Black women suffer from lupus more frequently than any other group Page 4 Are the new crop of scary movies doing their job, or do they fall short? Page 6 Mr. Ram is rolling out music from his collection every Sunday night Page 5 The News Argus Winston-Salem State University E-mail: newzargus@yahoo.com February 2003 WSSU students filling duty to serve country overseas By Nicole Ferguson ARGUS MANAGING EDITOR There's a bulletin board that hangs up on the third floor of Wilson Hall. The theme is Valentine's Day and letting the people you care about know they are loved. On one side of the board, a pic ture of two girls is set in a heart. "We miss you!" the board reads. "Come home soon!" But LaToya Carter and LeKisha Hampton don't know when they're coming home. Just weeks ago, the Wil son Hall residents were called to serve their nation in a possible war that many say is unnecessary. Carter and Hampton represent students at Winston-Salem State University who are members of one of the branches of the armed forces. These students are coming to the real ization that deployment is something they might have to be prepared to face in the coming weeks. As the war with Iraq develops, some WSSU students are beginning to think of their futures in a different light. "All I can say is I just have to be ready whenever they call," said John Hooks. Hooks, a senior accounting major from Greenville, is a member of the Ma rine Reserves. Last summer he cornplet- ed Officer Candidate School in Quanti- co, Va. He will graduate in May, but he's prepared to be called to war. See DEPLOY, Page 7 *■: 'T' 't jm '' ^ Argus photo by Nicole Ferguson Many WSSU stu dents have had to pack up at a moment’s notice to head for the Middle East. Signals Abound Is SBSBIwi' Argus photo by Keith Caesar The new stoplight at Cromartie Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard will aid traffic trying to pull onto the main road from the new nursing and computer-science buildings. See story, page 3. Library mold keeps books out of reach By Mary-Anne Joseph ARGUS REPORTER Columbia's diverse crew^ a testament to education, determination, dreams STAFF AND WIRE REPORT Through the tragedy of the space shuttle Columbia, one clear picture that has emerged is the growing numbers of minori ties going into space. According to Dr. Olasope Oye- laran, the director of international programs, "This tragedy hit at the core of money and emotion. Stu dents here need to make sure they are prepared to enter this global society. Just having the two women on the shuttle shows di versity at that level. The different ethnicity of the men and women also brings about at least two or three different religions, which shows even more diversity." Before the Columbia's Jan. 16 launch, the shuttle's astronauts sat down for interviews with the Orlando Sentinel. Here are some segments from those interviews: KALPANA CHAWLA Kalpana Chawla told her fa ther that she wanted to study aerospace engineering, and he scoffed. She should be a doctor or teacher, he told her. "That was a more respectable profession," she recalled. Chawla's father wouldn't go with her when she went to inter view at an Indian engineering school. Instead, her mother ac companied her to the college, where a male professor told her that engineering wasn't "lady like." See DIVERSE, Page 7 WSSU students who visited through the first-floor stacks area in O'Kelly Library may have come across something odd. The library, where many students go to satisfy their re search needs, has had one of its major areas quarantined. This section of the library has been blocked off since Sep tember and has become restricted to students and staff of Winston-Salem State University. All this has been attributed to mold, which has developed on many of the books found in the stack. Although this is a common problem in libraries every where, it has caused an enormous problem for students and staff members. Dr. Mae L. Rodney, the director of O'Kelly Library, has made arrangements with the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina A&T University for students and staff from WSSU can checkout books from these libraries for a short period of time. Although this is all she can do at this time, Rodney and her staff members feel it is a great inconvenience, as both stu dents and staff will have to drive to Greensboro to collect the book. "We're not living up to our mission statement, 'To provide our students with resources to support their research.' We need to solve this problem," Rodney said. No tests have been conducted to determined what kind of mold is on the books, but it has been confirmed that the mold can be harmful, especially to people who suffer from allergies or asthma. Although no one is certain of what exactly caused the mold to appear on the books, it could have been caused by mois ture coming through the walls on that side of the library. An estimated cost of $5,000 will be needed to complete the necessary cleanup. Thus far, the university has received three bids for the clean up job. Representatives from various companies gave the school estimates. Rodney said that mold has shut down this section of the li brary twice in recent years, in 1998 and 1999, for a six-month period each time. The News Argus' unveils new design, features and goals for 2003 By Keith Caesar ARGUS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF After having gone through a bit of a growth spurt since turn ing 40, The News Argus has re- emerged with a new look. What is most notable is that the paper actually looks like a real newspaper, with broadshet pages, color images on the front page and access to a news wire for national stories. So, what else can the reader expect from the Argus? Chancellor Harold L. Martin will introduce a monthly col umn called "Chancellor's Cor ner." The column will try to fos ter a free flow of information between the administration and students. Our goal is to create and de velop a paper that is both infor mative and appreciated by the students and the community of Winston-Salem State Universi- As always, we are looking for writers, artist, ad representa tives and guest columnists to develop a better paper. Look for articles in the com ing months focusing on the areas of health and fitness as well as a revitalized Arts and Entertainment section. With this being Black History Month, it is also fitting that the first issue with the new look be presented to the students. The News Argus stands as the students voice for the students of WSSU. The only way to ac complish a better newspaper is to make sure that more voices are heard. We are in Hall-Patterson room 318, so feel free to drop by and see what you can do.