Howard University president announces his retirement . *> WASHINGTON (AP) - Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert said Friday that he will retire at the end of June 2008. Swygert In a letter, to the university commu nity, Swygert, 64. outlined goals for his final year in office and pointed to his accomplishments since taking the helm of the historically black institution in 1995. Swygert, who earned his under graduate and law degrees from Howard, said the school has produced Fulbright and Rhodes scholars, recruit ed acclaimed faculty and upgraded the school's research facilities. He also noted that its latest fundraising program passed its goal of $250 million ten months ahead of projections. But some faculty are upset at the way he has run the uni versity. Theodore Bremner. chairman of the faculty Senate, wrote to the board of trustees in March and called for Swygert's firing, saying it was time to end "an intolerable con dition of incompetence and dysfunction at the highest level." Bremner accused Swygert of allowing the school's finan cial problems to affect academic budgets. He cited a recent National Science Foundation audit that criticized Howard's management of grant money. The university's largest source of funding is the federal government. A. Barry Rand, the board's chairman, issued a statement Friday praising Swygert's stewardship. University apologizes for using slaves CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia (API - The University of Virginia's board marked founder Thomas Jefferson's birthday with an apology for the school 's use of slave labor between 1819 and 1865. The board of visitors unanimously passed an apology reso lution on April 13, the 264th anniversary of Jefferson's birth, but did not announce the action until Tuesday. The measure was inspired by the Virginia Legislature, which passed a resolution in February expressing its "profound regret" for the state's role in slavery. Legislatures in Maryland and North Carolina apprqyed similar slavery apologies this year, and anoth er measure is under consideration in Alabama. Slaves in Virginia helped build some of the first buildings at University of Virginia, which opened in 1825, and the universi ty continued to use slave labor for four decades aftt'r that "The board expresses its particular regret for the employ ment of enslaved persons in these years," the resolution reads. It says "the notion of involuntary servitude is repugnant and incompatible with the ideals upon which this university was founded." Nine percent of the university's undergraduate students are black, according to university spokeswoman Carol Wood. Richard Pryor's widow settles suit (AP) - Richard Pryor's widow has settled a lawsuit accus ing Universal Music Group of selling 11 of the comedian's recordings without authorization, a court clerk confirmed last week. Pryor sued Universal two months before his death, charging the company had released the recordings without his knowledge or permission. After he died of a heart attack in December 2005. his widow, Jennifer Pryor. was allowed to take over as plaintiff. "The court took a motion to take the matter off calendar. The court was advised they had reached a settlement." said Superior Court clerk Irvin Lackey. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed and attorneys for both sides did not immediately return calls for comment. In his suit. Pryor said it was years before he learned Universal had licensed such titles as "Wizard of Comedy." "I Ain't Lied Yet" and "Are You Serious?" Clemson professor studies level of engagement for black college students CLEMSON, S.C. (BlackNews.com) - African-American students that are socially involved on campus, do better in the classroom, a recent study conducted by a Clemson University education specialist found. . According to Lamont A. Flowers, distinguished professor of educational leadership in Clemson's Eugene T. Moore School ot bducation and director ot the Chatles H. Houston Center for the Study of the Black Experience in Education, the primary goal of the study was to provide a descriptive overview of how black students use their free time on college campuses. He sajd the data could assist student affairs professionals and college administra tors in planning programs for students and making policy decisions related to student development. The study also noted that black stu Flowers dents who are involved in student activities and campus organizations attain significantly higher gains in critical think ing, job skills and understanding in science and technology. The student sample consisted of 5 ,82 1 African American students (3,706 freshmen and 2,034 seniors) from 212 post secondary institutions between 1990 and 2000. Eighteen per cent of the sample attended a historically black institution, and '82 percent attended a predominantly white institution. "The overall results of this study show that African American students tend not to engage in student involvement experiences at high levels on college campuses, but those who do get involved, perform better," said Flowers.The study was published in Strengthening the African American Educational Pipeline: Informing Research, Policy, and Practice in March by SUNYjPress. The Chronicle (USPS 067-910) was established by Ernest H. Pitt and Ndubisi Egemonye in 1974 and is published every Thursday by Winston-Salem Chronicle Publishing Co. Inc.. 617 N. Liberty Street, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27101. Periodicals postage paid at Winston-Salem, N.C. Annual subscription price is $30.72. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Chronicle. P.O. Box 1636 Winston-Salem, NC 27102-1636 Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian first Famed writer will head this years NBTF International Colloqium BY DULUF. MBACHU THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LAGOS, Nigeria When Nigerian Nobel literature lau reate Wole Soyinka contem plates the role of a writer in society, he defines it in terms ot political and social action. In 1%5, upset that a politi cian who had rigged the vote was about to claim victory in a radio broadcast, Soyinka, then 31 and already a famous writer, stormed the radio sta tion armed with a pistol, and substituted the politician's tape with one denouncing the usurper. Arrested and charged, Soyinka was acquitted' on a technicality. For the writer, poet and playwright, now 73. it was one incident in a long career of politics - inter spersed with arrests, spells in jail and years of exile - writ ing and teaching. "There came that moment when the robbery of the peo ple's voice was about to be legitimized," said Soyinka, recalling the event. "And I happened to be one of maybe Group holds funeral for N-word BY COREY WILLIAMS rill \ssci< I \ 1 1 D PRESS DETROIT - The National Association for the Advancement Of Colored People held a symbolic funer al in Detroit 63 years ago for Jim Crow - the old system of racial segregation in the U.S. South. The civil rights organi zation will do t h e same this s u m - mer for t h e - N " Anthony word, the Rev. Wendell Anthony said Sunday. Anthony, president of the civil rights organization's Detroit branch, said members and supporters of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will conduct services and a "eulogy" for the racial slur. The mock funeral will be held during the NAACP national convention July 7-12 in Detroit, he said. "We are committed to end ing hate - word and talk," Anthony said. "It doesn't do anyone any good, whether it's a journalist on TV or a rapper on the radio." The announcement comes after a renewed discussion See N Word on A 13 three, four, five people who knew. It was a moment when an individual had to take a decision ... take stock of your self and act." Soyinka's most recent arrest was in 2004, when he was taken by police amid swirls of tear gas for partici pating in a protest in Lagos against President Olusegun Obasanjo's government. He was released without charge hours later. Age has not slowed the writer, whose hoary Afro and matching while beard make bim a recognizable face in the literary world. In between lec Sec Soj inka on A 12 Nobel literature laureate Wole Soyinka. ADVANTAGE: -Tie [Zf Planning for Ufa's expenses Benefiting from a 1.99% APR* [Zf Choosing A1 legacy An Aiiegacy Home Equity Line of Credit is a smart way to manage: ? Summer vacation ? Home improvements ? College tuition ? Unexpected expenses ? 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