FEBRUARY 13, 2008 1801 Fayetteville Street Durham, NC 27707 North Carolina Central University PHOTO FEATURE VOLUME 99, ISSUE 9 919 530 7116/campusecho@nccu.edu WVWV.CAMPUSECHO.COM Campus 1-6 CAMPUS PAGE A&E BEYOND Beyond 7 Do you remember what NCCU exhibit pays Barack Obama Photo Feature.. 89 it was like getting your homage to keeps winning A8£ KVll first tatt? Was it fun or acclaimed artist primaries. See the Classified 13 unbearable? Gordon Parks. latest coverage. Sports 15 Opinions 16 Page 5 Page 11 Page 7 Staff photographer Sebastian Frances went to L.A. and took his camera to the Disney Concert Haii Pages 8-9 Campus Echo SGA postpones elections By Shelbia Brown ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF More than 50 percent of stu dents who applied for SGA posi tions have been disqualified, causing the postponement of Student Government Association elections. According to JOlanda Kindell and Deja Waymer, co-directors of elections and transition, students were disqualified from running for SGA positions because their GPAs or credit hours did not meet requirements, or because they had financial holds on their accounts. “They didn’t meet the qualifi cations in the handbook,” Kindell said. SGA president Tomasi Larry was tight-lipped on the matter. He said he regarded the exact number of disqualified students as “confidential” and would not comment on it. Waymer also said that the number of disqualified students is something she couldn’t discuss. “[Confidentiality is] a part of our policy,” Waymer said. According to the SGA hand book, a student must have a 2.5 GPA and be in good academic and disciplinary standing with the University. ■ See SGA ELECTIONS Page 2 Lake Michie near the town of Bahama, Durham’s primary source of water, Is showing the effects of the state’s severe drought. The man-made lake was created by a dam built in the mid-1920s. The lake Is currently about 17 feet below normal levels. Sebastian Frances/Ec/to Stajf Photographer Drought drags on and on and on By Vanessa Jackson ECHO STAFF WRITER Durham, along with most of North Carolina, still needs rain. The drought that grips the state has now lasted twice as long as previous droughts. Durham is listed as being in a condition of exceptional drought, along with 67 other North Carolina counties. Stage IV restrictions were implemented Dec. 3. These mandatory restrictions require businesses to reduce their water usage by 50 percent. Residents are prohibited from watering lawns, washing cars in driveways, and filling swimming pools. Restaurants are not to serve water unless requested. Currently, 143 days of easily accessible premium water remain. This is up from October when Durham had just 75 days of premi um water. Premium water is water that can be inexpensively processed into drinking water. Water levels at Lake Michie, the primary source of water for Durham, is 17 feet below normal. Little River Reservoir, another source of water for the city, is 27 feet below normal. James Lim, a Durham conser vation coordinator, said the drought has forced Durham to tap into the Teer Quarry to augment water supplies from Lake Michie ■ See DROUGHT Page 2 Film unveils hidden 'Black Magic’ Documentary explores how racism held back black b-ball players By Alexis Crumel ECHO STAFF WRITER The injustices endured by black basketball players and coaches at historically black col leges and universities during the civil rights movement were exam ined Monday at the premiere of “Black Magic” in Durham. The film was hosted by the Durham-based Full ^ame Documentary International Film Festival, which runs April 3-6. The documentary, directed by Dan Klores, examines the dignity and courage of black players during Jim Crow. The film is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, among others. This is Klores’ fifth documen tary. His film “Crazy Love” was a hit at the 2007 documentary festi val. “The film I am trying to make,” said Klores, “is centered around what ope player in the film said: T can remember when it went from “What do you want?” to “How may I help you?”’ The film is produced by Earl “The Pearl” Monroe, a legendary Winston-Salem State University basketball player who was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. “We are excited that Dan has chosen Durham to premiere his new film,” said Peg Palmer, execu tive director of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. The Durham festival is one of the largest documentary film fes tival of its kind in North America. I See BUCK MAGIC Page 15 Worici Pramiere of NC audit digs dirt I state audit finds that /| assistant provost biiked over $36,000 intended for minority heaith research By Natalia Nichole Farrer ECHO STAFF WRITER N.C. Central University’s assis tant provost and associate vice- chancellor of academic affairs scammed the University out of more than $36,000 in grant funds, according to yesterday’s special review from the State Auditor. , A University news release stat ed that, “the Assistant Provost has been dismissed from his adminis trative post at the university, bik currently remains a faculty mem ber.” Franklin B. Carver was listed on NCCU’s web directory as assistant provost and associate vice-chan cellor for Academic Affairs on Feb. 12. At press time, his name had been removed. ^ The audit saiJ the assistant provost authorize^ graduate assis tant contracts and honoraria pay ments to individuals who didn’t per form the tasks they were paid for. The audit found that the assis tant provost directed students to cash University checks, keep small sums and kick the remainder back to him. A total of nine payment authori zations were issued from money designated for minority health research. The assistant provost falsified signatures and information on the forms, according to the audit. He also violated University pol icy by not reporting his “amorous relationship” with a student when it began in 2003, the audit said. He offered this student two grad uate assistant contracts totaling more than $20,000, although she never worked at the University. The assistant provost is also accused of charging personal expenses to a University credit card. According to the News and Events section of NCCU’s web site. Carver was appointed assistant provost in 2005. The story first appeared in the News & Observer, Feb. 12. lliba update Still ujiclear: How thieves got in By Geoffrey Cooper ECHO STAFF WRITER N.C. Central University police continue to investigate the larceny . of 11 sousaphones from the band room located in the basement of the Edwards Music Building. Six sousaphones, which belong to NCCU’s Marching Sound Machine, were discovered missing in November. The other five were reported stolen after winter break in January. One unanswered question is how the burglar(s) were able to gain access to the band room, located in the basement, if keys are issued only to specific music department personnel. In a police report filed by assis tant band director Samuel Rowley on Jan. 8, Rowley said that on Jan. 7 before practice, he noticed that five sousaphones were missing from the band room, with their cases left behind. The police report also stated that there were no indications of forcible entry to the doors of the side basement entrance or the ■ See SOUSAPHONES Page 5

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