Archive for April, 2009:
07 Apr
The Society of Afrikan American Culture hosted “Remembrance of Things Present,” a commemorative forum and lecture last Wednesday in celebration of the 40 years that SAAC has served “as the voice” of African American students on campus. During the program attendees talked about several discussion questions regarding the organization’s founding, past initiatives, and present-day leadership.
To focus the attendees on the current participation within SAAC and other minority programs on campus, each table of attendees in the forum was instructed to respond to a list of questions. They were also asked to indicate ways to improve the morale of students so that they are more compelled to participate and commit to leadership roles within their communities.
The first question posed referred to the effectiveness of SAAC itself. Deidra Dunn, a sophomore in chemical engineering, said “We need to be more involved with politics, and be more proactive.”
The next question asked was, “Is there a divide between N.C. State and Historically Black Universities?”
Kornelius Bascombe, a sophomore in criminology, said “People from other schools find out that we are from NCSU, and we are looked at as being ‘better’ than them or their university,”referring to the misconception some students have that African-American students that attend N.C. State are against attending HBCUs or they hold themselves to a higher esteem since they attend a predominately white university.
The next few discussion questions brought the forum into perspective by reconvening with points that emphasize the history of SAAC and its role on campus.
Josh Poteat, a sophomore and member of SAAC, responded by saying, “SAAC is the ‘political arm’ of African-American students at NCSU and helping us get where we need to go.” Following Poteat’s comments, Bascombe continued by saying, “SAAC needs to stay abreast of the issues going on at NCSU and other campuses.”
Following the group discussion questions, Khalia Braswell, freshman in computer engineering and Ashley Brown, freshman in political science, who are co-historians for SAAC, introduced a video presentation, which was narrated by Dunn. The video’s content was reflective of the many programs and service missions, as well as the impact SAAC has had on the University and abroad. It posed the question, “Does SAAC still have a role on our campus?”
Dr. Tracey Ray, director of Multicultural Student Affairs and advisor for SAAC, facilitated the Presidential Forum section of the program. Dr. Ray was the president of SAAC in 1998. She said she remembers vividly the beginnings of an organization that has remained a vital necessity to the African-American community at N.C. State. She recalls the organization holding its meeting in the West Dunn building, which currently houses Telecommunications and University Food Services.
“All programs, all meetings, and activities” were held in this space, said Ray. In 1987, Kevin Howell was the first black elected Student Body President. Soon after his election, students rallied on UNC-Chapel Hill’s campus in order to promote their desires for a free-standing African-American cultural center.
“UNC students had already gained financial support” says Ray. ”Michael Jordan and his family agreed to support the Black cultural center- the University just didn’t want it,” she continued.
Ray then turned her attention to her role as SAAC president, which did not come easily. “I was reluctant at first,” said Ray.
Delisa Adams, the current SAAC President, said, “I knew how things could be,” when speaking about her initial nomination as president. Although Adams accepted her role as the 2008-2009 SAAC President, she admits it has not been carefree, by any means. ”It frustrates me when I don’t see this room filled;” citing a lack of commitment and involvement from students. “People feel obligated to be involved, but should not just be participating just to get a free t-shirt” Adams added.
Ray said, “It doesn’t take everybody, it only takes a few.” This quote was shared from the great Dr. Augustus Witherspoon to Ray during a luncheon at a local favorite “down-home”restaurant.
She urged students to think more along the lines of cooperation rather than competition. Ray ended by reminding students of the great successes that have stemmed from SAAC’s involvement, leadership and advocacy over the years.
In ten years, African-American graduates have increased fourteen percent, five student body presidents have been African-American consecutively from 2000-2005, “It was not by accident but by strategy” she said.
Ray also encouraged students that during their reign in leadership, they should not only serve the community but “lift other students as they climb,” the leadership ladder. At the end of the program SAAC was presented with two plaques that listed presidents from years past including the current president. This classic memorabilia will now hang in the SAAC office space housed in the African American Cultural Center.
07 Apr
What is Pan-Afrikan Festival? Many call it the black homecoming, while others see it as just another black social event. In my eyes Pan-Afrikan is a time for the black students that don’t have the same kind of black connection that they would have at a Historically Black College and University to all come together and remember that it is possible to have at a predominately white institution. As a freshmen coming to N.C. State I was worried about not having that secure feeling about my culture or not having black friends because N.C. State is a PWI. With this said Pan-Afrikan Festival and other things that the Black Students Board has done over the past year has made me realize just how sound the black community is at state.
Since I am a freshman I have not had the chance to experience Pan-Afrikan like many of the upperclassmen that have this year to compare to many others. When I asked “how did you feel bout Pan-Afrikan this year compared to other years, and what could be done to make it better in the future?”, senior Gabriel Ross responded “maybe more activities about Pan-African. People pay too much attention on the step show and not the culture. In addition, the lack of white people. These events actually promote the separation of race. in my opinion.”
Ross does have a valid point, but the question of if Pan-Afrikan Festival should be made for all cultures is then put at hand. Would the N.C. State African-American community really be okay with sharing something that has been known to bring the black community together with the white community as well. Some people feel like there needs to be a few changes made to Pan-Afrikan such as a concert along with the step show, and comedy show. Others feel like more events about the culture it’s self need to be added to Pan-Afrikan. The most talked about event was definitely the step show as well as the comedy show.
The Pan-Afrikan events this year had an overall good turn out. By looking at the students on campus with Pan-Afrikan shirts a good number of people attended the events. It was greatly anticipated and it is sad to see that it is over. The African-American students cannot wait until next year for the next Pan-Afrikan. If you have any ideas about what can be changed to make the events better or things that need to be changed overall then make sure that you attend the BSB meetings and let your voice be heard for what you would like to see happen in the future!
07 Apr
As one of the closing events for the 2009 Pan-Afrikan Week, the National Pan-Hellenic Council here on campus hosted the step show competition in Stewart Theatre this past Friday. Even though the show had its share of technical difficulties and a trip of the fire alarm, it did not dampen the fun and excitement of many who attended the event.
Marquis McCullough, a junior in science education, opened up the show singing the Black National Anthem. He was followed by a middle school student group named HOPE who showed off some of their stepping moves. The crowd was rather impressed with what the young group of students did and many cheered them on as they stepped including Candace Holston, a senior in psychology.
“I’m happy that they brought in the youth to showcase their talent,” she said. After the two preliminary acts, it was time to get to the competition. The first organization to come up was the Omega Iota Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. from UNC-Chapel Hill. The theme of its performance was boot camp with a twist. The performance wowed the crowd and would go on to be the first of many dazzling performances that would leave the audience in awe and at times speechless.
The next organization to take the stage was the Kappa Lambda Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. The finale of its performance (in a synchronized moves, one member jumped in and out of another’s legs) literally had the audience jumping out of their seats.
The third organization that was next up to perform was the Eta Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. The theme of this fraternity’s performance followed that of last year’s most successful movie, The Dark Knight. However, in the middle of the performance, because of all of the excess smoke coming from the smoke machine, the fire alarms went off forcing everyone in Talley at that time to evacuate the building causing a 15-20 minute delay of the show.
In between setting up for the next act (the Alphas would perform towards the end to finish their performance), the members of the audience kept themselves entertained by singing and dancing to the songs played by the event DJ.
The Epsilon Beta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi from Fayetteville State University performed after the show was started up again. Its theme in the beginning of the act was dancing in the rain.
With a Bourne Identity/secret agent theme, the Xi Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. had the performance and the storyline/plot, some would say, that commanded the attention of the crowd throughout their act.
The ladies of the Mu Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. shortly followed with their robotic-themed performance whose concluding number left many in the audience fascinated and others dumbfounded. Since they were not able to finish earlier, the Alphas were the last group to perform.
While the judges were adding up the scores to determine the winners, there was a dance contest held between N.C. State students and the middle school students that proved to be quite entertaining and gave everyone some laughs. Afterwards, the winners were announced. For the sororities, the Mu Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. won first place and was awarded $1,000 and the Omega Iota Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. won second place and were awarded $500.
As for the fraternities, the Eta Omicron Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. won first place and second place went to the Xi Zeta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc. Both fraternities were awarded the same amount of prize as the sororities who had placed first and second respectively.
When asked what she thought about the step show Miriam Featherstone, a senior in psychology, said “since this is my last year here at N.C. State, it was very good to see that the step show went well and a good way to end Pan-Afrikan Week.”
07 Apr
Pan-Afrikan Week brings out the most talented African as well as African-American students on campus, one of which is DanceVisions and I had the pleasure going to their Spring Concert on April 1 at 8 p.m. I had never been to a DanceVisions program before so I had no idea what to expect. Afterwards, I was thoroughly pleased with the performance and really proud that I was part of a community that was so rich in culture. The performance started off with a slow, rhythmic number. The music resembled a heartbeat and the flowing movements conveyed a sense of serenity and peace. The young women were dressed in colorful, light fitting dresses that lit up the stage. Further into the show was a very African inspired performance. They were trapped in cages and the shadows of their dances figures bounced on and off of the walls. The shadows created an eerie ambience that sent a chill down the spine. This piece was very high energy with great acrobatics and flexibility. These dances were modern contemporary, mixed with afrocentric vibes. They wore no shoes and they danced with a great amount of emotion. As the evening progressed, there was an emotional religious, mime performance. It was heart-wrenching because it was so inspirational and full of hope. The gospel music was a great addition to the number. Their faces were painted white and they were leotards with translucent white skirts. Their miming techniques were impeccable along with the amazing choreography. Through this performance you felt their pain as well as well as their deep reliance on faith. It was complex, yet simple enough for an everyday person to understand. They moved with vigorous energy and grace. Another performance was lighter and had a very monochromatic color scheme. Dancers wore nice fitting t-shirts with matching Capri pants and sneakers. This performance was happy and showed a playful side to the young women. There was a lot of acting with facial features that put a feeling of “fun” into the performance. This dance was accompanied by the music of Lil’ Kim featuring Notorious B.I.G. entitled “Crush on You.” During the show the dance company used many props, such as benches, that showed their versatility in the field of dance. Their ability to maneuver up and around these objects was mind-blowing and very professional. It would have been hard for a person to separate them from a professional dance group that had been practicing for years. The next few dances were similar to the hip-hop genre of music. There were hard hitting steps as well as free-flowing freestyle. They moved with such fluidity to the music and never missed a step. They danced with organization, but not to the point where it looked forced. I had never seen a show of this caliber and I will definitely be making to their other recitals. The last performance was included the music of T-Pain featuring Chris Brown in “Freeze.” This was a high energy performance full of smiles and fast-moving hip-hop choreography. It had the crowd going and clapping along with the music. At the end, the young women of DanceVisions got to show a little bit of themselves before exiting the stage. Overall, it was one of the best dance performances I had ever seen. I was so proud of these young women for their strength, agility, and their love for dance. It was also good to see that DanceVisions included not only African-Americans, but those of other races as well. It excited me to see how much fun they had and the expressions on their faces when they danced. Through their actions on stage I felt their love for dance and love for African culture.
07 Apr
In January, nineteen year old Jakhee Sledge was leaving a McDonalds in Bladen County, when he was shot and killed. Jakhee was said to be gang affiliated. The case remains unresolved. In May of 2003, after joining a local gang in the Triangle, Joshua “Jason” Paz was killed during a robbery that he and a fellow gang member were carrying out. Jason was accidently shot by his partner. He died clutching a Mac-90 assault weapon according to an article written by reporter Oren Dorell Since 2003, we, African-Americans, have been winning the race – the race to see how many of us in North Carolina can die in one year. We are the undisputed champions of murder, manslaughter, victim rates, and to top it all off, we get our people involved the earliest. African-Americans hold the record for most sixteen year old murder offenders in North Carolina. I think we deserve a round of applause.
What had humble beginnings has now evolved into an all out killing free for all. Back during the Civil Rights era, gang activity was typical; however, their mission then wasn’t stacking paper and taking out opponents. The objective was to protect their neighborhoods, family, and friends from racism, police brutality and inequality. One of the most famous gangs, which eventually evolved into a political party, is the Black Panther Party. As minorities it is natural to feel a sense of not belonging; at times it seems as if we are immersed in a sea full of fish, but none that look like us. This may sound funny, but think about how most people use to sit at lunch back in high school. Think about who you are most likely to start a conversation with in your P.E. classes.
The rising gang problem in North Carolina coincides very closely with the recent political climate: recession, war, and change. In this moment of uncertainty, which seems to be lasting forever, our youth are flocking to people who they believe can give them security and wealth. To explain the social deviation, the murders, drugs and robberies, goes much deeper than just typical youthful insecurity. Deviation is often the catalyst of social revolution; it is the answering to a question that government or authorities have seemed unable to answer. The best example of this is the surge of gang activity in New Orleans after Katrina. Citizens may feel that their very government has turned its back on them by sending tax-paid American soldiers down to Louisiana to police up the situation. I believe it is very important to be politically involved because our government will only be what we make it. Instead of actively changing our situation through the political process, we have been pledging our allegiance to red or blue or black, or yellow instead of the red, white and blue. It is as if we are playing a game with the government that we are losing. Our youth are losing, our parents and grandparents are losing, our siblings are losing, and our future is losing. We are trading visiting our parents on holidays to them visiting us on holidays with a glass wall between us.
Positive reinforcement is needed – positive reinforcement from those of us who have “made it,” those of us in college, those of us in a position to be an example. Programs like Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the Big Brother-Big Sister program is what needs extra funding, and we need more involvement from college students. Activities like Service Raleigh, Relay for Life, can food drives, book drives, and blood donation drives is what needs more publicity. I agree that there needs to be a lot of change, but I also agree that nothing will change unless you and I get together and change it. Until we are able to evolve and get rid of the nasty taste that slavery and the Jim Crow era left in our mouths, there will never be a decline in the number of our people killing each other. If anyone is interested in getting involved in any of the programs I mentioned, here are some of the websites: Big Brothers-Big Sisters www.bbbs.org, Boy Scouts of America www.scouting.org, Girl Scouts www.girlscouts.org, Relay for Life www.relayforlife.org, Blood and Plasma donation centers www.trianglearc.org
07 Apr
Last Friday, Stewart Theatre began to fill up with people ready to laugh and have a good time for The 39th Annual Pan-Afrikan Comedy show. Everyone in the audience laughed until they cried with almost every comedian’s performance.
The Host Lav Luv was so entertaining he could have held the show all by his self. Lav Luv has performed on BET’s “Comicview” several times, and continues to host various events. Not one person would have been disappointed if he told his crazy jokes the whole time. Everything he did and said was funny, even his clothing. One of Lav’s funniest moments was when he named the basic components necessary to make a successful R&B music video. In his live recreation, the DJ played one of R&B singer, Tyrese Gibson’s, popular songs and we watched him act out a hilarious rendition of a video. He rubbed his bald head, danced, and walked in slow motion, and danced with a girl from the audience. At the end of the show, someone requested that he do “Tyrese” one more time. It was classic.
Next, comedian Karlous came out on stage. He was not the biggest guy you will ever see, but he definitely had a big personality. He was one of those comedians that had no boundaries, and no limits. He said whatever he wanted whether it was about drugs, sex, or anything else that you might would hesitate to talk about so publicly. That’s what made him so funny. He had no problem crossing the line and saying those off-the-wall statements. Even though he wasn’t the headliner, he could have very well been a satisfying one. He set the stage for the next two comedians. Many people may have thought it couldn’t get any funnier than him, but the next two comedians were equally entertaining.
Rob Stapleton was next in the line-up with his heavy “up north” accent. One of his craziest moments came when he harassed one of the students in the audience by trying to dance on him. Yes, I said him. He was trying to prove how girls can dance with their girlfriends but men would never even come remotely close to dancing with one another. So he proceeded to hop into the front row and attempt to straddle a young man. The young man jumped back as far as he could. Later he ended up having to run from him! It was definitely one of the highlights of the show.
The headliner Gary Owen closed the show. He deserved his title as the headliner because he delivered a great show. What made him so funny was how he was not afraid to talk about black people in front of black people just because he was white, and he was also not afraid to talk about his own race either. He has an equal balance of jokes that focus on each race, and what made him even better was he can drop a joke at the drop of a dime. The best part in my opinion was when he opened up the floor for questions from the audience. The person asks a question, and Owen answered with a great response that resulted in an eruption of laughter.
Some of the questions were, “What do you like about black women?” because all throughout the show, he made it clear that his heart is with the “Sistas.”
He was also asked, Have you ever been to “the hood?” His responses were priceless. This was a good opportunity for Owen to show how good he was at thinking quick on his feet, and just an overall great comedian. Owen asked that we all tune in to Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, because he will now be playing a barber on the show.
All three of these comedians are exceptionally great at what they do. This lineup of comedians kept the crowd laughing until their stomach’s hurt, and until they had tears in their eyes. Everyone left laughing, and repeating the best lines from the comedians. They all did a wonderful job, and if you missed it, you missed out.
07 Apr
The Black Finesse Modeling Troupe hosted the “Your Style, Your Swag” modeling competition at Stewart Theater, Talley Student Center on Mar. 30. Kornelius Bascombe, junior in criminology/political Science and Candace Lee senior in agri-business. The audience experienced a real treat from competitors of the modeling troupes from East Carolina University, Shaw University, Winston Salem State University, St. Augustine’s College and North Carolina Central University.
The judges included Black Finesse Modeling Troupe directors Brian Riddick and Michael Mills an NCSU Alumni. With Pan-Afrikan in full effect, the show was jumps started with a friendly classification call outs to warm-up the audience and prepare them for the performances to come. Black Finesse Modeling Troupe opened the show by modeling fabrics of neutral browns, blacks, and greens in a safari inspired theme.
“You could truly see the confidence, creativity, poise, elegance, personality, and individuality, in each Black Finesse member that night” They were truly living up to their purpose, and I was proud, said Maritza T. Adonis, former Black Finesse model and junior double majoring in political science and sociology with a minor in biological sciences.
East Carolina State University’s Icon Modeling Troupe presented the audience with a boxer theme modeling in boxer’s attire and athletic wear behind a ring-like background. The choreography was smooth, relaxed and very creative.
Shaw University’s Pure Raw Couture Modeling Troupe styled the runway in black lace, sheer black fabric, and white blazers to give off a vampire-like, romantic, gothic theme to their performance.
N.C. State’s Commercial Break Dance Company performed for the intermission of the show giving the judges enough time to think about the performances that had taken place.
“I thought that the Black Finesse Modeling Troupe did a great job. The outfits were very coordinated and stylish. Winston Salem Modeling Troupe ‘Models of Destruction’ had a great energy and charisma with their coming to America theme. All in all, I really enjoyed the show.” said Rasoul Butler, a sophomore majoring in fashion and textile management with a concentration in fashion development and product management.
The judges were left to make a tough decision on which competitors would take home the first place title in the competition. Evalesco Modeling Troupe from North Carolina Central University were announced winners of the competition, gracing the audience with their 1920’s, Chicago inspired clothing and choreography. Modeling in shades of black, red and other deep colored attire, they stole the show with their fierce walks and confident attitudes. The judges announced a tie for the third place winner, leaving East Carolina University’s Icon Modeling Troupe to battle it out in a walk off against the St. Augustine’s College, Belle J’Adore Modeling Troupe for the third place title. In the end, Belle J’Adore modeling troupe won the walk off leaving them to walk away from the competition as the third place title winners.
“The show was a great extension of the Pan-Afrikan events. It was a great exhibition of the African American experience at North Carolina State University. I really enjoyed their creative efforts to our week on campus” said Christina Oxendine, senior, majoring in statistics.
Black Finesse ended the show with a performance, modeling bright silk dresses and flashy tailored suits. Ultimately, the show was a great way to jump start NCSU Pan-Afrikan week. It gave the African American freshmen on campus a real taste of the Pan-Afrikan experience so they may have something to look forward for the upcoming years at state. Not to mention that it showed surrounding schools modeling Troupes and their competitive drive. Pan Afrikan is always a great week of events to really come together and enjoy the college festivities on campus.
07 Apr
“This is the perfect way to kick off the Pan-Afrikan festival,” said Toni Thorpe, the Program Coordinator for the African American Cultural Center. This sentiment was echoed throughout the ballroom in Talley Student Center on Mar. 28 when the African Student Union hosted ASU: Slap Black to Africa. African Night is an event hosted by the African Student Union every year at the beginning of Pan-Afrikan to entertain and inform the public about the different aspects of African culture and the issues that affect Africa in today’s world.
This play had a good balance of laughs and the messages that they were trying to get across to the audience like the child soldiers, the crisis in Darfur, and racism just to name a few.
The show opened up with a short slideshow that was reminiscent of the classic kid show “The Reading Rainbow.” The slideshow gave the audience a preview of the storyline of the play. In Act one of the play, the individuals portraying the father and mother of the play, Demi Olubanwo, a junior in communication, and Jennifer Udom, a junior in biological sciences, dealing with the bad behavior of their son and daughter who, in the beginning, are a little out of control. After much consideration, they came up with the idea that they would trick their children into believing that they were going to Paris when instead they were going to Central Africa and being put into a reformatory school. By the time the children figure out what is going on, it is too late. With the children’s passports in hand, the parents left them at the school and returned home to America.
Being there only a few days, the children had grown tired of the school and were planning their escape; they manage to escape by bribing one of the security guards. After they had escaped, intermission came which was soon followed by Act two. The children’s journey on the way to an airport so that they could go home, they ran into various situations.
First to earn more money, Lola, the daughter, competed in the African Idol (similar to American Idol) and won; after the contest, the children found themselves at a wedding which served as a mini-modeling show that showcased traditional African clothing. They then ran into two dancing troupes, Bolewa and Shamal; Bowela is a traditional African dance group and Shamal is a belly-dancing group. However, in between these performances, members of ASU gave informative pieces of information about the various issues in Africa including genocide, children soldiers, and apartheid.
Next there was the men of ASU doing gumboot dancing, which unknown to many, is a precursor to what we know today as stepping. Following their performance was a spoken word segment done by Janiece Cooley, a freshman in biological sciences, with Cory Hinton, a junior in mechanical engineering at the drums. The title of the poem she read was “Black Before I knew it.”
At the end of play, the children finally understood what they were doing wrong and learned to not only understand but respect their parents for who they are and where they came from. During the closing remarks, the performing groups were recognized alongside with the co-presidents of ASU.
At the conclusion of the event, many students expressed how they enjoyed the show and felt that it went very well this year.
“I enjoyed the concepts of the play and felt that they were informative about various issues occurring in Africa today,” said Margarita Shirley, a sophomore in communication.
Chinyere Onuoha, a sophomore in biomedical engineering and a participate in the show said that the members of ASU put in a lot of effort to put this event together and that it was well worth it.
07 Apr
Students got the opportunity to show off their original fashion designs for not only exposure, but the chance to win a scholarship at the 12th annual African American Textile Society Fashion Expose last Thursday in Stewart Theatre.
AATS has held this show every year in an effort to showcase the talents of participating students in textiles. Participating in the show were nine designers, eight of which majoring in textile and apparel management and each with their own unique style and theme. The show was judged by a group of professionals and faculty, and hosted by an entertaining Gabriel Ross, a senior in arts applications, who performed impressions of Barack Obama, accents and other random but interesting gestures throughout the show.
Richelle Smith, a senior, presented a line called “Follow the Graffiti Brick Road.” She described her line as “urban style dresses with graffiti prints.” Her theme was very evident in the patterned dresses she presented, in colorful shades. Many of her dresses had cutouts in the back while models walked the runway to “Fire Fire” by music artist M.I.A.
Also a senior, the next designer Grace Beal’s line was called “Back in the Hop.” She described it as “evolved silhouettes from the 1950’s, inspired by an icon of the era.” Her line was full of fun spring colors such as pink, white and green and full skirts; some of which had bows fashioned at the waist on the back. Her dresses were fitted on top, but full on the bottom and allowed much freedom of movement.
Jasmine Doltie, a junior, presented spring dresses in beautiful shades as well, in her line called “How Does Your Garden Grow?” Doltie’s dresses were charming in shades of royal blue, blue and green to name a few; some of which had carefully placed flower details that really made the garden theme come alive. Doltie described her line as ” Garden Party dresses with silk floral accents, following the garden’s evolution from bud to bloom.”
Although he was the only male designer in the show, Garry Atkinson, a senior in industrial design did not shy away from the bright and fun colors that are representative of spring in his line called “Illusion Brand.” Atkinson showcased impressive needlework, showing creative men’s shorts with patches of bright color. The colors included a bright aqua, yellow and purple. Atkinson described Illusion Brand as “Lifestyle gear for strong minded thinkers of the future.”
“Hedda Maria” was student Marissa Monroe’s line, which represented and followed the progression of flowers (growth). Her line was an array of dress lengths and shapes and ranged from subtle green to a long pink dress with a yellow and blue sheer layer on top of it. Hedda Maria was described as “a variety of spring dresses and hair accessories that resemble the natural progression of a flower.”
For intermission, Jared Fontaine, Ayesha Atkinson and Sean Ingram graced the stage with spoken word performances. Fontaine detailed his close affair with poetry, while Atkinson discussed her thoughts of people’s misuse and neglect of time. Ingram encouraged the audience to go for their dreams while accompanied by a band two men on drums and a guitar, playing in the background as he spoke.
When the show resumed, models strutted down the white runway carefully holding teacups palm up in one hand for seniors Claire Stanhope and Brittany Erb’s line “Les temps sont durs por le reveurs” titled in French. They presented black fitted dresses, some with red zippers up the back, and several floral prints, as well as a few flowing dresses. The line is described as “Fabulous, fancy, flirty frocks.”
A metaphoric representation of life and finding your path” was used to describe junior Ashley Tucker’s line called “Baptized in Black Light.” The line included both men’s and women’s clothes full of cardigans, risen pants and leggings in shades of black, purple, gray and white. Models walked to “Amazing” by hip-hop artist, Kanye West.
The audience was in for a real treat when senior Jessica Fulks broke the traditional runway method that prevailed throughout the night so far, by including campus dance group DanceVisions in the presenting of her line “Lache’ .” Members of the dance company reached out with flowing arms to models entering the runway in clothes in a variety of styles and shapes, with full and fitted skirts and dresses that were almost geometric and varied in length.
Her line included red, black and white. In the description of her line, Fulks wrote “Shown through rough edges and the contours of the fabric, I wanted to shine light on what is known as too urban to be considered high fashion.”
The final designer for the night to showcase her work was Kim Ray, a senior who is also majoring in business administration, whose line was called “Insane Serenity.” She described her line as “Ready-to-Wear apparel inspired by the bright colors and bold prints of the 60’s.” Ray’s line included spring and summer worthy short jumpsuits as well as full dresses and fitted long body flattering dresses with cut outs in flirty places such as the back or side of the body. Her color palette included aqua, white, and pretty patterns.
While the judges deliberated, Tashonda Haugabrook performed with a small band for the audience to enjoy. Designer Kim Ray won first place, and $400. “I am very excited about winning, I worked really hard for this day; practically everyday of the week this semester and it paid off” said Ray. ” I was really surprised when I heard my named called for first place because I wasn’t sure if I was going to win because there were so many great designers in the show. I am happy to have won, and hopefully there will be more exciting things to come in the future” she said.
The judges awarded Fulks second place and $200, as well as Best in Show, while the attendees voted her showcase Audience Favorite. In reference to the awards Fulks expressed her desire to win first place but said “Kim did a really great job on her line.”
She also said “My models were fun to work with as well as DanceVisions, so I’m happy that WE got Best in Show.” Fulks expressed how pleased she was that so many people in the audience liked her line and she felt that the show went well.
The event was very organized and well worth the ticket price that not only gave students a chance to show off their designs, but their ability to put together a great show as well. Students were provided with each designer’s email in each program schedule, in case they wanted to inquire about any of the designs they saw in the show.
02 Apr
I think I’ve lived in Raleigh long enough to be considered a “Raleighite,” having subjected the city to pet names like “Raleighwood” and “RaRa.” I can’t think of anywhere else to go other than the state’s capital. Raleigh is my home now.
So how fitting is it to give back to the city and devote time and service in celebrating the community that brought us both the Carolina Hurricanes and Clay Aiken? Service Raleigh is a chance to do just that, to join thousands of Raleigh citizens whom actually care about this great city and want to impact the community. It is a day for students from various organizations on campus to go out to sites around the city, working on service projects like helping out in homeless shelters or planting trees. It takes a numerous effort to volunteer, one that can only be fueled by a love for the city, a love of Raleighwood.
Yet, I felt this year’s event, in its twelfth year, was extremely disorganized and disproportionate. I felt some of the jobs weren’t service at all. Landscaping? I would be better off feeding the homeless or reading to children than planting petunias on church property. It gives me the suspicion that they’re exploiting us for free labor.
But I loved Raleigh enough to get up on a Saturday morning, despite the early hour and the talks of rain and cancellations. I signed up to volunteer with my fellow DJs from WKNC, as an attempt to meet music-obsessed individuals like myself. So many students pass the DJ training class each year, it’s really hard to get to know people at the station, much less their real name.
“Your name is?” I start an awkward introduction with a DJ. She smiles and tells me her real name, but then I pause and do a double take. “What’s your DJ name?” I ask. I nod knowingly at her second response, though it was hard to see the purveyor of mo-town in the shape of a sweet, little girl.
We stood around amid a sea of shirts depicting the iconic wolf emblem, which strangely resembled Shepard Fairley’s iconic Obama poster, and ate a breakfast of doughnuts and bagels. Soon after, we were joined by a group of graduate students in communication, whose team leader didn’t show up, and headed out to our field sites.
It was only a short little while before our car hit a pothole and blew out two tires. “This is what happens when you try to do something good,” I quip. Naturally, the grad students weren’t in the mood for jokes. We waited around for a towing agency and met up with the Wakeboard and Waterski Club at a local farm. Our assignment: build a greenhouse.
We stood around some more for the captain to show up- a generous man who eats yard work for breakfast, metaphorically speaking. ‘Who’s got gloves?” he barked. I had, but I wasn’t going to raise my hand if no one else was going to. I dug my grandma gloves deeper into my pocket. The captain looked a bit downtrodden at first, but quickly overcame his anguish. He directed orders to the wake boarders and handed them some heavy metal bars.
I felt a tap on my shoulder. “Do you want to go to the church?” asks one of the grad students. The church was the other field site with mostly landscaping work and no handling of heavy metal bars. Given the promise of less labor-inducing work, I complied. “Yeah, let’s go to church,” I said. In the car ride back, I realized “church” was a code word for “bail.” We left Service Raleigh without doing any actual, well, service. “It’s ridiculous,” she griped, “There wasn’t anything for us to do. We might as well just stand around for two hours.”
Don’t get her wrong. She loves Raleigh. We all do. But maybe she’d love it even more if its potholes didn’t blow out two of her tires. It may seem selfish, but frankly, I don’t blame her. The drones of people don’t just come out for the free t-shirts and breakfast. Students come out every year in the thousands because they want to help out around the city, and that’s where Service Raleigh failed them. This year’s event wasn’t very well-structured. No one had a sense of where to go or what to do. Unprepared as we were, it was still just really frustrating to stand around waiting all day for something to happen when we should be actively engaging in something meaningful. Have us fill in some of those potholes. At least that would be useful.
Better luck next year, RaRa.
