Newspapers / Fayetteville State University Student … / Jan. 1, 2002, edition 1 / Page 6
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6 NEWS Answers From Page 2 Stronger than ever. The Broncos’ Voice has all faith that the guilty will be brought to justice. After all, this is Fayetteville State. Students talk. They hear things. They see things. Plus, money has a way of jarring memories and loosening lips. To the culprit: Don’t get too comfortable. As the saying goes, “What’s done in the dark, shall come to the light.” LLCoolJ From Page 5 Florida State Party Offends Black Students While he has appeared in more than 20 films (including “In Too Deep,” “Deep Blue Sea” and “Any Given Sunday” _ all released in 1999) and starred in his own sitcom, “In the House” (1995-99 on NBC and later UPN), he has yet to turn in a breakthrough performance. ”I don’t think he’s done anything that’s convinced me that he’s as good as, say, Ice Cube,” says Owen Gleiberman, a film critic for Entertainment Weekly. Gleiberman, who also cites Will Smith and the late Tupac Shakur as rappers who cultivated acting careers, says that being a rapper can help and hurt in Hollywood. ’’The whole posturing and attitude (rappers) bring to the screen is both their calling card and their trap,” he says, “because they aren’t allowed to go beyond that. And they themselves may not want to go beyond that because it may mean sacrificing their macho images.” Cool J concedes it’s not easy “getting the opportunity to do roles that are outside of a street persona.” But quite unlike many of his musical colleagues who have made the error of coasting on natural talent, he says he recognizes he needs “a little help.” He has been taking acting lessons for five years, he says. ”I think it’s disrespectful to think that you can (act) without training,” he says. Cool J’s commitment appears to be paying off He recently completed “Deliver Us From Eva,” a romantic comedy in which he stars opposite Gabrielle Union (“Bring It On”). It’s his first lead role. He’ll be in front of the cameras again in “Mindhunters,” a thriller starring Val Kilmer and Christian Slater that’s set to begin shooting soon. ’’Rollerball,” he says, showed him that he was ready for top billing. ”I’ve been coming off the bench,” he says, employing a sports metaphor, “and now I’m ready to start.” Though confident in his ability'. Cool J says Denzel Washington needn’t worry _just yet. ’’That would be like comparing someone with one (music) single to LL Cool J,” says the rapper, whose musical resume includes nine albums, his 10th is due in the spring _ and three Grammys. “It’s flattering to me and really unfair to him.” Asked if he and his musically inclined brethren were taking jobs away from young thespians versed in the methods of Stanislavski and Strasberg, Cool J grows a bit defensive. ’’How many rap records did Vin Diesel make? How many records did Samuel L. Jackson make? LarenzTate? Morris Chestnut?” Slipping into Tony Robbins- like motivational parlance (as he does at times), Cool J states; “When you start blaming your lack of success on others, you are guaranteeing your failure. Don’t blame others for your lack of success. You have to create your life.” Guess there is room for more than one Mr. Smith in Hollywood. TMS Campus Report Jean-Simon, a black Florida State University law student, is stunned that white students don’t understand why dressing up as black prostitutes and pimps offends her. ’’Pimps and whores come in all colors,” said Jean-Simon. “But when you put on afro wigs and gold chains, you offend a majority of us. And you don’t seem to care if you offended us.” Jean-Simon spoke at a recent “town meeting” at FSU’s College of Law after a group of law students organized a “Pimps and Ho’s Party” at Painted Lady, a local bar near campus. Some whites at the party reportedly wore costumes, including Afro wigs and fake gold chains, to look like prostitutes and pimps in 1970s- era “blaxploitation” films. Those films, such as “Supertly” and “The Mack,” often had criminal characters that reinforced negative stereotypes about blacks. One major theme emerged from the meeting: Some white students didn’t understand how the party was offensive, which further upset already-irate black students. At noon, hundreds of teachers, students and alumni packed the auditorium, including Circuit Judge Nikki Clark and Senior Assistant Attorney General John D.C. Newton, both of whom graduated from the law school. After a lively back-and-forth, law school Dean Don Weidner said the dialogue would continue in small group sessions in the coming weeks. No student or school money was used to support or promote the party, he said. ’’It’s clear there’s some misunderstanding about how people feel,” Weidner said. “We need to be more understanding of the points of view of others.” The controversy started last week when the party was advertised in e-mails and on fliers as the 3rd Annual P&H Party, “proudly” sponsored by the Student Bar Association. The association was going to help promote the party and collect donations at the door for charity, said Kelly Moss, SBA president. But the tliers and theme of the party created a storm of opposition from some students and faculty members. As a result, said Moss, the SBA decided to withdraw its support of the party and asked the organizers to change the theme to “The Seventies,” which had been suggested by some students who had been offended. Moss said. At FSU, the debate continued after the hour-long meeting, with groups squaring off in the aisles and halls of the law school. ”1 wish I could understand, but honestly 1 can’t,” said second-year law student J.D. DuRant, who is white. “I feel like this was overblown. I was at the party, and there was never any underlying theme of racism or sexism.” First-year law student D’Lorah Bufts-Lucas, who is black, said students like DuRant don’t get it. ”If you step on my toe, and you didn’t mean it, you’re still going to apologize, aren’t you?” she said. But another black law student said he went to the party and was not offended by what he saw. ”It was blown out of proportion,” said Carlton Pierce, a third-year student. “I saw blacks, whites, Asians and Hispanics together, having a good time. It was very, very tame.” Pedro Malaret, a third-year student who is Puerto Rican, agreed. Malaret also said he manages his own hip-hop production company and works with many black artists. ”It’s been around for three years and nobody complained before,” he said. “It’s never been a racial thing. The Afro was a common hair style in the Seventies.” Cydnee Williams, a black first- year student, said that misses the point: The hair style was common among blacks. “So the perception is that pimps and whores are only African-American, and we don’t corner the market on that,” she said. Earlier, law professor Charles Ehrhardt warned students that such events hurt the reputations of the school and of lawyers in general. ’’When you enter law school, you enter the legal profession, and you have a responsibility as young lawyers,” he told the crowd. “Kinds of conduct that might be appropriate as an undergraduate are not necessarily appropriate as a member of the legal profession.” Newton, who works in the state attorney general’s civil rights and economic crimes unit, said his office has not received a civil-rights complaint about the party. ’’Did I hear anything that would make me want to open a file? No,” Newton said. “Do 1 have complete information? No. ”I left as one alumnus who felt that the school faced the issue quickly, publicly and correctly,” he added. “As a child of the South, I was reminded of how far we have come from overt racism, and also how far we have to go.” Advice Diva Dear Advice Diva: I am 24 and my fiancee, 37, is an illegal alien. I noticed that she had been e-mailing a few guys she met on a business trip before she met me. They expressed some deep thoughts and were still sending each other e-mails after I proposed to her. 1 confronted her and she was deeply regretful. She said that she would never e-mail them again. I said that she did not have to do that, that she could have friends, but to let them know' what her current status with me was. I was really mad and hurt inside but I ended up forgiving her. I have not mentioned anything else about it and we are still getting married. I love her. Should 1 be worried? Is there an underlying reason why she is marrying me? What is your advice? Questioning Marriage in Miami Dear Questioning Marriage: Because being in love can turn our . minds to mush, causing us to overlook red flags in our relationships, such as one’s fiancee e-mailing other men, expressing “deep thoughts”, we'll be the one to tell y ou straight; This woman does not appear to respect you or herseJf, much less love you or herself Yes, you have a right to be inad and hurt by her actions. You also have a right to hold ot'f on marriage, you are young, why rush? Hazing Still Exists In FAMU Marching Band TMS Campus Report The arrests of 12 people after the alleged beating of several Florida A&M University freshman band members comes at a time when some in the Marching 100 say they already feel they are under a microscope. ”It definitely doesn’t help,” said head drum major Timothy Barber “We all understand that we have to hold ourselves up to a higher standard.” One of the trumpet players beaten during the Nov. 8 incident was hospitalized for kidney failure. It’s the second time in three years that a FAMU band member has been hospitalized for injuries after allegedly being beaten by fellow band members. In 1998, a clarinet player was hospitalized after he told investigators he was paddled hundreds of times during an initiation ceremony. Hazing has continued in the band despite a strict university policy that prohibits it. Band members’ opinions on the issue and their experiences vary. Many say hazing tarnishes the group’s stellar reputation and detracts from the hard work members put in to maintain the band’s popularity and good standing. Others say hazing, though underground, is deeply rooted within the rituals of the band and necessary to gain respect from peers. Justin Green, who faces two counts of aggravated batterj' in last month’s beatings, said the band will never get rid of hazing completely. ’’You have the old members with the old rules,” said Green, whose off-campus apartment was the site of the initiation, according to police reports. “If you decide to be part of the family, there are obstacles and See Hazing Next Page
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