17 Nov
Posted November 17, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Nicole Machado, a junior in Textile and Apparel Management, was honored as the 2009 female Leader of the Pack. Machado was one of three female finalists in the running for this prestigious award. On November 7, 2009, all finalists were invited to the NC State vs. Maryland Homecoming football game to find out the results of the competition. As she stood in the center of the field at Carter Finley Stadium, Machado was announced as the winner and recognized by Chancellor James Woodard.
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02 Nov
Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Last modified on November 10th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
When asked if they knew someone who is or has been in a violent relationship, many people in the room raised their hands much to the surprise of many in the crowd. However, according to a recent study, the issue is a lot more prominent than what people might think. The study reveals that one out of four women (25%) will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. Last Wednesday, The Movement and The Women’s Center hosted Crossing the Cultural Barriers Panel Discussion, as one of the events coordinated by the groups to raise awareness during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
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02 Nov
Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:55 pm
Recently, Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA enacted its new appropriate attire policy. In this new policy, eleven expectations have been set to show how Morehouse men are expected to dress. Examples of this new dress policy include no do-rags, no women’s clothing, and no sagging in the classroom or at campus events. Most would wonder why being an all male school, Morehouse would even have to outline a rule banning women’s clothing. While many believe that Morehouse’s dress code policy change was targeted at reviving the image of masculinity on campus, the policy change brings up an interesting debate. While there are many people who agree with this policy, there are just as many who disagree. These new rules have stirred a debate regarding dress codes on college campuses. However, there are a couple of questions that could be addressed. The first question is what constitutes appropriate dress on a college campus? Secondly, should students be told what to wear? Lastly, do the clothes that African American males wear really define who they are?
So what exactly is the appropriate dress for a college campus? Many college campuses have no set standards that say what is and what is not appropriate on campus. Walking on many college campuses it is possible to see students wearing sweat pants, pajamas, do-rags, etc. North Carolina State University has no defined code of dress. Many schools really could care less what students are wearing as long as they pay tuition, come to class, learn, and graduate. After all students come to college to become educated. There are many articles of clothing which have no place in the classroom, but shouldn’t students know that article of clothing is right or wrong? College is a place where most students start to become more responsible. So shouldn’t they be responsible to regulate their dress? By now, students should know what to wear when they go to a job interview. There is a time and a place to wear specific attire. Is college really the time to be giving lessons on dress etiquette? College however is supposed to prepare students of what they can expect in the “real world.” When it comes to the “real world”, people don’t exactly get the opportunity to choose what they want to wear to work. So one might say that if we are preparing students for the real world, maybe there should be some sort of dress policy in place.
This brings us to the question, regarding whether students should be told what to wear. Many students may believe that their clothes are one of the elements which make them who they are. College is supposed to be the best years of a person’s life. College is the stoplight between childhood and the real world. It’s a time when students can explore new ideas, learn themselves, and decide what they want to do in life. With all the stresses of studying, finances, career decisions, should clothing be added to the list? What changes will regulating student dress really bring? While, statistics have shown that uniforms in high school seem to change the atmosphere, one must realize that college and high school are on two different levels. If a dress code was to show up at some place like NC State, who would police this policy? Would it even be possible for someone to police the attire of more than 34,000 people on a daily basis?
It seems that when it comes to concerns with clothing in today’s society, African American males stand at the forefront. Some people feel as if the style in which African American men have taken on is disrespectful and juvenile. They feel as if the clothes that African American males choose to wear further hinder themselves from success. One must ask, will putting on a suit and tie suddenly erase the achievement gap? What about trying to have resources to educate black males to make the right decisions in life. What about making sure that more jobs are readily available. What about inspiring more African American men to become teachers. There are much bigger problems that need to be addressed before we start worrying about an image. Putting a suit on a thug is not guaranteed to change his mentality.
02 Nov
Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:55 pm
After the initial excitement of freshman year, our daily activities can seem rather mundane. The routine of waking up, going to class, going to work, doing homework and then going to sleep gets really old really fast. We are young and somehow our lives are already lacking excitement. To combat this feeling of hollowness we, intentionally or unintentionally, create drama. The reality is that drama is not good for anyone and some of its negative consequences are irreversible.
It’s common for people to say “I don’t do drama” or “I’m drama free”, but in actuality those are the ones who create the most drama. One area where I have witnessed a major amount of drama is between groups of friends. At first I was appalled because your friends are supposed to be your backbone and your breath of fresh air in this hectic world. Friends are the family you choose, so why so much drama? I’ve noticed that once we hit the college environment and see how big it is, we feel overwhelmed and insignificant. We no longer have the identity we had in high school. Very few people, if any, know who you are and sometimes that leads to feelings of low self worth. To get this much needed feeling of self worth we then start to make changes within ourselves that will draw attention to us. These actions can include changing the way you dress, talk, act etc. While creating this “new identity” you can loose your true self. This new person you’ve become can then cause clashes between you and your friends. You then may start to alienate your true friends or try to out shine them with your so-called fabulousness. I’ve seen people turn into selfish, boisterous, arrogant individuals all for the sake of attention. Their lives are stimulated by drama and that is what they are known for. They then have no real friends, just a whole crowd of people around them who only stick around them for superficial reasons. People need to realize that NC State University is not College Hill. You are not getting paid to act ridiculous. Becoming a fake person and pushing away your real friends is one of the worst things you could do.
Drama can also ensue over significant others. Having an intimate connection with someone on a higher level than friendship is exciting and something many of us crave. This is a great thing, but the problems begin when the significant other gets in the way of the other constant things in your life. Sometimes it may not even be the significant others fault. You could be the clingy one. Spending every waking and sleeping moment with each other is unhealthy. You can become jealous and obsessive without realizing it. I have been witness to a myriad of broken friendships based on the idea that the individual blamed his/her friends for trying to steal his/her significant other. The key is prioritizing. If there is a dramatic situation brewing between your significant other and friends think about who benefits you the most. Who is there for you when you need them? Who doesn’t judge you? Who loves you for you? Pick the one(s) who you feel are real and true.
A big part of this drama ordeal is the urge to be known around campus. It amazes me how people want to have some type of fame around campus and not for the right reasons. The more people you know the higher potential for drama. If you want to known for be academic reasons or for networking then that is great. Getting to know people of all demographics will definitely help you in the long run, personally and academically. Wanting to be known can be negative when your only motive is to get into parties and social events. You can end up in the wrong crowd of people who want nothing more than to make you just like them. You may even feel pressure to “perform” in front of people constantly. Being around people who don’t really know you can be mentally and physically exhausting. Appearing as someone that you are not and trying to assimilate yourself to their liking wastes your time and others.
We are all too old for drama. We are not living in the fabricated existences that are created in reality shows. Try your best to keep the drama in your life to a minimum. You can have an exciting life without you being in other people’s business and them being in yours.
02 Nov
Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:54 pm
Reminiscent of ‘Why Did I Get Married’ the film by well-known film and play write Tyler Perry, “Couples Retreat” by Peter Billingsley tells the story of a couples retreat to Eden. After failing to conceive Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) are close to getting a divorce and in their last attempt to keep the flame of their relationship alive. They arrive at Eden, having pre-planned every spare moment of their time together. The other couples, Dave (Vince Vaughn) and Ronnie (Malin Akerman), Joey (Jon Favreau) and Lucy (Kristen Davis), and recently divorced Shane (Faizon Love) and his girlfriend Trudy (Kali Hawk), reluctantly agree to come along after they are guilt tripped and tricked into believing it will be a trip full of sun and fun. The trip is full of ups and downs and eventual insight into the dire straights of all of their relationships. As funny as the movie was with great actors and actresses the truth of the film hits a nerve raw from the Kappa Xi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated’s program on relationships. Why is it that often those who believe they have a good relationship have relationships that are lacking the most? Maybe the familiarity and comfort with that person causes us to lose the passion to keep the relationship going and allows us to be comfortable simply existing together. No matter what the cause, ‘Couples Retreat’ does a great job of showing people the true nature of relationships and what we all need to make it work. I recommend everyone go see the movie and watch and learn.
02 Nov
Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:53 pm
The first kind is sighting. The second is evidence of existence. The third is contact with the unknown, and the Fourth, abduction. This is the topic of the film, The Fourth Kind, by Olatunde Osunsanmi. In the trailer the main character, an actress Milla Jovovich, identifies herself and states that every scene that appears in the film can be backed up by film evidence. The movie tells the story of psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler. In the film while treating her patients with a type of hypnosis called hypnotherapy, she stumbles upon her patients belief that they were abducted by aliens. Throughout the trailer there is the appearance of home videos as Dr. Tyler interrogates her patients. They seemed scared and as if something had indeed happened to them, adding to the idea that this movie could be real. This is indicated by in one scene, someone speaking in Samarian, the oldest known language on earth. There was a pre-screening here at N.C. State University of the the movie and Britné Hackett, a sophomore in biomedical engineering states, “The movie was not scary, but it was abnormal. It made you think that aliens could actually abduct you and nobody would know.” This leads into a bigger question, is there intelligent life outside of planet earth that has the ability to come abduct us and use us for experiments without the majority of the population ever knowing. Of course there is heated debate over the topic and I will not get into it, but there are people who believe both sides. I am very interested in the release of the film.
02 Nov
Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:53 pm
This past Thursday, the Black Students Board held a discussion about the state of the Black community here in the Student Senate Chambers. The discussion titled “Black in NC State” was inspired by the CNN special “Black in America”. The main goal was to get a feel of how African American students felt here at State. Several topics discussed were the state of the black community, student involvement, personal initiative, unity, and challenges. For the most part, most students felt that the African American community was strong for the most part, but with everything comes concerns.
One of the main concerns of students during the discussion was students in the African American community going to more entertainment related programs than educational ones. The general consensus was that when it comes to events such as comedy shows, parties, and concerts there is always a full house; however, when it comes to educational programs many seats are left unfilled. A similar comment associated with this topic was the notion that the African American community only seems to unite when they are targeted by hate or something that only affects African Americans. One example used to describe this situation was last year’s NAACP meeting following the racist remarks written in the Free Expression Tunnel. During this event, there was little to no standing room in the Washington Sankofa Room of the Witherspoon Student Center. Many students were able to unite for that one night to address their issues with NC State’s handling of the situation. However, when it comes to other issues that are on a more general basis, the African American community seems to be not be united. The belief is that the campus community as a whole, views it that most African Americans at State only speak out about issues in that directly affect them.
There was also a call for African American students to get involved on campus on a larger scale. Students believed that if people only do things with certain groups that will be the only people that will ever get to see what they can do. This was not saying that students should not do things with certain groups; more so that students should not limit what they do, because they are the only ones there that look like them. Also, some students felt that sometimes people tend to only participate in activities with their respective organizations. The feeling was that some people tend to not want to get involved in certain programs and events if it is not held by their organization. All in all, students believed that students should take personal initiative to go outside the box and do things that they don’t usually do.
The discussion was a way of the African American community to start talking and addresses some concerns on campus. Some may or may not agree with some of the concerns, but everyone can not always agree on everything.
02 Nov
Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Greek life at NCSU was something I thought I knew a little bit about, but after attending the NCSU Greek Award Ceremony, I realized that the magnitude is something I never imagined. The term “Greek” defines hundreds of students here who have decided to further their college experience by joining an organization which often prides itself on community service, brother or sisterhood, having fun, and presenting programs to better educate the student body. This Greek body is made up of four main groups according to the schools Greek life website, The Collaborative Greek Council, Interfraternity Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council and The Panhellenic Association. As I entered Stewart Theatre, I saw many different fraternities and sororities finding their way to their seats. The award ceremony began with a speech by Howard Pickett, a graduate student and a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. As awards began to be distributed, I was surprised by the fact that although the National Pan-Hellenic Council was the smallest in numbers they were well represented. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated especially stood out in my mind because the organization won five different awards. Delisa Adams, a Delta Sigma Theta, won the award for Senior Diamond and Jadrien Brown, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, was inducted into the Order of Omega. This is a group that recognizes the top three percent of the campuses Greek community. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated won the campus leadership and involvement awards and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Incorporated won the Outstanding Fraternity Award. The ladies of pink and green, formally known as Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority Incorporated and the ladies of Delta Zeta sorority, shared the title of Outstanding Sorority Award. As the award show was brought to a close, a buzz started across the audience as the announcement was made that the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated would be stepping. As they took the stage I was amused as other members of fraternities in the room poorly imitated the steppers. I look forward to this year as new members enter the world of Greek life. Let’s see what they can bring to our campus.
02 Nov
Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:33 pm
Although October is a month notorious for Halloween and personally my birthday, it is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Unfortunately, numerous women around the world are forced to face the devastating reality of being diagnosed with the sometimes fatal disease: breast cancer. Specifically, physicians are obligated to deliver the traumatic news to more African American women. African American women are not simply diagnosed at a higher rate than women of other races, but the disease is more fatal in African American women. These fatalities render disparities in family unity, as mothers, sisters, and daughters become victims of this terrible, but treatable disease.
Current research reveals a disturbing, but eye opening fact: many women diagnosed with breast cancer fail to receive healthcare, notably those of African American descendent. Research done in regards to breast cancer fatality rates in African American women suggest that the tumors that develop in African American women are more destructive and that African American women are less receptive to the vital treatment. Additionally, African American women do not have the various opportunities that allow them to continuously receive vital treatments, based on their income. For example, many African American mothers are single parents which may force them to face the constraints of poverty in a suffering economy. Consequently, these women become underprivileged and uninsured, resulting in a late diagnosis that causes their treatment to be ineffective.
Cancer is a disease where early detection is vital and is simply the best chance for any possible cure. Due to the various odds against African American women, like the inability to receive treatment based on socio-economic issues, African American are forced to begin treatment at the worst possible time, the advanced stage. This is probably why African American women have the lowest survival rates when compared with other races.
Given that African American women have the highest rate of fatality in regards to breast cancer, than women of any other race in the later years of their life it is vital that they initiate proper treatment. African American women should get mammograms, which are routine screenings that may detect any abnormality in the breasts, in the earlier years of life rather than their latter. Proactive attitudes towards breast cancer allows for the proper identification of any red flags, with respect to breast cancer, that must be taken into consideration at an premature date, which then allows these women to implement the necessary treatment and eventually obtain a cure for this unfortunate disease.
As I mentioned before there are some odds against African American women, which may prevent African American women from discovering breast cancer in its early stages. This leaves the question: How do I detect breast cancer in its earlier stages if I simply cannot afford to? Determination is imperative. There are many clinics that offer free mammograms and since it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month there may in fact be actual health care centers that offer mammograms for free. A common fallacy is the fear of being helped. Do not be afraid to ask for help.
Awareness can ensure that this disease does not become fatal, which is why awareness is the best weapon when combating this disease. All women, men, and children must be aware of what they can do to combat breast cancer, and more importantly be aware of their family tree. They must know who in their families were taken away by breast cancer, that way measures can be taken in order to catch it in its premature stages, such as genetic testing. Remember, this is not only the month when it begins to get chilly and you dress up in what scares you the most; but it is also the month of breast cancer awareness and the fatality rate is far more chilling and scary than those creatures and the weather.
02 Nov
Posted November 2, 2009 at 11:32 pm
As week five comes to a close and week six begins the semester seems like it’s slipping away. With multiple tests and assignments due and engagements to extracurricular activities, we find ourselves feeling overwhelmed or stressed. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, “two-thirds of office visits to family doctors are for stress-related symptoms.”
What is stress? According to ehealthMD.com, “stress is the emotional and physical strain caused by our response to pressure from the outside world”. This means that everyone’s personal response to a situation will differ from the next person’s. Stress can be very helpful in some ways causing you to rise to the occasion and effectively solve your problems, and in fact it may be argued that without stress our lives would be pointless or boring, but when one feels extremely stressed it can cause damage to your health. When you face a stressful event or find yourself in “overload” a lot of things are happening in your body.
MedicineNet.com gives a simple overview of the biological process saying, “[first] the hypothalamus releases a compound corticotrophin factor (CRF). The CRF then travels to the pituitary gland, where it triggers the release of a hormone, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH). ACTH is released into the bloodstream and causes the cortex of the adrenal gland to release the stress hormones, particularly cortisol. Cortisol increases the availability of the body’s fuel supply, which is needed to respond to stress. However, if cortisol levels remain elevated for too long muscle breaks down, there is a decreased inflammatory response, and suppression of the immune system occurs”. Not only is there a direct biological effect of stress but it also causes us to engage in unhealthy activities such as binge drinking, smoking, and comfort eating, which can cause harm to the rest of the body.
What causes stress? Because everyone’s outlook on life is different we all have different definitions of what a stressful event is. For example, some may be stressed about giving a speech in class and others may not have any feelings, or some may be stressed about starting a new job and others may be excited. Stress affects most of the nation’s college students. The National College Health Assessment, a research survey group that specializes in gathering information about college students, reports that out of 17,000 students that were surveyed 25% of them has felt so stressed it was difficult to function three to eight times in the past month. Some reasons that college students become stressed is the amount of schoolwork, wanting to fit in socially, or just the new environment.
Stress can be a very complex biological process, but on the contrary can be easily managed. Some things you can do to relieve stress are eat healthy, exercise regularly, or just talk to someone about the things you’re going through. Fortunately all of these things can be done here on campus. If you want to eat healthy instead of snacking on a Snickers Bar or guzzling three Red Bulls you can visit any of the three dining halls to get a well balanced meal, including dessert. If you don’t like dining hall food you can also walk to Carmichael Gymnasium for a light workout and even get a personal trainer. Don’t have the time to work out? University offered counselors, who can be found in the Student Health Services building, are always there to listen and can also help with academic concerns when you cannot meet with your advisor. During exam week clubs and organizations will offer services such as massages or just Krispy Kreme Donuts and coffee to minimize the stress on students. There are a lot of resources available to students that suffer from stress, but you have to recognize when you’re stressed
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