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November 2,1996
Issue 60
North Carolina Central University
Friday, October 19, 1996
Teen scholar shines
like a rare jewel
nUirteen-ymT-oCd mrotted as speciaCstudent at NCCU
By Kirunbo Holloway
Staff Reporter
When thinking of rarities,
many things come to mind. In
the case of Cynthia Bizell, her
son Vincent, was her first
encounter with extreme rarity:
he is a young genius.
Vincent Gibson is not to be
confused with Steve Urkel. He is
shy and soft-spoken with
knowing eyes.
As for fashion, his pants are
never tight and always reaching
below his ankles. And he seems
to fit in perfectly at North
Carolina Central University at
age 13.
Vincent has yet to take his
SAT or to be tested out of high
school.
As a result, he is enrolled as a
special student, with a special
status at NCCU.
When describing those early
years of dealing with a boy genius
in the family Cynthia Bizell said,
“It was hard.”
While a student at the James
E. Shepard Magnet School,
Vincent began to stand out at an
early age.
His mother and teachers
began to notice his rare qualities
when he was in the second grade.
“In the beginning, I could not
tell that he was different,” Bizell
said.” “I thought that it was
normal that he learned
multiplication tables in 30
minutes."
Bizell did notice that Vincent was
a child who needed to be stimulated
at all times.
His teachers got the same
impression. School officials
suggested that Vincent be prescribed
Prozac in the second grade.
Much to their surprise, Vincent
was a genius whose I.Q. level was
tested at 141.
To help herself understand more
about her son’s intellectual ability,
Bizell decided to do some research
on the characteristics of geniuses.
She found that unlike most young
children, who zone out into imaginary
worlds and talk to their invisible
playmates, geniuses are generally
thought to be quite realistic and learn
at an alarming rate.
Vincent fit the mold, down to his
obsessiveness with neatness.
Even for Vincent, who currently
holds a 2.8 G J’.A., studying is not a
prime demand. With a double major
in Math and Biology and minor in
Geography, he often Ends himself
reviewing notes just before elass.
Despite his love for Shakespearian
literature, and his fondness forNathan
McCall’s autobiography. Makes Me
Wanna Holler, his worst subject is
English.
Vincent was quite popular with
colleges such as UNC-Chapel Hill
and Duke University, but his mother
chose NCCU to give him a sense of
self.
“The moment they heard that he
was 11, that was it. "Bizell said. “I
Cynthia Bizell saw NCCU as a safe haven for her son Vincent.
chose NCCU because 1 thought it
was a safe haven. 1 don’t feel as
though my son is being exploited
here.”
Unlike his mother, who is also
an NCCU student, he is not
receiving any scholarships.
However, an anonymous
benefactor has agreed to contribute
$2000 to help pay for Vincent’s
education next year.
Although Vincent has many
genius attributes, his mom said
that he is just a regular kid.
His age has stopped students
from inviting him to parties and
joining fraternities, but he enjoys
playingNintendo,riding bikes with
his friends and going to the mall.
At times he has to be
disciplined, and like most 13-year-
old males, he has peaking interest
in the young ladies.
His current sweetheart lives in
his former hometown of
Goldsboro, NC.
“She’s really special.” Gibson
said.
Vincent has goals of either
being a surgeon or a veterinarian.
He believes that what he has is a
gift from God.
According to Vincent, a genius
is a someone who is smart,
interacts well with others, and has
a nice personality.
With Vincent’s definition, we
are all geniuses in our our rite.
Conference to
revisit Piessy
V. Ferguson
Echo Reports
North Carolina Central
University’s Institute for the
Study of Minority Issues will
bring scholars to Durham
October 25 for a re
examination of the concept of
“separate but equal,” services
and institutions.
The one-day conference,
beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the
Miller-Morgan Building, will
also feature a reprise of the
U.S. S upreme Court arguement
which resulted in the decision
that North Carolina’s 12th
Congressional District is
constitutionally unacceptable.
NCCU Chancellor Julius
Chambers, who argued in favor
of the NC General Assembly’s
12th District boundaries, will
debate with Durham attorney
and Duke law professor
Robinson Everett.
Everett was one of the
parties to the original suit
challenging the district’s shape
and took a major role in the
Supreme C^urt pleadings.
The conference will revisit
the 100-year-old Piessy v.
Ferguson Supreme Court
decision.
The keynote speaker for the
October 25 conference will be
Christopher Edley, Jr.,
professor of law at Harvard
University.
Edley will discuss the
history, social impact, and
relevance to contemporary
issues of the Piessy decision.
Contestants pool brain power for HBCU quiz show
By Shelvia Dancy
Staff Reporter
Name the Catholic tradition held
every 25th year that is marked by
pilgrimages to Rome.
Okay, give up?
Try this one: she was the first
African-American to appear in op
era on television.
These questions may be a little
tough for you (answCTs: Jubilee and
Mary Leontyne Price), but for con
testants in the Honda All-Star Chal
lenge, questions like these are noth
ing but the usual.
Honda Campus All-Star Chal
lenge is a quiz game (think Jeop
ardy!) for Historically Black Col
leges and Universities nationwide.
It is sponsored by American
Honda Motor Company Inc. North
Carolina Central University is one
of 87 HBCU's eliffible to comnete.
Participants field questions on ev
erything from literature and chemis
try to religion and current events—
even pop culture.
The first 64 institutions to com
plete the qualification process, which
includes selecting a campus All-Star
team by January 15, will head to
Orlando, Fla., to compete in the Na
tional Honda All-Star Competition.
At the National Competition,
$50,000 will be given to the college
or univCTsity of the the first place
team. Second-place winners will take
home $25,000 to their school.
“In thepastfive years we’veplaced
in the top 16,” saidDr.Shiriey Harper,
NCCU’s All-Star campus team
coach. “In 1994 we placed fourth.”
Last year 50 students divided into
five teams, competeted for five slots
and one alternate position on the
university’s All-Star team.
The 1996-97 NCCU camnus All-
Star team tournament began Oct. 7.
Harper hopes to have the team cho
sen by the end of the month.
Dr. Harper plans to choose stu
dents for a “junior varsity” All-Star
team as well.
“My goal this year is to establish
a ‘JV’ team with eight to 10 mem
bers,” Dr. Harper said.
“It’s mainly to prepare them for
future participation. It would really
help them to have that experience
and expertise.”
Three members of last year’s All-
Star team; ChristopherGraves,Tony
Frazier and Clayton Mack, will
compete again this year.
Dr. Harper said their experience
willhelpsendNCCU’sAll-Starteam
to the top.
“We want to win the national
championship,” Harper said. “And I
think this year’s team will be able to
do it.”
A million brothers strong
The date was Oct. 16, 1995 and a million Black men
stormed into Washington, D. C. forthe Million Man March.
Their goal was to challenge one another to improve their
relationships with black women, apathy, violence, and
community troubles.
Now, one year later, many people wonder whether the
event really caused permanent changes in attitude or
created any solutions to these problems.
^ see story on pg. 7