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FEBRUARY 14, 2007
North Carolina Central University
VOLUME 98, ISSUE 9
1801 Fayetteville Street
Durham, NC 27707
919 530 7116/campusecho@nccu.edu
VVWW.CAMPUSECHO.COM
Campus
1-4
Beyond
A&E
Snorts
Beyond NCCU ..
5
Author of “Race Beat”
Hernandez says you
The old ball game is
Feature
6
will discuss press
shouldn’t have missed
back after a 32-year
A&E
7
coverage of the civil
this year’s
hiatus
Classifled..
8
rights movement at
Hip-Hop Summit
Sports
9
Regulator bookstore
Opinions
10
Page 4
Page 7
Page 9
Campus
Thousands march in
Raleigh to say “enough
is enough”
Page 2
Campus Echo
HIP-HOP I FLOWS
Doug E. Fresh and his hype man “rapped” up the Hip-Hop Summit on Saturday night's oid-schooi concert.
Mitchell Webson/EcIio Staff Photographer
FOR THE LOVE OF HIP-HOP
2nd annual summit brings celebrities
By Brooke Sellars
ECHO STAFF WRITER
O nce again, the hip-hop industry
descended on N.C. Central
University for the annual Hip-Hop
Summit, a part of NCCU’s recently
launched Hip-Hop Initiative.
This year’s summit included panelists
from MTV, Sony, Source Magazine, Sirius
Satellite Radio and many more.
Students were given the opportunity to
have an open discussion with the indus
try’s top representatives.
They were also able to participate in
events such as a film festival, a talent
show, DJ and Producer competitions, and
even an old-school hip-hop concert.
The summit began Feb. 9 with an open
ing session held at the B.N. Duke
Auditorium.
Students attended several sessions,
including Fashion is my Passion, with pan
elist Tara Payne, a designer for
Abercrombie & Fitch; Jasmin Rijken, direc
tor of Marketing and Public Relations for
Family Tree
Entertain
ment, was the
keynote speak
er that after
noon.
Students
were able to
meet and greet
the panelists
and executive
staff for net
working oppor
tunities.
Brittany
INSIDE
Photo feature of Hip-
Hop Summit events
— Page 6
Hip-Hop Summit film
festival, concert and
an editorial
— Page 7
Logo designed by NCCU alumnus Tobias Rose.
Logo Courtesy Kompleks Creative, Inc.
Benson, mass communications senior and
host of the campus television program “On
the Yard,” shared her experience.
“I definitely benefited from meeting dif
ferent people from the industry,” Benson
said.
“They embraced me and ... my hard
Miskeen Clothing and Osa Asemota,
founder of The Gift Agency.
Michael “Blue” Williams, founder of
See SUMMIT Page 7
Business cluster
focuses on health
By Candice Mitchell
ECHO STAFF WRITER
The N.C. Central
University Business and
Industry Cluster was held
Feb. 8 at the Radisson Hotel.
Its theme was “Researching
Health Disparities in the
African-American communi
ty.”
The Business and
Industry Cluster facilitates
effective communication
and collaboration between
industry representatives
and the University in activi
ties of mutual benefit.
According to the National
Institutes of Health, dispari
ties are differences in the
incidence, prevalence, mor
tality and other negative
health conditions among
minorities unable to receive
adequate healthcare.
The 2006 National Health
Care Disparities report stat
ed that a 2005 report from
the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention said
African-American North
Carolinians have a higher
obesity rate compared to
white Americans, as well as
a higher prevalence of dia
betes.
Kyle Marshall, spokes-man
See CLUSTER Page 2
CIAA TOURNAMENT
PREVIEW SECTION
Mitchell Wesson
Staff Photographer
ITS GAME TIME
Our annual CIAA preview tells you
eveiythlng you need to know about
the 2007 championship
tournament In Charlotte.
Committee seeks
new chancellor
By Rony Camille
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
It’s been only a week
since N.C. Central
University Chancellor
James H. Ammons was
selected as the 10th
president of Florida
A&M University, but
NCCU officials have
already started the
process of selecting
their new leader.
In a letter to faculty,
staff and students,
Cressie Thigpen, Jr.,
chair of NCCU’s Board
of Trustees, said a
search committee has
been established.
The committee’s
goal is to submit candi
dates to Erskine
Bowles, University of
North Carolina System
president, by June.
Ammons, who came
to NCCU in 2001, plans
to preside over the May
2007 graduation before
assuming his new posi
tion in Tallahassee,
Fla., pending further
negotiations with
FAMU officials.
Ammons has not
announced the date
that he will report to
his post.
SGA
election
policy
fouls
four
Mr. & Miss hopefuls
lack credit hours
By Ebony McQueen
ECHO STAFF WRITER
The Student Government
Elections committee has disquali
fied four prospective candidates
from running in the forthcoming
Student Government Association
elections, alleging that the candi
dates have not accumulated enough
hours to qualify.
Juniors Latia White, Cheryl Clark
and Chan Hall were told by the com
mittee that they are ineligible to run
for Miss North Carolina Central
University. Reginald Boney, also a
junior and a candidate for Mr.
NCCU, faces the same problem.
“It’s just really unfair,” said
Boney.
According to the four candidates,
when they enrolled as freshman the
NCCU course catalog stated that
they needed 90 credit hours to be
considered seniors. The new course
catalog states that a student needs
to have 96 credit hours to be consid
ered a senior.
“I don’t think we should have to
follow a rule that was put in place
after we came in,” said White.
The candidates were notified
that they were ineligible to run two
days before official campaigning
began.
“I just feel cheated,” said Clark.
See SGA Page 2
Obama
joins race
By Desmond Webb
ECHO STAFF WRITER
It’s official.
Barack Obama has formally
announced his candidacy for pres
ident of the United Staes.
Obama, a 45-year-old, one term
U.S. Senator from Illinois, joined a
crowded primary field of
Democrats on Saturday, Feb. 10.
He announced his candidacy
while standing before thousands at
the historic Old
State Capitol in
Springfield, Ill.
where Abraham
Lincoln delivered
his “House Divided”
speech against slav
ery in 1858.
’’People who love
their country can
change it,” said
Obama to a cheering
crowd. “It was here.
Sen. Barack
Obama
in Springfield, where North, South,
East and West come together that I
was reminded of the essential
decency of the American people —
where I came to believe that through
this decency, we can build a more
hopeful America.”
See OBAMA Page 5