we found to be the same, some things we found to be completely different, and some things we found questionable at best. We felt as if this information was critical to our readers.

During the course of this three-week investigation, we encountered several obstacles and some people that were extremely helpful.

Phone calls were not immediately returned, some people refused to be interviewed, and student

KENNETH HAWINS, JASMINE JOHNSON, CHELSEA KING, DEXTER R. MULLINS, KELCIE McCRAE, SYLVIA OBELL, & MARCUS THOMPSON The A&T Register

resident assistants were even threatened by hall directors that they would lose their jobs if their names appeared in print in this story.

After speaking with the Executive Director of Housing and Residence Life Leonard Jones, the Assistant Director Vanessa Woodard, and the Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Judy Rashid, we were assured that no such actions would be taken, and we sincerely hope that this holds true, and we will be following up with each person who agreed to interview with us for this investigation to ensure that they are not mistreated. We began our investigation with the lottery system.

The Lottery Process Housing and Residence Life started their annual Lottery Process to determine student housing for the next school year.

Some students feel this process is unfair while others feel it is perfect. The Lottery Process is a “First come first serve process inside a lottery with random numbers being assigned on a weekly basis to students” said Jermaine Foye, Assignment Coordinator Housing and Residence Life.

Each week, the students that complete the housing application are put into the lottery and receive numbers randomly. This new lottery system comes from students complaining about the

process being unfair in previous years.

Students used to be able to turn in applications as early as the first day of the process, but receive the last number in the lottery. This procedure cause many complaints from students.

Some applicants could be first to apply but last to choose.

Students would also camp out outside of the housing office to receive the premiere locations on campus. Foye said, as a result of students camping out in

lines and missing classes, the lottery process was initiated.

Jamie Mapp, sophomore civil engineer major says she feels the lottery process is organized but never can be fair for the person who paid day one.

Students also filed complaints about the process of pulling other students up to get housing before their appointment and the process of choosing suitemates. Housing later agreed to change the rule t o only allowing another student to

long

b e

pulled in single suite housing.

This year students will receive their lottery numbers starting on Friday, Feb. 19.

Tuesday, Feb. 23 through Friday, Feb. 26, students will have appointments to sign up for their housing in Moore Gym. The Contract Cancellation Often times, after students sign up for housing they decide to live off campus and want to cancel their room assignment.

When students decide to cancel their assignment they often find it difficult because of the housing contract.

The contract gives Monday, March 1 as the date to cancel without penalty. After March 1, there is a $500 fee to cancel until April 1. After April 1, the fee to cancel is 50 percent of the total cost of the room, which generally serves as the price for one semester.

Foye agrees that the Housing department is moving toward a more business mindset by holding students to their contract and he feels it is similar to offcampus housing, where students sign a lease and are held accountable.

Kiana Saton, a freshman psychology major, feels it is not enough time to cancel your room and they should give students at least a week minimum to cancel. This year students only have one business day after the selection process has ended

 See Housing on Page 2

ONLINE

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GET YOUR BREAKING NEWS

NY/NJ HOSTS SPEED DATING

JOHN MAYER ISN’T RACIST

LADY AGGIES TAKE HIT

IT’S TIME TO GET ‘MAD AT MILES’

Keep up with breaking news on our Web site. Slideshows, videos and more are available online.

NY/NJ Hosted speed dating for A&T singles in the Memorial Student Union Exhibit Hall.

Jasmine Johnson gives Aggies a perspective on the real situation with the John Mayer comments.

The Lady Aggies were dealt thier first loss in the MEAC by Hampton University.

The A&T Theatre Department brings alumni back to star in their production of “Mad at Miles.

www.ncatregister.com

PAGE 2

to cancel without penalty.

False Advertising The Housing and Residence Life web site at A&T lists the accommodations that each student will get if they so choose to pick campus housing.

Each residence hall has its own section where all of the building amenities are listed. However some of the facilities lists things that the building residents do not have access to.

The newly renovated Aggie Village, now named after the A&T Four, lists a community kitchen that is available for students to use. The only problem with this listing is that students are not allowed to use the kitchen in any of the four residential Village buildings.

Although it is not exactly clear why residents are not allowed to use the kitchen, some of the Resident Assistants of the Village believed it was because of safety issues.

“We’ve always been told since my freshman year that we couldn’t use the facility,” said Dorian Britt, a junior mechanical engineering major from Branchville, SC. “The only reason I can think of is a preventative method of the possibility of the building going up in flames due to irresponsibility or accidental actions and/or residents not properly cleaning up the space.”

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WEDNESDAY

42° Low: 26° High:

THURSDAY: Sunny | High 44° FRIDAY: Mostly Sunny | High 48°

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events

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Housing From page 1 Britt has been an RA in the Village for the past four semesters, including the current spring semester. He used to take advantage of the kitchen by baking for his residents or sometimes cooking dinner from them. However, his cooking was put to a stop when the current Hall Director, Sharece Adams, told the RA’s they could not longer use the kitchen, along with the residents.

The Register made attempts to interview Adams, however the attempts were refused as this article went to press.“We were never given a definite answer,” said Britt. “She doesn’t permit us to use it.”

The residence hall across the lawn, Village 1-3 also has a kitchen, but the resident are not allowed to use that facility either. “I have been an RA for a year and I was just told we are not allowed to use the kitchen,” said Emily Wilson, a senior business management major from Philadelphia, PA. Residents of Aggie Village have said if given the chance they would use the kitchen, abiding by all the rules set forth by hall directors. “I would love to use the kitchen, if we could,” said Tiesha Washington, a junior political science major from Washington, DC. “I understand the safety behind it, but everyone in college is considered an adult.

We should be treated as such. It just seems like they could work something out so that the RA’s on duty could supervise.”

Other resident halls that include the community amenity for residents are Morrow and Morrison Halls.

It is unknown whether or not the kitchen in those facilities are available for use.

The Computer Labs In every dorm across the campus of North Carolina A&T live computer labs designed to assist students who may not have access to one. The number of computers varies from dorm to dorm, but what remains the same across the board is how the rules are created and enforced.

“We provide the location, and Information Technology (IT) does everything else,” said Assistant Director of Residence Life Vanessa Woodard. “We really have no jurisdiction over computer labs.”

Every dorm has set hours for which the lab can be open. In Cooper Hall the computer lab is open from 8 a.m. to midnight, while in Pride Hall the hours are from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. The variations of these times are due to the fact that the housing directors, with input from students, determine the hours for their respective dorms.

“The decision for hours is up to the housing director.

However, students work with them to create them,” Woodard said. Housing directors also have authority over whether a computer lab is opened or closed. Reports of abuse to the lab — such as misuse of the equipment, excessive trash, or stolen property — can cause the director to shut down the lab for an indefinite amount of time.

“Sometimes there are residents who are in the computer lab to just be on Facebook, while another one needs to use it for school reasons. Homework trumps Facebook, so I politely ask them to leave so we can make it fair for everyone,” said Tony Tyson,

theBLOTTER

February 10 3:38 p.m.

Barbee Hall- Vehicle Accident Case Closed 4:00 p.m.

Cooper Hall- Assault on a Female Case closed 7:30 p.m.

Fitness Center- Larceny

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Register Box E-25 1601 E. Market Street Greensboro, NC 27411 Newsroom: NCB 328A (336) 334­-7700 www.ncatregister.com

senior business management and business education major, and the resident assistant for Cooper Hall.

Barbee Hall recently closed its computer lab due to complaints of excessive amounts of trash and stolen property. Although it is closed for student residents, it is not closed to the RAs of the building.

“It’s still open for us,” said Brooke Waller, junior public relations major and resident assistant for Barbee Hall. “We open it, and then lock it back after we’re done. As a student, too, I feel it’s a little unfair for those who used the lab properly, especially those without computers.”

Some residents of the dorm told the RAs that they should just fine and ban those who were caught on camera misusing the lab. Despite their plea, nothing happened because the cameras were not working.

In the event that a computer is broken, or in need of repair, it is reported to IT and they take care of the problem. There is an IT representative that is responsible for each resident hall on campus.

“They need to fix two computers in Vanstory,” said Laron Wise, freshman marketing major. “I have my own, but not everyone does.

All the computers need to work properly.”

Visitation The first thing that might come to one student’s mind when coming to college is freedom.

However, A&T’s campus, some of that freedom is limited. One privilege is limited visitation.

While conducting an assessment with all campus dorms, it was found that the Residence Hall Visitation guidelines are as follows: Monday through Friday from 4:00 p.m. to midnight and Saturday through Sunday from noon to midnight.

“Since we have to pay to live here, then I think there should not be any restrictions on the visitation policy because it is like living in an apartment,” said Stephanie Penny, a sophomore who is an Accounting Major.

Many students do question the visitation and sometimes get frustrated with it because it often limits them. However, there is a reason why the visitation policy is set up to restrict visitation.

The Residence Hall Administrator, Elizabeth Cooper said, “the current visitation policy is in place to ensure that academics are first. It has to be enforced because academics are the number one priority and visitation is not a high priority.

We want to make sure they are able to study and at the same time they have residents to visit, but it is a way so they will be able to do what they came here to do instead.”

Assistant Director of Residence Life, Victoria Woodard said that although the visitation policy has been set and implemented, it does not mean that it can’t be challenged or changed by the students.

Cooper said that “the Housing and Residence Life places flyers up to inform students about the visitation meeting, which allows students to voice their opinion on visitation and possibly change it.”

The visitation policy clearly states that it may be approved by a 2/3 affirmative vote of the residents of the hall.

Considering this, one might think that NC A & T would have 24 hour visitation by now, but

Case Inactive February 11 11:00 a.m.

Lindsay St.- Arrest/Order for Arrest Case Closed 11:30 a.m.

Barbee Hall- Drug Violation Case Closed

many students are just unaware of the meeting. “I would love to have to opportunity to go the meeting and possibly change the visitation, but since I don’t see and know when they put flyers up I just don’t bother,” said Victoria Revelle, a junior Speech Communication major.

Fire Safety Parents send their children off to school with hopes that they are completely safe within their environment. They check the safety of the location of the dorm, as well as look for adequate safety patrol before feeling comfortable to send their child to a certain school.

One aspect that some parents may not question in relation to the safety of their child is fire suppression.

In case of a fire, who is responsible for assuring residents get out the building?

According to Brooke Waller, junior public relations major and resident assistant for Barbee Hall, that job is left for the RAs as well as housing directors.

“Our job as RAs is to knock on every resident’s door, and tell them to evacuate the building.

We get them out while still getting to safety ourselves.”

In the circumstance in which a resident or a group of residents do not comply with the requests of the RA or the housing director, those individuals are subject to being fined a fee.

To ensure residents know what do in case a fire happens, random drills are set by Environmental Health and Safety department according to Cooper Hall housing director Teron Martin. Housing directors as well as RAs are required to alert residents and have them stand at least 150 ft away from the building.

“It’s easier to let residents know who live in a dorm with an intercom system,” said Martin.

“We make the announcement, then do a sweep through of the floors to make sure everyone has made it out safe.”

All dorm buildings on the campus of North Carolina A&T are equipped with fire extinguishers in the event one would occur.

Anyone is able to use the fire extinguisher granted they know how to use it.

“Environmental, Safety, and Health came in and trained our RAs with fire safety” said Assistant Director of Residence Life, Vanessa Woodard.

According to the schedule for the Para-Professional Leaders Conference provided by Woodard, RAs this past August attended a safety and security session in which they were instructed what to do in case of a fire, as well as become familiar with a fire extinguisher.

According to RAs in Barbee Hall, this school year, they have not received such training.

“One RA in Barbee has been ‘trained’,” said Waller. “I have only been trained on roommate conflict, and drug and alcohol abuse, I do not even know how to use an [fire] extinguisher.”

“I personally contacted Mrs. Woodard about a R.A. manual in Nov. and still have not received one,” said junior Raymond Beamon.

Woodard has know knowledge of the request, and said that to gain access of that manual, the proper person to contact would have been the housing director.

According to Tony Tyson, senior business administration

2:45 p.m.

Laurel St.- Breaking and Entry Motor Vehicle Case Closed 8:00 p.m.

Dudley Hall- Attempted Breaking & Entry Case Closed

editor in chief: Dexter R. Mullins Managing editor: Malcolm S. Eustache news editor: Jasmine Johnson opinions editor:Kelcie McCrae sports editor: Daniel Henderson ASSISTANT Sports editor: Lauren Morgan scene editor: LaPorsha Lowry copy desk chief: Anjan Basu Copy Editor: Ashley Reid photo editor: Kenneth Hawkins staff photographers: Michaela Edwards, Shanté Mathes

and business education major, and veteran resident assistant for Cooper Hall, he does not believe a training has happened this year.

“I’ve been to trainings, but I did not go this school year,” said Tyson. “When I went, they showed us what to do, and for the most part people have seen how to use one [fire extinguisher] on T.V. or a real life situation. There’s really not too much to be trained on, it’s a simple thing.”

Being an RA Most college students become residence assistance, or RA’s, because the premise is you would get free room and board, not here at NC A&T. A&T recently changed their contracts with RA’s. According to Junior Raymond Beamon, a first year RA in Barbee, they have to pay their room and board up front and then get it back in monthly stipends throughout the academic year. Each RA pays the equivalent of a double in their perspective buildings and their meal plan of choice. “I have to pay for a double in Barbee and my meal plan, plan B. I had to get a loan to pay it. They kind of sprung these conditions on us after we applied to be RA’s” said Beamon.

When asked about the monthly stipends Beamon said this, “We were told we’d get $400 a month, but the payments have been all over the place.

Some people got $700 the first month, some people got nothing, and others only got part of it. Then one month in January we only got like $150, and they haven’t always been on time.”

Beamon believes the payment is unfair, especially when there’s hardly a surplus at the end of the year. Since he lives in Barbee he gets a surplus of about $1000, while an RA in Pride is hardly getting a surplus of $100. Basically the RA’s are not getting paid; they’re just getting paid back.

Payment isn’t the only problem for the RA’s, at least not the ones in Barbee. “What really makes me mad is the lack of support they give us. It makes people not want to come back.

We have only one returning RA, the other five of us are new. We have over 300 residents; the ratio is crazy, especially when all but one of us is new. We have no Graduate Hall Director and no Hall Director. It’s as if they’re leaving us to sink! The Hall Directors didn’t even give us proper training, we were trained by old RA’s.”

Beamon added that it’s not all bad, “I like the job because we can benefit the students but the lack of support is too much, something must be done. Dr. Rashid is someone whose really been trying to improve things.”

Where does your $150 go?

When a student wants to turn in their housing application, they must pay a $150 “deposit” – or at least that’s how they advertise it. Jermaine Foye, the housing assignment coordinator, said “it is not a deposit; it is a program and processing fee.”

According to Foye the programming part of the fee goes to the budget for all the programs that the RA’s and Hall Directors have for their residents.

Another major mystery about the $150 “program and processing fee” is why students with full scholarships have to pay it. Foye’s answer to that was, “They have to pay it because it

February 12 4:00 p.m.

Aggie Suites E- Burglary Case Closed by Arrest 6:15 p.m.

Smith Hall- Bomb Threat Case Open

is not related to the university.”

While attempting to gain further clarification about Foye’s last statement, several attempts to contact other members of the administrative team were made, all of which was met with no response.

Who’s Responsible For What?

Leonard Jones, director of Housing and Residence Life, heads all activities within the department including strategic planning and interviews.

Reporting directly to Jones are his three associate directors of housing.

Elfrida Mensah, associate director of housing operations, deals with most of the administrative work concerning housing assignments.

Sheila Gothard, associate director of retention and academic excellence, is in charge of heading tutoring programs, seminars, and any increasing academic excellence for students living in residence halls.

Vanessa Woodard, associate director for residence life, is in charge of the activities concerning hall directors, RAs, and graduate hall directors.

Hall Directors are meant to ensure that the residents have good, clean facilities to stay in, all utilities are fully functional and students are properly accommodated. The directors provide programs to support the academic side, such as historical programs, as well as professional programs, such as how to dress for an interview to better prepare students for the professional world. There are also purely social events for students to improve on social skills and to just release tension.

Jermaine Foye, assignments coordinator, is responsible for distribution of lottery numbers and keeping up with student housing assignments.

Frederick Stocks, assistant director of facilities, handles most of the issues of housing that require immediate attention.

James Shell, housing project manager and engineering technician, is the one physical facilities operator that works within housing and deals with the major issues in regards to facilities such as water and electrical problems.

Harold Seegares, skill trade superintendent, is the head of all of the facility operations on campus.

Carey Baldwin, physical plant director, coordinates activities within all of the energy facilities.

James Johns, energy coordinator, is in charge of all energy distribution departments.

David Jackson, electrical supervisor, is in charge of the main electrical source to all oncampus venues.

Leonard Alston, heat, ventilation, and air condition (HVAC) supervisor, handles the operations concerning HVAC units within housing.

John White, plumbing supervisor, oversees the department to handle on-campus plumbing, sewer, and gas.

Ricky Richmond, steam plant supervisor, is in charge of all of the steam-operated facilities.

TonyWade, steam distribution supervisor, manages the use of steam power used at A&T, from the cafeteria kitchens to the boiler rooms.

Wednesday

Spring Career Fair

17

Office of Career Services Memorial Student Union Exhibit Hall 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Being the Minority on a HBCU Campus Counseling Services Memorial Student Union Room 0214 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

thursday

18

I.A.M.M.

Full Body Meeting Hines Auditorium 7 p.m.

4th Annual Stroll Competition Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. Moore Gym 7 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.

friday

19

Lyrical Cafe

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Memorial Student Union Exhibit Hall 9 p.m. - 11 p.m.

saturday

20

Emerging Leaders Workshop Honors Program Memorial Student Union Exhibit Hall 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

sunday

21 Aggie Worship Service

United Christian Fellowship GCB, Room A208 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

monday

22 Lady Aggies vs.

Winston Salem State Greensboro Coliseum 6 p.m.

Men’s Basketball vs.

Winston Salem State Greensboro Coliseum 8 p.m.

Tuesday

23 2010-11 Housing Selection Housing and Residence Life Memorial Student Union Exhibit Hall

February 13 3:15 p.m.

Bluford Lot- Vehicle Accident Case Closed February 14 1:15 a.m.

Massey St.- Resist, Delay and Obstruct Case Open

editorial cartoonist: Evan Summerville ncatregister.com: Stacie Bailey, (Online Editor) Graphic artist:Cameron Z. Simmons senior reporter: Marcus Thompson reporters: Johnathan Veal, Alessandra Brown, LaRia Land, Sylvia Obell, Ricardo Lawson, Monterius Smith, Kelcie McCrae, Whitney Mack-Obi, Jiril Clemons, Prince Askew PR Director: Kenny Flowers business manager: staff business staff: Carlton Brown, Chad Roberts faculty adviser: Emily Harris

5:00 a.m.

Pride Hall- Assault Case Closed Declined Prosecution 11:00 p.m.

Cooper Hall-Drug Violation Case Closed by Citation

The A&T Register is published every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters by students at North Carolina A&T State University. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Register’s newsroom (subject to availability). All subscription requests should be directed to the Business department.

The A&T Register has a weekly circulation of 5,000 copies on-campus and in the community and is a member of The Associated Press, The Associated Collegiate Press and the Black College Wire.

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Interested in working on The A&T Register in 2010-2011?

Stop by the newsroom (GCB 328) for an application.

Writers, editors and graphic designers needed.

Hey Aggies!

Monday-Wednesday: 2 LARGE 1-topping pizzas $14 Every day special: LARGE pizza Any way you want it $10!

Every day deals: $7.99 1 LARGE 1 topping OR 1 MEDIUM 2 topping

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Federal & State Returns IRS/Vita Site Location: Merrick Hall Room 129 Wednesdays 4-6 pm or

By Appointment contact us @ 336 -334- 7218 x 2394 or 336- 334- 7581 x 6006 Email us @ taxprepncat@ gmail.com Sponsored By The School of Business Advanced Income Tax Class In Partnership with “Path to Financial Independence”

3

NY/NJ hosts speed dating for A&T singles NISHA STREETER

Register Reporter

It started with blind dating — friends setting friends up with other singles — which ended disastrously. Then it transitioned to phone dating — meeting people via chat lines — and that became too costly.

Most recently singles have attempted Internet dating, hooking up over MySpace, AIM, and Facebook. Internet dating also poses problems, and has created a new breed of stalkers. Now the latest and greatest way to meet singles is speed dating.

The New York/New Jersey Connection hosted speed dating just in time for Valentine’s Day in the Stallings Ballroom of the Student Union.

Singles zealously awaited to meet their potential lovers and soul mates. Ladies remained seated as the men alternated dates as the bell rung.

Singles were able to meet between 20-40 other singles in one night. If one person was not a match, no problem, they were plenty more to go. This event allowed daters to be as picky as

they wanted.

Questions varied from the basic “Where are you from?” to “What is your major?” All questions were opened to be answered. Each date lasted about 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Delisa Riddick, a senior nursing major and a member of the NY/NJ Connection club, described the event as, “Fun to do, you get to find a mate or friend.

NY/NJ Speed dating allows you to kick it with everyone, meet new people, and try to build new relationships.”

“Speed dating is always a fun and social event. It allows you to get away from school, books and studying so, that you can get to know fellow Aggies,” said Kawanna Foster, a junior public relations major. “It always turns out to be a successful night annually, so we only expect bigger and better each year,” she said.

Bachelors and bachelorettes exchanged flirtatious smiles and touches. Some singles even found it humorous to write bogus names on their name tags.

A few wrote their Twitter domain names rather than their actual names to keep contact and

network via the Internet.

Various singles dressed in comfortable yet attractive attire, expecting to snag a companion.

People took numbers down, and even made plans to hang out with each other after the event and for Valentine’s Day, which was two days later.

Friends even dated friends.

Overall it was a comfortable, laid-back environment. A few people were skeptical about the dates. The body language was a giveaway. Everyone was not at ease and open to dating so freely, and some were shy.

Sean Jamison, an NY/NJ member from Bronx, N.Y., depicted the event as being “a fun event. You can potentially find a Valentine, possibly last minute.” Jamison helped to plan the event. “The planning process was pretty easy. It was fairly simple to get the materials needed for this event,” he said.

NY/NJ members promoted the affair through Facebook, Twitter and flyers. “It was a great turn out, what can you expect? After all, it was hosted by NY/NJ.” New York/ New Jersey Con-

nection members snapped photos of the events to capture the memorable moments. Janelle Young coordinated the annual event with secretary Azikiweh Hall, and Miss New Jersey Ashley Peterson.

Chantal Ray, a dance and media management major from Queens pressured her friends to attend the affair. Ray’s friends joked that she “was a player, and had 5 dates already,” which Ray denied. Their purpose was to “have a good time and laugh, and of course meet new people — just friends,” Ray said.

Delyn Shaw, a club member who hails from Brooklyn, chose to not join in the actual dating, but gave the event a positive review.

“Even if I don’t participate, it’s still a fun event whether you’re on the prowl or not. It made it easy for singles to mingle,” she said.

“NY/NJ welcomes everyone.

We are a good crowd with good people. So this social event was for everybody to enjoy, it was not biased or just for people from ‘up-Top,’ ” she said.

Lawsuit claims college student was detained by TSA RAJA ABDULRAHIM Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — A college student who says he was detained at a Philadelphia airport because he was carrying English-Arabic flashcards filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against employees of the Transportation Security Administration, the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

Nicholas George, a senior majoring in physics and Middle

Eastern studies at Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., was returning to California from Philadelphia in August when he was randomly selected for extra screening at Philadelphia International Airport, the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia states.

When George emptied his pockets, he took out the flashcards.

Authorities detained him in the screening area for 30 minutes before he was questioned by a TSA supervisor, the lawsuit states. At one point, the super-

visor asked George if he knew who committed the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to the lawsuit.

George answered, “Osama bin Laden.”

“Do you know what language he spoke?” the supervisor asked, according to the document.

“Arabic,” George answered.

The supervisor then held up the flashcards and said, “Do you see why these cards are suspicious?”

George said he was handcuffed and held for almost five hours, during which time he was

questioned by two FBI agents, who asked if George was “Islamic” or a member of a “communist group,” according to the complaint.

One of the agents concluded that George, 22, was “not a real threat,” the lawsuit states.

“I don’t understand how locking me up and harassing me just because I was carrying the flashcards made anybody safer,” George said in statement released by the ACLU. TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis said she could not comment on pending litigation.

theWORLD 4

The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Professor shot methodically said Tuesday he has “myriad” concerns about a report on it, which he saw for the first time over the weekend.

Polio said the district attorney’s office was not obligated to provide him with the reports, but as a common courtesy, he usually received them. He did not in Bishop’s case.

“When I first read them, from a police standpoint and a professional standpoint, I would have wanted a lot more questions answered,” he said.

The Norfolk County district attorney at the time was William Delahunt, now a Democratic congressman from Massachusetts. He was traveling in Israel and could not immediately be reached for comment on the case.

John Kivlan, the former assistant district attorney who reviewed the case, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that there was nothing then to indicate Seth Bishop’s death was anything but an accident.

He said a joint investigation by state and local police as well as the medical examiner’s office all came to that conclusion.

But current Braintree police Chief Paul Frazier questions how the investigation was handled.

Frazier said Amy Bishop also fired once into a wall before hitting her brother, then fired a third time into the ceiling.

Tom Pettigrew, 45, recalled that Bishop said she had had a fight with her husband and he was going to come after her, so she needed to flee.

Pettigrew said Braintree police briefly questioned him and several other employees, but authorities never contacted him again.

GREG BLUESTEIN

Associated Press

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — A professor who survived a deadly university shooting rampage said the colleague charged in the attack methodically shot her victims in the head until the gun apparently jammed and she was pushed out of the room.

Associate professor Joseph Ng told The Associated Press on Tuesday he was one of 12 people at a biology department meeting Friday at the University of Alabama-Huntsville.

He described the details in an e-mail to a colleague at the University of CaliforniaIrvine.

Ng said the meeting had been going on for about half an hour when Amy Bishop “got up suddenly, took out a gun and started shooting at each one of us.

She started with the one closest to her and went down the row shooting her targets in the head.”

Bishop, a Harvard-educated neurobiologist, was arrested and charged with one count of capital murder and three counts of attempted murder.

It’s not the first time Bishop has been accused in a killing.

In 1986, she killed her 18-yearold brother with a shotgun at their suburban Boston home.

She told police she had been trying to learn how to use the gun, which her father had bought for protection, when it accidentally discharged.

The killing was ruled an accident, but John Polio, who headed the Braintree, Mass., police department at the time, now has questions about the investigation.

Polio, 87, at first defended the handling of the case. But he

Kivlan, who is now retired and living in Sarasota, Fla., said he did not recall that element of the case.

Some victims’ relatives have questioned how Bishop was hired at the university in 2003 after she was involved in her brother’s killing and another, separate probe.

In 1993, Bishop and her husband, James Anderson, were questioned by investigators looking into a pipe bomb sent to one of Bishop’s colleagues, Dr. Paul Rosenberg, at Children’s Hospital Boston.

The bomb did not go off, and nobody was ever charged.

Anderson defended himself and his wife as innocent people questioned by investigators casting a wide net.

He said the case “had a dozen people swept up in this and everybody was a subject, not a suspect.”

University President David Williams said Tuesday that a review of Bishop’s personnel file and her hiring file raised no red flags.

He said a criminal background check after Friday’s deadly shooting turned up neither of the previous cases because charges were never filed.

Huntsville police spokesman Sgt. Mark Roberts also said his department didn’t find out about either of the older cases until after the shooting on campus.

He said police were checking to confirm details of the pipe bomb probe.

Killed in Friday’s shooting were Gopi K. Podila, the chairman of the Department of Biological Sciences, and professors Adriel Johnson and Maria Ragland Davis.

Two were wounded — professor Joseph Leahy remained

King Tut died of malaria, broken leg PAUL SCHEMM

Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s famed King Tutankhamun suffered from a cleft palate and club foot, likely forcing him to walk with a cane, and died from complications from a broken leg exacerbated by malaria, according to the most extensive study ever of his more than 3,300-year-old mummy.

The findings were from two years of DNA testing and CT scans on 16 mummies, including those of Tutankhamun and his family, the team that carried out the study said in an article to be published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

It also established the clearest yet family tree for Tut, indicating for the first time that he was the child of a brother-sister union.

The study said his father was most likely Akhenaten, the pharaoh who tried to revolutionize

ancient Egyptian religion and force his people to worship one god.

Tut, who became pharaoh at the age of 10 in 1333 B.C., ruled for just nine years at a pivotal time in Egypt’s history. While a comparatively minor king, the 1922 discovery of his tomb filled with stunning artifacts, including the famed golden funeral mask, made him known the world over.

Speculation had long swirled over why the boy king died at such a young age. A hole in his skull long fueled speculation he was murdered, until a 2005 CT scan ruled that out, finding the hole was likely from the mummification process. The scan also uncovered the broken leg.

In contrast to the golden splendor he was buried with, the newest CAT scans and DNA tests revealed a sickly teen pharaoh, weakened by congenital illnesses finally done in by complications from the broken leg aggravated by severe brain

malaria.

The team said it isolated DNA of the malaria parasite in several of the family’s mummies, including Tut’s — the oldest such discovery.

“A sudden leg fracture possibly introduced by a fall might have resulted in a life threatening condition when a malaria infection occurred,” concluded the article in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“Tutankhamun had multiple disorders... He might be envisioned as a young but frail king who needed canes to walk.”

Like his father, Tutankhamun had a cleft palate.

He also had a club foot and suffered from Kohler’s disease in which lack of blood flow was slowly destroying the bones of his left foot — an often painful condition, the study said. It noted that 130 walking sticks and canes were discovered in Tut’s tomb, some of them with trace of wear suggested they had been used.

in critical condition and staffer Stephanie Monticciolo was in serious condition Tuesday.

The third, Luis Cruz-Vera, was released from the hospital.

Ng, the professor who survived, said all six of those shot were on one side of an oval table.

“The remaining 5 including myself were on the other side of the table (and) immediately dropped to the floor,” he wrote.

Ng told the AP the shooting stopped almost as soon as it started. He said the gun seemed to jam and he and others rushed Bishop out of the room and then barricaded the door shut with a table.

Ng said the charge was led

by Debra Moriarity, a professor of biochemistry, after Bishop aimed the gun at her and attempted to fire.

When the gun didn’t shoot, Moriarity pushed her way to Bishop, urged her to stop, and then helped force her out the door.

“Moriarity was probably the one that saved our lives. She was the one that initiated the rush,” he told the AP. “It took a lot of guts to just go up to her.”

Ng said the survivors worried she would shoot her way through the door, and frantically worked up a backup plan.

But she never did.

“There was a time when I didn’t think I’d come out of the room alive,” he said. “I don’t think any of us thought we’d come out alive.”

Anderson said his wife had practiced at a shooting range not long before the shooting.

Anderson said she acted normally while they were at the range and none of her behavior in recent days foreshadowed Friday’s rampage.

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North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University School of Business and Economics Interdisciplinary Center for Entrepreneurship and E-Business (ICEEB) Cordially invites you to its 1st Annual Minority Entrepreneurship Week Activities Opening Program and Reception Monday, February 22, 2010 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Merrick Hall Auditorium School of Business and Economics Keynote Speaker: Mr. Ralph Shelton President, Southeast Fuels, Inc. Summit and Reception Saturday, February 27, 2010 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM Merrick Hall Auditorium School of Business and Economics

Panel Discussions:  Stimulus funds for minority businesses  Selling to the government  Family entrepreneurship  Helping minority businesses survive in a slow economy

BECOMING ARMY STRONG WILL OPEN DOORS, INCLUDING THOSE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES. For more information, contact your local Army Recruiter or visit us on line at www.goarmy.com/info/h580

©2009. Paid for by the United States Army. All rights reserved.

Keynote Speaker: Mr. Andrew Scott Greensboro Assistant City Manager for Economic Development

For information, contact Dr. Thaddeus McEwen 336-334-7656 ext. 4030 mcewent@ncat.edu

Co-Sponsors: Pepsi Bottling Ventures, Greensboro Partnership and the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, N’Spired Business Solutions, and Global Dynamics, Inc.

theBIZ

The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Nuclear energy gets clearance from feds Obama announces loan to build nuclear reactors MATTHEW DALY

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than $8 billion in new federal loan guarantees to build two nuclear reactors in Georgia could be the first step toward a nuclear renaissance in the United States, three decades after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident halted all new reactor orders.

With the nuclear industry poised to begin construction of at least a half dozen plants over the next decade, President Barack Obama announced the first loan guarantees Tuesday, casting them as both economically essential and politically attractive.

He called nuclear power a key part of comprehensive energy legislation that assigns a cost to the carbon pollution of fossil fuels, giving utility companies more incentive to turn to cleaner nuclear fuel.

"This is only the beginning," Obama said in designating the new federal financial backing for a pair of reactors in Burke County, Ga., to be built by Atlanta-based Southern Co. Obama's budget would triple — to $54.5 billion — loan guarantees available for new nuclear construction.

The federal guarantees, authorized by Congress in 2005, are seen as essential for construc-

tion of any new reactor because of the huge expense involved.

Critics call the guarantees a form of subsidy and say taxpayers will assume a huge risk, given the industry's record of cost overruns and loan defaults.

Reports by Congressional Budget Office and Government Accountability Office have estimated that the risk of default for new nuclear reactors could be as high as 50 percent.

"This is a pre-emptive bailout where the government has already guaranteed to saddle taxpayers with any failure that the (nuclear) industry might run into," said Allison Fisher, an energy organizer at Public Citizen, a Washington-based consumer advocacy group.

Critics also note that the loan guarantees come at the same time Obama has proposed eliminating a long-planned nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain in Nevada.

Obama has appointed a commission to find a safe solution for dealing with nuclear waste, but in the meantime the government has no long-term plan to store commercial radioactive waste.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu told a Senate committee this month that for the foreseeable future nuclear plants likely will store spent fuel rods on site.

This is only the beginning.”

BARACK OBAMA

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES Environmentalists say renewable energy such as wind and solar are more cost-effective than nuclear power and do not come with side effects such as radioactive waste.

But Marvin Fertel, president of the Nuclear Energy Institute, a policy organization for the nuclear industry, said the loan guarantees will spur construction of nuclear plants all over the country, reducing greenhouse gases blamed for global warming and creating thousands of high-paying jobs.

The Georgia project is expected to create about 3,500 construction jobs and permanently employ 850 people, and Obama coupled the loan guarantee announcement with a visit to a job training center in Lanham, Md., at the headquarters of Local 26 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

The union represents electrical and telecommunications workers, and it offers training for energy jobs, including the construction of nuclear power plants.

Obama said the new reactors would reduce carbon pollution by 16 million tons a year, compared with a similar coal-fired power plant.

Although Chu called Tuesday's announcement a significant step to restart the domestic nuclear industry, actual construction of the first reactor is still years away.

Southern Co.'s application for a license to build and operate the reactors is pending with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, one of 13 such applications the agency is considering.

The earliest any could be approved would be late 2011 or early 2012, the NRC said.

Southern Chief Executive David Ratcliffe and Chu both said the new generation of nuclear reactors will be significantly safer than those built during the 1970s because of improvements in technology.

This time around, the industry and regulators have streamlined licensing and are planning to use a standard design.

The Three Mile Island accident in 1979 forced numerous power plants to be redesigned during construction.

"I have a lot of confidence that our approach this time will yield much better results," Ratcliffe said.

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JONATHAN M. KATZ Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Damage from Haiti's catastrophic Jan. 12 earthquake may be twice the value of the country's annual economy, Latin America's main development bank said Tuesday.

A report by three Inter-American Bank economists found last month's earthquake to be more devastating than the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was for Indonesia.

And five times deadlier than the 1972 earthquake that leveled Nicaragua's capital.

Economists Eduardo Cavallo, Andrew Powell and Oscar Becerra estimated the magnitude-7 quake wrought damage worth between $8.1 billion and $13.9 billion.

Haiti produced only $7 billion worth of goods and services in 2008, according to the World Bank.

"This is just an assessment of damage; it gives no indication of the amount of money to get the country back as if nothing had happened," Cavallo told The Associated Press by phone.

He said an ongoing assessment will be needed to determine the total amount Haiti needs to rebuild.

To make their damage estimate the authors used statistical models based on data compiled

from about 2,000 natural disasters since 1970, taking into account estimated death tolls, levels of economic development and other factors.

They caution the study is preliminary and came up with a wide range of potential figures, including one as low as $4.1 billion based on a lower casualty figure and the margin of error.

But because there is so little precedent for a disaster of this size — killing more than 200,000 people and striking directly at the heart of the country's political and economic center — Cavallo said the final figure will likely be closer to their highest estimates.

That is devastating news for a country of more than 9 million people whose economy was faltering before the disaster and is the Western Hemisphere's smallest per capita.

The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti and has a similarly sized population, had a $46 billion economy in 2008.

Disasters on the scale of Haiti's quake tend to induce longterm poverty that is difficult to reverse.

In many of the countries studied after their disasters, the authors found, personal wealth remained 30 percent lower 10 years after the events even with large amounts of international aid.

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The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I still like John Mayer, tweet about that!

One of latest stories that have come out involving celebrities is about John Mayer and his interview with Playboy Magazine. Let me preface this by stating I am a John Mayer fan, have all the albums, listen to his music on a regular basis, have seen him in concert once before and have tickets to see him next month.

After the word got out of his ‘ranting’ and people starting tweeting about him, many deemed him a white supremacist or racist because of his words.

With any argument that happens, whether the pro or con side, it is compulsory to find out the facts.

From what I have heard and read from many people about the interview is not true. The interview spread like a game of telephone, each person adding something new and missing entirely what he said. Let’s review

what his words were according to the official transcript on Playboy.com.

When asked if people thought he was a “douche bag”, Mayer described himself as very.

That’s it. Just “very.” Adding to that he said, “But I think the world needs a little very. That’s why black people love me.”

In prompting him to explain his term ‘very’, the interviewer asked, “Because you’re very?”

Then Mayer went on to explain a previous conversation where someone asked him, “What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?”

Pause. This is where it gets sticky.

Mayer continued, “And by the way, it’s sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass. Why are you pulling a punch and calling it a hood pass if you really have a

The A&T Register is your chance to be heard. E-mail your editorials to theatregister@gmail. com. Editorials are no more 700 words.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR I am writing to share ways you can easily access information that you need to know to remain informed and safe as a part of the North Carolina A&T State University community.Should an emergency occur at A&T, you can receive an “AggieAlert” text message and/or email. A&T students and employees will only receive an “AggieAlert” text or email during an emergency, life-threatening situation, or inclement weather. All you have to do is register at: http://www.ncat.edu/AggieAlert/ Please register for “AggieAlert” today! In addition to the “AggieAlert” text or email, A&T will also send critical messages via: WNAA 90.1 FM Radio, University fax machines, A&T website WNAA’s website @ http://www.aggienewsonline.com, Aggie Net (television screens) or the Aggie InfoLine (336.334.7325) is a phone line you can always call to hear weekly A&T calendar events. During an emergency, this phone line will provide emergency updates.

You may help keep our campus safe by reporting emergencies to A&T Police & Public Safety by calling 336.334.7675.

If there are additional questions, concerns and suggestions you would like to share, please email me at mables@ncat.edu. Your questions and answers will be compiled in a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) sheet we will distribute to the campus.

Over the next few weeks, AggieAlert registration stations will be set up around campus to encourage more Aggies to sign up. We need your input and ideas to strengthen internal communications.

Please share your thoughts at mables@ncat.edu.

Mable Springfield Scott, Ph.D. North Carolina A&T State University Greensboro, NC

Congratulations on your outstanding coverage of the grand opening of The International Civil Rights Center & Museum on Feb. 1, 2010. Your centerfold layout of photographs is a true collectors item. The reporting is top notch and exemplary of the high standards set by the editorial staff of The A&T Register for the past 80 years.

The Feb. 3, 2010 edition is one that you should be very proud of.

I also attended the grand opening of the museum. As I stood in the cold, it was gratifying to see so many young faces in the crowd. It reminded me of when I was a student at North Carolina A&T and I, along with many other students, stood at that very same site some 50 years ago.

What we did was not done in vain and the many young faces in the crowd will carry on the legacy. There is still some more work to be done in the civil rights arena. As a people, we may be free but we are not yet equal. We must keep our eyes on the prize of equality.

As I stood among the crowd, I recalled the words of Dr. King just before he was slain. King said even though he may not get there with us, he had been to the mountaintop and had seen the Promised Land. As I looked upon the young faces in the crowd, I agreed with Dr. King, I may not get there with them but I have been to the mountaintop.

Equality is just over the hill and the day will come when we will be free and equal. Thanks to the young faces that I saw at the opening of the museum, the dream will continue. Let us keep hope alive!

Keep up the good work.

Pollard Stanford North Carolina A&T State University Class of 1961 Greensboro, NC

JASMINE

JOHNSON

hood pass?

But I said, “I can’t really have a hood pass.

I’ve never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told,

‘We’re full.’”

Okay. To all those who completely offended, I understand your argument, to an extent.

Was it wrong of him to use the N-word? Yes. Do I think he should’ve used it? No. But in no way, have I been convinced that John Mayer is racist by those comments.

I have seen several tweets directed towards me (because my followers I am a fan) that have paraphrased Mayer as saying he does not like black women. Let’s

see that the transcript says.

The interviewer asked “Do black women throw themselves at you?”

Mayer replied saying “I don’t think I open myself to it. My d**k is sort of like a white supremacist. I’ve got a Benetton heart and a f**kin’ David Duke c**k. I’m going to start dating separately from my d**k.”

From that text I can see why people think he does not like black women. However, another reporter at The Register brought up: Would you be mad at a black man for saying he only dates black women? Probably not. So why get upset because a white man said he only likes white women?

Mayer also told the interviewer he thought Holly Robinson Peete was “gorgeous” and describes Kerry Washington as “super hot.”

My problem is not with people

being offended, it is with people not understanding, the type of person John Mayer is.

If you have never seen him live or seen an interview- he is extremely sarcastic! I witnessed him say the worst thing that ever happened to human beings is a camera phone. Why would you really take this man seriously in everything he says? It doesn’t make sense.

However, I am, in no way, justifying his words. He was wrong for saying nigger.

If you haven’t followed up with the news after this interview was released, Mayer had since then apologized, using his Twitter, “Re: using the ‘N word’ in an interview: I am sorry that I used the word. And it’s such a shame that I did because the point I was trying saying to make was in the exact opposite spirit of the word itself. It was arrogant

of me to think I could intellectualize using it, because I realize that there’s no intellectualizing a word that is so emotionally charged.”

After this, during his concert in Nashville, T.N. he broke down and apologized to his fans and band.

I take his apology as sincere and accept it.

If you have chosen not to forgive his mistake and stop listening to his music because of this, I feel sorry for you. You will be missing out.

The bottom line is that I think he produces great music.

I refuse to stop listening to the album because the man made a mistake and has since apologized for it.

So Mar. 15 I will still be attending the concert, showing up an hour early and listening to John Mayer, probably for the entire day.

aggielife

by Evan Summerville

$100,000 grill buys Wayne more time The jail sentence for rapper and actor Lil’ Wayne has been delayed one month because of emergency dental work a week before sentencing.

The Cash Money/Young Money artist was arrested in 2007 in New York City on gun possession charges.

With the state of New York not cutting any slack on committed gun possession crimes, it was more then certain that Lil’ Wayne would serve mandatory jail time.

Advised by jail officials because of recent threats, Lil’ Wayne made a last-minute decision to remove the platinumand-diamond grill valued at $100,000 temporarily until he has served his term.

It is completely pathetic that Lil’ Wayne has to have that much jewelry removed from his mouth. No sympathy would be given to a regular inmate seeking a delay in serving a sentence, especially for the reason that was granted to Lil’ Wayne.

With surgery set to take place this week, Lil’ Wayne is scheduled to turn himself into authorities on March 2, at which time he will immediately begin serving his sentence.

Known for his hard work,

dedication, and tendency for not sleeping, the rapper reportedly recorded nine music videos in one week JOSEPH for the recently ESCOBAR released Young Money album “We are Young Money,” his solo album “Rebirth,” and a future album titled “The Carter IV.” His request for extra time should have been denied for the simple fact that he spent the majority of his time recording videos.

He was not doing anything in the benefit of showing he’s a better person, but just preparing to make money while in jail.

There should be no mercy or tolerance towards Lil’ Wayne and his dental issue. He knew for a good amount of time that he was going to jail, and should not have waited until the last minute to have this surgery performed.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has expressed his seriousness on gun control

over the past few years, making it mandatory for anyone caught in illegal possession of a firearm to serve mandatory jail time.

Former New York Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress is the most recent New York City superstar to be an example of the state judicial system. He was sentenced to two years in prison for accidentally shooting himself in a New York City nightclub.

Lil’ Wayne is the second rapper in the past year to serve jail time because of weapon possession.

Atlanta-based rapper and actor T.I. was sentenced to 366 days in prison after his 2007 arrest for illegally attempting to purchase firearms in his hometown of Atlanta.

Many people, including myself, believe that Lil’ Wayne’s time in jail will be equivalent to time spent on a small vacation Granted, no time in jail is vacation but he will be isolated from the rest of the prison population and probably given preferential treatment by starstruck prison security.

It has become extremely evident in the past that superstars receive lighter sentences than normal citizens in this country,

Lil Wayne being the most recent example of that.

Would Lil’ Wayne still have been offered the same amount of jail time if he was not a rapper, or better yet, if he did not have as much money as he does?

It seems that those artists with large sums of money get lighter jail sentences.

The judicial system has wisely used these entertainment figures to be advocates for peace and gun safety in exchange for lighter jail sentences, but in some cases I feel like it does nothing but benefit them even more. They come out making the same music and more than likely commit the same crime again.

It is about time that these superstars stop being treated like they are saints. They have so much more of an influence on society and if we keep showing that they can get off easy, they will continue to commit these offenses.

The end result is that rappers, actors and those in the public eye should receive the same treatment that a normal person would get.

They are not learning anything if they are not punished the correct way.

Is society robbing children of their innocence?

Anyone should be surprised when told that a 9-year-old girl is starting a lingerie line with a company called Ooh! La, La! Couture. Although a source close to the 9-year-old has recently denied the rumor according to GossipCop.com, it should still be a concern when young girls are acting older than their age.

This same 9-year-old in the past, has been photographed dressed as a dominatrix and a “sexy” ladybug for Halloween and has also been seen in pictures dancing around a stripper’s pole. The girl is Noah Cyrus, the sister to the teen pop-star Miley Cyrus.

For what reason would a 9-year-old girl think to create a lingerie line leaves me curious. It also forces me to think back to me being that age and not even knowing what linge-

rie was! So I question, do children really grow up anymore?

As I enter my twenties, the way children are being raised ASHLEY has changed VAUGHN even since I was a toddler. When I was growing up, I was thinking about playing outside, playing with my Barbie dolls and watching Nickelodeon. Now it seems like the youth do not care for these activities anymore, instead they play violent video games, dance to provocative music and wear tons of make-up.

Some people blame society for these behaviors while others argue it is the parents not doing

their job. Either way, children are not enjoying being young; they’re too busy trying to be adults.

I can gladly say that many of the things I have experienced have happened in a timely manner and I appreciated each moment. Youth growing up now will not be able to say that when little girls are getting acrylic nails, wearing make-up and putting weave tracks in all before the age of 13! Girls who are experiencing this at such a tender age will grow up believing this behavior is normal and will never grow to appreciate anything.

The children of this generation need to realize and accept that there is a reason why we do not just enter the world as adults. We are supposed to enjoy growing up, being immature and naive, and experience

being a child. The children that choose to skip that stage of childhood will one day wish they could go back to not having a care in the world and being a true child.

It is a blessing to live a real childhood. We have seen many examples of what can happen to those who were not fortunate enough to experience one through celebrity such as Michael Jackson, Gary Coleman, and Britney Spears.

I am happy to say I experienced an innocent childhood and will use that same line my mother used on me to my children in the future. We can learn from our mistakes, but we cannot learn from things we have not experienced. To all the youth similar to Noah Cyrus in the world, know that being a kid is a precious thing and should be enjoyed.

Editor’s note:The opinions expressed on The Word are those of the writers and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the staff of The A&T Register. All house editorials are written and revised with input from the editorial board, staff, and is approved by the editor. All letters to the editor or editorials must be sent to theatregister@gmail.com to be considered for submission and should be no longer than 250 words. Submissions must be received by the Sunday prior to publication at 5 p.m. to be considered. The A&T Register reserves the right to edit all submission content for clarity and grammar. Submissions become the property of The A&T Register and will not be returned.

theSCORE The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Lady Aggies suffer first MEAC loss Lauren Morgan

Register Reporter

On Monday night the A&T women’s basketball team lost their first game since Jan. 5, and received their first loss in MEAC play.

Hampton, the No. 2 team in the MEAC, beat the Aggies 90-80 at the HU Convocation Center in Hampton, VA. With a win the Aggies would have secured the top spot in the MEAC and would have been five games away from being undefeated.

The Aggies were led by Jaleesa Sams, who had an impressive night with a career-high 28 points and 10 rebounds.

JaQuayla Berry added 20, and after being named MEAC Player of the Week for two consecutive weeks, Lamona Smalley recorded a doubledouble with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Bernadette Fortune led the Pirates of Hampton University with 30 points and 11 assists.

Photo by kenneth hawkins• THe A&T Register

NiKIA GORHAM and the Lady Aggies gave up the most points in head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs tenure in their 90-80 loss Saturday.

Choicetta McMillan scored 18 points for the Pirates and Jericka Jenkins added 17 points and 8 rebounds.

The Pirates were outrebounded by the Aggies 38-30 but shot 61.5 percent in the second half and 52.6 in the game.

They also held A&T to

45.9 percent shooting from the floor.

The first half of play was a battle, with both teams gaining and losing the lead and tying the score six times.

Hampton would go into the half with a three-point advantage at 39-36.

The second half was much different from the first, and the Aggies would find it hard to stay in the game.

During the second half the Aggies were unable to gain the lead or even tie the game with the Pirates.

The Aggies got within four

but would soon find themselves staring at a 15-point deficit after the Pirates went on a 13-4 run.

A&T could not climb out their deficit and lost their first game to a MEAC opponent this season; they remain in first place in the conference at 11-1.

Two days before their tough loss to Hampton, the Aggies faced Howard University at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. The Aggies beat the Bison of Howard University 80-57.

Ta’Wuana Cook led the Aggies with 22 points and Lamona Smalley added 16 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. Saadia Doyle led the Bison with 20 and 10 rebounds; Zykia Brown added 19 points.

The Bison led the Aggies early in the first half before the Aggies went on a 24-2 run to end the first half of pay 42-25.

The Bison would not regain the lead in the second half and the Aggies would go on to win 80-57.

Aggies place third in Indoor Track Championships daniel henderson Sports Editor

The A&T track team finished third in the 2010 Indoor MEAC Championships behind the first-place performances of David McFadgen and Caleisio Newman this past weekend in Landover, Md. McFadgen won his first ever MEAC Championship, (indoor or outdoor), in the men’s triple jump. The sophomore leaped 49-feet, 5-inches, outlasting

S.C. State’s Marcus Stephens.

He also finished second in the men’s long jump, leaping 24 feet, 1 inch, placing behind Coppin State’s Brandon Miles.

McFadgen’s teammate Newman benefited the Aggies by taking home the gold in the 60 meters with a time of 6.77 – seven-tenths of a second shy of his fastest 60-meter dash time.

This was his first ever indoor track championship after winning the 100-meter dash in the MEAC outdoor champion-

ships the last two years.

Both Newman and McFadgen have been ranked in the top 15 in the nation for their respective events since the beginning of the indoor track season, and their performances have qualified them for the 2010 NCAA Division Indoor Championships.

Other strong performances for the Aggies over the weekend included underclassmen Jarrell Elliott, Jenea McCamon, Jessica Farr and Jade

Clingman.

Elliott finished fourth in the 400 and 200 meters.

The sophomore was also a part the Aggies 4x400 team that finished third.

He was joined by teammates Earl House, D’Mitri Boutrry and Akinwole Jordan to run a 3:18.04.

And the Aggie men’s 4x400 squad wasn’t the only team to place.

The women’s 4x400 team, consisting of three freshman

(McCamon, Farr, Clingman) joined Diamond Marks in running a 3:49.93 placing third in the relay, and aiding the Lady Aggies with a fifth place finish overall.

Thompson is well aware of what the future may hold for his young athletes.

“We have a lot of freshman girls and guys so the future looks bright,” Thompson said.

“They weren’t intimidated and that’s rare for young athletes.”

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AGGIES RUNDOWN Men’s basketball TEAM

MEAC

OVR.

Morgan State Delaware State S.C.State Howard

Bethune-Cookman UMES

Norfolk State N.C.A&T

Hampton

FAMU

Coppin State

10-1 9-3 7-4 6-5 6-6 6-6 6-6 5-7 4-8 3-9 2-9

19-8 14-9 13-8 7-18 13-12 8-18 7-17 9-16 7-17 6-19 7-17

UPCOMING GAMES: Wednesday vs. S.C. State Corbett Sports Center 7 p.m.

Monday vs. Winston-Salem State Greensboro Coliseum 8 p.m.

women’s basketball TEAM

MEAC

OVR.

N.C.A&T Hampton Morgan State Bethune-Cookman Howard

FAMU UMES Coppin State S.C.State Delaware State

Norfolk State

11-1 9-3 8-3 8-4 7-5 6-5 5-6 4-7 3-9 3-9 0-12

17-8 14-10 13-11 13-11 12-12 14-8 8-13 9-14 8-16 5-20 3-18

UPCOMING GAMES: Saturday vs. S.C. State Corbett Sports Center 4 p.m.

Monday vs. Winston-Salem State Greensboro Coliseum 6 p.m.

NEws and notes MEN’S BASKETBALL UPDATE The Aggie Men’s basketball team spilt games in their Maryland/Virginia road stretch this past weekend. They snapped their twogame losing streak by knocking off Hampton 69-65 in Hampton, Va. before falling short to Howard 73-59 in Washington D.C..

GREENSBORO COLISEUM The rivalry game against Winston-Salem State University has been moved to the Greensboro Coliseum on February 22nd.

Michael Diggs Jr., business representative part-owner, (704) 574 9912, mikediggsjr@gmail.com Any questions regarding pricing, creative ideas or general vehicle questions, don’t hesitate to contact me via phone or e-mail or contact the store at (704) 494-0022 Queen City Customs 4617 N. Tryon St. Charlotte, NC 28213 Students, alumni and faculty will receive additional discounts.

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thescene

The A&T Register | ncatregister.com | Wednesday, February 17, 2010

8

A&T Theater department production: mad at miles

Feb. 17th-23rd

Domestic violence brought to the forefront LaPorsha Lowry

The A&T Register’s guide to what’s going on this week in arts and entertainment.

on screen Shutter Island directed

by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, and Ben Kingsley, opens Friday. Set in 1954, U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island.

- L.L.

on shelves Law Abiding citizen is available on DVD now. It is the story of Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler), an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case.

10 years later, Shelton begins to wreck havoc on the case and Rice after the killer is finally found.

Scene Editor

The powerful essays by playwright, novelist, essayist, and activist Pearl Cleage were inspired by the troubles in the marriage of Miles Davis and Cicely Tyson Those problems serve as the backdrop for the play “Mad at Miles: A Black Woman’s Guide To Truth,” interpreted and directed by A&T theater professor Donna Bradby.

The play deals with the abusive behavior of Davis towards Tyson during their marriage, and is funny, angry, and lyrical.

It has a subject matter for a mature audience. The A&T production of the play will feature two casts; the original cast of professional actors and a student cast.

Tennelle Foust, Jamila Curry, and Tanisha Fordham, all A&T theater department graduates, will be alternating with the student cast.

Monet Marshall, Vanecia Boone, and Kalilah Black make up the student cast. Bradby discussed the subject matter of the play and what she wants to come out of her interpretation of Cleage’s essays.

“This is a true A&T production that was originally staged at Triad Stage. Students from the Visual Arts program helped design the living collages and murals on stage.

Theater majors designed the set; our prop master, sound designer, and costume designer are all A&T theater majors”.

Bradby also said that they will be working with counseling services on campus and Family Services of the Piedmont to make sure that there are counselors on

hand because of the subject matter about battered women and women being abused.

“We wanted to make sure that we had people on hand to deal with audience members”.

Their will also be talkbacks are important after the shows on the 25th and 26th in addition to the “Good Brother Blues” workshop.

The men are going to be in the theater discussing the subject matter of what a good brother is while the ladies are upstairs in the television studio watching a live feed of the brothers talking.

Afterwards, the two groups will come together to have a reception with food and music to have a discussion between the two sides “I think it is going to be a powerful workshop that is going to give AfricanAmerican women some insight into our AfricanAmerican men feel about what we think a “good brother” is.

The men will be able to share how they feel a good brother should be and all of the qualities of a good brother. I really want people to come out for the fish-bowl discussion.”

The play begins in Paul Robeson Theatre tomorrow and runs through the 21st.

A second run begins February 25th and ends on the 28th.

Show times will be 8 p.m. on Thursday-Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are available in the Brown Hall Ticket Office and are $15 for adults and $10 for Photo by Kenneth hawkins •The A&T Register senior citizens and non-A&T The Woman Question One of the murals that will be displayed onstage behind the actors depicts a trumpet player. The play begins in Paul Robeson Theatre students. tomorrow and runs through the 21st. A second run begins February 25th and ends on the 28th.

A&T alums return to star in ‘Mad at Miles’ production LAPORSHA LOWRY Contributor

- L.L.

on stage Royal Comedy Tour will perform at the War Memorial Auditorium on February 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $42.50 & $49.50 and available for purchase online. The stop in Greensboro will feature Sommore, Bruce Bruce, Don D.C.Curry and Turae.

- L.L.

on campus Stroll Competition will be held in Moore Gymnasium at 7 p.m. Hosted by Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., the 4th annual event will showcase the numerous fraternities and sororities on campus, and kicks off the intake season in these organizations.

- L.L.

Photo by Kenneth hawkins •The A&T Register

The original run of “Mad at Miles” took place last year at Triad Stage in downtown Greensboro, and the three A&T graduates that made up the cast bring the powerful play to campus.

Jamila Curry, a recent A&T theater department graduate, discussed how she felt about performing the play in front of Pearl Cleage, who has not seen the new interpretation by

Bradby.

“We don’t even know if she is going to like it because this is the first time that she has seen it.

She could really like it and want it to continue and take to bigger ands better place. On the other hand, she could hate it and tell us that she doesn’t want us to keep doing it”.

Tennelle Foust, an A&T theater department graduate, discussed her first post-grad performance in the newly renovated Paul Robeson Theater.

“Coming back to A&T and

performing in the new theater is a great honor and privilege for me. I am excited to be back here and be able to give back to the department that I am from”.

Tanisha Fordham, a recent graduate and Miss A&T 20082009, said that it is a blessing to be involved and she feels connected to the play and the campus.

“I feel like I am still a student but it is a blessing to be able to help the viewers through the message of the play”.

(l-r) Jamila Curry, Tanisha Fordham, and Tennelle Foust perform in “Mad at Miles” at Triad Stage last year.

Couture promotes spreading the ‘love’ makailah fennell Register Reporter

Couture Word presented their first annual “Word-N-Love” night.

On Thursday, Feb. 11 at 8 p.m. in Stalling Ballroom in the Student Union.

The night was billed to a way to get Valentine’s Day started early.

It was an evening of music and poetry. Many Aggies came out for the event.

All the tables that were available were filled and people sat in chairs around the room.

Dim lighting and beautifully round table decorations created and atmosphere for couples and friends to enjoy.

20

Questions

“When I walked into the room, I didn’t know what to expect. When I saw the decorations and how nice everything was put together, I knew that they put a lot of work into it,” said sophomore Tisa Smith.

The night began with a live band, with musical selections by members of Couture Word.

The song “Need You Baby”

by Lauryn Hill really got the crowd started.

Following that, the hosts of the night presented other members that performed songs and poems for the crowd to enjoy.

Lee Brown was the first to perform and the crowd went crazy for his rendition of the song “Back at One” by Brian

McKnight.

“I really enjoyed the musical selections and poems. It really added a great mood for the night,” said freshman Ronald Dent.

Guests were also able to purchase gift bags, roses, and chocolate roses to add to the night. There were also light refreshment’s served.

The evening ended at 10 p.m., and to many of the guests, this was a night they would never forget.

“This was a great way to start off the Valentine’s Day weekend.

Myself and my boyfriend really had a great time. I hope that Couture Word does this next year because I will definitely come,” LeShay Jones said.

BE Scene Want the chance to write movie reviews, 20 questions, celebrity gossip and more?

Become a part of theSCENE! Contributor’s Meetings every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. on GCB 328A

1. How many of yours Valentine’s Day plans consisted of watching the NBA All-Star game? 2. Did you get all warm and fuzzy from watching Wade toss that alley-oop to Dwight Howard? 3. Why won’t University Parking Service print out a list of do’s and don’ts when waiting for a parking space? 4. Have you noticed how cutthroat people get over a spot? 5. Did anyone notice the entire UNST department has disappeared out of Hines Hall? 6. Did they get body snatched? 7. Speaking of disappearing, how may people will we see get ghost this spring? 8. Can’t you just feel the probates in the air? 9. Is the African-American Arts store in the mall about to run out of Greek merchandise? 10. Why is the bookstore charging like $100 for a full A&T warm-up? 11. Is it Ralph Lauren Purple Label? 12. Do big ballers really shop in the A&T bookstore for gear? 13. Would you buy some ugly A&T sneakers if they were Jordans? 14. Are you behind in your schoolwork because you took off one too many snow days? 15. Why do some folks think its cool to try and be like a Barbie doll? 16. Why not Strawberry Shortcake or Spongebob Squarepants? 17. Why are adults holding toys as role models? 18. Did you notice MTV dropped the words “music television” from their logo this week?

19. Why aren’t there more athletes of color in the Winter Olympics? 20. Do the Winter Olympics have a “David Duke c**k?”