NUBIAN MESSAGETHE SENTINEL OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY AT NC STATE UNIVERSITY

RALEIGH, NC n VOL. X, ISSUE 2 n THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM n AUGUST 31st, 2011

Harambee 2011n 5

VMA Takeover n 8

Celebrating 30 Years of the Peer Mentor ProgramCJ GUION | EDITOR - IN - CHIEF

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Peer Mentor Program on campus. It was the brainchild of Thomas Conway and Elwood Becton. The program started in 1980 as a formal mentor program in which African American students were paired with faculty and staff who made contact with and provided as-sistance for students.

During a campus telephone survey in 1981, stu-dents made it clear that they preferred an upper-class mentor as opposed to a faculty and staff member. This led the Peer Mentor Program into a brief evalu-ation and review period. Elwood Becton, Thomas Conway, Augustus Witherspoon, Lawrence Clark, and a host of others were instrumental in the plan-ning and advisory process.

In the fall of 1982, the concept of the peer mentor program shifted to “students helping students” and never looked back.

The primary objective of the program is contribut-ing to the advancement of first year students by aid-ing in their academic, social, and emotional adjust-ments to college.

Felicia Broussard, the Director of Multicultural Student Affairs, said that the goal of the Peer Men-tor Program is to increase retention rates of African American, Native American, and Hispanic Students.

“The whole idea of the program is to match a freshman with an upperclass-men who has already made the transition from high school to college. It’s nice to have a big brother or sister who can give freshmen guidance from a student’s per-spective. They be-come a friend and a guaranteed support system. When stu-dents get to NC State, they at least know they have at least one person that they can count on. If students are successful in their first year, they have a better chance of being successful,” Broussard said.

Since its inception, the Peer Mentor program has undergone many changes. Multicultural Student Af-fairs has introduced supplement initiatives for the program to improve the mentoring experience and

increase the success rates of minority groups on cam-pus such as a counseling graded course for mentors, a fall convocation, and a spring Freshman Honors convocation (which recognizes first year students of color who have achieved a GPA of 3.0 or higher).

According to Felicia Broussard, the graduation rate

KAREEM WILLIAMS | STAFF WRITER

Tonight, the Xi Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and the College of Humanities and Social Sci-ences – Multicultural Association of Students (CHASS-MAS) will be host-ing a program entitled State of NC STATE: A Leadership Summit, which will examine and tackle detrimental issues facing the NC State commu-nity.

The issues of diversity, Talley’s construction, and budget cuts will be part of a list of various topics for discussion. A roundtable of panelists will lead the discussion; however stu-dents will be able to receive answers to their questions from the guest pan-elists which includes: AASAC president Mario Terry, Assistant Vice Provost for Student Diversity Dr. Tracey Ray, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Dr. Thomas Stafford, as well as Nubian Message Editor CJ Guion and various other hosts.

As Eric Laws, a brother of Phi Beta Sigma stated, “The purpose of the program is to inform primarily, but not limited to students who have issues and concerns

about issues facing our campus. Students wonder why tuition has risen, and why con-struction is continuously going on while our school is suffering from budget cuts.”

Traditionally, around the start of the school year CHASS-MAS and Phi Beta Sigma, Fra-ternity Inc. co-host “Learning the Ropes”, a program comprised for freshmen; however this year the two hosts have decided to take a different path. Shana Moore, President of CHASS-MAS said, “we decided to re-concep-tualize the program, because as of late fresh-men are not the only ones misinformed about changes on campus. It can be confusing to any student.”

Ashley Moore, Vice President of CHASS-MAS, believes that programs such as “Learn-ing the Ropes” no longer serve the purpose that they use to, primarily due to the fact that students generally attend African American

Symposium before classes start, and eventually all the advice and information becomes redundant.

Ashley Moore states, “In the mist of the recent budget cuts and all of the uni-versity changes I feel that it is very important that all students, no matter their classification, should attend. It is especially important for freshmen because they

State of NC State: A Leadership Summit

PMP continued on pg. 4

Peer Mentors and Mentees meet for the first time at the Peer Mentor Convocation CJ Guion/Nubian Message

Photo illustration by Shakil Jefferson

STATE continued on pg. 6

Meet Charles Holt n 2

2 |August 31st, 2011 nubiAn messAge

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Only with the permission of our elders do we proudly produce each edition of the Nubian Message.Dr. Yosef ben-Yochannan: Dr. John Henrik Clark: Dr. Leonard Jeffries: The Black Panther Party: Mumia A. Jamal: Geronimo Pratt: Tony Williamson:

Dr. Lawrence Clark: Dr. Augustus McIver Witherspoon: Dr. Wandra P. Hill: Mr. Kyran Anderson: Dr. Lathan Turner: Dr. M. Iyailu Moses: Dokta Toni Thorpe and all those who accompany us as we are STILL on the journey to true consciousness.

Nubian MessageSentinel of the African-American Community at North Carolina State University

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CJ GUION | EDITOR - IN - CHIEF JASMINE HARRIS | MANAGIING EDITOR

STAFF WRITERS: MADAVIA JOHNSON JONATHAN KIM HIND MALIK KIERRA LEGGETT

YOLANDA RAY SHALIESE HARDYALEXIS TEASDELL TEVIN BYRD

COURTNEY PREISTER CHELSEA GARDNERKAREEM WILLIAMS SHAKIL JEFFERSON

LAKESHA ALEXANDER

Meet Mr. Charles Holt This past Sunday, Charles Holt kicked off his annual Empowerment and Leadership Keynote Series here at Afri-

can American Cultural Center as a guest performer at PEACE Church. Today, at 7 PM in the Washington Sankofa Room of the African American Cultural Center, Mr. Holt will present “The Promise of Genius.” Thursday, Septem-ber 1st, Mr. Holt will close out his series of programs here with special workshop entitled “Finding Your Voice.”

He has received outstanding reviews from students and college deans around the world and he was also fea-tured at the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in San Francisco, California.

Mr. Holt is a renowned actor, broadway performer, musician, and author. He is the founder of Charles Holt Pro-ductions with the intent to deliver a message about a higher level of consciousness and awareness to communities around the nation. The company tours various places with the intent of inspiring and uplifting others though the-atrical performances. For more information on Mr. Holt, you can visit his website at www.charlesholtproductions.com.

nubian message august 31st, 2011| 3PERSPECTIVES

Adjusting to Life at NC State: A Freshman’s Experience

Question of the WeekDid you watch the MTV

Video Music Awards (VMAS)? Best/Worst

Performances?

Alexandria TindallJunior, Communication- Public Relations

“I’d say my favorite performance was Chris Brown because of his choreography. He was very interactive with the crowd.”

Kellie CookFreshman, Elementary Education

“I liked how Beyoncé an-nounced her pregnancy. She did it like a diva on the VMA’s right after she performed. Oh, and I loved Lady Gaga.”

Brooks ArtisFreshman, English

“My favorite performance of the night was Adele. She has such a powerful voice and a classy presence on stage. She should have won at least one award that night. I think she was robbed.

Kenny BlacknallFreshman, Communication- Media

“They should have gotten someone else to close the show. The ending was horrible.”

Photos and Question of the Week by Chelsea Gardner

LAKESHAALEXANDER|STAFFWRITER

SCARED. EAGER. CONFIDENT. Those were the steps I went through while transitioning into life in the “city of red.” Initially I was secretly terrified of the journey I was soon to embark upon. I didn’t tell everyone, but the fear was certain-ly there. The thought of leaving the comfort zone of my high school community, and separating from those I’ve grown to love, cherish, and trust was all but welcoming. It was some-how put into my mind that I was going to become just an-other body roaming the campus rushing to class.

However, as the countdown to move-in began, my fear soon turned into eagerness. I began marking the days on my calendar, packing clothes, and most importantly school shopping. My move-in day was August 10th for African American Symposium, and my cloud nine instantly dissipat-ed when I opened my dorm room door only to find mainte-nance working on the walls and painting. They told me my room would not be ready for another day. My heart dropped as I turned and looked at all of my boxes sitting in the hall-way. It was a feeling of frustration, and thoughts of “What am I supposed to do now?” This was undoubtedly not the way I had foreseen move-in to play out. Luckily for me, my hous-ing director allowed me to switch rooms with someone that would not be here until the weekend, and I must admit I felt much better.

With that out of my way, I was able to focus on meet-ing the others in my residence hall, getting to know my way around, and what exactly I needed to know or do to be suc-cessful in the Wolfpack community. It was the next phase in my transition. I had my confidence. I was greeted with a smile or welcoming gesture everywhere I turned. The best booster to my confidence was attending orientations and in-terest meetings; it forced me to meet others outside of my ma-jor, and outside of my door. From these activities, friendships and connections have begun to bloom. The friendships that have originated since I’ve been here are ones that I can tell I will need in this four-year journey and maybe even life; the ones who are down to study at noon, or at 11pm. The ones who write you friendly reminders on your doors, or even the ones who offer that silent hug when you truly need one. The confidence I gained has spilled over into my classes, my problem sessions and even just trooping across campus.

I can look back on these few weeks and know that these steps were necessary in my transition to college. I had to stop being afraid of what was to come, and embrace it with an optimistic attitude. I had to take the good with the bad, and keep smiling through it. Last but certainly not least, I had to come out of my shell, and stay out of my shell if I wanted to be more than just a number. I had to embrace being Lake-sha Alexander, instead of a nine-digit ID number.

HINDMALIK|STAFFWRITER

Yesterday Muslims around the world celebrated Eid Al-Fitr, a holiday that follows Ramadan, the month of fast-ing. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is the month during which the Quran was first re-vealed to the Prophet Mohamed by Al-lah (God). During the month Muslims fast or abstain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual intercourse along with others things from dawn till dusk or during daylight. As challenging as it may sound, the physical aspect is the least challenging of the fast. Rather, Ramadan is more about spirituality as Muslims are encouraged to practice discipline and self-restraint thereby pu-rifying their thoughts and actions. For example, they must refrain from gossip, backbiting, or use of profanity which are traits discouraged in Islam hence Ramadan works as an intensive prac-tice period that helps rid individuals from such negative behaviors. In return fasting develops an individual’s power of will.

Most importantly, Ramadan is an intensive period of worship in which Muslims devote more of their time to

prayers and recitation of Quran in a way to reflect on the greatness of Allah, seek forgiveness and observe the bless-ings bestowed upon them including the gift of food and water that we most of-ten take for granted. Lack of these two and other luxurious indulgences dur-ing Ramadan has another benefit as it makes the rich equal to the poor. In an-other word, it helps people sympathize with the less fortunate from a place of experience. Hence you find that during Ramadan people are more charitable. However, increased charity is also due to the belief that the reward of charity during Ramadan is seventy times great-er than any other time during the year.

As a student, this Ramadan was ex-ceptionally challenging once classes be-gan on the seventeenth day of the fast. The Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle and so each year Ramadan shifts back eleven days. Therefore, this year Ramadan happened to fall amid the long hot days of summer. With the new load of classes along with the regular campus commute to and from class, the library and parking lots; it was extremely difficult to stay hydrated. Hunger was never an issue to me but it was tempting and unbearable at times

watching other students enjoy their cold drinks during class. After night fall and the breaking of the fast my energy was often depleted and it became a chal-lenge to complete assigned homework.

However, these challenges are what made the experience of fasting more re-warding and beneficial. Aside from the spiritual benefits I found the hardship I endured as minor compared to the thousands of starving Somali refugees in Dadaab which is currently the largest refugee camp in the world. Enduring a day without food and water brings me closer to understanding their suffering. Through the practice of observing the fast I began to understand that without greed we can all survive consuming the least of necessities and only then would resources be equally available to all and shameful global disasters like the one in Somalia and others around the world would be eliminated.

At last, I say to you “Eid Mubarak.” These are common words Muslims ex-change during Eid wishing one another a blessed holiday. Try and use it if you see one of your Muslim friends around campus today.

Experience of Fasting Ramadan

Many gather for Eid Al-Fitr, a holiday which follows Ramadan, a month of fasting Hind Malik/Nubian Message

4 |August 31st, 2011 nubiAn messAge

ALEXIS TEASDELL | STAFF WRITER

On Wednesday, August 24, 2011, the African American Cultural Center once again celebrated Harambee. Haram-bee, which translates to “let us come together” in Swahili, is an event that the Cultural Center puts on annually to intro-duce the incoming students to faculty and upperclassman, as well as to celebrate members in our community.

The event is very traditional based, which is what makes it so special. It is an opportunity to learn about our culture and traditions even though minority students attend a Predominately White Institution. By opening with the djembe drum, and having the amazing Uninhibited Praise Gospel Choir perform, everyone knew that Harambee had started. When walking into the Washington Sankofa room students see a room full of beautiful people coming together to learn from one another, and catch up on the experiences of the summer.

After a few performances the event moved to the second floor of Witherspoon Student Center to view the newest exhibit in the Art Gallery, “Women Empowered: Inspiring Change in the Emerging World.” This exhibit featured the work of award winning photographer, Phil Borges, who highlights the “plight and promise” of women around the world. This was not your ordinary exhibit how-ever. To enhance the exhibit for Harambee, there were wom-en of different nationalities speaking in their native tongue. Each woman would speak their native language and then translate it into English. The purpose of this was so that the community can understand how it feels to have someone speak to us in a lan-guage that is unfamiliar. It was a beautiful sight to see people go from person to person learning about various cultures.

Afterward, students were signaled to return to the Sankofa room by the djembe drums to continue the program. Students were instructed by the adults to sit in the front of the room in honor of the people who came before us who were not allowed to. That is one of the things that the Cultural Center enforces that makes the university special. The older leaders teaching and molding the future leaders into productive citizens and role models. It is no coincidence that most of us chose this university for the friendly atmosphere and excellence ex-hibited by alumni and even present students. It is a personal belief that some of that excellence is due to the incredible work of the cultural center.

After settling down poetry was performed by a few amazing poets and leaders across campus. Dayna Principe, a senior in Political Science, performed her own written piece entitled, “Skin Deep.” In her poem she discussed how people view her in comparison to who she is. The power of the poem stemmed from the realism and pride exhibited when she spoke. After her, Jeremiah Kili-manjaro, junior majoring in Business Administration and Carizma Thomas, ju-nior majoring in Communications, recited a poem entitled “What Shall I Tell My Children Who Are Black,” by Margaret Burroughs. This poem demonstrates pride and hope as well as it presents the negative perceptions of “black,” and then presents the hopes of a triumphant overcome in the future. All of the poems left a sense of pride in the Sankofa room.

As the program concluded students and others all came together, hold-ing hands in a circle to participate in Harambee. The group all said “Harambee” as loud as possible seven times and held the last “Harambee” for as long as they could. Then everyone all fellowshipped and ate with one another like the fam-ily that this community truly is. If one misses Harambee he or she has missed something special. It’s definitely something that one must attend every year.

Let Us Come Together: Harambee 2011

of students who become peer mentors is 93%. She also said that the Peer Mentor Program is an “intentional system of success.” “It starts with Symposium, leads to the Peer Mentor Program, and ends in graduation.”

Aaron Wise, a junior in Business Administration serves as a peer mentor and believes that it is a very important program for first year students. “A lot of mi-nority students who come to NC State came from schools where they were the majority and adjusting to a school such as this where they are no longer the ma-jority can be hard. Having a big brother there for you can be very helpful. I de-cided to become a mentor after my experience with the African American Sym-posium where I learned a lot of new things, and I knew from that moment on that I wanted to find a way to give back.”

Wise also said that it was good to have “someone that looks like you and can relate to you in ways that others may not be able to.”

Teyara Hudson, a Freshman in the First Year College believes that so far the Peer Mentor Program has been a good experience. “As a freshman, you don’t know the ins and outs of college and it’s great to have someone to talk to.”

Today, the peer mentor program continues to tackle the task of “fostering the advancement of students of color” here on campus. The program continues to serve African American students and now includes Native American and His-panic students.

PMP Continued. from page 1

Uninhibited Praise performs at the annual Harambee event CJ Guion/Nubian Message

Students and staff participate in the closing of the Harambee ceremony in which all attendees join hands and chant Harambee seven times.. On the seventh chant it is held as long as possibleCJ Guion/Nubian Message

Jaeln Wilkerson meets his mentor, Anthony Holmes for the first time at the convocation event CJ Guion/Nubian Message

nubian message august 31st, 2011| 5

The African American Cultural Center Presents Mr. Charles Holt

AUGUST 317-8:30PM

Washington Sankofa Room, African American Cultural Center

Charles Holt, renowned actor, Broadway performer, musician, and author, founded Charles Holt productions with the intent to spread a message about a higher mind set of consciousness and awareness to local, national, and world communities. This company tours various places inspiring and influencing others through the use of theatrical mediums to empower the individual, embrace the brilliance of the self and the diverse brilliance of others for the greater good!

Disabilities Statement: if you are a person with a disability and require any assistive devices, services, or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact toni thorpe at 919.515.1451 during the business hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to discuss accommodations.

A Preview of Our New Website

The Nubian Message has a new website! We’ve been working hard over the summer to create a site that can better serve the readers of our publication:

We have many new features such as:

• Anewslideronthehomepagewhichfeaturesourtopstoriesoftheweekandlatebreakingnews.

• LookingforatheNubian?Utilizeournewmapthatdetailsdistribu-tionlocations

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Join the experience at thenubianmessage.com

6 |August 31st, 2011 nubiAn messAge

AASAC Organization Spotlight: Collegiate 100 The Collegiate 100 is a mentoring/community service organiza-tion for African American males on college campuses across the country. The NCSU Chapter of Collegiate 100 of 100 Black Men America, Inc. was formed in 2006 with the help of Mr. Tony Jefferies, Dr. Paul Bitting, and DJ Hardy (the first presi-dent of the NCSU Collegiate 100 Chapter). "When the first informational meetings for those interested in joining the Col-legiate 100 were held, there was a large group of freshman who wanted to get involved in the organization. Due to their inex-perience, Dr. Biting and Hardy introduced the Freshman Acad-emy" to keep them involved in the organization.

The purpose of the organization is to assist the 100 Black Men to "develop the social, educa-tional, emotional, and physical needs of young black males who are in need of positive role models."

President: Aaron Wise

Mark Gray also known as Markus Aurelius is a sophomore majoring in Sports Management. Born in Greens-boro, he grew up with a fascination with urban lifestyle and music. His music is primarily composed of varius different fashions in order to best connect with a greater audience and fan base. Markus’ major influences include Drake, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, J. Cole, as well as Miguel. As an artist Markus Aurelius strives to approach music in an intellectual and simplistic manner.

In the Spotlight:

Are you doing something great that you want the world to know about? If you want to be in the spotlight, email us at edi-tor@nubian.ncsu.edu.

can learn what has taken place just recently and what is in store to come. It is important for upperclassmen because some of them may not even be aware of some of the things happening. This also gives everyone a chance to ask questions to NC State leaders who they may not be able to talk to any other time.”

Shana Moore believes that it was an amazing idea to work with Phi Beta Sigma, Inc because both organizations were founded on service and are highly commit-ted to helping students with on campus issues.

The program commences tonight in Riddick Hall Lounge promptly at 7:14 PM.

State continued from pg. 1

Photos contributed by Collegiate 100

Here is a couple of interesting tidbits and frequently asked questions that NC State received from students and staff.. These may also be ques-tions that you may have.

How much of our budget is expected to be cut? 15 percent, which equals about $80 million dollars for NC State

How is the University’s budget funded? 42 percent from state appropriations 19 percent from contracts and grants 18 percent from tuition and fees 15 percent from auxiliaries (including a wide range of activities such asdining and parking) 4 percent from gifts and other sources 2 percent from federal appropriations

State funds make up approxiamately 70 percent for educational efforts

How will a 15 percent reduction affect my tuition? NC State has already addressed tuition increases for next year. However, remember that the state legislature reduced state appropriations for the state’s universities last year in favor of allowing a tuition increase. Our ultimate goal is to ensure our continued position as one of the nation’s best values, combining quality and affordability to deliver a very strong return on investment for our students.

When considering possible majors and minors for elimination, how will you define NC State’s unique mission within the UNC system? NC State’s mission is already clearly defined. As a land-grant university, we are stron-gest in science, technology, engineering, math and agriculture. We have built capacity in management, design, veterinary medicine and the arts. We will adhere to that mission.

Credit: NCSU Budget Communications 2011http://cnr.ncsu.edu/alumni_friends/support/documents/2011_ncsu_

budget_qanda.pdf

nubian message august 31st, 2011| 7

Roads Traveled

He said he hold’s the house downI said “It’s really all on you?I can’t imagineJust imagine the great things you’ll do.I can’t count out you even though they count on you.so I decided to write a poem that’s solely about you.I mean look at you.You hold so much potentialFront step kidbecause nobody ever gets youtraffic on your brainbad influence can never get throughone track minds never had appeal to youBut you’re going places.I see it in your driveyou’re headed to the topI wish you’d see the signs.Just keep your eyes on the prize,while others may lag behindI hope you find what you’re looking forwhatever is on your

mind and while you are on the risedon’t ever forget the waypeople will learn from the things that you are learning todayand don’t ever forget to prayjust let Jesus take your wheelas you reach your destinationand I’m knowing that

you will”

Alexis Teasdell

KIERRA LEGGETT | STAFF WRITER During at least one point in everyone’s collegiate career,

there will come a time when they are required to dress in business casual attire. Given that for many students the only type of dress code they’ve ever had to comply with is “Grown and Sexy” for Thursday nights at the club, it can be a daunt-ing task trying to determine what exactly is considered busi-ness casual. For certain however, “Grown and Sexy” is not it.

A staple in the world of business casual attire is a versa-tile pair of khakis. They are not as polished as a pair of dress pants (which are also a worthwhile investment) but they are still dressier than a pair of jeans. For men pairing a polo styled shirt with khakis is an appropriate business casual look for an outside event or warmer weather. Women can pair a blouse that reveals no cleavage with their khakis along with a nice pair of wedges, heels, or cute ballet flats.

If you want to turn your business casual look up a notch, a nice pair of black slacks will do just the trick. However, there are a few things to keep in mind. For starters ladies, if you have VPL (Visible Panty Line) your pants are too tight. Dress pants are not supposed to fit in the same manner that your denim jeans do. There should be a little wiggle room in dress

slacks; also they need to be the appropriate length. While you do not want to look as if you are preparing for a flood, your pants do not need to drag along the ground. If you are petite or tall there are many dry cleaners and alteration shops that can accommodate all of ones needs.

While pants being too tight are an issue for women, pants fight too loosely is a topic of concern for men. Fellas, of course you don’t want your pants to look like they came straight out of your girlfriend’s closet, you also do not want to look like an extra for the next Wacka Flacka Flame video. Pants should rest nicely at your waist with a nice belt helping to hold them up.

Just because you are dressing for a more corporate world, it does not mean that you still cannot add your own flair and personal flourishes to your wardrobe. Spice up your outfit with accessories that are not too flamboyant but still show of your uniqueness. There is nothing worse than a workplace full of employees all donning the same bland and standard uniform of black dress pants and a white button down shirt. While Business Casual doesn’t necessary equate Grown and Sexy, it also doesn’t stand for bland and boring.

Grown, Sexy Not the New Business Casual

GLBT Center Holds Community Rally JONATHAN KIM | STAFF WRITER

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Rave was held on Friday at 6 PM at Talley Student Center. The rave was a social oppor-tunity as well as an opportunity for stu-dents to know about the GLBT Center. Justine Hollingshead, Director of the GLBT Center, said that the staff of the GLBT Cen-ter "wanted this to be a social opportunity for new students to meet with our return-ing students." She also that she wanted "first year students to have something to do on the weekends." If you missed the GLBT rave, it was an excellent chance to meet new and returning students. The event was sponsored by the GLBT-CommUnity Alliance with support from the GLBT Center.

Ms. Hollingshead said that the overall goal for the NC State GLBT community is for them "to feel like they are welcome and to feel that they are part of NC State." She also said that the goal for the entire community of North Carolina State University is to create opportunities for people to become more aware of sexual orientation and gender identity. She said that the goal is to help the entire NC State community to understand what it is like to be a member of the GLBT community on the college campus of North Carolina State University.

Hollingshead believes that the members of North Carolina State University have come far in respecting and accepting the GLBT community. However, she believes that "there is still more work to do." For example, "there are certain com-ments in class or on the campus of NC State" concerning the GLBT Community that students find demeaning. What can students do as individual students to support the GLBT Cen-ter and community? Students can become more aware of how sexual orientation and gender identity in North Carolina are not included as projected classes. Students also are personally responsible for making sure that the entire NC State commu-

nity feels welcomed, loved, and accepted. Therefore, students can act against and speak out against events in the tunnel that do not show respect to all the members of the NC State community. Students should also stand up against everyday

situations of someone being mistreated because of their sexual orientation.

I recently heard someone say that peo-ple who are part of the GLBT community should not have full rights. I told him he was wrong and that all humans re-gardless of anything about them should have full rights because they are human beings. Hollingshead said that "GLBT community members do not have equal rights. There is not equality for the GLBT community in areas such as marriage, employment, and adoption." Hollings-head also said that "as a human being, I

deserve rights that all humans have. The U.S. Constitution does not say that only heterosexual people should have full rights. The U.S. Constitution says that we are all to be treated equal." We, as human beings who are supposed to be a com-munity that thrives when each member feels welcome, have a responsibility to stand against these harmful thoughts and words. How do we change these thoughts and words of hate? Hollingshead said "that the best way is to sit down and have a conversation with dignity as adults. It is possible as long as that person is someone who is willing to listen and willing to be exposed to different people." She also said "that people need to have a mutual respect" for this conversation to take place and for the conversation to succeed in providing a per-spective on what members of the GLBT community feel. Hol-lingshead also said that "it’s hard to change someone who believes they are extremely right."

Students can also become part of a larger group that is standing up for respect for all community members. Students can attend a program or event hosted by the NC State GLBT Center that will help students to learn about the GLBT com-munity. This will also help students to "learn what it is like to become a member of the GLBT community and what a GLBT student feels."

Hollingshead said "we look forward to people coming to our events.

The goals of the GLBT Center are to:

•

• •

•

•

Lifestyles

Dates to Remember

* Tuesdays: *Thursdays: *September 20th *September 24th: *October: GLBT Community Coffee Talks Program repealing the North Carolina Pride Day GLBT History Month Alliance Meetings Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Duke University (Durham) Policy

For more information on these and other events hosted by the GLBT Center, visit their website at ncsu.edu/stud_affairs/glbt/index.php

8 |August 31st, 2011 nubiAn messAge

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August 31st

VMA Takeover TEVIN BYRD | STAFF WRITER

On Sunday night, some of music’s biggest stars gathered in Los Angeles, California for the 2011 Video Music Awards, which aired on MTV. In past years at the VMAs, some of the most iconic performances and outrageous moments have occurred. From Michael Jackson’s groundbreaking medley of hits performance in 1995 to Lady Gaga’s blood-gushing rendition of ‘Paparazzi’ in 2009, the award show celebrates and basks in the flair, craziness, and flash that other shows heavily avoid. After a slew of crazy moments from the past such as the Britney Spears and Madon-na kiss or the Kanye West and Taylor Swift incident that no one can forget (“I don‘t mean to interrupt you, but Beyon-cé had the best video of all time!”), there is no way that this years VMAs could entertain like in the past, right? Think again.

What immediately set this years VMAs apart from the past shows was that for the very first time there was no host. After receiving mixed reviews about last year’s host Chelsea Handler, MTV decided to let the stars take over and they wasted no time. Lady Gaga opened the show with an eye-twisting

performance of her latest single “You and I” that had people saying, “Wait, who is that?” In ordinary Lady Gaga fashion, she pushed the boundaries and dressed/performed as her alter-ego, Jo Calderone. Other performances included Chris Brown, who flied high in the air during his intricate dance en-semble, Adele who beautifully moved the crowd by singing her song ‘Some-one Like You’ and The Throne (Jay Z and Kanye West) who blasted onto the stage by performing their song ‘Otis’. Other performances included ’How To Love/John’ by Lil Wayne and ‘Give Me Everything’ by Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo.

Also during the award show, MTV had a tribute set up for the late Amy Winehouse, who was found dead on July 23rd. The soulful and talented singer was paid homage to by singer Tony Bennett and Bruno Mars, who performed Amy‘s song ‘Valerie’. There was also a tribute to Britney Spears by a group of talented young dancers. She received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for her iconic videos and performances over the years and was introduced by one of her peers, Lady Gaga. Together, they introduced the next performer who provided the

most shocking and memorable moment at the VMAs. Beyoncé took to the stage and before performing ‘Love on Top’ said, “I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside of me.” At the end of her sensational performance she threw her mic down and revealed a baby bump, letting the world know that her and her husband Jay Z were expecting. After years of pregnancy rumors, Beyoncé is finally having a baby which caused her to make history on Twitter, when al-most 9000 tweets per second were made about her and her pregnancy.

The big winners of the night were Katy Perry, who won 3 VMAs including Video Of The Year for her song ‘Firework’ and Adele who also won 3 VMAs. Tyler The Creator won Best New Artist and other winners in-cluded Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, and Foo Fighters. The stars weren’t the only winners of the night however. The 2011 VMAs took over television, bringing in 12.4 million viewers, making it MTV’s most watched telecast ever! The night was full of talent, fun, and entertain-ment but now that the VMAs are over, the wait for the Grammys begins!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The Nubian Message’s Guide to What’s Goin’

On in Arts & Entertainment

BLAZIN 8 OF THE WEEK

1. Nicki Minaj - Super Bass

2. Liil Wayne - How to Love

3. Otis - Jay Z and Kanye West

4. I’m On One- DJ Khaled (featuring Rick Ross, Drake

and Lil Wayne)

5. Best Thing I Never Had- Beyonce

6. Trey Songz - Unusual

7. Marvin’s Room - Drake

8. Quickie- Miguel

WKNC’s UNDERGROUND

Top 5 of the Week

#1 MF DOOM “Gazil-lion Ear” [Single] #2 CANNIBAL OX Angels & Insects #3 JEDI MIND TRICKS Put Em In The Grave #4 PETE ROCK & C.L. SMOOTH “I Get Physical” [Single] #5 ACTUAL PROOF “Get It Done” [Single]

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IN THEATERS

Shark Night 3D

Credit: Realitymedia

KIERRA LEGGET | STAFF WRITER Chocolate pie, front yards full of commodes, a little drama,

and a lot of maids— these are just a few of the ingredients that have made Kathryn Sockett’s The Help one of summer’s biggest blockbusters. Set in 1960’s Jim Crow south, The Help chronicles the lives of several high society white women and their black housemaids. When one of these high society women, Skeeter, convinces maid Abilieen to help her write a book, full of personal accounts of the other maids on what it is like to work in the homes of white women, juicy secrets began to be revealed.

Once the book is published, it doesn’t take long for word to spread around their small southern town, where ev-erybody knows everybody that the book is about them. Ev-ery white lady within the town is reading the book and trying to determine who each story is about (as the book uses aliases in order to protect the maids and keep them safe during a time when race relations are already strained).

Cast to star as the movies leads are Emma Stone as the unconventional Skeeter, Viola Davis as loving Abilieen, Octavia Spencer as the sass mouthing Minny, and Bryce Dal-

las Howard as the prim and proper Hilly that everyone loves to hate. Given that in most of today’s black films the same actors and actresses (Jennifer Hudson, Idris Elba, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry etc.) seem to walk away with all the leading roles, it was nice to see a fresher faced cast execute their roles so beautifully.

Generally speaking, film adaptations of books leave much to the imagination and are not nearly as captivating. This however, is not the case for The Help. While the film deviates just slightly from the main plot of the book, it is still absolutely phenomenal. Movie goers will leave the theater having experienced a plethora of emotions ranging from rage and disbelief to joyfulness.

Thus far The Help, which debuted in theaters nation-wide on August 10, 2011 has grossed more than $96 million dollars and is still in the number one spot going into its third week on the charts. Already this fantastic movie is generating Oscar buzz, and it is well deserved. So, if you haven’t done so yet make your way out to your local theater and check out the movie that critics everywhere have deemed a hit.

A Review of The Help

Kanye West and Jay-Z perform “Otis” at the VMA Awards Courtesy MTV/PictureGroup

Seven friends who are spending a weekend at a lake house discover the waters are infested with sharks.