Happenings
Omega National President
Wants Auburn Students
Charged With Hate Crimes
Honda All-Star Team
Takes FSU On A Ride
By Roland S. Martin
BJackAmerica Web. com
The international president of
Omega Psi Phi Fratemits’ wants
all of the Auburn students who
attended a Halloween party
where several participants
dressed in blackface and Airo
wigs to be charged with
committing a federal hate crime.
Llo}d Jordan, a Washington,
D C.-based private practice
attorney, told
BlackAmericaWeb.com that the
wearing of Afro wigs with
Omega shirts, as well as t-shirts
\\ith FUBU written on them \\ as
a clear sign of the insensitivit}
and hatred the white students
have for African Americans.
'"What the} are try ing to do
is kill the intelhgence and kill the
black (Auburn) youth from
getting an education,’' said
Jordan, who has visited Auburn
since the incident and met with
universit} officials.
'‘It is a clear threat and it
clearly fits (within federal hate
crime statutes). The case law is
ver\ strong on things like this and
even less.
"This is racial harassment,
racial hatred and racial terrorism
at its best.” Auburn suspended 15
students who wore Ku Klax Klan
costumes and wore blackface at
the October 27 part\- for violating
the school’s harassment and
discrimination rules. The\ were
members of Delta Sigma Phi and
Beta Pheta Pi
The universit\' also created
a task force to discuss opening
a multicultural center on campus
and expand course offerings on
tolerance and diversity. Auburn
suspended the fraternity
chapters, and their respective
national organizations closed the
chapters.
"We felt that anything less
w ould not do justice to the many,
many people w ho w ere hurt and
offended by the actions of the
members of our Auburn
chapter,’' said Delta Sigma Phi
national president John Boma.
‘'The actions of these men were
intolerable, and we felt that
decisive action needed to be
taken in this situation.”
Delta executive director Jon
Hockman said the closing of the
chapter “is a categorical
statement that our organization
will not stand for behavior such
as this.”
The Beta Theta Pi fratemit}
earher suspended 13 members,
and its General Secretary David
Wright said the chapter was
closed because of their
involvement and the fact that
others in attendance did nothing
to stop them.
“A culture that allows this
t>pe of thing to occur carmot be
permitted to continue,” Wright
said. Jordan said the actions of
the fraternity members have
only highlighted the problems
black students at Auburn have
had to endure. You have to be
down here in Auburn and see the
fear in the face of some students
and see how it has disrupted the
communitv,” he said. '‘There is
spillover and threats from other
organizations to (black) students
there.”
But the issue has deepened
after a judge reinstated 10 w hite
students last week. Lee Count>
Circuit Court Judge Robert
Harper's decision at a
Wednesday hearing came after
the Delta Zeta chapter of Beta
Theta Pi fratemitv sued Auburn
University, several university
administrators and the national
office of Beta Theta Pi.
Harper, however, did not
grant a request for a temporary
restraining order barring the
university' from pursuing ftirther
disciplinary action, including
possibh’ expelling the students.
The lawsuit, which seeks $300
million in compensatory and
punitive damages, names
Auburn interim president
William Walker, the Auburn
University Board of Trustees,
Auburn’s director of student
affairs Wes Williams, and Beta
Theta Pi General Fraternity.
The lawsuit claims that
Auburn officials and the
national office of the fraternity
violated the students'
constitutional and civil rights,
including freedom of speech,
freedom of association and
privacy guaranteed by the First
and Fourteenth Amendments.
The suit also claims that
university officials defamed the
students and portray ed them in
a false light by identify ing them
as racists.
The Beta Theta Pi chapter
also claims umversity officials
had ulterior motives for
suspending the students and
kicking the chapter off campus.
They said university officials
used the mcident to defend their
failure to meet court-required
mmority recruitment.
Beta Theta Pi fraternity
members say that since the
incident, they have received
death threats and threats of
having their fraternity house
burned down.
Roland S. Martin
(wM’v.rolanasmartni. com) is
editor of Blact4mericaWeb.com
and news editor of Savoy
magazine. He can be reached at
(972) 789-1058, ext. 336
By Garrett N. James
StaffWriter
“We are the champions" is the
phrase that Guy Outlaw, member
of "Full Force.'’ bellow s. He and
along w ith Aisha Brooks. Arlisa
Broadnax, and team captain
Nekeith Brow n, brought home the
first place trophies in the annual
FSU Honda Campus All-Star
Challenge. The second place team
w as "The Cortex." w hich consisted
of members Mitz-Ann Alexis,
Roger Belton, and Jacqueline Carr.
For those who don’t know, the
Honda Campus Ail-Star Challenge
is a question and answer game
similar to jeopardy. The question
topics range from history , science,
math, and current e^ ents. Sixty -
four of our nation's HBCU's
participate in the game.
FSU lias finished in tlie top 16
o\er the past 8 years and has
collected over $45,000 in
scholarship money o\ er the last 4
y ears. The JV and Varsity' teams,
along with t\vo other alternates, w ere
picked irom the FSU tournament
according to who answered the
most questions. The Varsity team
(which has not yet been re\ ealed)
will get the opportunity to play in
the national tournament w hich w^U
be held during the w eek of April 4-
8.2002 in Orlando Fla.
By LaKeshia N. Denson
StaffWriter
Tapestry is a patchwork
quilt of many races and faces
that coexists in this space. It’s
an embroidery' of threads from
the cloth of Africa, Asia,
Europe and the Americas,
w eaving a new' fabric of many
colors and textures. A pattern
of the peaceful coexistence of
all people and a tribute to the
emergence of a new w orld, a
new tribe, a new vision.
‘Tapestry” was the theme of
the 2*’^ Annual International
Education Week sponsored by
the International Students
Association of FSU.
One of the highlights of this
w eek w as an open invitational
banquet. The speaker Dr. Avis
Jones-Petlane, a professor at
Montgomery College, spoke on
the topic of diversity and how
FSU could become a more
diversified campus.
“Diversity starts ithin the
student body but administration
also needs to diversify- faculty
and the curriculum as well,”
said Dr. Jones-Petlane.
Attendees of the banquet
agreed with Dr. Jones-
Petlane's advice, especially the
ISA president, Deon
Winchester, '‘To have an
understanding of people from
The top 10 players are as
follow s in no particular order: Ray
Adams, Roger Belton, NeKeith
Brow n, Leon Chittams. Lauren
Christian, Rhoshawnnah Clark.
Arkeem Fleming. Agnes Allen-
Mclean. Marcus McRae. Aretha
Ward and the two alternates.
Thomika Segar and Trey Scott.
NeKeith Brown, the most
experienced play er on the team,
said that the Honda Challenge is a
great w ay to show case intellectual
talent \ ersus mere athletics talent
as in sports. He says that this
y ear's tournament was a success
because of Mr. Carrow ay. the
volunteers and the student
participation. Because he has
finished in the top 8 percent last
y ear. he's expecting to continue to
do w ell this y ear.
The only freshman on tlie team,
Arkeem Reining, said diat he's here
to change the freshman image.
He's tired of hearing. ‘'You don't
ha^ e any credit hours.” and he's
willing to do his best ca en though
he is so new to the program.
Mr. Carroway. the FSU team
coordinator, had nothing but
positi^e words for the Bronco’s
Voice. He just wants the team to
work hafd and continue the FSU
winning tradition.
other cultures that understanding
or learning process begms here
on campus. Learning about one
another provides a better w orld
for us and our children.” Dr.
Petlane-Jones also shared her
experiences during her trip to
Ghana along with her other
adventures in the eclectic countries
of Africa. Dr. Petlane-Jories
made comparisons between the
w ay' of life in African countries
to those in the Americas, and she
display ed her fascination of the
many different discoveries and
realizations she arose to through
her learning process of different
cultures. Her excitement and
satisfaction of her new -found
knowledge of different
cultures was enough to
motivate her listeners to ride
the bandwagon of supporting
the need for multi-cultural
education in the classroom.
“This event was very
informative. The speaker
highlighted many aspects that
will enhance the cultural
development of the campus,’'
said Mitz-Ann Alexis, a
member of the International
Students Association.
UNIVERSAL
Qfteie*tU. a
FREE ADVANCE SCREENING
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@ Wynnsong 7, 3039 Boone Trail
7:00 PM Wednesday, December 5, 2001
FREE ADMISSION while passes last*
IHFO?: call 910-672-1715 •www.uncfsu.edu/osa
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Passes required. Seating is limited and not guaranteed. Please arrive eariy,
iO required. Rated R (Restricted - Under t7 Requires accompanying Parent Or Adult
Guardian) foi pervasive drug use and language, and for sexual dialogue.
Presented in association witti Fayetteville State University Student
Activities Council.
Opens in theaters December 21
International Students
Talk About Diversity