Post by JayBee on Sept 20, 2007 6:00:32 GMT -5
Aggies, Belles mobilize to support the Jena Six
By Lanita Withers
Staff Writer
Thursday, Sep. 20, 2007 3:00 am
Today’s college students are part of a generation that has seen tragedy and injustice.
But to David Street, student body president at N.C. A&T, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the indictments of six African American teenagers after a 2006 fight in Jena, La.
"People are fed up with the atmosphere that is engulfing our generation," Street said.
"This issue has been the calling card to say that very thing: Enough is enough."
The students, known as the Jena Six, were charged with second-degree attempted murder after a fight at school with a white student.
The fight was the culmination of months of heightened racial tension in the small town, including an incident where three nooses were hung from a schoolyard tree after a black student asked to be able to sit there, a spot where white students were known to gather, according to numerous media reports.
The fight and the criminal charges have received national attention as a case of malicious prosecution, tinted by racism.
It’s also been a call to action for college students. About 50 Aggies boarded a bus Wednesday headed for Jena to lend their support in person.
A&T’s Council of Presidents and campus NAACP chapter will hold a rally at 5 p.m. tonight in Holland Bowl in support of the Jena Six.
Students at Bennett have also held events to support the students, with a goal of raising at least $10,000 for their legal fund.
The Belles held a prayer vigil for the students Monday and have about 40 students traveling to Jena.
The A&T "Jena Six Benefit Rally" will feature spoken word artists, singers and various speakers. Members of the NAACP will also be on hand, collecting donations for the Jena 6 Legal Defense Fund.
The event is open to the public, and Street expects a large turnout.
"This is an event that shows the Aggies of this generation are serious about something and we can mobilize for a positive meaning," Street said.
* * *
Pizza and ramen noodles are getting a run for their money at Elon University.
Last week, the school opened The Colonnades, a two-story, 24,000-square-foot dining hall that includes a full-service restaurant, the 1889 Grill Room, with steak and shrimp on the menu.
The building, which is environmentally sustainable, also features:
* Isabella’s, an all-you-can- eat station with international cuisine,
* Bread Basket, where hot breads and sweets are baked regularly,
* the Fountain Market, a grocery mart stocked from vendors used by stores such as Earth Fare and Whole Foods, and
* Croutons, where students can buy fresh tossed salads.
* * *
Looking for something to do? Look no further:
* Chancellor & Company, a radio show featuring A&T Chancellor Stanley Battle, will air at 5:30 p.m. Friday on WNAA (90.1 FM). Battle’s guest will be Quiester Craig, the dean of the School of Business & Economics.
Not near a radio? Tune in live on www.aggienewsonline.com.
* Passport Dance/Art Gathering, a production by two UNCG dance faculty members, will be presented starting at 4 p.m. Saturday in and around the UNCG Dance Theater in the Health and Human Performance Building at Walker Avenue and Kenilworth Street.
The afternoon events are free and open to the public and will feature Mexican visual art, African music and capoeira demonstrations. Tickets to the evening’s dance concert, featuring Korean, Latin, African and Middle Eastern dances, will be $6 for UNCG students, $9 for other students and seniors and $12 for general admission. Call 334-4849 for tickets.
* Poet Stuart Dischell, who teaches creative writing at UNCG, will read from his collection, "Backwards Days," at 8 p.m. Sept. 27 in the UNCG Faculty Center on College Avenue. The event will be followed by a reception and book signing.
* * *
UNCG is one of the best 366 colleges, according to the Princeton Review.
But the Spartans aren’t the only local institution on that list.
The Princeton Review also tapped Guilford College, Elon University and Wake Forest University. Statewide, Catawba College, Davidson College, Duke University, N.C. State, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Chapel Hill and Warren Wilson College made the cut.
Campus Notebook is a weekly roundup of college and university news and events. Look for it on Thursdays.
Got something for the Notebook? Contact Lanita Withers at 373-7071 or lwithers@news-record.com by noon Monday for consideration in the following Thursday’s column.
By Lanita Withers
Staff Writer
Thursday, Sep. 20, 2007 3:00 am
Today’s college students are part of a generation that has seen tragedy and injustice.
But to David Street, student body president at N.C. A&T, the straw that broke the camel’s back was the indictments of six African American teenagers after a 2006 fight in Jena, La.
"People are fed up with the atmosphere that is engulfing our generation," Street said.
"This issue has been the calling card to say that very thing: Enough is enough."
The students, known as the Jena Six, were charged with second-degree attempted murder after a fight at school with a white student.
The fight was the culmination of months of heightened racial tension in the small town, including an incident where three nooses were hung from a schoolyard tree after a black student asked to be able to sit there, a spot where white students were known to gather, according to numerous media reports.
The fight and the criminal charges have received national attention as a case of malicious prosecution, tinted by racism.
It’s also been a call to action for college students. About 50 Aggies boarded a bus Wednesday headed for Jena to lend their support in person.
A&T’s Council of Presidents and campus NAACP chapter will hold a rally at 5 p.m. tonight in Holland Bowl in support of the Jena Six.
Students at Bennett have also held events to support the students, with a goal of raising at least $10,000 for their legal fund.
The Belles held a prayer vigil for the students Monday and have about 40 students traveling to Jena.
The A&T "Jena Six Benefit Rally" will feature spoken word artists, singers and various speakers. Members of the NAACP will also be on hand, collecting donations for the Jena 6 Legal Defense Fund.
The event is open to the public, and Street expects a large turnout.
"This is an event that shows the Aggies of this generation are serious about something and we can mobilize for a positive meaning," Street said.
* * *
Pizza and ramen noodles are getting a run for their money at Elon University.
Last week, the school opened The Colonnades, a two-story, 24,000-square-foot dining hall that includes a full-service restaurant, the 1889 Grill Room, with steak and shrimp on the menu.
The building, which is environmentally sustainable, also features:
* Isabella’s, an all-you-can- eat station with international cuisine,
* Bread Basket, where hot breads and sweets are baked regularly,
* the Fountain Market, a grocery mart stocked from vendors used by stores such as Earth Fare and Whole Foods, and
* Croutons, where students can buy fresh tossed salads.
* * *
Looking for something to do? Look no further:
* Chancellor & Company, a radio show featuring A&T Chancellor Stanley Battle, will air at 5:30 p.m. Friday on WNAA (90.1 FM). Battle’s guest will be Quiester Craig, the dean of the School of Business & Economics.
Not near a radio? Tune in live on www.aggienewsonline.com.
* Passport Dance/Art Gathering, a production by two UNCG dance faculty members, will be presented starting at 4 p.m. Saturday in and around the UNCG Dance Theater in the Health and Human Performance Building at Walker Avenue and Kenilworth Street.
The afternoon events are free and open to the public and will feature Mexican visual art, African music and capoeira demonstrations. Tickets to the evening’s dance concert, featuring Korean, Latin, African and Middle Eastern dances, will be $6 for UNCG students, $9 for other students and seniors and $12 for general admission. Call 334-4849 for tickets.
* Poet Stuart Dischell, who teaches creative writing at UNCG, will read from his collection, "Backwards Days," at 8 p.m. Sept. 27 in the UNCG Faculty Center on College Avenue. The event will be followed by a reception and book signing.
* * *
UNCG is one of the best 366 colleges, according to the Princeton Review.
But the Spartans aren’t the only local institution on that list.
The Princeton Review also tapped Guilford College, Elon University and Wake Forest University. Statewide, Catawba College, Davidson College, Duke University, N.C. State, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Chapel Hill and Warren Wilson College made the cut.
Campus Notebook is a weekly roundup of college and university news and events. Look for it on Thursdays.
Got something for the Notebook? Contact Lanita Withers at 373-7071 or lwithers@news-record.com by noon Monday for consideration in the following Thursday’s column.
