OFF CAMPUS LIVING

Over the years at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University there have been much speculation with incoming students over the importance of living off campus.

Off campus living suggests that you've reached some level of maturity and responsibility, which is almost the exact opposite of life in dorms, where students are subjected to rules and weekly fire drills.

Jessica Davis, a junior at NC A&T is a part of the swim team and said,“(The athletic dorms have there on rules and regulations, one in particular that bothered me was the 11:30pm curfews.”

The issue is the lack of freedom, the idea of not being able to do whatever you want to do while living on campus. (Because of the restrictions), many students after their freshman year opt to move off campus, where they can be treated like adults and be held to those same responsibilities.

There are still some things about on campus-living that off campus students envy.

Kelvon Barkley, a junior business and mathematics major, said, "I miss getting to classes faster, and knowing about activities, events and programs happening on campus."

"Alot of events are promoted in the dorms, you can go to the door or look at the bulletin board and see a series of programs".

In addition many organizations on campus do "dorm storms". (Last year I remember seeing students going around dorms and knocking on doors passing out candy influencing people to go vote. "This type of dedication and openness is not really adhered to off campus students" said Jessica Hallager, who lives off campus.

"I also miss being within the social community of the dorms and hanging out with friends" said Barkley.

Davis even mentioned that the main luxury of living on campus was going back to your rooms in between classes and taking naps; moreover, having food already cooked for you in the cafe.

Although off campus students may reminisce on benefits they had staying on campus, off campus living is more free and spacious.

"I love living off campus i get to have my own room, bathroom, an kitchen." said Davis

Barkley made similar statements saying, "I get to have my own space and there's no curfew for visitors."

Today's main issue with off campus living for the past to years has been security, since the murders of two A&T students Dennis Hayle and Derrick Hodge. Due to those tragic events many apartments complexes have set up cameras and extra security devices.

Hallager a resident of Campus East Apartments said, "I feel really safe her, our apartment has a security alarm, plus there's a gate that requires a key in order for people to even get into the apartment building".

Campus East apartments is one of the safest complexes to live. she said

In all the only other issue with off campus living is on campus parking, many students complained about why should we pay so much money for a parking pass when there is often nowhere to park; which concludes to being late for class or not making it to class at all.

In Due time NC A&T will probably bridge these gaps that stand in between are educational highs, but till then we just have to learn how to deal with them.

Special Thanks to Jessica Hallager, Jessica Davis, and Kelvon Barkley
By: Giancarlo Spells

NC A&T's Lost of Connection with the Community

Throughout the years North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has undergone many cultural changes parallel to the changes of time. These changes include both negative and positive, but the one change that Alumni and current students mostly always bring up is the lost of connection and presents of NC A&T within the Greensboro community.

The city of Greensboro is currently dealing with a lot of troubling issues concerning black on black crime, police brutality, gang violence, injustices within the police gang unit, injustices within the law, and the gentrification of black areas for the building of residence halls and apartments for college universities. Mostly if not all of this information of such acts goes ignored on A&T’s campus until somehow A&T gets pulled into the picture.

Wesley Morris a community organizer and an A&T graduate of 2007 said, “The culture has changed and has put less of a priority on community organizing, and the priorities have been internalized sole to the campus.”

For example there have been many black on black crimes in the city of Greensboro that have resulted in death, but it wasn’t until the death of two A&T students did the campus try to reach out as a unit and do something about it. Even then students strived for “Campus Saftey” not city wide safety.

It wasn’t always this way, Dr. Samuel Moseley a political science professor noted in his text book “American National and State Government” that during the 60’s and 70’s A&T students and faculty were heavily involved in the community. Organizations such as The Student Organization for Black Unity (SOBU) which was created in 1969 in the A&T student union ballroom and its newspaper the “African World”, also other organizations off campus such as Greensboro Association of Poor people (GAPP) and the Foundation for community development (FCD) students were involved in.

Students of this time period protested police brutality, racism, and inhumane treatment of blacks while at the same time building as a unit to fight for a cause.

Shirley Samuel a Bennet Bell of 65’-68’ said “there was more cohesiveness amongst students and attitude about being an aggie, as far as influence A&T was the parent of Dudley high school”

She describes the relationship between A&T and Dudley with the same correlation that middle schools have with their connected high schools.

Additionally the affection and love that the professors had for the students had a high level of influence said Samuel, she noted that back then teachers and professors prepared students for the real world not just for the test; they didn’t teach everything from out of a book and took extra time to teach other valuable life lessons. This important characteristic is missing in most of today’s professors and teachers said Samuel.

“It’s a challenge, but there’s still potential for A&T to reach out; the beloved community center has meetings from one to three every Wednesdays and is open for people to bring their issues concerning the city of Greensboro and ideas of upliftment” said Morris.

“NC A&T has a strong connection with the Greensboro community only throughout homecoming; were there’s a concert and a big football game, so now it’s commercialized” said Samuel.

“The Homecoming parade use to be a classic involving all surrounding high schools, colleges and organizations, it not only involved A&T but it involved the City of Greensboro, Winston Salem, and Highpoint, it was also a dress up affair you would show up to the event in your finest of formal wear.”

What does A&T need to do to connect back with the community and be just as strong and just as influential as we were in the 60’ and 70’?

“Cleanup, Within the University Professors need to care about the students and the University as a whole needs to get back to the basics” said Samuel.

“A&T needs to start reaching out to the community, and raise the level of physical presence within the community” said Morris.

November 4th, there will be a march from the aggie 4 statue to downtown Greensboro Historical Museum at 6pm. At the museum there will be a showing of the documentary film “Closer to the truth”, dealing with the events of the November 3^rd, 1979 massacre.

Special Thanks to Wesley Morris, Shirley Samuel, and Dr. Samuel Moseley

By: Giancarlo Spells

HIP HOP CULTURE FIGHTING FOR BALANCE

A&T’s decision to take its name off the homecoming concert featuring controversial rapper Gucci mane has sparked discussions on hip hop's current status on campus.

In the beginning of the hip hop culture the style of art was freestyle based, always proving a knowledgeable point. Through spoken word, dance, graffiti, and song, viewpoints were expounded upon political, social, economical, and other issues that dealt with our everyday lives.

"Hip hop has always been a reflection of society, backed by drugs sex and violence; the difference was the balanced level of content," said Bryan Turman, a professor at A&T who teaches a popular course on hip hop.

"Then you chose what to listen to, there was variety you can jump from a Niggas With Attitude gang tip, to a tribe called Quest storytelling tip, and end on a political level with Public Enemy."

The Problem today is that the youth "dont have a choice of what mainstream hip hop artists to identify with.

The level of influence on our youth is high, and current day mainstream hip hop continues to feed a narrow lane of messages, he said.

“Children and teenagers these days mirror whatever is popular in mainstream media” said Shawanda White," a library security officer, who is concerned about the music her children listen to.

"Consequently these messages consist of drugs, violence, sex, gang affiliations, and degrade women," she said.

UNC TV posted a fact stating, "More than 90 percent of record lables, magazines, tv stations, radio stations and retailers disseminating hip hop related products are white owned."

Could this possibly be the problem, African Americans not owning their own art?

Darius Pandy, an A&T student who is also a hip hop fan, noted the current issue concerning mainstream hip hop and connected it to a historical connotation saying, "Even back in the 80's you had your conscious hip hop music and your party hip hop music; but once mainstream media got a hold of it the style became less artful and more of a minstrel show."

"There’s been a depreciation for the art, it use to be both conscious and party but now it’s just party, party, party, let’s all get wasted," said Pandy.

Pandy noticed the disrespect for the art in the song "Wasted". It Sends out an negative implication of being under the influence, but it's one of the more popular songs today.

"We need to get back to our roots making songs about bettering our society, and meaningful issues that we can relate to," said White.

"Today’s popular hip hop is still a form of art. The only issue is the lack of diversity", said Turman. "The art of hip hop has been co modified to fit one style and only that style is receiving high quality funding."

Due to this modification many aspiring rappers feel that the road to success is to perpetuate common stereotypes, said Turman and others interviewed for this article.

“It would be better if all of the different range of artists got the same type of funding, the same amount of money put into artists such as Lil Wayne and Gucci should be put into artists such as Lupe Fiasco and Common," said Turman.

He said, if such equality existed among hip hop artist within the mainstream industry, then the youth would be able to pick and choose who to identify with and who not. Teenagers who are into politics could listen to political artists, same with subjects such as Afrocentricity, spirituality, dance, and lots of others.

"Artists that truly speak about issues within our community and abroad that are different with styles and subject matter still make hip hop music you just got to find them" said Madison Bowden, an A&T student. The mainstream media makes such artists hard to find.

For more info go to Hip Hop Issues.
Special Thanks to Bryan Turman, Shawanda White, Darius Pandy, and Madison Bowden
By Giancarlo Spells