NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015
Volleyball team triumphs
Florida Classic may be cause for a Celebration Bowl trip
B-CU has history making season
By Felix Reyes Jr. Sports Editor
By Felix Reyes Jr. Sports Editor
The end of the college football regular is approaching and for Wildcat fans that means the Florida Classic is right around the corner.
The BethuneCookman University Volleyball team made history this season, going 10 – 0 in MEAC conference play. This is the first time in team history and, with the 13 victories overall, it’s the most wins since 2004. But, the Wildcats say they are far from satisfied. The one word that this team has been preaching throughout the season is: Legacy. The seniors on the team are determined to win it all this season.
The Florida Classic is more than just a football game and more than an in-state rivalry. According to FloridaClassic.org, it is now the largest football game between two historically Black colleges in America, surpassing the Bayou Classic between Grambling and Southern in New Orleans as the top attended game in the NCAA Division I-AA. Bethune-Cookman University (7 – 2 overall, 5 – 1 MEAC) has won the last four meetings and looks to make it five in the last weekend of this season. “It would mean a lot, but that is an important game for us. It can determine if we go to Atlanta [for the Celebration Bowl]”, senior safety Marquis Drayton said during a photo shoot for the upcoming Senior Day. This years’ Florida Classic wouldn’t have post season implications for the rival Florida A&M (1 – 7 overall, 1 – 4 MEAC) as they haven’t had a very successful season to this point. B-CU Volleyball celebrates finishing regular MEAC season with a perfect 10 - 0 record.
photo courtsey of B-CU Athletics “… This is not over [the season], so I’m not sad. this great milestone, we have to “They’re hungry. They’ve We’re gonna make it to MEAC and buckle down, get back to the drawwanted this MEAC championship we’re gonna win it all, so that’s ing board, not get overly excited, since the spring and they come in actually better than just playing my and get ready for the rest of the everyday working hard to achieve last game on home court,” senior MEAC,” senior Delicia Pierre said. that goal,” head coach Brittany WilHazel Ortiz Rosado said, during an liams said. “If you notice we have interview on Senior Day at Moore The B-CU volleyball team is a ‘Legacy’ on the back of our shirts. Gymnasium. confident bunch, but they know We’re trying to leave a legacy… it’s that this road to a MEAC championly right that they finish it out and “Now that we have reached onship will not be easy. win
But, what better way for them to end their season, by ruining the rival’s season? Leroy Holt III, senior defensive back, said, “I just love the atmosphere of it. Its on a big pedestal, so you get to see a lot of fans and play in a big stadium on a big stage.” “[The Florida Classic means] everything. It’s something I’ve been going to since I was a little kid, and excitement it’s one of the biggest games of the year. You get to play your rival and have bragging rights,” graduate running back Cary White said, “It would be the perfect ending [to my collegiate career] other than winning the Celebration continued on page 3 Bowl, obviously,” he said.
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B-CU opens Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development By Christina Sloan Staff Writer
mentoring programs and access to entrepreneurial competitions.
Bethune-Cookman University is home to a new department designed to spread the word about entrepreneurship.
The program recently staged a soft opening that featured Dr. Joe L. Dudley, Sr., co-founder of DudleyQ, who turned a $10 investment into a multimillion dollar hair care enterprise, according to Marc Vanja Misanovi, business coordinator for CEED.
The Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (CEED) is housed in the Wendell P. Holmes building but its goal is to make an impact across the B-CU campus. The program offers events and programs for students, faculty, staff, and the community that promote entrepreneurship, as well as assistance for would-be entrepreneurial ventures and endeavors. These include such things as workshops, speaker series, networking events, startup events, coaching and
FEATURES SEE PAGE 3
“We (wanted) to let the community know that we are here and can add tremendous value. We understand that in order for a startup community to exist we need to avoid classical problems such as functioning in a hierarchy, being too reliant on government, making short-term commitments and having a culture of risk aversion,” Misanovi said in a press release.
CAMPUS CANDIDS SEE PAGE 5
The CEED program also overseas the Small Business Training and Development Program. Small businesses and startups in the community have access to workshops and a support system from the B-CU program. In addition, the businesses are assigned a student intern to help with their needs to get off the ground. Another part of CEED is B-CU’s Entrepreneurship Club for students on campus. The idea of Entrepreneurship Club is to inform students about what entrepreneurship means and to promote entrepreneurial thinking. E-Club host workshops, speaker series, pitch sessions and are active in competitions. Last spring Misanovic represented CEED at Startup Quest, a three-month entrepreneurship program where he
SPORTS SEE PAGE 6
served as the CEO and mentor of a virtual startup. The startup placed top five in the competition. Also, this past year a student team advised by Cassandra Stroy, who is the director of CEED, placed 2nd at the Ford HBCU Community challenge and won $15,000. Misanovic said, “We’re all about turning ideas into reality. CEED and E-Club are getting tremendous support from the local startup community. This is extremely important because entrepreneurs function in networks, not hierarchies. We have an unbelievable opportunity here. Not to mention the opportunities for grants. It is of national interest to support entrepreneurship initiatives.”
ENTERTAINMENT SEE PAGE 8