Students: HU professors did not stress civic virtue this election year

By Shemar Woods

Just a year ago, the first Tuesday in November created chaos around Hampton University’s campus.

For this year’s election, the buzz has fizzled out tremendously. Many students roam the campus unaware that Nov. 3 was Election Day.

“I didn’t even realize there was an election,” said Norbert Jones, a senior finance major from Long Island, N.Y. “People aren’t campaigning like they were last year to get the word out, which I think has had a significant impact.”

There has been a fair share of coverage during this year’s election campaign, but students from all over the country who attend HU share a common lack of interest.

Students say they “are not from Virginia,” or they “don’t know the candidates platform,” or “two years isn’t long enough to make a change.”

The low priority can be applied to Hampton University professors.

This year, no was little to no evidence of exemptions given to students who wanted to make a trip over to the polls to cast their poll, a complete reversal from 2008, when there was an unwritten rule that classes would be canceled on the Tuesday of the historical election.

“The teachers didn’t stress the importance of voting this year in classes,” said Edmund Dunn, a senior business major from Chicago.

The election teachers did not stress and students overlooked was between Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds. President Barack Obama came down to Hampton Roads last week to speak at Old Dominion University on behalf of Deeds, who eventually lost the election Tuesday night.

McDonnell’s big win was surprising yet easy. He collected 59 percent of the vote. The win also broke an eight-year streak, where Democrats had won the last two races for governor.

“I don’t see how his election will really affect us over the next two years,” said Jones. “Yes, the party in control has changed, but two years is not a very long term.”

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Hampton U. students vote, or not

By Kelli Esquilin

The Monday before Election Day should be normally buzzing with people wondering and asking, “Are you voting tomorrow?”

That was not the case with many Hampton students. When asked, “Are you voting tomorrow,” many students said “no.”

“Is that tomorrow?” asked George Johnson III, an Interdisciplinary Education major from Hampton. He said since he had not gone to any informational hearings about the candidates or sought out their platforms on his own, he would not be voting Tuesday.

“I don’t want to vote aimlessly,” said Johnson, “I am a Democrat, but I won’t vote for the candidate based on his political party alone.”

Another Virginia native, Eric Marshall II, a graduate physics major from Virginia Beach, said that he is voting Tuesday.

“As Americans we are given a right to vote from birth,” Marshall said. “If you are given the chance to vote on something where the outcome would directly affect you, you should be adamant about it.”

It seemed as if only the people who lived in the area cared about who was governing it and what the outcome of the vote might be. However, Hampton University has students from all over the United States, some of whom are registered to vote in the state of Virginia.

Robert Kearney IV, sociology major from Philadelphia, said that even though he is registered to vote in Virginia, he will not be voting Tuesday. “I only registered to vote in Virginia so that my presidential vote would count for this state,” Kearney explained.

“I’m not voting because I don’t live here, so I don’t want to vote to affect those who have to live with my choice.”

That’s the way many out-of-state Hampton students feel about voting in a state they don’t expect to be in for very long.

On the other hand, “if students don’t vote – in their home state or in Virginia – they should not have the right to complain,” said Marshall after being asked why he was voting.

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Off-year election cooled some HU students’ voter interest

By Stephanie M. Smith

Last November, Hampton University students joined thousands of other college students in flooding the polls to cast votes for now Barack Obama, who is now President.

As an HBCU, it was no surprise that students took full interest in playing a role in the election of the United States’ first African-American president. Even a number of nonresident students went as far as changing their residences to Virginia in order to cast Democratic votes in that state.

On Tuesday, the election for Virginia Governor will be held but many students fail to have the same interest and/or zeal that was shown last year in the presidential elections.

“No, I’m not a VA [Virginia] resident,” said Bryant Pagan, a Hampton University senior and resident of Maryland.

For many students like Pagan, not being a resident of Virginia was enough reason for them not to take interest in the elections regardless of temporarily being in the state because of school.

For other students, they still hold on to some interest in casting their vote and letting their voice be heard, but either have not made effort to be aware of the election or do not see a need to change their residence to vote in these elections.

“I didn’t vote last year and I’d like to vote this year, but I don’t really know the candidates and what they are about and plus I don’t have a ride to the polls,” said Devon Williams, a junior from Maryland. He does not plan on putting forth extra effort to find a ride to the polls, so this year Williams will just sit this election out.

“No, I did not vote [last year] because I’m not a resident of the state,” said Jamar Johnson, a junior, from Connecticut. “If I did vote [this year] I’d vote for Deeds even though I’m not a Republican.”

[Republican Bob McDonnell Tuesday night defeated Democrat Creigh Deeds by a 59-41 percent margin.]

Despite the wishy-washy interest in the elections by most students, many who are Virginia residents feel a strong need to vote.

“I intend on voting tomorrow because I’m grown and I need to take part in the happenings of my society,” said Stacy Culler, a junior from Hampton.

“And yes I voted last year.”

It is unlikely that the polls be crowded Tuesday with students, but some may take time to vote because of their concern for their adopted Hampton University community.

The elections Tuesday will be reserved for those who have a deeper interest in government rather than just seeking to elect the first black president.

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

‘It’s finally my turn,’ says Hampton U. senior

By Chelsea Boone

Ever since she attended opening convocation her freshman year Tara Haskins has thought about the day that she would get to put on her cap and gown and march in, just as those students did. 

That day is drawing near.

On Sunday, Sept. 28, at Ogden Hall on the campus of Hampton University, the Class of 2010 seniors will take part in opening convocation. 

This is a Hampton tradition that allows the seniors to acknowledge their hard work that got them to the point they are at now, and to celebrate graduation that is now only months away.

Haskins described the anticipated day as bittersweet.

“Convocation means that I’m actually a senior and I’m about to leave Hampton University,” Haskins said.

Although opening convocation does mean the beginning of the end, Haskins has positive feelings about the upcoming ceremony.

“I’m excited. You look forward to opening convocation when you’re a freshman and you have to watch it. It’s finally my turn.”

Haskins said her years at Hampton have allowed her to grow as a person and build long lasting-friendships with people that she may not have met otherwise.

“I’ve made so many friends here. It’s going to be sad to leave them all.”

Haskins of Virginia Beach will be spending this occasion with family and friends who have supported her throughout her Hampton career.

“My mother, father, sister and brother are all coming to support me.  I’ll also be amongst my friends who I’ve known since freshman year, and some since high school. We’ve been through a lot together and now we’re graduating college together. I’ll be sitting with them; it will probably get emotional”

Haskins’ roommates and friends Rhonni Hill and Simone Martin will be at the ceremony as well.  Hill, like Haskins, is a senior at Hampton and will be a part of the ceremony. 

“I’m really excited,” said Hill. “Opening convocation means a lot. It means you’re almost at the finish line.  I’m just thankful that I get to share this experience with my closest friends, like Tara.”

Martin, a former Hamptonian who now attends Old Dominion University, will be there for the support of her two friends.

“I’m proud of Tara,” said Martin. “I’m kind of sad that I won’t be in the ceremony with her since we started at Hampton together, but I’ll be watching her and my other friends from the stands and taking pictures when it’s over.

With opening convocation being the beginning of the end for many students, Haskins has given serious thought to her life after Hampton.

“I haven’t completely decided what I’m going to do after graduation but I know I’m either doing the Teach for America program or going to graduate school to get my masters in urban education,” Haskins said.  “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher so now is my chance to finally be able to do that.  Plus, there is a great need for teachers all over the country and I can help fulfill that need.”

With the recognition that her days at Hampton are limited, Haskins is doing her best to treasure the remainder of her college days.

“I’m looking forward to the rest of the school year,” said Haskins.  “Senior year is supposed to be your best college year, and I want to cherish every bit of mine.”

ROTC changed Hampton U. senior’s social status

By Alyssa Alford      

“I’m ready to go.” Michael Turner said. “[The morning of Convocation] I’m going to wake up and eat Raisin Bran.”

Turner, who will be a participant in a milestone event on Sunday, had not picked up his required graduation cap and gown.

Turner, a print journalism major from Virginia Beach will be participating in Hampton University’s Opening Convocation. The event, held on Sunday Sept. 27 in Ogden Hall, inducts senior class students as the 2010 graduating class.          

Despite the lack of enthusiasm, Turner said he does appreciate his experience at school. It was an anticipated journey.

Turner chose Hampton University because of its importance to his life.

“My family has history here,” explained the graduating student. “My sister and parents graduated from here. My father taught here.”

The first year on Hampton University’s campus presented obstacles to Turner. He did not know what to expect at the university. In addition to his anxieties towards impressing his family and tackling a college curriculum, the freshman had to adjust to the social life different from high school.

“I didn’t enjoy my freshman year,” Turner said. “I feared not fitting in and enjoying myself.”

Initially, Turner he did not feel at home at his “Home by the Sea.” It was not until he enrolled in the campus Reserve Officers Training Core during his freshman year that he started to feel as though he belonged.

ROTC is a program that trains students for the military service while they are in school. After graduation, they must honor their commitment of serving in respected fields.

Both of Turner’s parents were ROTC cadets. Family legacy and the desire to find companionship drew the young scholar to enter the program’s Army division.

“I wanted to feel like part of something bigger, Turner said. “[ROTC] It’s like a frat without the title.”

Joining ROTC has drastically changed his social status and gave him confidence to pursue other students for friendship.

Tiffany Tompkins is one of Turner’s good friends and fellow ROTC Army member. Tompkins knows her favorite memory of her and her friend off the top of her head: When they took a trip together to the local McDonald’s.

“We stayed there for hours and talked about bodily functions and the birds and the bees,” the senior business major from Newport News recalled. This simple trip to a fast-food restaurant made plain that Turner had evolved into a self-assured young man who could bring entertainment to any situation.

Jessica Wilkins, a senior psychology major from Seoul, Korea, also met Turner through ROTC. For them, though, the road to friendship was bumpy and the duo often pushed each other off course.

“We didn’t see eye to eye when in uniform,” Wilkins said. “But he doesn’t hold that [against] you. He’s a good guy.” When asked about Turner as a student, she laughed and said, “ He is intelligent. But his punctuality is nowhere near his intelligence.”

Transitioning from being an unpopular freshman to a social butterfly preparing to graduate is one of the most important chapters in Turner’s life, almost more than the prospect of Convocation.

 “I feel a lot more comfortable,” he said. “I understand people [now]. I appreciate different lifestyles more than before.”

Sept. 27 is the official first day of acknowledgement that students are graduating seniors.

Leaving the university, Turner admitted that he will miss being in an environment that shows his fellow African-Americans succeeding and holding important positions in society.

But will Turner miss Hampton University?

“No,” he said, “I’m ready to go.”

 

Real reason why some HU student-athletes miss convocation

John Silvanus Wilson, executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, was the keynote speaker at Sunday’s 67th annual Opening Convocation. 

Former Hampton University football star Wakeem Goode won’t be at the Convocation Center to hear Wilson’s speech. 

“I didn’t even know (Opening Convocation) was this weekend,” said Goode, who spent his last year of athletic eligibility during the 2008 football season, but needed an extra year to finish his 144-hour health and physical education bachelor’s curriculum.

“The only thing I’m worried about,” he said, “is walking across the stage in May, when my mom comes down.”

Goode is an example of why many athletes do not attend Opening Convocation, either because they are unaware of the community-wide event or because there is just too much on their plate these days to add another appointment. 

But what about those professionals who leave the classroom for the pros before graduation year even arrive? Penn State transfer Chris Baker arrived at Hampton University the spring before the 2008 season and by spring 2009, he left school before his senior year to enter the NFL Draft.

“Attending Opening Convocation never really crossed my mind,” said Baker. 

Former football coach Jerry Holmes, who was unavailable for comment, told the Daily Press in January, “From my experience, I think he needed another year to develop,” ultimately allowing the Denver Bronco the opportunity to attend the official school year kick-off. 

For Goode, it is not that education took a backseat to the football program during the fifth-year senior’s tenure at Hampton University. Actually, his accomplishments on the field stole from his many highlights in the classroom. After Goode’s senior season, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference second team linebacker compiled a team-high 111 tackles and three sacks, while holding over a 3.0 GPA in his academics. 

“I was a student in the classroom, but I was also a student of the game,” Goode said. “During some semesters, I wasn’t taking as many credits in order to balance both (activities) and still be successful.”

Goode’s decision to skip Opening Convocation this Sunday draws back on his desire to finish school and move on to the next level, wherever that may be. Although the 2009 NFL Draft served as his class’ draft year, opportunities still exist with teams like the Atlanta Falcons and the Detroit Lions, thanks to his agents. If the NFL closes its’ doors, Goode considers joining the Canadian Football League (CFL). 

But, let’s say football doesn’t pan out into a career. The Cleveland native is in the midst of partnering his grassroots travel agency with another company in the next two months.

Goode, expected to graduate in May 2010, has plenty of options.

“Goode was one of the brightest players I’ve seen come through the program,” football coach Donovan Rose said. “He studies hard during film sessions and in the classroom.” 

Sure, keynoter Wilson will provide some encouraging words to those seniors looking to survive one last year in college. 

But it appears Goode doesn’t need to hear the speech. 

He has plenty of self-motivation.

Only 1 in 5 at Hampton Univ. registered for emergency text-message alerts, officials say

By KATHRYN De SHIELDS

A press conference was held in at 4 p.m. Sunday to address the multiple shooting that occurred that morning on Hampton University’s campus. Three men, including the shooter, a former student, were wounded at 1 a.m. at Harkness Hall, said Hampton Police.

President William R. Harvey spoke to the media in the football meeting room of Armstrong Stadium. The student body was invited to attend, but an overflow crowd could not accommodate the number of students who showed up. The overflow of students was directed into a different room in Armstrong Stadium where they would be briefed later.

Many students were upset that the HU administration didn’t hold the conference in a larger place where everyone would have room to attend.

“I knew it was going to happen,” said Kyle Winfield, a junior theatre major. “Logically, it would be better for this to be held in Convocation where there would be room for students to attend and ask questions.”

It was announced at 4:30 p.m. that Barbara Inman, vice president of student affairs, would address the students in the Student Center Theatre. Patricia Easley, a senior finance major, said

“I believe this (press conference) should have been held at a bigger venue. Students are scared, students are concerned, and students need to know what is going on.
“This school owes its students an honest explanation. There are too many conflicting stories and the explanation the school has given us is vague and generic. It isn’t comforting at all.”

Students were also concerned about the emergency notification system that was used to alert them about the shooting via text messages and e-mails.

Alexandria Willis, a senior communicative sciences and disorders major, said she was not notified at all about what was going on. “The Harbors [off-campus apartments] was full of police and nobody stopped me or my friend to tell us there was a shooting and not to go back to campus,” she said. “We walked right into it.”

Overflow crowd
As students crowded into the Student Center Theatre, every seat was taken. Chairs placed in the aisle ways were filled. Many people stood in any free space that was available. There was still not enough room for everyone.

While people waited for the Armstrong Stadium press conference to end, two students took the initiative and addressed the student body.

Easley and Jasmine Williams stood at the podium and asked the students to participate in a moment of silence for the victims of the shooting. Soon afterward, the conference was moved to the Student Center atrium.

Donell Woodson, a freshman computer science major, said that he couldn’t go back to his room in Harkness Hall after coming back to campus from a party.

“I didn’t know where I was going to stay or what I was going to do for myself. I was standing outside for three hours before someone was able to come on campus and get me.”

Inman and Harvey entered the student center at 5 p.m. to address the crowd. Inman went over the events of what occurred during the shooting and what measures were taken then opened the floor to questions.

Many questions dealt with the emergency notification system.

Inman said that less than 20 percent of the campus was signed up despite the administration urging students and faculty to do so. The text message and e-mail system was installed in response to the Virginia Tech campus massacre of April 2007.

However, those who did sign up stated that they did not receive text messages Sunday.
“I did not receive a text message at all even though I was signed up for it,” said Easley. Some students said that they did receive the text message three hours after the shooting occurred.

“We need to make sure we have the facts before we send out information,” Inman said in response to a question about the delay of the notifications. “We don’t want to send out false information.”

Inman stressed throughout the forum that the university will be “revisiting security procedures” and that people who haven’t signed up for the emergency notification system need to do so immediately.

Student suggestions
Students offered suggestions to HU faculty in attendance about how to improve security measures, and observations on the failings of the current measures in usage.
For example, broken ID-activated dormitory locks to the front doors, front gate police officers not taking down the proper information for drivers without decals, and rectifying evacuation and notification procedures were addressed.

Although Inman stressed that these measures were always in effect, many students disagreed that they were not.

“Listen to us,” said a male student to Inman. “You’re telling us that these things should be happening, but we’re telling you that they are not.”

Student suggestions were written down by attending administration officials.

Harvey stressed a need for unity on campus during the tragic time and that everything possible was being done to ensure student safety.

“It is not us against them,” said Harvey, “it is we in this together. We are a family.”
Another Hampton University forum is scheduled 5 p.m. Monday at Ogden Hall.

The writer is a junior at the Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

From Red to Blue

By JARED COUNCIL
In September 2007, when Moses Wilson III entered his junior year at Hampton University, he didn’t anticipate helping U.S Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., become America’s first African-American president-elect.
The then 20-year-old class president also didn’t foresee that his efforts in one of the most historically red states, Virginia, would be enough to turn it blue. The last time Virginia voted Democratic, Moses III wasn’t even an idea. His father, Moses II, was only 19.
Yet, as Obama won primary after primary, Wilson went from supporter to Students for Barack Obama state coordinator in a matter of months, helping lead the cause to mobilize voters in the traditionally red state.
This year, according to data from The New York Times, Virginia voted 52.7 percent blue—a 7.1-point change from 2004 when Democrat John Kerry received 45.5 percent of its popular vote. Only two of the nine “red-turned-blue” states won by Obama this year had a higher percentage change from last election.

Wilson credits the millions of volunteers, staff workers and supporters who worked and voted to help Obama win Virginia. But as SfBO state coordinator, several of his colleagues say he was at the helm of a ship that caused Virginia to change.

Stubborn Virginia
Although Virginia turned blue this year, it is still fundamentally red. Of its 134 counties, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., won 86 of them (64 percent). In 31 of these, McCain won more than 60 percent of the popular vote.

But the Obama supporters weren’t absent on Nov. 4, and their presence rendered McCain’s numbers ineffective. Although Obama only won 48 counties, he won them by an average of 61 percent. (In Petersburg County, Obama won 89 percent of the votes.) McCain won his 86 counties by an average of only 58.3 percent, according to New York Times data.

Since it’s not about the counties won but about the total number of votes, Obama emerged victorious with more votes in fewer counties.

Moses’ Role
From July 2007 until 6:59:59 p.m. on Nov. 4, Wilson said he put 100 percent of what he could into the campaign. Early in the campaign, a majority of his work was outside of Virginia.

From November 2007 to last January, Wilson went to South Carolina some seven times to campaign for Obama. “He did a lot,” said Reynolds Graves, 20, a former Hampton student who went on a few of these trips. “He drove down there, organized rides, delegated duties, canvassed and just worked hard to help [Obama] win that state.”

Obama did win that state—and he did so at a critical time: U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., had just won two straight victories and was gaining momentum in the primary race.
Although the victory was commanding (Obama had 55 percent of the vote; Clinton had 27 percent, according to poll results), at first it seemed unlikely that a black person running for president would win in a state where the Confederate flag still waved.

It wasn’t a surprise to South Carolinians, however, many of whom made up their mind weeks before the primary. An Edison/Mitofsky/AP exit poll found that 68 percent of voters knew who they where going to vote for at least two weeks before the primary.

When Moses returned from spending his Christmas break in South Carolina, a job was waiting for him. Rashad Drakeford, then the Virginia state coordinator for SfBO, was promoted to deputy national field director and he wanted Wilson to fill the void. Wilson, formerly Hampton University coordinator, immediately took the position.

“I knew I wanted him [for the campaign],” said Drakeford, “and I didn’t consider anyone but him.”

As the new state coordinator of Virginia, Wilson was in charge of all (more than 30) high school and college chapters of SfBO, including schools such as the University of Virginia, the College of William & Mary and Old Dominion University. His tasks included communicating and delegating what the national campaign office wanted done; helping chapter leaders organize their offices; and getting campaign supplies to wherever they were needed.

On several occasions, Wilson even mediated disputes over power struggles within the organization; and Ed Reed, colleague and Hampton University coordinator of SfBO, said he was effective.

His high status didn’t exclude him from the tasks of the typical staff worker or volunteer. During the weekend leading up to the election, staff members at the Hampton campaign office recall him staying up past midnight entering data, creating packages and formulating what needed to be done in the upcoming days. On that Monday going into Election Day, past midnight for Wilson was 4 a.m.

Later that day at 6:30 p.m., Victoria McCullough, the regional director for the national Obama campaign, walked into the Hampton campaign office and said that of all the counties in Virginia, Hampton was not doing as well as it should have been. At that moment, Moses left the office and began doing a last minute “get-out-to-vote” effort up until the polls closed at 7 p.m.

Whether McCullough’s statement was true or not, Hampton voted 69.2 to 30.2 percent for Obama. With another 0.8 percentage points, Hampton would have been the eighth voting district to vote 70 percent or more for Obama. In 2004, Kerry had three voting districts that did so.

After the Victory
When Barack Obama was officially announced as the next president of the United States, Wilson recalled feeling a “historical high” and an “achievement high” simultaneously. “It was the best feeling of my life,” Wilson said. “It was the most natural high I’ll never get again.” He said it lasted for three days.

His friends said it lasted a week.

Wilson said he is now trying to make the transition back to the college life, most of which was put on the backburner during the campaign. “I have a different perspective of life,” said Wilson about his campaign experience. “Now I’m just trying to get back to being a student.”

The Obama transition team has not made contact with Wilson. No other offers have been made either, so Wilson intends to continue with his plans as usual. He is currently applying to law schools around the country. Wilson is fervent about a possibility of studying law in London.
“It was definitely an uphill battle,” said Reed, speaking of the effort to turn Virginia blue. “But Obama knew that a big [new-voter] turnout would favor him; and in many respects, Moses was a significant factor in mobilizing that turnout.”

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications

Election fever at Hampton University campus

By NICQUITA REED

The results of the historic 2008 presidential election warmed the hearts of many Americans and have also given many students and faculty members at Hampton University a reason to be proud of one another.

Months ago, during the presidential campaigns, students and faculty members put in huge efforts to get the word out to HU students to vote on Nov. 4. There were students working to register other students and student organizations advocating the importance of everyone’s vote.

Azania Jenkins, 21, of Baltimore was a student-worker in the writing lab in the English Department and assisted with getting students registered to vote. In the writing lab,
student-workers were required to ask all students if they were registered voters as they entered the lab and offered them a registration form if they weren’t.

“The fact that we were getting people registered made people understand the sense of urgency,” said Jenkins. “People understood that it was a big deal [to vote].”

Adam Johnson, a professor from the Psychology department, did his part in getting his students involved as well. He frequently reminded students to be active in the election and convinced them to help volunteer at the Barack Obama’s campaign office in the Harbors with him.

As a demonstration of his extreme advocacy for the new president-elect, Johnson said that this was the first time he worked for and donated money to a national presidential campaign. “This was definitely a presidential candidate that I really felt strongly about,” he said.

This was the first time that Johnson voted in-person since the year 2000 because he usually cast absentee ballots for his home state of Indiana – as he did for the primary. Obama won Virginia and Indiana, two of the important battleground states, which made Johnson a contributor of Obama’s win for both states.

Dinai Cooksey, 20, expressed her eagerness during the election. Cooksey, a 5-year MBA major from Chicago, experienced her first time voting Nov. 4 at the Hampton Public Library, as it was the first time she was eligible for a presidential election. “I chose to change my registration to Virginia because it was more important for him [Obama] to win Virginia since it was clear that he would more than likely win Illinois,” she said. She encouraged other students to come together and realize the importance of voting in Virginia.

Then there were faculty members who provided absentee and Virginia residential ballots for students. In the English department, Margaret Lee supplied stamps and envelopes for students who came to her for voter registration forms.

With these enthusiastic Hamptonians, in addition to the involvement of the Obama campaign in the Hampton Harbors, Hampton University had a great turnout and represented Virginia well.

Is this the reason Obama won Virginia? If not, the fact that this election allowed students to be part of a historical moment is exceptional, participants say.

Johnson believed the students at HU made a difference in a literal sense because there were a lot of first-time voters; however he said that they made such a difference because they saw the issues which would be affecting them within a decade such as the economy, jobs, health care and education. “I think that we have a new generation of people who are looking at these issues and contributed in the sense of seeing what they’re inheriting for the next decade.”

Long lines, rain, and cold did not hinder many HU students from performing their civic duties to vote. This was surprising to older generations. Reported previously by Jane Reed, a volunteer with the Obama campaign,” I am so thrilled that these kids came out to vote … even in the rain,” she said. Reed expressed her enthusiasm in such a way because one of her friend’s didn’t think “those young folks” would go out and vote, said the volunteer.

Although many HU students voted during this election, what about those who did not? Though Saysha Parker from Jersey City, N.J. wanted Obama to win the election, she did not vote on Nov. 4 because she believed he would either win or lose regardless if she voted or not.

According to Parker, she initially wanted to, but “The main reason I didn’t vote was because I didn’t want to change my residency to Virginia and I didn’t want to drive all the way to Jersey just to vote,” she said.

When asked if she would have done an absentee ballot, Parker said no.

After the results were in, the students at Hampton University flooded the campus in celebration of President-Elect Barack Obama. There were tears, screams, and a faces full of disbelief that America would have its first African-American president.

Cooksey celebrated at the rallies that took place in front of the student center and Ogden after the results were in. “And I took pictures to commemorate the day I helped make history,” she said.

Lee became emotional after reading the stories in the Hampton Script that told how the students celebrated on campus the night of the election. “It almost brought tears to my eyes,” said Lee, “It took me back to the night of the election and all the emotions that I had.”

Many of these students were first-time voters or voters who switched their registration to Virginia and felt like their vote made a big difference. Being that Obama was named presumed winner of Virginia by only a few percentage points, each student voter was able to feel proud about his/her vote and be a part of the history-making moment on the night of Nov. 4.

Hampton University worked hard to get their students to vote and make a difference, and now has the opportunity to celebrate when the band marches in the inaugural parade on Jan.20.

According to the HU Web site, the band got an offer from the inaugural committee and they will perform four songs; one being Obama’s campaign song, “Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” by Stevie Wonder.

Sequoyah Sherrill, a dance captain for the cheerleading team, will be one of the 16 cheerleaders chosen to march with the band in the parade.

“We are all ecstatic to go,” said Sherrill, “As soon as our coach announced it to us we started jumping up and down and screaming in excitement.”

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Black commander-in-chief: From fiction to reality

By KATHRYN De SHIELDS

On the night of Nov. 4, the seemingly impossible happened; a black man was elected U.S. president. However, people have been viewing black presidents for a while on television and on the big screen. The progression of black roles in television and film throughout the years has improved just as black people have advanced in image and status.

Eleanor Earl teaches screenwriting, film criticism and Introduction to Motion Picture courses at Hampton University. Although the English professor is originally from Virginia, she has lived all over including Atlanta, New York, California and London.

“We’ve come a long way,” Earl said. “Earlier images gave cause for great concern. It was discouraging to have to watch and be bombarded with negative images and stereotypes of black men.”

In the 1930s, blackface, or minstrel shows, was a common performance put on by white men where they would use grease paint or burned cork to darken their faces and imitate “dandified coons,” or “darkies.” A dozen years later, black people where imitating plantation days with ethnic speech and exaggerated features on television. However, no matter how dark their skin was, they had to put on “blackface.” Common roles played then, the mammy figure and Uncle Tom can still be seen in television today.

Phill Branch moved to Virginia from California to teach at Hampton University. In Los Angeles he worked as a writer, producer and in entertainment brand marketing. Recently he has launched a Web site, IllProfessors.com, that focuses on movies, television, music and literature reviews.

“There are seven main archetypes in television and film for black people,” Branch said. “The mammy figure, the strong buck, a magical negro, the tragic mulatto and so on. The thing is if you watch television closely, even when the character is not made out to be a definite mammy figure…she still has mammy characteristics.”

Despite black people’s beginnings in television, forward motion has been made. However, there is still discontent about how black people, particularly black men, are portrayed.

Even now, stereotypes and negative imagery of black men can be found on television and in movies when African-Americans are cast in roles such as gang members, dead-beat dads and heavy drug users or pushers. Branch and Earl believe that some of these roles are necessary in the industry.

“I don’t think someone being a criminal is a negative portrayal, it makes things more realistic,” Branch said. “I think the whole positive and negative conception is tricky though, not useful.”

“We wouldn’t want cookie-cutter perfect images because there are black robbers, gang members and so on,” Earl said. “Directors have a right to explore that part of society.”

According to Branch, the main problem that people have when it comes to television and film’s portrayal of black people is that there isn’t enough variety. When the television and film industry capitalizes off of subject matter at the expense of someone or thing, that’s when things become negative.

“When you have BET constantly showing videos filled with naked women and gangsters, I have a problem,” Branch said. “We need more diversity; things shouldn’t just lead in one direction.”

Branch believes the true issue concerning television is whether or not shows allow a viewer to see the full spectrum.

“It’s not that Hollywood is not letting us play powerful roles,” Branch added, “… it’s that we aren’t showing those roles ourselves as black people, in real life. We can’t expect other people to be in the business of making sure that the black image is appropriate.”

To some, having black men playing the role of president on television aided Obama in winning the election. Because it is now a familiar sight on movies and television shows, it has helped the public accept it as a possibility.

Keesha Wilson, a five-year MBA major from Pasadena, Calif., believes that the movies do a good job of keeping things realistic.

“Just as seeing interracial dating on TV has allowed for it to be more acceptable,” Wilson said, “seeing minorities in positive position of powers has allowed for society as a whole to become more comfortable with the idea.”

Kyle Winfield, junior theater arts major from Orange County, Calif., says that the movies are still too overly dramatic with not enough substance.

“It’s entertaining but it isn’t real,” Winfield said. “It’s still just acting in the end although it does look good on TV.” Obama winning the election, he said, can dispel the illusions that Hollywood has put up about the presidency being one intense situation after another.

“Obama will show America what a real black president is like,” said Winfield. “It’s not going to be just yelling orders or looking stressed out when he finds out there is a bomb somewhere.”

In 1997, Tommy “Tiny” Lister played as president in the sci-fi movie “5th Element.” As president, he was depicted as a brute and wasn’t a positive portrayal of what a black president could be.

However a year later in “Deep Impact” Morgan Freeman played president and was calm, collected and carried himself in a more respectable manner. In FOX television series “24” starring Dennis Haysbert as President David Palmer, a black president is shown handling intense situations, like the impending doom of humanity.

“I think that black men are portrayed a lot better than we give television credit for,” said Branch.”We see black cops and lieutenants, presidents, hospital managers, business men and women on shows; we see a lot of diverse images.

Chris Rock plays the part of a black president in the movie “Head of State,” a comedy displaying what it might look like if a young, black man ran for president. In the movie, Rock uses hip-hop music to endorse his campaign and represents extreme stereotypes as he makes his way to the top.

“It’s interesting because although the movie was made as a speculative comedy, now there’s not a punch line,” Branch said. Obama used musicians such as Will.i.am, John Legend and Stevie Wonder to strengthen his campaign by reaching out to younger generations.

“Head of State was letting people know that this is possible,” Branch said. “This is where we’re headed.”

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Recession touches students too

By MAEGAN SMITH
With a $700 billion bailout plan proposed, the abrupt end of more than a few financial firms and the current credit crunch as indicators, America’s current economic crisis is undeniable. While what this means for Wall Street has been explored ad nauseum, what this implies for college campuses is somewhat less traversed territory.

When the housing market bubble burst, the resulting mess did not stay contained to just that one industry. Its effects rippled throughout the whole of the American economy as seen in the swift downturns of the stock market, current rate of unemployment and general wariness of most businesses to put their necks out financially.

“One of the things that makes this thing [economic crisis] so difficult is that it hit all the sectors,” said Sid Credle, dean of Hampton University’s school of business. “It hit the banks, the real estate market, retail … It went nationwide and now it’s international.”

The effect of the crisis in service industries has touched students. Jobs in food service and retail serve to sustain many while they matriculate through college.

“It has been beyond difficult to find a job,” said Shannon Hayes, a music education major at Hampton University. “I have been looking basically the whole semester, but I’m getting nowhere.”

Hayes had a part-time job at a boutique in Norfolk until it went out of business is September.

Her struggles were shared by Iyanna Fairweather, a biology major at HU.

“It took me forever to find a part-time job,” said Faiweather. “I looked all over, but people just aren’t hiring right now. Everywhere I went, that’s what I heard.”

It is not just in Hampton that students are having difficulty finding employment. Lynella Charles, a film student at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pa., lost her job at a local restaurant that was forced to close and has been unable to find a replacement.

“The owner was having difficulty keeping the doors open,” Charles said. There was a noticeable drop in customers from last year to this year.”

While some students depend on part-time jobs to help finance their higher education, most depend on loans. With this recession has come a loss of some of these opportunities. Just as stores cut back on hiring and in some cases are even forced to close their doors, college loans could also be affected by the current market.

“Loan rates are going higher,” Credle said. “There is going to be a great demand for loans and banks aren’t just going to give them to students carte blanche.”

While rates have yet to rise, Credle says if the economy isn’t fixed or on the road to being fixed soon, that will be inevitable.

Meanwhile, as according to the College Board, total borrowing for school has reached an all-time high of $85 billion in the 2007-08 school year, which is more than double what it was just 10 years ago. Federal aid growth, however, has stayed relatively flat in that same time period.

With students loans at an all time high, fears are rising that defaulting on these loans will rise as well.

“The credit crunch could affect student loan default rates as well,” Credle said. “The convergence of the high rates of borrowing and this economic downturn could create a serious issue. It’s definitely something people will have to watch for.”

With borrowing at an all-time high, college student securing good jobs post-graduation would seem paramount. However, prospects for recent college grads aren’t as bright as some would hope.

“Coming into the job market as a recent grad was daunting,” said Ronald Smith, a 2007 college grad. “Then with my field of study [business and market], it was next to impossible to actually find a job.”

Smith, who graduated at the top of North Carolina Central’s business school, could not find a job in business or marketing upon his graduation.

However, according to Credle, the future for students in not as dark as it seems.

“Right now students have a unique opportunity,” Credle said. He explained that though the current crisis is daunting and serious, it does afford the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of the equities market at what he called a, “seriously reduced cost.”

He argues that if students can learn to prioritize and not spend frivolously, than they won’t only survive this crisis, they could come out the other side in better condition.

Credle also pointed out the new opportunities that this crisis could create.

“Federal government employment will open up. They will pick up the bright hard workers to help fix this problem and stimulate economic growth.”

Not only will there be new opportunities in the wake of this crisis, but there are ways that students who find themselves in any of the situations mentioned can help themselves.

“Obviously the first thing to do is budget,” Credle said. “After that, grads who find themselves in situation where they can’t pay loans can contact their lenders and see about deferment and forbearance. As far as continuing to finance an education, federal loans will remain unaffected by this crisis.”

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Obama: Hero to some, tough pill for others at HU

By MICHAEL TURNER

In the wake of 2008’s Olympic triathlon of a presidential race, trends were overturned, tradition uprooted, antes upped, and history written. Almost a year ago, the players in this season’s political contest took to the starting blocks along each of their individual paths.

At the farthest end of the arena stood U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. and U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., geared and cocked for one of the most grueling political marathons of recent history. Little did these soon-to-be caricatures of opposing political ideology and prescribed platform know just how lengthy the race would be. And even less, aware, perhaps, was the American public.

Now, in the aftermath, Hampton University students, like many others across the nation, are examining their lives in this country under a new light.

Early Race
Across Hampton’s campus, students took an early interest in the election. In 2006, the ears of many perked up at the thought of the young candidate Obama running for president. At the time, U.S. Sen. Hilary Clinton, D-N.Y., had won the clear nod of the Democratic Party, but was receiving some suggestion that she would have to face a strong contender to prove herself deserving of a shot at the presidency.

Justice Telfare, a political science major from Newport News, Va., remembers being a freshman when he first heard the news.

“I had heard the name,” he said, “but I never knew just how much I would come to love it.”
On the other side, when McCain announced his candidacy for president on the “Late Show with David Letterman” in March 2007, Gabriel Taylor, an outspoken Republican supporter, suddenly became interested in the election. Taylor, a history major and sophomore at the time, was fond of McCain’s strong-willed approach to the Iraq War. A third-year Army ROTC cadet, Taylor takes personal interest in a new president’s stance on issues such as the war.

“Back then, McCain seemed like the candidate who wasn’t afraid of finishing what we started overseas,” he said. “I understand that I may be asked to fight for my country, and that’s exactly why I signed up for the program.”

Taylor and Telfare are clear representatives of the two sides of debate on campus that began to emerge in the earliest stages of the presidential race. As the race got underway and the two competing frontrunners—Obama and McCain—surpassed the other nominees in their party, tensions grew among Hamptonians. Though a more advertised Democratic presence appeared on car bumpers, in heavily populated student areas and in the school paper, a population of McCain supporters existed beneath the seemingly homogenous surface of the university’s political climate.

Gregory Pizzarro, a freshman political science major and close friend of Taylor, sided with the Republican ticket throughout the race.

“I didn’t want to say it out loud, seeing as I was surrounded by ‘Obamanites,’ but I really thought that McCain would do a better job as president,” he said. “I like Obama and all, but I know for a fact that he alone is not the answer to all of the current problems the country has.”

The Final Stretch
During the final weeks of the campaign, students across campus joined Facebook groups, signed up to volunteer, and even coordinated voter registration events for either of the two candidates and their running mates. The introduction of new faces into the political stew inspired an entirely new debate across campus: How much weight does a president’s selection of his vice have on his judgment?

“It was clear that McCain was playing a big political game,” said Delisaned Gonzales, a junior psychology major from Richmond. “It just made you question his genuineness when he picked Sarah Palin because it didn’t even seem like they had chemistry.”

Others were critical of Obama’s pick, U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.

“When he picked Biden, I just thought ‘Oh, great, he picked a risky one.’ I felt like the party was already taking a chance with Obama,” said Telfare.

He and Justin Manning, a coordinator for “Students for Barack Obama,” among other students, were inspired by the constant e-mails they had received from the campaign headquarters asking for final donations and volunteers at polling booths during the final two weeks of the campaign. Both increased their efforts in organizing and promoting Obama’s platform.

“I knew that I couldn’t let up until my team—with my help—had succeeded in putting Barack Obama in the White House,” said Manning, who also helped direct voters to the polls.

On election night when the early news broke of Obama’s victory, students flooded the streets of Hampton University in celebration. Car horns, music and firecrackers echoed in and around the campus. Meanwhile, Taylor and a handful of McCain supporters took the announcement well, and not entirely by surprise. The following morning, evidence of election night jubilation still littered some back streets of the campus.

Aftermath
More than a month after the election, a sense of accomplishment still possesses a majority of Hampton’s campus. Those who supported the Obama-Biden ticket are proud of their victory, while opposition hasn’t seemed to let hard feelings outweigh the pride they share in witnessing the naming of the country’s first black president. However, the question that now remains is how students personally involved or otherwise plan to face the president and his new nation of awakened youth and minority groups.

Manning draws from the experience he gained from his involvement as a Students for Barack Obama coordinator to keep him invested in the upcoming administration.

“I’m no letting up because there are still congressional races in the spring that we have to be ready to fight for,¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬” Manning said.

Others, like Gonzales, who voted Republican even though critical of McCain’s run at the presidency, are making their own personal peace with President elect Obama.

“There’s no disputing that he won,” Gonzales said. “I just hope he does a good job because there is a lot riding on him, and honestly, even the color of his skin as a minority.”

While some are weary of Obama’s skin color opening his performance up to unfair scrutiny, others on campus feel that it could open numerous doors for other fresh, pigmented faces in government. Jerrold Roy, assistant dean of the Howard Scripps School of Journalism and Communications constantly refers to Obama as the first president that happens to be black, versus the first black president. Jokingly, he mentions that “as soon as Obama’s in office, I’m sending him my resume. He needs qualified people in his Cabinet, right?”

Roy is just one of many on campus who feel that Obama’s skin color and history will prove much more of an asset than extra baggage, just as it played a positive part in the election outcome. One thing that individuals at Hampton University, among billions worldwide, have realized, is that Barack Obama has been democratically elected as the next president of the Untied States of America and will not only work for, but represent all of its citizens.

“At the end of the day,” Gonzales said, “everybody is counting on him to change this country for the better. They have no choice.”

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

‘Bradley effect’ has a new name: Obama

By MYA SINGLETON

As America recently voted for its 44th president-elect Barack Obama, people are noticing how race and politics are bringing a new twist to the “Bradley effect.”

The event that occurred in 1982 affected former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, a black candidate who ran for governor in California. RealClearPolitics.com states how pre-election polls predicted an easy win for him between 9 and 22 points. However, white voters who claimed they would vote for Bradley went against their word and voted for his white Republican opponent George Deukmejian, causing him to lose the election by 1.2 percentage points.

Pre-election polls are taken for a number of reasons. Quentin Kidd, chairman of the Department of Government at Christopher Newport University, said, “It’s an effort to determine how voters are feeling about the course of the campaign, which issues are resonating with them, and their views on important issues.

“News organizations like to write stories about which candidate is up and which is down and polls help them write these types of ‘horse race’ stories.”

Pre-election polls can predict one result, but sometimes the exit polls have different outcomes. In 1989 Douglas Wilder, a black candidate for governor of Virginia had pre-election poll results with a 9-point lead, but ended up winning by less than 1 percentage point.

Some people believe a person’s race plays its part to skew public opinion. Bradley effect believers assume some white voters will tell pollsters their decision, but actually vote against a black candidate. “Race is still important in our society, from the way someone talks, to the way they dress and walk, all of these things are visual cues,” said Kidd.

However, since Obama is the United States’ first black president-elect, his win against his white opponent, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., shows how he defeated this effect that occurred more than 25 years ago. “I could say America accepts Barack Obama because he talks white, dresses white, smiles a lot and has degrees from the top schools,” said Kidd.

In order to win, a candidate needs to receive 270 Electoral College votes. According to FiveThirtyEight.com, Obama received 365 Electoral College votes, while McCain received 173. Obama won the popular vote margin by 52.3 percent, compared to McCain’s 46.2 percent. By states, Obama won more votes in the West, Northeast and Midwest regions. As Virginia was a battleground state between the candidates, Obama won the state that hasn’t elected a Democratic presidential candidate in the last 44 years.

As indicated by NOLA.com, Obama captured 43 percent of the white voters, in which 46 percent were white women and 41 percent were white men. He got support from more white voters than Democratic nominees John Kerry and Al Gore in the 2000 and 2004 elections.

Craig Stafford, a junior political science major at Hampton University, said, “Obama won this election because he didn’t portray a pro-black power attitude as was the case for Jesse Jackson when he ran. He was encouraging to all races and even got support from some Republicans.”

According to USNews.com, among voters across the nation, Obama was able to capture 56 percent of female voters and 49 percent of male voters while also gaining support from more than 84 percent of Democrats who supported Hillary Clinton in the primaries.

FiveThirtyEight.com stated how Obama captured votes based on race by 67 percent of Latinos, 62 percent of Asians and 96 percent of blacks. He had 66 percent of voters between the ages of 18-29 and 52 percent of voters between the ages of 30-44.

Chad Smith, a junior political science major at Hampton, said, “The Bradley effect still occurred because Obama didn’t win the vote of white conservative males, but he did win the vote of more white women to some degree.”

One can not compare these two different elections as Bradley attempted to win a state election, while Obama ran for a national position. Both California and the nation as a whole are ethnically diverse, but perhaps times have changed over the last 25 years.

Obama overturned the Bradley effect that was highly publicized before Election Day. Pre-election polls predicted his possible win against McCain, and now the polls have become a reality as voters didn’t turn against the black candidate.

The writer is a junior at the Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism.

Women politicians make history in 2008 election

By BRITTNEY FENNELL
The 2008 presidential election is one that will forever be remembered in history. Not only was an African-American male elected president, but female politicians made great strides, and showed that the possibility of having a woman as president or vice-president was not a far-fetched idea. U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska may have changed the course of female politicians everywhere by inspiring a nation and showing that America is indeed ready for change.

Clinton’s campaign became a strong contender for the White House during the Democratic primaries. According to nytimes.com, she captured 22 battleground states and won 1,920 delegates. For much of the race, Clinton was the front-runner, but she wasn’t able to thwart the success of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

When it became evident that she would not be the Democratic nominee for president, she bowed out and encouraged her supporters to rally behind Obama so the Democrats could take back the White House.

Palin rose to political notoriety by being U.S. Sen. John McCain’s running mate for the Republican nomination. Not since 1984, when U.S. Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York was chosen as the Democratic vice-presidential candidate with Walter Mondale, a woman had not served on a presidential ticket. Palin made political history in her own right by becoming the first woman on a GOP presidential ticket.

Throughout the campaign, Palin’s knowledge of foreign policy and the Bush Doctrine were called into question on two occasions after her televised interviews with
network TV journalists Charlie Gibson of ABC and Katie Couric of CBS.

In an interview with Gibson on Sept. 11, Palin described the Bush doctrine as President Bush wanting to “rid the country of Islamic extremists who want to destroy the country,” when in actuality it says that the United States has the right of anticipatory self-defense, and America has the right to strike against any country that may want to attack.

When asked about foreign policy, Palin said that Russia is a neighboring country with Alaska, and can be seen from Alaska’s land.

During an interview with Couric Sept. 25, Palin defended her statement by saying she meant that Alaska had a very narrow maritime border with a foreign country which is Russia, and has a boundary with Canada.

Despite Palin’s foreign and political knowledge being criticized, she and Clinton were able to add a female presence to this year’s presidential election.

Was the glass ceiling shatterd?

Now, with Clinton being selected as Secretary of State by Obama, it causes many to wonder just how far women can now go in politics and if the glass ceiling has really been shattered.

“I think it’s strategic in the sense that it gives her something to do,” says Erica Woods-Warrior, a political science and philosophy professor at Hampton University, on whether it was a wise choice to make Clinton the Secretary of State. “I think Americans don’t trust her because of the campaign backstabbing.

“That’s not to say that she can’t be effective.”

Gene Moore, a fellow Hampton political science professor, had a different perspective:
“It’s a good idea. Obama is his own man. Hillary Clinton won a lot of rapport internationally. She has a good reputation.”

Ken Barton, a junior political science major from Alpharetta, Ga., agreed with Moore:
“I’m pretty happy [Clinton will be Secretary of State]. She made me angry during the primary, but Barack recognized her strengths, so I think she will represent the country well.”

During this election, never before had America seen two female candidates almost make it to the White House. Clinton’s and Palin’s campaigns may have served as inspirations for other female politicians to someday want to seek residency at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

“I think Clinton’s campaign inspired women,” Barton said. “I think women were taken advantage of when Sarah Palin was nominated. They chose her because she was a woman and not qualified.”

“Without a doubt Clinton’s campaign was inspiring,” Moore said. “Palin was an embarrassment. When she talks, Palin and Clinton aren’t in the same league. Just those two being nominated will make a difference. Twenty five years ago, there weren’t that many women in the Senate.”

Woods-Warrior believes that women have always wanted to be president, regardless of the campaigns of Clinton and Palin. “Sarah Palin is the Al Sharpton of politicians. Hillary Clinton is more effective in terms of mobilizing women. Nobody knew who Sarah Palin was before this election and we still don’t.”

Ready for a woman president?

At this moment, Americans are witnessing history in the making with the first black president being elected. Because of this, America may now be ready for a female president, right?

“We’re not ready for females in the military,” says Woods-Warrior. “We’re not ready for an African-American president, but Barack came at the right time. We still have race relations issues and gender issues. I don’t think we’re ready for a female vice-president either. A woman would have prepared us for an African-American president, and an African-American president would have prepared us for a female president. This presidential administration will prepare us for that [a female president].”

Barton, a staunch Barack Obama supporter, is putting all his faith in Clinton that she will be president one day: “Hillary Clinton will be president. I don’t know what can pop up in 10 years. We didn’t know who Barack Obama was five years ago. We don’t know who’s going to pop up. It could be one of our senators or governors.”

Moore agrees. “Hillary Clinton came close to winning,” he said. “The next could be a female. I thought both of them [Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton] could have won.”

Female politicians came a long way this political season. They proved to be serious contenders among the male candidates and were even predicted to win. Who knows, there may just be a Ms. President taking up residency at the White House in a few years.

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Think Before You Eat

By Septima Glenn

“Would you like to super-size that?”

These are the words that were heard from a McDonald’s cashier before ordering a meal. However, the end of 2004 brought an end to the supersize menu. McDonald’s phased out the supersized menu because the company, along with the rest of the American public, realized how the large portions of fast food were adding on pounds. Today, the more than 13,000 McDonald’s around the country don’t have the supersize name. But the portion sizes have not follow.

According to the McDonald’s web site, in 1950 when a small drink was ordered, the consumer received about an eight-ounce drink. In 2007, a small drink is 16 ounces. The drink sizes go up to 42 ounces. With 26 more ounces also comes 260 more calories. McDonalds is not alone with their supersize mentality. Both Burger King and Wendy’s have larger size drinks despite phasing out the extra large names.

Restaurants also use a method known as bundling. This method adds a soft drink and fries to an entrée and urges consumers to spend a little more to get a lot more. A study done by the Prevention Institute found that this method was responsible for some of the largest increases in calorie intake.

The large portions don’t just add calories, but they may offer more than the recommended daily intake of certain foods. With restaurants such as Hardy’s and introducing their one third pound Angus burgers, consumers are taking in almost all of the meat they should eat in one day. According to the USDA, people should only have 5.5 ounces of meat a day. When an five ounce Angus burger is scarfed down, that almost covers the meat intake for the day.

With obesity rates on the rise, many attribute the larger portions to larger waistlines. Wendi El- Amin University of Virginia Assistant Professor of Nutrition said it’s all about portion control.

El- Amin gave a presentation about eating healthy during Hampton University’s Black Family Conference. During the presentation she urged everyone in the room to take eating healthy seriously because general health starts with eating right.

“The biggest way to shave some calories off of meals is portion control,” El-Amin said. “Some people may try to fill their plate until it is overflowing with food, but you should try keeping everything on one level on the inside rim on the plate.”

Even though El-Amin suggestions sound good, for some people, especially on college campuses, the battle to give into a cheap and filling meal from a fast food chain and going to eat a more balanced meal in the school’s cafeteria is a hard one.

Students at Hampton University have a particular struggle with eating healthy food. Numerous students have complained about the quality of food in the school’s cafeteria and with Burger King, McDonald’s, and a take-out restaurant within walking distance, there is a high chance students will become patrons of these restaurants.

“Eating fast food is so much better,” Hampton University freshman Dashana Briggs said. “It’s tastes better, it fills me up and it’s cheap.”

At Burger King and McDonald’s, the two fast food restaurants that are closest to the university, students can get a quick and easy meal that is also easy on the pocket. What students may not take into account are the calories and saturated fat that is being consumed.

On average at Burger King, the Whopper costs $2.24, has 680 calories and 13 grams of saturated fat. By paying about a $1.70 more, you can add a medium drink and fries, along with that comes 1270 calories and 23 grams of saturated fat. For less than a dollar, the size can be upped to a large fries and drink, and with 1,710 calories and 29 grams of saturated fat.

The alternatives at McDonald’s are much of the same. The Quarter Pounder with cheese goes for about $2.33 and comes with 530 calories and 13 grams of fat. When students make it a meal it costs them about $3.74, 1,190 calories and 17 grams of saturated fat.

Some students think that if there were other alternatives, they wouldn’t always go for the fast food.

“Since you can’t have a car until you’re a junior, your options are limited here,” junior Patriece Richards said. “At least give me the option of having a Subway that’s close and I might take it.”

According to Restaurants and Institutions Magazine, a magazine that follows consumer restaurant trends, 12 to year 19 year olds eat out more than any other age group. On average, this age group eats out about 24 times a month.

Many students take this quick and easy route and restaurants recognize the buying power these students possess.

“Restaurants know exactly what they’re doing,” William Phillips a District Sales Manager at Frito Lay, said. “They know students will always be hungry, they offer filling food that’s inexpensive, and they know HU students don’t like the cafe.”

Some suggest turning to the school’s cafeteria to receive a moral balanced meal. However, the choices there may not be as healthy as some may believe. According to Hampton University’s strength and conditioning coach, Zach Nott, the cafeteria is still about choices.

“When students go to the café they still have option,” Nott said. “If students choose to eat pizza and French fries every day, it is just as bad as eating fast food.”

When students come to the cafeteria they may not have the largest selection of food to choose from. With French fries served in both the traditional cuisine and fast food lines along with pizza and hamburgers served daily, students take what is offered to them.

“The café always has French fries and they always have chicken,” freshman Ermesha Fair said. “So that’s usually what I eat, chicken and fries.”

As students make their every day meal choices it is important to weigh all of the options to ensure that they are eating a balanced and healthy meal.

“No matter where you eat, it’s all about making the right dietary choices,” Nott said.

The Plight of my Hair

By Septima Glenn

“You are so lucky to have a scholarship and a free education.”

These are words that I hear on a weekly basis. However, I doubt my hair is thinking the same thing. Rain, wind, sweat and all the other elements of the world attack my hair six days a week leaving my “lookin like Celie” as one of my teammates put it.

During the few of weeks of off season I have, my hair enjoys being light, bouncy and with smooth edges, protected everyday from the outside elements and sweat that training brings. Even when I do need a relaxer I can wing with a nice roller set and fake it until I make it. During the season, my hair is not so lucky.

My coach, who happens to be male, could care less when it’s raining. He stands on the sidelines watching his female athletes run all around America without a thought to what this could be doing to our hair.

I am one of the few girls on my team who chooses to keep it real and get a relaxer every six weeks. Half of the team has that good hair. The kind that gets all curly when wet, so when the rain or whatever else comes their way, they wash and go and keep it moving. The other half of the team has made the decision to go natural. The kind that may or may not get curly when wet, but it’s certainly not straight so it doesn’t matter anyway. Maybe if I had taken this route, I wouldn’t be so upset every time the forecast calls for rain and my coach says, “Let’s Go”.

Thankfully, today is relaxer day. I know my hair is shouting to the heavens. It will receive an hour or so of pure bliss as it is returned to it’s off season state. It will remain light, bouncy, full of life and glow with healthiness… Well at least until I have to run in the rain again.

Obama is President… Now What?

By Septima Glenn

 

Many African- American parents have told their children they can be anything they want to be. However, some parents didn’t fully believe their words. With the emergence of Barack Obama, the first African- American President, parents may now be able to fully believe their statement.
On November 4, the world changed as many knew it and some questioned whether or not African Americans had to “step up”. Now that there is a black President, have the standards changed? Is more expected from the black man now that the President looks like him? Is “the white man is holding me down”, no longer a valid excuse? Some think that the burden should not be placed on Obama’s shoulders.

“We as a race should have stepped up a long time ago. Why should it take a black man becoming President to help us realize that we can do anything we put our mind to,” William Phillips said. If I think I need to step up because someone else did it first, then that’s a sad testament about me.”

However some black women believe it is now up to the black man to show what he can do. According to Starema Flood, black women have already stepped up and shown what they’re made of, now it’s time for their counterparts to do the same thing.

“It’s time for black men to stand up and let their voices be heard. After all we do have a black man as President,” Flood said. “If that’s not enough of an example and something to work towards, I don’t know what is.”

Not all people agree that the African-American race has more work to do. With almost 8 million black voters turning out for this election and almost 96 percent of them voting for Obama, some believe that in itself is enough of a statement.

“As a whole, we already stepped up,” Shayna Whitley said. “We rallied, we gathered and turned out in record numbers in order to elect him in the first place. I feel like we already made the big step.”

Big step or not, some take Obama being elected as sign of the change of times; a sign that although there is still prejudice in the world, it can no longer be used as a crutch for black people.

“There are no excuses. I can’t blame it on prejudice or anything else,” Janean Morris said. “If I fail, it’s because I fail. It’s my fault and no one else’s.

Hampton U. classroom becomes newsroom

By Lapraya McCoy

 

Jacqueline Flowers, a junior broadcast journalism major from Charlotte, N.C., woke up on Tuesday morning dreading the events that were to come. She had already sent in her absentee ballot, so instead of voting, she spent time at Barack Obama’s campaign office on the edge of Hampton University’s campus and recorded history.

 

“At that point,” she said, “I was tired and I didn’t see the point in doing it.”

 

Because Flowers bit the bullet, she can now say she a was a part of the first group of Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications students who worked Election Day to provide print and live broadcast coverage of Obama, now the president-elect.

 

“We gave up our Homecoming and a lot of time for that moment right there,” she said “and it made it all worth it.”

 

When Van Dora Williams, a Scripps Howard professor, first came up with the idea to have her students write radio or TV stories about the election, she did not realize how much the experience would mean to them.

 

“I didn’t think they could scream like that,” said Williams.

 

Williams encouraged other professors like Wayne Dawkins and Drew Berry to jump on board to challenge students to step out of their comfort zone. They were receptive.

 

So, Tuesday night Nov. 4, several Scripps Howard classrooms became one big newsroom and the students worked in teams to produce radio broadcasts for WHOV FM and live 10-minute newscasts that aired on Channel 52 across campus every 30 minutes from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m.

 

For Chris Swails, a senior broadcast journalism major, it was inspiring to be around students who are capable of running the show, he said.

 

“I get a lot of confidence from these people,” said Swails, who aspires to host his own radio show.

 

Swails worked on a piece that ranked the top five battleground states based on the complaints they received at the polls.

 

The story was read on-air by Sharise Darby, a junior broadcast journalism major from Atlanta, and McKenzie Harris, a junior broadcast journalism major from Austin, Texas.

 

“Surprisingly I wasn’t nervous,” said Harris. “It was like another practice day for me.”

 

Harris, like many of her peers, said she experienced a few difficulties where the video malfunctioned and she had to ad lib.

 

Berry, professor of media management, said he was pleased that the students remained positive and did not point fingers when things did not go the way they planned.

 

As Berry looks forward to doing more to prepare students for the work field, Williams is already planning coverage for the January inaugural speech.

 

“This is a great year for students overall,” she said.

 

 

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Celebration Ensues at Hampton University

by Septima Glenn

 

At 10:57pm, screams could be heard from across campus as students at Hampton University realized that Barack Obama was the new President-Elect of the United States of America. Fireworks went off, horns blew, students rushed into the streets and an all-night celebration ensued.

 

“I was hugging people I didn’t even know,” sophomore Margaret Harris said. “It feels like I’m in a movie right now. It just doesn’t feel real.”

 

Thousands of students crammed into the streets of the Harbors Apartment Complex. Located right across the street from campus, residents and students celebrated together as they realized history had been made.

 

“I am a part of history,” senior Rachel Lewis said. “I helped make this happen. Never in a million years would I have guessed this would happen.”

 

The crowd chanted “Obama” to the beat of music and continued their celebration until Hampton University police came to shut it down. The crowd was not deferred. Instead of shutting down the celebration and going back home, they migrated, this time to Hampton University’s Ogden Circle. Students flooded around the circle of nations to participate in what some couldn’t believe was true.”

 

“It’s like I see all the numbers and I know that John McCain has already congratulated him, but it still hasn’t hit me,” senior Brandon Jones said.

 

More chanting continued, but a hush came over the crowd as one of the car radios blasted Obama’s acceptance speech.

 

“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there,” Obama said.

 

As the crowd in Chicago began chanting, “Yes we can! Yes we can!”, the students on campus joined in, filling the air with joyous optimism. The campus police followed the students to Ogden Circle and although the blue lights flashed, police let the students continue this time.

 

“It’s three of them against like thousands of us,” Sophomore Predist Walker said. “They mine as well just leave us alone. We’re not hurting anybody, we’re just having a good time.”

 

The rain began to softly fall from the skies but that didn’t stop the roars from the crowd. With Os in the air and fists to the sky, students sang, “I love I love I love my Obama… I love I love I love my Obama…”

 

“This is bigger than any party I’ve ever been to,” Lewis said. “People are mad hype and even though people’s shoes are getting stepped on and people are bumping into each other, no one is fighting. This is a great night.”

 

 

 

 

Obama-Rama!

Danielle Canada

Senior, BRDJ, Atlanta, GA

HAMPTON- Hampton University students rallied together two times on November 4, 2008. First they rallied together at the polls, standing in line as early as 5 o’ clock in the morning to cast their votes for president of the United States. Next they rallied together in celebration. One group of Hampton University seniors had a party to watch the results of the election. These students held an “Obama Rama” party complete with a fully decorated apartment with posters and pictures of Barack Obama adorning the walls. The party felt like New Year’s Eve as noise makers were blown and champagne was poured up until that pivotal moment when the results were in. At that moment pandemonium erupted. Students jumped, screamed, yelled and even cried upon hearing that Barack Obama will be the 44^th president of the United States of America. After which the party was moved to the Hampton Harbor Apartments. A mob of Hampton University students celebrated in the streets by dancing, screaming and chanting. Students were so rambunctious that they even jumped onto a passing by fire truck to celebrate the election. The feeling in the air was of triumph, excitement and relief. Hampton University senior Alisha Glover said it best, “My president is black! Oh my god, we really did it!” The day people doubted would ever happened is upon us proving that all things are possible, that every vote counts and that history has been made.

 

*******PROFESSOR BATTS, I HAVE AT LEAST FIVE MORE VIDEOS TO POST BUT KYTE IS RUNNING SLOW. I’M WORKING ON POSTING THE REST RIGHT NOW!*******************************

Scenes at a neighborhood polling place

By Kimberly Colander

HAMPTON, Va. – Hundreds of voters lined up at A.W.E. Bassette Elementary School here at 8 a.m. to take part in the Presidential Election. Voters faced chilly temperatures and rain as they waited to cast their ballots.  

On the grass surrounding the school there were numerous Barack Obama-Joe Biden signs and only one John McCain-Sarah Palin sign. There were also several Glenn Nye and Mark Warner signs in the yard. Both Democrats were respectively running for House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.

 

Democratic volunteers for the Obama-Biden campaign were present and working. They carried signs along the length of the line and also handed out Democratic Party sample ballots to people waiting in line.   

The parking lot at the school was packed. Empty parking spots were scarce. People had to park their cars blocks away and walk to the voting location in the cold and wet weather. Most of the people in the L-shaped line were middle-aged African-Americans.

 

An “express vote” was offered to the elderly voters so they would not have to stand in line for hours or be exposed to the bad weather. Senior citizens were allowed to pull up to the curb and vote from their own car. Some seniors took advantage of the program, but others wanted to get the entire election experience by standing in line.   

The line grew longer by the minute and at some points it was at a standstill. Although the voting process was longer than normal and the rain was consistent, most voters were not in bad spirits. They kept themselves encouraged by telling jokes and reminiscing about segregation and the fight to vote.

 

The voting took place in the music and physical education room in Bassettte Elementary. People came out of the room with big smiles after they had voted. They had encouraging words for the voters who were still standing out in the rain.  

Kevin Douglas, a sophomore Old Dominion University student from Hampton, arrived at Bassette to vote shortly after 8 a.m. This was his first time voting, but he was not worried about making any mistakes during the voting process.

 

“I’m not worried about the line,” Douglas said, “The vote is more important than the line.”

After voting, Douglas said that he felt like he had played a significant role in history by taking part in this election. He said the only thing left now is to find out which of the presidential nominees win the election.

 

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Hampton citizens, students arrive at polls before dawn

By Jared Council

HAMPTON, Va. —  Outside the Woodlands Golf Course at 3:47 a.m., on a rainy Tuesday, Nov. 4, signs of life were present, as well as signs of anticipation for the final lap of a U.S. presidential race that’s lasted for nearly two years.

“I couldn’t wait much longer,” said 44-year-old Steve Bell of Hampton, standing first in line under a pavilion with his umbrella closed. “I’d rather get up early and wait for the polls to open than wait in line when the polls will be packed.”

Edwards was on line two hours before the 6 a.m. poll opening.

Some didn’t have to get up early. Justin Edwards, a senior business management major at Hampton University, stayed up and watched the night sky as his four friends slept in his car.

“I was already up,” Edwards said, “So I figured since I’m going to be up, I might as well stay up to vote.” He and his friends were the first HU students at Woodlands Golf Course, arriving at 1:30 a.m.

By 4 a.m., the dark-purple sky remained the same hue; but the activity under this sky grew as people from all over came to get in line early to vote.

Bobbette Raimey, 50, left Silver Spring, Md., at 1 a.m. to return to Hampton to vote. She returned because she recently moved to Maryland from Hampton and she thought that registering to vote in another state might be risky.

“I didn’t want to hear any reasons to as to why I couldn’t vote,” Raimey said, this being her first time voting since she earned the right. Raimey’s zeal to avoid any voting conflicts even caused her to delay changing her last name despite her recent marriage.

While people like Raimey traveled from out of state, a considerable amount of Hampton students traveled from their dorms and from the Harbors, only 500 yards away. They left their candidate paraphernalia but brought along school wardrobe. Being young and black and wearing their Hampton hoodies, HU students made the voting line look like a homecoming concert ticket line.

At 5:30 a.m., there were 77 HU students out of more than 100 people in line. At 6 a.m. when the polls opened, there were 164 HU students in the L-shaped line that spanned the length of the side of the parking lot.

Some who weren’t HU students but had ties to the university showed up to vote too.

Cora M. Reid, who works in the Harvey Library, graduated from Hampton in 1944 and had a father and a grandfather who went there. Reid said she got up early to vote because she wants to see a black president. “I hope I will,” she said.

Majorie Sale, a 58-year-old pipe designer from Hampton, was a McCain supporter. She told her boss she would be late for work at 5 a.m. in order to vote.

While nearly 250 people lined up before polls opened, voters who showed up afterward, like Michael Riddick, anticipated and accepted the long lines.

“We’ve waited for days to vote,” said Riddick. “What’s a few hours?”

 

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Election Day Vignette

Kimberly Colander

Prof Batts

JAC 404-01

Election Experience

A Moving Moment

      November 4, 2008 is expected to be one of the most important days in American history. I was not looking forward to Election Day because of all the stress I knew I would have to endure for the coverage and the line I knew I would have to face. But, it turned out to be something that wasn’t stressful. Instead, I felt a sense of pride and importance.

      My polling location was A.W.E. Bassette Elementary School in Hampton. My mother and I were arrived there at 8:30 am. The location was packed. It was extremely hard to find a park. Voters were circling around the school and some even parked blocks away and walked. It was rainy and cold but we stood in the line for an hour and a half to cast our ballot. The other voters were encouraging and shared umbrellas and stories of the importance of this election with each other.

      When I first arrived on the scene and realized that there were at least 300 people in line ahead of me, I felt discouraged and the weather didn’t make it any better. But the high spirits from the other enthusiastic voters eased my irritation. When I finally reached the inside of the building I became more excited about voting and it was like the importance of my vote hit me. I also became a little nervous that I may fill out my ballot incorrectly and my voice wouldn’t be heard. I know it was only four categories to vote for but it must have taking me five minutes to complete the ballot. I watched the people around me finish and new voters come and finish too. I just wanted to make sure that I was doing it right. I took in the moment because it was my first time ever voting.

      After I voted I felt very accomplished. My older sister sent me a text and said that I was now a woman because I voted. I think that the wait in the rain was worth for that feeling of significance. I only hope that my vote will help get Barack Obama elected and hope reshape our country.

Election Day Vignette

Kevin Kee

2008 Presidential Election Reflection Paper

10-04-08

Media Ethics

Professor: Batts 

     Today November 4^th 2008 I woke up at 5:30 a.m. to have my voice heard for the first time.  Not in a literal sense but in the sense of voting.  Today was my first time voting and it was an unforgettable event.  I never really considered voting until Senator Barack Obama decided to run for president. I thought that voting was a waste of time, and up until about a month ago I was not even a registered voter, but senator Obama’s decision to run for the president  not only persuaded me to vote; it also gave me hope for the future of African Americans.

     After having woken up so early, I proceeded to my precinct which was Cooper Elementary School on Marcella Road in Hampton.  I thought that my waking up early and going to the polls as soon as they opened would decrease my chances of being caught in a long line; I could not have been more wrong.  It seemed as if everyone had the same idea I had or at least a similar one.  As I stood in the line awaiting my turn to vote, my eyes wondered to the people around me.  I wondered if they all felt the same way I did.  Did they realize how momentous this event was and did they know what the outcome of this day would bring?

     It is finally my chance to vote I entered the double doors of the school and proceeded to the poll administrator to show my license and then to another administrator to receive my ballot.  This is it I thought what I waited two hours for, my reason for waking up so early, it took about a second to fill out the ballot and then the deed was done.  All the anticipation and the waiting paid off and I left the poll feeling excited to see the results later tonight. Who will become the next president of the United States and was my voice really heard I guess I will find out later along with everyone else who voted.

Election Day Vignette

Brittney Fennell                                                                                      November 4, 2008

JAC 404                                                                                                  Professor Batts 

My Absentee Voting Experience

      A few weeks ago, I voted by absentee ballot for the state of New Jersey. Even though it wasn’t the same as going to the polls, I still felt that my decision was of importance. This is the first time I was ever eligible to vote, and I’m still trying to get over the fact that I was able to vote for a black person who just might win and change the way others see America. Filling in that circle next to Barack Obama’s and Joe Biden’s name made me feel that I was taking part in history. I always knew that I would see a black president in my lifetime; however, I just didn’t know it would be this soon. As a little kid when you’re growing up, you always hear your peers say that they want to become president. I’ve heard plenty of young black boys say that they want to become the first black president, but now they may not have to be. If Barack Obama is elected president, he will not only change American history, but African-American history as well. In the 1960s in the segregated south, blacks fought for equal rights including the right to vote. Fast-forward forty years later, Barack Obama is on the brink of re-writing the course of America.

      My vote took place weeks in advance, but is apart of a presidential election that will go down in history, and will be talked about for years to come. I may have not been able to go to the polls for my first voting experience but I am glad that I am able to say that my vote was counted and that I took part in a historical election.

“I came, I stood, I voted.”

Tiffani Haynes

Election Day Coverage

Word Count: 619

 

            The urgency and pressing need for a change in the White House has never been so clear, at least not in my 21 years of living.

            I’ve lived through my fair share of events, Y2K and September 11^th alone were huge, and yet nothing has affected me more than watching presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama run the most successful campaign any Black man has done in his attempt at the White House.

            It wasn’t merely the fact that Obama was Black, after all Jesse Jackson was Black and never stood a chance. It was the poise, intelligence and simplicity in which Obama carried himself that I began to love. He represented what my young eyes had never seen in politics, honesty. Now, I’m not naïve enough to believe that everything that comes out of his mouth is 100% honesty, after all it’s politics, no one who’s 100% honest makes it anywhere, an honest but true fact. It is his overall air of honesty that I appreciate. His ability to use simple terms to explain complex problems. No eloquent terms to grandly describe what he would attempt to do for America. No staggering statistics to discredit his opponent. Just facts.

            Yet aside from his political standpoint and views, I also loved that Obama had a wife he openly expressed love for, a stable family and a solid career before his run for president. The Obamas represent a powerful Black family with ease. A family operating under Christian beliefs with unity. Black power and Black love at its most successful level. I loved it.

            It is because of my belief in his idea for change, his political views, his family and his competence as a leader that I couldn’t wait to vote.

            I got up at 4:30 a.m. after volunteering with a midnight canvassing for the Obama office until 1: 30 a.m. Operating on less than three hours of sleep I eagerly got up and was excited to go vote. I picked up my friend Craig and we went. We arrived right before the polls opened at six and stood in the long line to vote.

            With umbrellas up and surrounded by people,  I never felt more proud to be a Black American. Not only Black because Obama is Black but American because of our democracy and our progress. The playing field will never truly be equal and racism will never truly end but America has grown by leaps and bounds. The thought of a Black man running for president was only a figment of our civil rights leaders’ minds, merely a dream that no one knew at the time could actually come to fruition.

            In some strange way I felt like I was a part of the civil rights movement, a full circle movement. It began long ago with people dying so that I could do exactly what I was doing now, stand in line with other young Black college kids and vote. Many of the people fighting for my right to vote were no older than I am now.

            As I handed over my voter registration I felt proud, which sounds simple but is the only way to describe my emotions. As they said, “Tiffani Haynes, here to vote,” I beamed inside. That’s right, I was here to vote. To change history. To become apart of history.

            I filled in the bubble that said Barack Obama/Joe Biden as full as I could get it. I didn’t want a single chance my vote was missed. It was silly but those were my thoughts. I slipped my ballot into the machine to be counted and was handed my “I Voted” sticker.

            That’s right. I had voted. Tiffani Haynes, here to vote

Hampton Univ. Pirates push out to polls

By Michael Turner

HAMPTON, Va. – Most students planning to hit the polls Tuesday morning in hopes of beating the crowd had set their alarms, coordinated transportation, and prepared their routes to polling stations Monday night.

 

Some students had little other choice.

 

Terry Pompey, a freshman journalism major from New Jersey, was on a train home Monday night in order to cast his ballot in person. Pompey estimated that he would arrive after 2 a.m.

 

“I’ve got at least three more hours on this train,” he said, “but I had to find a way to show up in person to make sure what little I can add to the voting process is counted.”

 

Even after realizing how tiring Monday and Election Day will be, Pompey was excited to be voting at the polls for the first time in such an historic election: “My mom was all for me coming home, too. She said as long as I was willing to pay the train ticket, she’d wait for me to go out and vote with her.”

 

A number of other students on campus expressed similar obligations to make a physical appearance at the polls — even if they hadn’t registered outside of their home state.

 

Ronald Britt, a sophomore nursing major from Maryland, also returned home last night. He and his mother planned on waking up this morning before dawn to vote.

 

“She is the one who really wanted me to experience the voting process first hand,” he said.

 

“At first the idea of coming back home just to stand in long lines when I could just send an absentee ballot seemed dumb, but now, I realize how much more personal this type of voting will be.”

 

Britt’s anticipation of drawn-out wait times and rowdy crowds did not deter his plan or put a dent his mood, either.  “I’m assuming it will be packed,” he said, “but that’s going to be a unique part of my in-person experience.”

In state, a number of students are returning to vote at local polling stations in Suffolk and Virginia Beach, while others are driving to Alexandria and Manassas in Northern Virginia.

Sean Hunt, a junior nursing major was driving over three hours to Washington, D.C. Monday night not only to return home, but to “get close to the action,” he said. “I can’t wait to see how Washington reacts to Obama’s win tomorrow night. Or maybe the other way around.”

 

Coming off the heels of this past weekend’s Hampton homecoming festivities, a renewed presence of family across campus brought the idea of voting into a very personal context. The mix of election campaigning at alumni-drawing events like the bazaar and concert placed the election at the forefront of many parents’ minds.

 

“My dad came up this weekend and really pushed me to come back home and stand in line at the polls with him,” said Jamila Gerald, a junior education major.

 

“It made me less annoyed with having to make the trip home to Virginia Beach because he is so motivated to vote.”

 

Hampton students set out in all directions last night to arrive ready to vote Tuesday morning. By the time the lines lengthen, Pirates hope to be at the forefront of not only experiencing history, but writing it first-hand.                   

 

The writer is a junior at the Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Fashion emerges as Election Day issue

By Mya Singleton

 

HAMPTON, Va. – With Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 4 approaching, more participants are showing their support by wearing voter paraphernalia. Voters have had the freedom to wear any presidential attire; however things will change in Virginia on Election Day. 

 

The fashion world has become politically stylish as people encourage voters by wearing buttons, hats, stickers, and T-shirts of their preferred candidate.  Many Hampton University students have decorated their backpacks, purses and laptops with stickers and buttons. Student organizations around campus have supported the election by selling T-shirts with phrases such as “Rock the Vote” or “Respect my Vote.” 

 

Hampton’s Saturday Homecoming Bazaar and football game featured vendors selling presidential T-shirts. Ysmael Baylor, a junior computer science major said, “I think it’s good for people to support their candidate with the clothes they wear, but only to a certain extent so they are not over enthused.” 

 

Stores, boutiques, and fashion designers are using the election to their advantage. Halloween trick-or-treaters had the opportunity to dress up as their favorite presidential candidate. Spirit Halloween and iParty stores pushed Halloween sales of Barack Obama and John McCain masks. A Hampton University student was seen around campus on Halloween dressed up in an Obama mask and suit. Students jokingly asked him questions about his opinions on the upcoming Election Day. 

 

The election not only has students changing their sense of style. The fashion industry is also taking the event by storm. Designer Marc Jacobs has shown his election support by selling political T-shirts at his stores and online sites. Obama recently got support during Paris’ Spring/Summer ’09 Fashion Week. Designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac created an Obama dress and models supported the designs by ripping the runway. 

 

Although most paraphernalia has positive messages, there was some controversy after people began selling T-shirts with slogans such as “Obama is my Slave” and “Vote Paris [Hilton] ’08 for President: Not that white-haired dude.” 

 

Alyndria Thompson, a junior biology major said, “I think some voters do actually wear these certain shirts to support their candidate, however, some are just wearing it because it is the latest fad.”

 

 

Although voters have had the opportunity to support their candidates in any type of fashion, the Virginia State Board of Elections is enforcing a law in which voters will not be able to wear clothing, hats, buttons or other paraphernalia that promotes a certain candidate within 40 feet of and inside the polling place. If people wish to wear their apparel, they can remove their items or turn their clothing inside out.

 

 

Virginia is following this procedure similar to other states such as Maine, Montana, Vermont and Kansas. The State Board of Elections had to consider the citizens’ First Amendment rights, but decided to follow through because wearing the items is a form of campaigning that is prohibited on polling grounds.

 

 

Erin Jones, a junior broadcast journalism major said, “I’m wearing my shirt on Nov. 3 [Monday], since I can’t wear it when I go to vote on Election Day.”  

 

People who choose to violate the law will be asked to leave the polling place, but they will still be able to vote at a later time.  However, if a violator refuses to leave, they could be arrested.

 

 

On Election Day, the polling place is simply an area to vote and not to campaign or use fashion statements to encourage people. Voters started this political trend, but will have to rethink their sense of style when they go to the polls.

 

The writer is a junior at the Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Students pursue varied ballot-casting strategies

By Shannon Epps

 

HAMPTON, Va. – Hampton University student Justin Manning was canvassing and volunteering in hopes of helping Barack Obama win his bid for the White House.

 

The senior political science major, like some other college students, took advantage of various options that students had when voting. 

 

 

Instead of going home to Brooklyn, N.Y., to cast his vote on Nov. 4, Manning chose to change his voter registration to his campus address so that he could vote in Virginia, a state that hasn’t chosen a Republican for president since 1964.

 

“New York is always going to be blue, so why not help a red state?” Manning said. 

Manning decided to vote early in Hampton as opposed to going to the polls on Election Day.

 

Some voters have voiced concern about long lines at the polls. Manning said his experience wasn’t too much of a problem. 

 

 

“It was my first time voting,” he said. “I didn’t expect the line to be so long, but once I got inside it was organized. I was out in about an hour.”

 

Mike Livingston, a first-year professional pharmacy student, also switched his registration from his home of Bowie, Md., to his campus address. He had planned to vote absentee, but missed the deadline to request an application. 

 

 

Unlike Manning, Livingston plans to vote on Tuesday. He’s slightly concerned about long lines at the polls. He plans to vote around 6 a.m., when the polls open, along with a few friends.

 

“My only concern is that if there’s going to be a long line,” Livingston said. “I hope it’s not early in the morning when I go.” 

 

 

He said he plans to vote for Barack Obama, and would expect the senator from Illinois to win the election even if he was supporting Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

 

“I don’t think it’s going to be close, but I don’t think it will be a landslide,” Livingston said. “I think it’s going to be somewhere in the middle.” 

 

 

Elliot Croom, a junior electrical engineering major sent an absentee ballot to his home of Birmingham, Ala., two weeks ago in hopes of a victory for Obama in the traditionally Republican state. 

 

 

“I wanted to vote in Alabama because Alabama is usually red and I think there’s a chance that it could be blue this year, even though it might be relatively small,” he said.

 

Croom said he initially had reservations about voting absentee, but decided he wanted to try to make a difference in his home state.

 

He doesn’t expect there to be a lot of problems in the voting process because he thinks precincts are taking the “necessary precautions,” said Croom to prevent any potential complications. 

 

 

“I think all the poll [officials] will be on their P’s and Q’s,” Croom said. “If they did that always then voting would always go smoothly, but you know you can only ask so much of public service.”

 

Livingston said that however voters choose to cast their ballots, he hopes they all exercise their right to participate in this historic election.

 

 

“For this election in particular, I think it’s very important that everyone go out and vote,” he said. “This election has made the process of voting a very popular and important one so that everyone can share their opinion on how the United States’ future should continue.”

 

The writer is a junior at the Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Reflections heading into the election

By Shawntá McMillon

      On November 4, 2008 the world will witness one of the most life changing events of this time. The two candidates both democratic nominee, Illinois state  senator,  Barack Obama and republican nominee,  Arizona state senator, John McCain have provided the nation with key points that affect us daily, but it is time to choose. I am from New York and this is my first time voting ever. Since I am away from home I chose to do an absentee ballot, which will still make my vote count in New York State.

      This particular day for me is very special because I will be able to say to my children that on my 20^th birthday, I was given a chance to vote for the first black president of the Unites States. These past eight years has affected everyone around the world and this is an election that can possibly have a positive and hopeful effect on the economy and humanity as a whole. Both candidates have held firm to their beliefs and goals, all the while bashing the other candidate, but through it all I have been able to interpret the information received and choose who I would like to see run this country.

      I understand that many of the changes that the candidates have planned may or may not affect me directly or indirectly, but this hasn’t changed my perspective on this election. I do understand that as a young adult going through college my vote is extremely important. I also understand that if I didn’t decided to vote in this presidential election I would only be harming myself in the long run. Believe it or not, despite the election between Bush and Al Gore every vote counts and hopefully this will be a smooth election free from minor errors like those in the 2004. I strongly believe if you can vote now and don’t vote, then there is no use in you complaining about anything. You had a chance to help create change and you chose not to take that chance.

How will people react if their candidate loses?

By Hollyn Randolph

We have all heard it, maybe from a family member, a friend, or a co-worker, “If my candidate doesn’t get elected, I am moving to Canada.” With the 2008 election only days away, the reality of one candidate’s quest for presidency will be over. So how do the candidates and country deal with such loss?  

“Some talk about it while others just cry,” says Linda Kirkland-Harris, a Pastoral counselor and director of Hampton University’s counseling center.   

Anxiety is defined as worry or uneasiness about what may happen, while grief is a stronger emotion attached to a loss. “You can suffer from either or both depending on the individual or situation,” said Kirkland-Harris.  

Symptoms for those suffering from anxiety vary by person. Some common symptoms are tension in the joints, pressure, chest pain, a rise in body temperature, and shortness of breath.  

Many may begin to feel anxiety in these final days of the election. With major concerns over the economy, healthcare, and the war in Iraq, people are really looking for a candidate who will save the day and ease their fears.  

Ken Barton, a Barack Obama supporter attending Hampton University, admitted to feeling anxious in the beginning. “I felt like he wasn’t going to win at first but now I am more confident about his campaign,” he said. Maegan Smith from Washington, D.C., feels differently. “I’m moving to England,” she says with a chuckle.  

Candidates also have to deal with the loss. “Usually the candidates are with family and close friends to help cope with the results,” says Jared Leopold. Leopold, a spokesman for the Democratic party of Virginia has been working with elections and campaigns for six years. One thing that always remains consistent is “everyone in the campaign takes the results and reacts as they come.”   

For those who may be feeling anxious or grief after the election, Kirkland-Harris has some advice. “Just use whatever coping mechanism works for you such as talking about it with friends, writing, maybe volunteering, or you could move to Canada.” 

The Election and Fashion Trends

By Tristen Graves

    

      Will Trends in Fashion Predict Winner

      Whether it’s a political statement or just a fashion statement, this year’s outbreak in political campaign apparel has transformed into a must-have item this season.

      This year’s election really is the first in history where presidential candidates are being worn among everyday dress. As we flip through magazines, walk through our grocery stores, and even among Hampton University’s campus, candidate profile pictures, logos, and specific issues are being displayed freely and openly. 

      “I think it is amazing how the election is influencing society and young people,” said Leon Hendrix, senior, broadcast journalism major at Hampton University. “We see Barack’s face on so many T-shirt designs. There were no JFK shirts and other presidential faces on T-shirts. He might as well have his own clothing line.”

      The differences among the two candidates when it comes to apparel is that McCain and his campaign are being printed on more traditional items such as buttons, badges and bumper stickers, whereas, Obama’s apparel has expanded greatly to things like T-shirts, mugs and even underwear.

      In an article posted on newsmax.com, reports show that Obama represents 75 percent of political sales while the items showing McCain only cover about 10 percent. Large trendy fashion stores, such as Urban Outfitters, sell shirts that read, “Obama for yo mama,” and “Barack ‘n’ Roll.” They also have Republican items that read “Vote ‘08” and T-shirts with emblems such as the red elephant.

      Other T-shirt vendors such as Obamaapparel.com contain graphic designs with Obama’s face on them and slogans such as, “I love Obama,” and “Barack Obama 2008,” Many of the candidate’s apparel range in price from $12-$40, depending on style and quality.

      “I think it’s a great thing. It’s more publicity for him,” said Ebony Robinson, senior marketing major at Hampton University.

      “I got my T-shirts from D.C. when I went to Howard’s homecoming. I think it shows that younger voters care about what’s going on.” 

      T-shirt companies and merchandise vendors have greatly tapped into the social trends of this year’s election.

      Websites such as CafePress.com, which happens to be one of the largest online platforms for custom designed products, shows that Obama has more 87,000 T-shirt designs while McCain has 30,800. The trends across websites, such as CafePress and Zazzle.com, also show that many of the messages intended to support Obama express positive statements. Most of the McCain messages are anti-Obama instead of pro-McCain.

      “I think it is good to see that there is an educated black man running for president,” said Candyce Wilkerson, graduate counseling student at Hampton University.” I support him and what he is doing. That is what influenced me to buy a shirt.”

      Hollywood has exploded with the political agenda as a result of the political fashion trends becoming increasingly popular among celebrities and fashion designers. As reported on Nymag.com, designers in Paris have even begun adding to their collection pieces that are inspired by Obama and his campaign. French designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac introduced his dress of a portrait of Barack Obama paired with gloves that read “yes” and “no” during his spring-summer 2009 ready-to-wear collection presented in Paris.

      The Obama campaign has also used the new trends in the fashion industry as a way to collect additional funds to help support his campaign. As stated on Runwaytochange.com, prominent designers, such as Juicy Couture, Russell Simmons, and Vera Wang have contributed their talents to the campaign by supporting the “Runway to Change” program. The initiative was launched on Sept. 9 in New York.

      “Because the T-shirts are being worn by people in the media it shows that often times people emulate what they see,” said Wilkerson.

      The McCain campaign has chosen to take a more traditional approach and not tap into the marketing trends like the Obama campaign and his supporters have done, however, the end result will tell if the fashion trends can predict the winner.

Coffee shop hosted debate party, CNN dropped by

By Amanda Carter

 

HAMPTON, Va. – On Oct. 15, food and drinks were served at a community coffee shop to a mix of customers wearing Sarah Palin shirts and Barack Obama hats and gathered around a projection screen.

 

The Phoebus Coffee House hosted a debate watching party for the third and final U.S. Presidential debate. Cameramen and a crew from CNN taped and reported the event.

 

“It was a happy accident that CNN came here,” said Anne Doop, owner of The Phoebus Coffee House. “They found us on the Internet as a non [political] party-affiliated event.”

 

Stuffed animal elephants and red coffee mugs accompanied a small crowd of John McCain, R-Ariz., supporters as they sat at a table.

 

Poster boards and volunteer sign-up sheets floated in the crowd of Obama, D-Ill., supporters who were double the number of the opponents.

 

“We were strong in our support even though there were only a few of us,” said Norma Hernandez, a McCain supporter from Woodbridge, Va.

 

The mix of partisans caused some ruckus at the coffee house, however nothing serious occurred. After the debate, loud cheers from Obama supporters and chants of “Yes we can” filled the room.

 

“I’m happy to be in such a critical state in the election,” said Larry Henderson, an Obama supporter from Virginia Beach, Va. “At worst the debate was a draw. McCain had to hit grand slams to redeem him, while Obama stayed solid and confident.”

 

“Judy Parker of Phoebus, a Hampton neighborhood, is currently undecided about the election. “I like Obama except for his views on abortion,” she said, “but he has answers, and McCain doesn’t.”

 

The writer is a junior at the Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Coming to America

By Septima Glenn

Some people travel across the country to go to college. Imagine going to a new country all together. Junior Tashana Willock did exactly that. A native of Kingston, Jamaica, Willock has made the United States her home for the last two years.

The road hasn’t been easy. Willock, who has been running since the age of five, used track and field as her ticket to higher education.

“It has taken a lot of hard work and many sacrifices for me to get here,” Willock said.

The sacrifices weren’t just from Tashana, but her mother as well.

“My mom was a single parent,” Willock said. But she always made a sacrifice to make sure I had what I wanted growing up. She is still my biggest inspiration.”

Even though the move to the United States has its benefits, Willock isn’t sure she’ll be here after graduation.

“The surroundings, the climate, everything is different here,” Willock said. “I’m really not sure if I’ll stay.”

The vast differences are what keep her going back home. From the cuisine to the people, according to Willock, everything is better in Jamaica.

“In Jamaica there is always something going on, people selling things on the streets or some kind of party,” Willock said. “Here there is nothing. If you don’t know anybody you’re all alone.”

The atmosphere isn’t the only thing that’s different in the states. Politics is another thing Willock see differently. Although the upcoming election is a hot topic to many, Willock doesn’t see what all the excitement is about.

“Obama, I don’t understand what all the fuss is about,” Willock said. “I’m not going to vote. I don’t get how this country works. I don’t vote back home, why should I vote here?”

 

Key scoring carries Hampton over Norfolk 35-17

Two of the largest HBCUs in the Hampton Roads area geared up for a much anticipated showdown when the Pirates of Hampton University took on Norfolk State University’s Spartans.  This years’ Battle of the Bay marked the forty-fifth meeting between the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference powerhouses; the series’ overall record put the Spartans ahead of the Pirates twenty-three wins to twenty-one.  That was until the Pirates proved themselves over the weekend and defeated the Spartans 35-17 in the football face-off.

            The Pirates improved to 5-1 overall and they remain undefeated in the MEAC; after Saturday’s loss the Spartans fell to 2-5 overall and 1-3 in the MEAC. 

            Hampton senior and wide receiver Jeremy Gilchrist got the Pirates on the right track during the first quarter after he returned a punt for 60 yards to get the Pirates on the board.  The following quarter showed more of the same when the Pirates’ wide receiver Damon McDaniel scored off of a 70-yard pass from quarterback Herbert Bynes putting Hampton up 14-0. 

            At the beginning of the second half the Spartans turned it around when wide receiver Jamar Johnson put Norfolk State within a touchdown of the Pirates in the third quarter.  Hampton would allow the Spartans to score once more on a 28-yard field goal before the Pirates took ultimate control of the game. 

            The Pirates finished the fame with of 379 yards of total offense and 115 yards rushing.  Both Michael Swett and Herbert Bynes earned the offensive and defensive player of the game honors.

No secret: Hampton University goes Pink

By Mya Singleton

 

HAMPTON, Va. – The romantic lingerie store for women Victoria’s Secret, known for establishing the PINK Collegiate Collection line, has branched out to include Historically Black Colleges and Universities [HBCU]. In mid-December, the store is to feature Hampton University’s name and logo on its collegiate loungewear including fleece pants, T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, and tote bags.

 

The PINK Collection debuted in 2004 as a line tailored to young, college women with neutral school-inspired logos and phrases. However in June, the store established the PINK Collegiate Collection featuring 33 schools such as UC Berkeley, UCLA, Florida State University, and Boston College. The original universities were chosen based on regional appeal, student population, and revenue from store sales. 

 

Hampton University was recently chosen as the one of the new HBCUs for the collection, along with Howard University, North Carolina A&T State University, Florida A&M University, and Southern University.

 

Victoria’s Secret decided to expand its PINK Collegiate Collection to HBCUs in order to promote school diversity and appeal to all its college consumers.

 

Kiara Mayfield, a junior English major here said, “It’s good to see Victoria’s Secret expand their line to HBCUs, because all students from different schools and backgrounds shop at the store.”

 

Many Hampton students are excited about the collection featuring their school. Erin Jones, a junior broadcast journalism major said, “I’m glad they’re adding HBCUs because most people don’t know HU exists, but I will be proud to go to Victoria’s Secret to buy my Hampton apparel from now on.”

 

Naima Gethers, a Hampton alumna and public relations specialist in university relations, said, “Adding Hampton to the PINK line is good for HU because it makes our name look big along with the other well-known colleges.”

 

The apparel line will feature items with the HU Pirate mascot logo and school name. The items will be sold in select Victoria’s Secret stores, the online store site, and catalog.

 

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Hampton U. honor students gather for last presidential debate

By Matthew Cahill

 

Wednesday marked the last of three presidential debates and campus leaders at Hampton University organized viewings of the event. 

 

Holmes Hall, the honors dormitory at H.U., hosted a viewing in its lobby for building residents, while senior political science major Moses Wilson III, statewide coordinator for Students for Barack Obama, hosted a private viewing at his apartment in the Hampton Harbors.

 

“It’s fellowship,” Wilson said about his reason for hosting a viewing. “It’s political awareness of the issues and the current state of affairs.”

 

Debate viewings at Holmes Hall require permission from dorm director Joseph Taliaferro. He said tonight’s viewing will be smaller than the last, with no fliers or invitations. 

 

“We maxed out last time,” he said, referring to the 40-seat capacity lobby.

 

For Wednesday’s debate, Holmes resident assistants did not decorate as they did for previous viewings and Taliaferro did not request speakers or video projection equipment from H.U. Media Relations.

Senior political science major Justin Manning, head R.A. for Holmes Hall and campus coordinator for Students for Barack Obama, organized the events, but originally was not sure if Holmes would host a third debate viewing.

 

Wednesday’s viewing was to be exclusively for Holmes residents and via personal invitations from Manning.

 

“Holmes is an honors dorm, so I wanted to make sure it’s treated as such,” he said.  “It’s the university as a whole that wants this to happen.

 

“There’s a lot of swing states at stake,” continued Manning. “This is the one debate that has to stand out from the rest.”

 

The writer is a senior at the Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Neighborhood campaign offices compete for Va. voters

By Kimberly Colander

Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain both realize the importance of winning the vote in Virginia. For the past 44 years the state has voted for the Republican candidate. In Hampton Roads, there were seven McCain-Palin offices and 12 Obama-Biden offices as of Oct. 5.

McCain’s running mate is Gov. Sarah Palin, R-Alaska, and Obama’s running mate is U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del.

Dawn Matheson, a volunteer at the Chesapeake McCain-Palin office, said that as a whole Virginia has more Democratic offices than Republican offices. “The Democratic campaign beats us 7 to 1 in offices throughout Virginia,” she said.

According to Matheson, the reason for the big difference is because the competition in the state is tight. But, as the election date gets closer, the Republican campaign is expected to open more offices. 

Jared Leopold, communication director for the Democratic Party of Virginia’s Coordinated Campaign, believes that the Democrats have established so many offices in this area because it is known that Hampton Roads is a key area to win in order to get Obama elected. He described Virginia as a battleground for the campaign.

Leopold said the Democratic tactic for winning Hampton Roads is to have offices located in the community neighborhoods so that neighbors can talk to each other. “We want to be convenient to the community,” Leopold said, “We don’t want people to travel far to get campaign information.”

A typical day in both of the offices is similar. Both parties serve as a local connection to a national campaign. The two offices answer phones and address questions from the public about the election. Neighbors can pick up bumper stickers, yard signs or campaign literature from either office.  

Democratic volunteers go door-to-door, making sure that people are registered and also give out information about the entire Democratic ticket. They inform the public about Obama’s campaign, as well as Mark Warner’s for the U.S. Senate and Bobby Scott’s for Congress. Republican volunteers conduct their own internal polls and also run phone banks.

Terry Williams, a volunteer for the Obama-Biden office in Suffolk, started her first day as a helper for the campaign on Saturday. She has been dealing with phone calls from the public and also walk-ins. Williams is passionate about this cause because she wants to “let the community know how important the process is.”

Matheson was able to meet McCain two weeks ago at a Naval Academy reunion in Indianapolis. “He was there signing things and answering questions,” Matheson said “and it was a pleasure to finally meet the man that I’ve been working for.”

Leopold started working for the Democratic campaign in June. He has been involved with politics for a while and is excited to be working with Obama during this “change movement.” He urges young people to get involved with this historical election.

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

 

 

 

 

Hampton U. students struggle with voting options

By Michael Turner                

A Google search of the word “absentee,” yields 4,630,000 results. The first item is a Web site entitled VoteForChange.com, an attractive, interactive Web page dedicated to registering voters to cast absentee ballots in favor of Barack Obama.

 

Floating atop a sea of other sites with countless pages of information, divided into clauses and sub-clauses of rules and regulations is this one — simple, straightforward, and broadcast amid an appealing background of light and dark blue.  

 

If either of the Democratic or Republican parties is doing something right, it’s trying to resell the process of absentee voting as easy and convenient to this years host of potential voters.

 

Colleges across the country are composed of student bodies from all corners of the continent and globe. Those who are eligible to vote will have to make the same decision that students at Hampton University are making this month — whether they will vote absentee, return to their home states to vote, or re-register in Virginia.

 

With memories of the disputed 2000 Florida voting results resurfacing in some people’s minds, it is no surprise that in what may be the first and most important election for these voters, Hamptonians are already wary of the process.

 

Janelle Martin, a junior business management major from Maryland, represents one of a large population of students at the school from the Prince George’s County, Md. She applied for an absentee ballot online through the Maryland State Board of Elections Web site early last week after weighing her options.

 

“The process wasn’t hard once I read through the instructions,” she said. “My only concern is my ballot somehow getting lost in the mail.”                                                                                           

 Martin, however, claimed she was the only one among her close friends who had completed an absentee ballot application. Many, she said, either promised her they would but hadn’t yet done so, or simply distrusted the process.

The overwhelming majority of students do, however, plan to vote, according to Justin Manning, a senior political science major from New York and campus-wide coordinator for Students for Barack Obama. Manning has been urging probable absentee voters to re-register in the state. He carries Virginia voter registration forms with him at all times, and is surprised by the number of absentee voters he meets.

 

“A lot of students trust absentee ballots when they don’t realize that that’s the reason Bush is in office right now,” said Manning. “The Florida miscount had a lot to do with those votes. Students that I talk to don’t realize the considerable risk of leaving their privilege to vote entirely to the postal system.”

 

With the deadline nearing for absentee voter registration less than a month away in most states, students have little time to decide how to cast their vote. On Nov. 4, while many will be entering the polls in hopes of a brighter future as promised by either Obama or McCain.

 

Others will be placing their bets on the mailman.

 

The writer is a junior at Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Hunt in Hampton for eligible Election ’08 voters

By Kathryn De Shields

 

When the Oct. 6 register to vote deadline arrived, 1½ months of employment ended for a voter registration crew at Hampton University.

 

Arron Mundy, a junior Management major from Inglewood, Calif., registered people to vote for a month. He joined the Community Voters Project to help people attending Hampton University to register for the first time, or re-register in Virginia.

 

“I was registered in California, but I re-registered in Virginia,” Mundy said. “I figured that Barack Obama is already going to win in California, so I want to take my vote elsewhere where it will matter.” 

Brittany Smith, sophomore biology major from Bronx, N.Y., decided to register people when she learned how many people she knew weren’t registered.

 

“A black man running for president is a big deal,” Smith said. “I would hate for my friends and people on campus to miss this opportunity to vote for a good thing.”

 

Smith and Mundy learned about the Community Voters Project through advertisements posted around campus and online e-mails.

 

Both students were paid by the hour to walk around campus and register people. There was a quota that they have to meet: A minimum of 12 voter registrations had to be turned in per day. 

“I had to chase people down and talk to anyone who was walking around,” said Mundy. “I’ve registered over 200 people so far.”

 

According to Mundy, along with the positive feeling of getting classmates registered, the $8.50 per hour he earned helped to pay his rent.

 

At the end of the day, Mundy, Smith and other participants returned to the Community Voter Project site located on Mercury Boulevard in Hampton to turn in applications for processing.

 

The fact that Virginia for the first time in over 40 years is a battleground state versus an automatic win for the Republican Party is a determining factor in the Voter Project. College students were encouraged to re-register in Virginia because some people believe that the absentee voting system is faulty and people don’t bother to vote at all.

 

“If everyone at Hampton was registered,” Smith said, “and surrounding colleges, it may make a big difference in who’s going to win the election.”

 

Legal constrictions and competition was a downside of the job.

 

According to Smith, about 20 people were getting paid to register voters and the numbers of remaining people not registered quickly dwindled.

 

“It’s getting harder because everyone I ask says that they have already been registered by someone else,” Smith said. “It’s hard to meet quotas now.”

 

According to a report on the WVEC TV-13 News Web site, three people were charged with voter registration fraud, and one of the suspects was a student, said the report. Voter registration workers can’t forge signatures, or mark an applicant’s paper in any way lest they face up to 10 years in federal prison per fraudulent form.

 

“Money is not worth time in prison,” said Mundy. “I don’t know why that person did what they did.” Despite strict rules in dealing with the forms, Mundy and Smith still believe the opportunity to register people was worthwhile.

 

“Knowing that I got people registered,” Mundy said, “and that they are going to vote on Nov. 4 is going to feel really good.”

 

The writer is a junior at the Hampton University Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications.

Are College Age Men Ready to be Married?

by Ashli J. Washington

Well apprently they are, well at least that’s what I got from the young college men I spoke with. Now, either most or all of them are lying to me, or I was totaly wrong to think that college men are not ready to be married off.

As I spoke with these young men and asked them this question, some didn’t want to answer and some jumped at the chance to be able to prove that not all men are immature and aren’t ready for a committed relationship. A lot of what these guys were saying sounded good, but did they really mean what they said?  Or if what they said would work? 

For instance, one young gentleman told me all a marriage needed to work was love. To me that sounded unrealistic and naive. Yes, love is probably 50% of a relationship (or even less for some), but it takes other things to make a long term relationship like a marriage to work. That other 50% will vary from person to person, but it’s important to remember that the other 50% is important!

One young sophomore was ‘real’ with me and told me he didn’t believe college age men were ready to be married or husbands because, “ You don’t come to college ready to get settled down, you come to have fun.”  I must say this is probably the closest to how I think college age men feel. The fact that this young man told how he really felt was absolutely fine. Honestly, many college age women aren’t ready to settle down either. As long as both groups are honest with themselves and the people they get involved with, no one will get hurt, or worse.

So I guess the answer to my question is a MAYBE. Maybe if they are mature enough or maybe if they fall in love. So I’m more confsed now than when I started askng this question.

Miss Hampton University

The Miss Hampton University 2008-2009 Scholarship Pageant was a truly a testament to the class, beauty and grace of Hampton women. 14 contestants competed for the crown which was ultimately taken home by Shannon “Poetry” Cooper of Miami, Florida. Cooper wowed the crowd and judges with her grace in an elegant interpretive dance and excelled in the swimsuit competition.  2^nd runner- up Dominique Council of Baltimore, Maryland looked stunning in her shimmering black lace evening gown and exuded grace and poise during her “point-toe” ballet performance.  Ashli Janee Washington of Gaithersburg, Maryland brought the house down with her amazing vocals and excitedly added that this pageant has helped her “confidence grow”.  Courtney Ward of Augusta, Georgia twirled batons for her talent leaving the judges and the audience on edge during her performance and Constance Berryman did a stunning rendition of “My Funny Valentine” in a sparkling bubble-gum pink evening gown. Marquel Bohannon of Atlanta, Georgia sang a lovely song and looked statuesque in a salmon pink sparkling mermaid gown. All 14 of the contestants looked and performed wonderfully making this year’s 2008-2009 Miss Hampton University Scholarship Pageant one to remember.

-Danielle Canada

Hampton Men….READY?….OR NOT!….

 

Hampton University is a school full of young men and women struggling to find themselves. While these Hamptonian men and ladies do so, the college dating scene has suffered immensely.  A witness to the struggle herself, senior Onna Woods of Dover Delaware admits that her faith in the Hampton man has dwindled. Woods was asked a simple question. “Do you think that Hampton men are ready to be husband material?”Upon hearing the question, Woods stops a beat and then quickly makes her opinion known. “I don’t necessarily think that Hampton men are men, not yet anyway,” says Woods.  Woods continues on to give examples of why Hampton men act more like boys than men. “I think there’s too much testosterone with these boys”, says Woods, “if someone says something to them then they’re automatically ready to fight and they have to get three or four of their friends to help them fight, rather than talk it out like you’d think a man would do.” Woods may have a point there, any student on campus can notice the often over aggressive behavior of Hampton men. Fights between Hampton “men” are notorious for the cause various functions being shut down, such as block parties, Holland jams and even cabarets.  One should not forget the fiasco in Richmond, VA at the “No Child Left Behind” party that even managed to get aired on the morning news. Woods continues saying, “I don’t think marriage is something you can necessarily be ready for because you never know until you get there. Especially for your first time getting married, you’re combining different things such as financial things and household things; it’s a merge of two actual lives together.” Woods is right many adults in the college age range that get married are not ready; perhaps that’s why 38% percent of marriages end in divorce, a number that is much higher in adults age 21-32. So what’s the final answer to the question? Should Hamptonian women be looking to find their husband here at their “home by the sea”? Or should they give up and look elsewhere, to Onna Woods the answer is clear and concise. “To answer your question, “says Woods, “No I don’t think Hampton men are ready to be husband material.” Ms. Woods just may be correct in her assumptions but it all depends on who you ask.

-Danielle Canada

“Hampton Relationships”

Michele Byrd

Word Count: 341

Edited By: Tiffani Haynes

 

Relationships are an important part of the university experience. During four or more years of college students build new friendships, fall in love, get heart broken, break hearts and from time to time meet the person that they will be with for the rest of their lives.

 Some students armed with stories from their parents, daydreams and scenes from The Notebook even come to college with a pronounced goal of finding their soul mate. However, in that quest they must ask themselves the only question that really matters: are college age men and women ready to be marriage material?

According to the census bureau, many Americans don’t think so. A majority of people are choosing to marry four to six years after college. The median age of marriage for men as of 2002 is 26.6. For women, it is 25. 

At Hampton University, the question yields a variety of answers.

“Definitely not at this point in college,” said Erin Thompson,  a senior print journalism major from Memphis, Tenn. “Most guys in college are really immature.”

Loren Davis-Stroud, a senior music engineering major from Chicago had a different outlook and opinion.

“I do believe so,” she said. “They are more likely to be financially stable and be able to handle a family and I feel like they will be a little more cultured because they were able to travel.”

David Asbury, a senior business management major from New York said it is a matter that should be judged individually.

“I think that the women here at Hampton could be marriage material. It depends on how long you take it. It depends on the individual,” he said.

Some students think it is a question of commitment. College students may lack the mindset to commit to another person at such a young age.

“It just depends on the guy you meet and what he’s interested in,” said Alesha Johnson, a second year five year MBA major from Camden, N. J. “I wouldn’t try to commit to someone who isn’t ready to be committed to.”

Hampton University Men Aren’t Marriage Material

Tiffani Haynes

Hampton Men Aren’t Marriage Material

Word Count: 314

 

 

            The consensus it seems is clear: Hampton University men are not marriage material, at least right now. Most Hampton women believe that men on campus have the qualities of a good husband or becoming one but just choose not to act upon them while in school.

            Their focus isn’t finding Mrs. Right, it’s Mrs. Right Now,” said Sydney Finger, a senior nursing major from Hebron, Md.

            Finger even has proof that some Hampton men are thinking like that.

            “I always ask my male friends for their opinions on topics like this and they say that they’re not looking for Mrs. Right,” Finger said. “The girlfriends they have now are Mrs. Right Now but they could eventually turn into wife material.”

            All the women interviewed believe that it’s because men are still too interested in playing the field and meeting new women.

            “You don’t see people in exclusive relationships,” said Lianne Evans, a senior computer science major from Teaneck, N.J.  “A lot of relationships at Hampton are open because men are still testing the waters.”

            Kayla Emile, a senior communicative sciences and disorders major from Boston doesn’t believe that it’s only Hampton men.

            “A limited amount of men are ready for marriage at the age of 18-22,” Emile said. “I think this is playing the field time to see what type of female they like.”

            Shannon Cosby, a senior marketing major from Plainfield, N.J. agreed with Emile.

            “I don’t think any man is ready for marriage in college,” she said.

            Yet some are hopeful that love at Hampton is not a lost cause. Alaina Patterson, a senior English major from Los Angeles is one of the select few.

            “I don’t believe a lot of men are marriage material because I haven’t had luck with any of them but that doesn’t mean that somebody else won’t,” Patterson said. There’s still hope out there for some people.”