Newspapers / Fayetteville State University Student … / Jan. 1, 2002, edition 1 / Page 4
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City Gets First Black Mayor Bj' Garrett N. James Staff Writer Pitts wins!! Pitts wins!! As I heard and watched others yell these words, I got the feelings of being freed from slavery or just receiving my civil rights. Of course this year’s Fayetteville mayoral election had nothing to do with either issue, but to some it was Just as important. Then I remembered how adamant supporters of Pitts were during the election the large signs at every intersection, the bumper stickers, the out-of-town publicity, and the many “he’s our man” speeches and a flower of interest blossomed inside of me. A small portion of his supporters noticed that his skin color matched theirs and figured that this was as good enough a reason as any to put him into office. “Vote for Pitts! We need a black mayor,” were some of the popular chants. My ‘so what he’s black’ and ‘but is the man Report qualified’ responses didn’t win me any friends, but there was no way my heart nor conscience would let me give away my one priceless vote solely on the grounds of someone being iny “brother”. I wasn’t about to allow these few bad apples spoil my image of Pitts. After a bit of research, not onh did I realize that along with being the recipient of several prestigious awards and showing potential to be a great mayor, Pitts is a former professor at the most prominent HBCU in North Carolina (FSU) and that Pitts is now Fayetteville’s tlrst African-American mayor. Maybe the latter holds no importance, but in a city with as rich a history as Fayetteville, I had just always assumed that this “first” had already been conquered. The reasons behind this shall be focused on at a later date. I also had the pleasure of viewing Mayor Pitts’ December inaugural speech on television From Page 1 individually to see how it was meeting students’ needs. “I advise that parents talk to the colleges, apply and see what financial aid they have to otTer,” McDutTie said. “They may find that college is affordable . “Parents should not rely on such a broad study.” McDuffie said things have changed since 1998, and the state is providing more aid to private, public and community colleges in the form of grants and scholarships. Five of the seven community colleges in the Cape Fear region were rated as “affordable.” Two were rated as affordable with loans. Kendrick Faison, student government association president at FSU, said he is getting a bargain for his money. “I don’t feel that my education has been watered down in any way,” said Faison, who is a senior. “College is all about what you as a student put into it. If you go in expecting not to gain anything, then you gain nothing.” Faison said he comes from a low-income family and he is glad he applied to Fayetteville State. If he had not, he would not have attended college. “I feel I can stand up with any other student in the UNC system and say 1 received a quality education,” Faison said. Portions of this story were printed from The Fayetteville Observer Dear Advice Diva: When “Bill” proposed he gave me the biggest diamond ring I have ever seen. I figured it was fake because we were both med students paying for school with loans. I got a great job offer before we even set a date for the wedding and I called the whole thing off I offered to give back the ring and he told me to keep it. I had it cleaned a week ago and the jeweler appraised it, turns out it was a six-carat diamond with one carat of side stones and it is valued at almost $115,000! I called Bill when I found out, and he said he paid for it with his trust fund. My mother says it is wrong to keep something that valuable when it was supposed to represent an engagement. I really like the ring (who wouldn’t) but now I feel guilty. After all, the ring was supposed to be a symbol of commitment. In Need of a Second Opinion Dear In Need of: Despite Bill’s way generous and gracious offer that you keep the ring (are you sure you don’t want to marry him?), you should do the karmically correct thing and return it. Your mom is right; The trust fund-purchased rock is a symbol of his love and commitment. If it’s merely a piece of jewelry to you. there is no honor in keeping it. X Pitts recently. Yeah, yeah, it was the usual, “A change is gonna come if we work together” speech, but something was different. Marshall Pitts was different. Instead of the standard word regurgitation, accompanied by occasional glances toward the audience, Pitts addressed the audience and occasionally looked down to move on to the next topic. This was no rare feat, but my attention had been snared. Aside from this simple attention getter, I noticed something else. I’ve seen and listened to hundreds of speeches and even made several myself, so it wasn’t to hard to notice that Mayor Pitts was accomplishing one of the most difficult tasks concerning addressing individuals and group of people. Unlike the majority' of politicians whom consistently fail in attempts at being einpathetic. Mayor Pitts was truly sincere. This sincerity, paired with his “cute little head and small voice” as my friend says, has many others along with myself watching his ever)’ move. We watch not to throw darts at his first shortcoming, but to add to the list of accomplishments that we may someday congratulate him on. So Mayor Pitts, as we young people say, “Keep ya head up” and “Breathe easy,” my brother. Keene Hair-Raising Experience By Anthony Keene Staff Writer What hair style is in? This story actually started out in another direction. The main direction of the story was to ask the females why they like guys with braid, but when the boy is See Hair Next Page Bronco Fan Explains Crazy Basketball Antics By Garrett N. James Staff Writer It’s basketball season once more. Along with our championship teams, many spectators come to foam over our cheerleaders, hear the band, or just to showcase their new outfits. Others, however, come to see what new antics Trey Scott, known to some as ‘that crazy little, light skin dude,” will have up his sleeve. Between this senior’s sessions of dancing and hurling choice words toward opposing teams, I was able to get him to answer a few questions. What many people want to know is what’s going through your mind that gets you so excited? Intimidation. My goal is to distract whoever 1 can on the opposing team. If I can get them to concentrate on me and not the game, then they won’t play at 100%. I want our team to win and I’m gonna intimidate whoever will let me. How do you explain your style? It’s not really a certain style. Hopefully, if the students see some real spirit, they will all get into the game more. We can do the same thing that the other schools do. If you watch the Duke and Chapel Hill games, their students have a lot of love for their schools. And even though Chapel Hill isn’t a winning team now, you wouldn’t be able to tell it from the look at the students. Scott That’s how we should be. Do you feel that there is a real feeling of Bronco Pride throughout the campus? Not really in the students. We have a few that show it, but most are hypocrites. When we’re leading in the game they love our team, but as soon as we fall behind, it’s like, “Forget them guys” and “They so sorry!” Two-faced is what I call them. And then some ask me to get the crowd hype. Why can’t they get things going themselves? As far as the faculty, some have said that’s it too much. Tell me how can you have too much pride in your school? That’s crazy. It’s all about showing love and it’s all in fun. Your antics get the opposite enraged to the point that the opposing teams have wanted to actually fight with you. Is that intentional and how do you respond? No, it’s not intentional. It’s natural to get that upset because you’re losing. I don’t blame them for being hostile with me. I’m still going to do what I do. I feel they shouldn’t be won'ied about me; they should be worried about the game. Some students wish they had the courage to be in front of so many students and just be so care free. What advice do you give other students to help them show their pride for FSU? After college, you gotta have some memories. Besides classes, we’re here to have fun. When we all leave FSU, w'e’re gonna be on our own. I mean, these people that we try to impress w'on’t be there to hold our hands. Do you wanna look back at our college years and see yourself as a individual, or see yourself as that person that always tried to impress everyone and as a follower? I say be who you want to be. I’m gonna continue being the happy, crazy guy. Any last words for the FSU community? Well, I just want everyone to support our team. Everyone’s talking about keeping it real, so let’s just keep it real. It’s like Nike says, ‘Just do it!’ Don’t worry about who’s watching and what they’re going to say. Just do it! Regardless of our personal views of Mr. Trey Scott, he does his thing and he does it well. I’m glad to have him on our side.
Fayetteville State University Student Newspaper
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Jan. 1, 2002, edition 1
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