APRIL 21, 2010
1801 Fayetteville Street
Durham, NC 27707
North Carolina Central University
VOLUME 101, ISSUE 12
919 530 7116/campusecho@nccu.edu
WWW.CAMPUSECHO.GOM
Campus
... 16
Campus
Suecial Section
NECD
Bull Citv Secret Game
Beyond
... 6-7
Why are tattoos taking
Students share
In the centerspread:
NCCU hosted its first
VOICE
... SO
over NCCU’s campus?
their personal
Four stories from the
ever “Bull City
ME
... 10-11
experiences
North East Central
Showdown”
Feature.
... 12
“In the 1®* Person”
Durham Voice.
Sports.
... 13
Page 3
In the fold
Pages 8-9
Page 12
Opinion
... 1&-16
Campus Echo
Audit mayhem goes to state
By Carlton Koonce
ECHO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
After weeks of suspense
and public scrutiny, the
University has turned its
internal review of the
Historically Minority
Tweets,
twits
and
twitter
Colleges and Universities
Consortium’s finances over
to the state auditor’s office
for further investigation.
The consortium, funded
by the N.C. General
Assembly and administered
by NCCU, was created to
close the achievement gap
between black and white
students with a variety of
supplemental education
programs.
One or more former
NCCU employees are sus
pected of embezzling up to
$200,000 from the consor
tium.
In a letter to the N.C.
Central University campus,
Chancellor Charlie Nelms
stated that the Office of the
State Attorney General and
the State Bureau of
Investigation had been alert
ed that an “unauthorized,
private bank account in the
name of the Consortium”
had been uncovered during
the administration’s internal
audit.
Nelms wrote in the letter
that the University needed
■See AUDIT Page 2
By Ashley Roque
ECHO STAFF REPORTER
Smaller than a blog and
more public than a text,
Twitter is growing rapidly
everywhere—even in the
academic setting of N.C.
Central University.
In 140 words, “twitterers”
can post anything from
where they just had lunch to
job openings at their com
pany.
Keeping up with technol
ogy in these fast-paced
times is significant and
since fall 2009, NCCU has
been looking for ways to
incorporate Twitter into the
academic realm.
“Twitter is a resource for
students and staff to net
work, share information,
and learn,” said David
Kroll, professor and chair of
pharmaceutical sciences.
“It’s different from
■ See TWITTER Page 2
MISS BLACK USA 2Q09 VISITS NCCU
Sharaa Rudd, crowned Miss Black USA 2009 in August, hugs Simyous Scarborough, 5, during an autograph signing for
NCCUf Women’s Center Benefit Reception on Saturday. Hailing from West Philadelphia, Rudd is an author, entrepreneur,
and an educator with a BA in journalism from Howard University. She is the founder of Lady Diva Corp, a non-profit
organization that empowers young African American women and provides them with educational opportunities.
Carlton KooNCE/Ecfio editor-in-chief
Will freshmen come back next year?
By Jordan Sutton and
Wendy Wright
ECHO STAFF REPORTERS
With one year under
their belts, one question
freshmen might ask them
selves is, “Is NCCU the
place for me?”
As the 2009-2010 aca
demic year comes to a
close, many freshmen are
reflecting on their experi
ence with other students,
faculty, and the NCCU
campus.
Some freshmen found
other Eagles to be indif
ferent; many complained
that freshmen should
grow up.
“I met a lot of new peo
ple but I felt that many
don’t go to class,” said
Kenderick Moore, politi
cal science freshman.
“A lot of them just stay
in their rooms.”
“Some students are not
college material, because
some freshmen students
aim for a D in their class
es,” said Moore.
Aleshia, Hall, a nursing
freshman, found many
students to be “immature
and rude.”
In addition to less-
than- perfect Eagles, some
freshmen found college
life difficult to adapt to.
“I thought it was going
to be a home-like experi
ence, but it’s not,” said
Hall.
“Some of the staff and
workers also have nasty
attitudes at Central,” she
■See FRESHMEN Page 2
Unveiling the face behind the name
Alumni dedicate potrait of Mary Townes
By Ninecia Scott
ECHO STAFF REPORTER
What students call the
“Science Complex” is actu
ally called the Mary Townes
Science Complex.
In honor of the late Mary
M. Townes, former dean of
the College of Arts and
Sciences and biology' pro
fessor, a portrait was creat
ed in her honor.
At her memorial lecture
held earlier this month,
Kenneth Rodgers, director
of the N.C. Central
University Art Museum,
unveiled a portrait he
painted of her.
The portrait of Townes
was commissioned by the
class of 1962 and will hang
in the atrium of the Townes
Science Building.
Townes arrived at NCCU
in 1950 and became the
director of the Academic
Advising Program, chair
woman of the Department
of Biology and Dean of the
College of Arts and
Sciences.
Townes was a prolific
research scientist and pub
lished more than 60 scientif
ic articles that brought sub
stantial grants to NCCU.
As a result of her accom
plishments, she was hon
ored with the N.C.
Governor’s Award of
Excellence, the National
Association for Equal
Opportunity Distinguished
Alumna Citation, and the
Dr. James E. Shepard
Legacy Award.
Kenneth Rodgers and class of ‘62 unveil Mary Townes portrait
Jerry Rogers/EcIio staff photographer
Dwayne
Johnson, SGA
President
Second
time
around
SGA president
lays outfall plans
By Jamese Slade
ECHO STAFF REPORTER
The first Student Government
Association president ever elected
for two consecutive terms has made
N.C. Central history.
“When I first found
out I won, I was
excited,” said histo
ry junior pwayne
Johnson.
As the year comes
to an end, Johnson
reflected on all he
accomplished dur
ing the 2009-10
school year to help
make plans for the
new year.
This year, the SGA began the
Eagle Wing Mentorship Program,
which required everyone in the SGA
to have two mentees and program
members to have at least a 2.5 GPA.
“Academics are first, just as our
students,” said Johnson.
“I’m close to all of my mentees. I
am a friend and a big brother.”
Johnson also got SGA together
with SGAs from Duke and UNC-
Chapel Hill to begin a tuition peti
tion.
Johnson was fighting to lower the
cost of school tuitions. NCCU
received 1,400 student signatures
and 23,000 from North Carolina resi
dents.
“The school brought the petitions
to state legislatures, who relate more
to statistics and numbers,” said
Johnson.
Besides tuition, Johnson focused
on campus appeal.
“I e-mailed Chancellor Nelms and
asked him where has the verdant
green gone,” he said.
According to Johnson, landscap
ing has vastly improved and now stu
dents have a place to study hard on
the yard.
Johnson created Study Hard on
the Yard, a program that promotes
student studying on campus. The
program has brought together over
300 students this past year.
With his proven track record,
Johnson has been elected to serve
next year as the SGA President once
again.
“Now the feeling is gone and
there’s to work to be done.”
Johnson’s campaign slogan,
“iServe,” was used to promote his
attitude toward leadership and serv
ice.
For Johnson, the first item on the
agenda is to work on the parking sit
uation on campus. He plans on “put
ting pressure on the administration
to get the parking deck open in the
fall” when it is scheduled to be fin
ished.
Johnson wants campus police to
distribute warning tickets, which are
already given out at other colleges,
■SeeJK)HNSONPage2