INSIDE
"The Fantasticks," a tale of
lovestruck teenagers from feuding
families, premieres Feb. 18 in the
University Theater.
Page 6
Some NCCU women say giving is
better than receiving...even on
Vaientine's Day
Page 5
M
U
ECHO
EXCELLENCE WITHOUT EXCUSE
North Carolina Central University
Durham, NC 27707
Issue No. 74
Friday, Feb. 13,1998 .
ALSO INSIDE
•Maggie Schienke,
a German
exchange student,
took a one-year
break from the
University of
Constance in
Germany to study
Literature at
NCCU.
Page 5
'agles I University Observes Black
in flight I History Month with lectures
iitor's note: The Uampus tcho will puDiiSi
I this column brief news items on current and
former members of the NCCU community. Our
{goal is to let you know about significant and
\ interesting achievements of the university's
{students, faculty, staff and alumni. We will
{publish news of awards and honors,
{internships, full-time jobs, graduate study,
{significant out-of-state travel and other
{information that will show the full range of
{activities by the Eagle family. If you have
something you would like to be included in
£afii/es in Flight, please call us (560-6504) or
{drop by our newsroom in 319 Farrison-Newton
Communications Building. We prefer to have
{submissions in writing, and you must include
{your name and local telephone number so that
I we can verify information.
Students
Damian L. Tucker, Dawn Baxton Michael
Williams, Elsa Marte, and Elaine Bingenheimer,
members of the trial advocacy team of NCCU's
School of Law, won the title of Regional
Champions in Region IV of the National Trial
Competition, held Jan. 30-31 and sponsored by the
American College of Trial Lawyers and the Texas
Young Lawyers Association. The team heads to
Orlando, Fla. in March to compete in the
Association of Trial Lawyers of America Student
Trial Competiton (see story page 2)....
Faculty
Gen. George Walls, special assistant to the
chancellor and retired brigadier general in the
United States Marine Corps, was honored at a
Black History Month ceremony at the Pentagon on
Feb. 5. The ceremony featured an exhibit titled
"Fifty Years on the Road to Equal Opportunity,"
and honored Walls as well as other black
veterans.....Dr. Gordon Neal Diem (political
science department) was nominated for the Lynton
Award for Faculty Professional Service and
Academic Outreach....Dr. Doris M. Franklin, an
assistant professor in the School of Education, and
Dr. Vinston J. Goldman, an associate professor in
the department of psychology, were selected as
Visiting Research Scholars by &e National Institute
on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAA). They
were awarded a $190,000 research grant to
investigate alcohol use by African American
youth...
Alumni
Ernie Suggs, former editor of The Campus Echo,
recently was awarded North Carolina's highest
press award for his series on the plight of
American's historically black colleges and
universities. The series has been nominated for a
Puhtzer Prize, the highest journalism award in the
country. Suggs is currently a reporter for the
Atlanta Journal & Constitution in Georgia.
Inside Pages...
Campus News Pages 2-4
Features ....Page 5
Arts & Entertainment Page 6
Sports Page 7
Editorial Page 8
Ml
Happy Valentine's Day!
from
the staff of
The Campus Echo.
by Douglas G. Johnson II
Staff Writer
February marks the national
recognition of Black History Month at
North Carohna Central University.
Dr. J. Renaldo Lawson, an associate
professor in the History Department, will
spearhead the university's Black History
Month activities.
“We are hoping for a large turnout this
year," said Lawson. "We’ve done alright
in the past, but this year we are trying to
have some community-based activities at
places like the Hayti [Heritage Center] so
that more people will be attracted to the
events.
“It doen’t matter if you’re an NCCU
student or you hve in the community because the
program is open to the public," he continued.
Black History Month
in Brief
•Established Feb. 12, 1926 |
•Originally began as Black History Week
•Founded by Carter G. Woodson, known its the|
'father of black history" and founder of the
iAssociation for the Study of Negro Life and
{History
--compiled by Brio Culpi
"E\er\('ne is stronglv encouraged to attend the
e\ents."
I North Carolina Central University guard Michael Hadley calls signals to teammates in
|a rivalry game Jan. 29 against NC A&T at Greensboro Coliseum. The Eagles defeated
ithe Aggies 58-54.
staff photo by Paul Phipps
Lawson said Black History Month
should be included in mainstream
American society.
“It’s a case of Human Rights vs.
Property Rights," he said. "History
should all be inclusive. We wouldn’t
need times like a Women’s History
Month, Black History Month or a
Native American History Month if
everyone were represented in history
properly.”
Activities scheduled at NCCU for
Black History Month will include a
lecture by Susan Taylor, editor-in-chief
of Essence magazine, Wednesday at
8:15 p.m. in the B.N. Duke
Auditorium, and a discussion titled "A
Generation Blessed or a Generation
Vexed? Hip Hop Culture, Rap Music
and African-American Youth" on Feb. 19 at 1
p.m. in room 146 of the A.E. Student Union.
Campus crime
topic of forum
Campus safety is student
responsibility, too, says Chancellor.
by Evelyn Howell
Staff Writer
Three armed robberies within a ten-day span last
month on North Carolina Central University's
campus spurred campus security and administrators
to participate in an Open Awareness forum on crime
held Jan. 28 in B.N. Duke Auditorium.
At the forum (organized by student Langdon
Johnson IV) students and representatives from
NCCU administrators and security discussed what
crime prevention measures can be taken to make
students feel more secure on campus.
"We need you students to show up at these crime
prevention forums so you can know how to protect
yourself," said McDonald Vick, chief of NCCU's
campus police.
He also said that sometimes crimes at NCCU are
conunitted by people who are not students here.
Chancellor Chambers advised students to be more
responsible and more careful walking around
campus. He suggested that students take the campus
escort service which operates from 6 p.m. until 1
a.m.
"Walking to the library alone at night may not be
a good idea," he said.
Chambers also mentioned the possibility that
NCCU may establish a campus bus system to
transport student around campus.
The transportation system would entail a student
fee of $40, but Chambers asked students to support
the fee.
"This is a great investment," he said. "It will cost
the university $193,000 to fund this transportation
program. We will have two buses running throughout
campus from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m."
Another measure proposed to increase campus
security was the installation of additional outside
hghting around campus, especially in areas near the
library and Latham and Baynes dormitories.
"It's important to have the campus well-lit," said
James E. Tyson, executive assistant to the
Chancellor. "We plan to install an additional 20 or so
lights around campus."
Also in attendance at the forum were Dr. Angela
O. Terry, vice chancellor of student affairs, student
govemmefat association president Catilla Everette,
and student government association vice president
Bryan Wilhams.
Out for the season: 5 women
basketball players suspended
by Shelvia Dancy
Editor-in-Chief
More than a month after being accused of
assaulting a former NCCU student, five
members of North Carolina Central University's
women's basketball team have been suspended
for the remainder of the season.
The ruhng came a httle more than two weeks
ago, after a administrative judicial hearing to
decide the fates of the players.
"Five were suspended," said Roger Bryant,
assistant vice chancellor for student affairs "Two
were found not guilty. One was given
community service." Bryant would not release
the names of the suspended players.
A player who had red-shirted for the season
(taken a hiatus from play for the year) was
ordered to perform community service, and will
not be allowed to compete in the first three
games of next season.
"I think that most of the young ladies are
appealing [the decision]," Bryant continued.
"They appeal to Dr. [Angela] Terry [vice
chancellor for student affairs] and if the appeal is
granted it goes to the University Appeals
Committee."
The ruling arose from an incident in
McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium on Jan. 6,
according to campus police reports, during
which 25-year-old Shawn Wallace was attacked
by several members of the Lady Eagles
basketball team after, according to NCCU
campus police reports, sitting on the foot of a
player's mother. That player was Danya Nelson,
a freshman from Charlotte.
Wallace, who claims he suffered a black eye
and must now see an ophthalmologist, did hire
an Durham attorney Larry D. Hall.
Bryant said two of the players, whom he did
not want to identify, were identified by
witnesses as participants in the fight.
"The first two were identified because they
were seen attacking the gentleman," said Bryant.
"Because we had two names which people had
seen them involved in the situation they were
suspended from the team for, I think, three
games."
Bryant said after two women had been
identified, others involved in the altercation
came forward voluntarily.
"We got names of the other six people that
had from the ladies themselves," Bryant said.
"They didn't want one person to take the blame."
The suspension comes at a critical time for
the Lady Eagles. The team will head into the
Central Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association
(CIAA) Tournament Feb. 23 without the
suspended players.