Winter celebrations around the
Triangle and the world.
Page 4-5
CAM
U
ECHO
EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE
Issue 43
NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
Durham, NC
December 8, 1994
Trustees
OK physics
program
Derrick L. Armstead
Staff Reporter
Several high profile individu
als were on hand at a recent Board
of Trustees meeting. Nearly 35
people attended the Nov. 30 meet
ing to hear about topics ranging
from community service to build
ing renovations.
Chairman Carl J. Stewart Jr.
called the meeting to order by de
livering a very graceful invoca
tion. Stewart’s message contained
an excerpt from the song Lift Every
Voice and Sing.
One of the first orders of busi
ness was the Pan-Helenic Council’s
donation of $3,000 to Chancellor
Chambers. The Pan-Helenic coun
cil is comprised of various campus
Greek organizations.
The board briefly discussed the
endowment fund of North Caro
lina Central University. An addi
tional $200,000 was added on Nov.
30 and the current total is over $4
million.
Members of the Educational
Committee proposed renaming the
home economics department to the
department of human services. N.
C. Central was previously quali
fied to give out B.S. in Physics
Secondary Education, but the ac
creditation committee revoked that
privilege because of no graduates
from the program in the last five
years. However, several students
who are near graduation have ex
pressed an interest to be certified
in that particular program.
Chancellor Chambers stated, “it
is absolutely essential to have prop
erly trained and accredited secu-
See Trustees
Continued on page 2
107 to graduate
but fall ceremony
still an option
Students review for finals in an English class.
Internal conflict rips at
Source magazine staff
Associate Editor
Shawnee Smith gives
account of dissension at
the magazine of Hip-Hop
music, culture and poli
tics
By Robert B. Thornton
Entertainment Editor
Friday, Oct. 21 was the second
day of Howard ,University’s An
nual Communications Job Fair.
Shawnee Smith was on a panel
discussing “Music, Movers and
Shakers”, and the other panelists
were jokingly yet warmly refer
ring to her as the “former” associ
ate editor for The Source - The
Magazine of Hip Hop Music, Cul
ture and Politics . Through all of
the smiles and laughter, I realized
the possibility of that nomencla
ture being dead serious; approxi
mately a month and a half earlier,
I was handed some of the most
shocking news dealing with Hip-
Hop I had ever heard:
“The Source may be going out
of business,” said Dave Tompkins.
Dave, a regular contributor to sev
eral Triangle area magazines as
well as a contributor to some na
tionally known magazines as The
Source, Rap Pages, Urb, The Bomb
and others; is pretty much on top of
breaking news.
He was holding a copy of a five-
page letter signed by James Ber
nard, co-editor-in-chief and co
owner of The Source . The letter
called for David Mays’ (also co
owner) resignation as publisherdue
to a conflict of interest. Mays
allegedly printed an article cover
ing the rap group The Almighty
R.S.O. even after the group had
made threats to members of the
staff. Shawnee Smith expounded
on this matter in this exclusive
interview.
Echo: Shawnee, could you
give a basic run-down of what
you saw happening as this story
was breaking at The Source"!
Shawnee Smith: The publisher
Dave Mays was supposedly friends
with the rap group The Almighty
See Source
Continued on page 2
By Geraldine Ndiforchu
Co-editor
North Carolina Central Univer
sity will graduate approximately
150 students at its first December
commencement exercises in the
B.N. Duke Auditorium.
In order to qualify for Decem
ber graduation, a student must have
completed all requirements.
In the previous years, students
who completed their requirements
for graduation in December had to
wait until May to graduate, said
Marvin E. Duncan, chairperson for
the commencement planning
committee and director of the
learning resources center.
Under the old policy, students
who were one to four hours short
of being eligible for May gradua
tion, or who finished their re
quirements in summer school, had
to wait almost a year before having
the opportunity to graduate,
Duncan said.
“I think it is a wonderful idea,
especially for those students who
don’t live here. They would not
have to come back after ft ve months
just to participate in a graduation,”
said Carol Weiner, an education
major.
“The December graduation will
be held in the B.N. Duke Audito
rium, which can seat about 900.
According to figures from the
registrar’s office on Dec. 2, 131
students have registered to gradu
ate, but we are expecting about
150,” Duncan said.
This ceremony will not be a
“scaled down” version of the May
exercise, he said. It will be given
the same amount of careful plan
ning and ceremony as past gradu
ations.
Because the exercjses will be
held in B.N. Duke, not the
McDougald-McClendon Gymna
sium, and because there will be a
few graduates, the event will be
more cost effective than the May
event, he said. However, the re
ception following this graduation
will cost as much as that for the
May exercise, he added.
To satisfy students who wanted
to wait until May, Chancellor
Chambers has waived the require
ment that students participate in
the first ceremony for which they
are eligible, said Duncan.
This means that students can
finish their requirements in De
cember and elect to participate in
the May commencement.
“Anyway, I think it is worth it,
and very kind and considerate of
the chancellor to realize this op
portunity—to give students an
opportunity to graduate as soon as
they complete their requirements
instead of finishing and having to
wait for about a year,” Duncan
said.
The speaker for the occasion
will be Mary Townes, former dean
of the College of Arts and Sci
ences.
Townes, who retired in July,
See Graduation
continued on page 3
Kwanzaa stresses unity, family
Valerie Bracy
Correspondent
Once again it’s the holiday sea
son. Time to pull out decorations,
shop ‘til you drop and eat as much
as your belly can hold.
This time of year most African-
Americans are getting ready for
Christmas. But a growing number
of the race will also celebrate
Kwanzaa, which runs from De
cember 26 to New Year’s Day.
NC. Central student Ayinde
Hurrey says he has celebrated
Kwanzaa with his family for about
ten years.
“It’s family oriented. It’s real
spiritual. Kwanzaa is not material
istic. You don’t go to the mall to by
presents. The gifts you give are
things you make yourself,” said
Hurrey.
In 1966, Maulana (Ron)
Karenga, who is currently chair
man of black studies at California
StateUniversity, created Kwanzaa.
The purpose behind his creation
was to have a time to focus on
Africa and African-inspired cul
ture, and to reinforce a value sys
tem that goes back for generations.
Each day of the seven day cel
ebration recognizes a different prin
ciple. The first day is called Umoja
(Unity).
“On this day you might do some
thing with your family, or any
body. Just something to promote
unity amongst African-Ameri
cans,” said Hurrey.
The next six days concentrate
on other positive priciples aimed
at promoting family growth in the
African-American community.
On the seventh day of Kwanzaa
there is a grand celebration which
See Kwanzaa
continued on page 8
Last year's graduation ceremony.
Duncan and Walter Brown.
From left, Marvin