3.12.12Vol. 59, Issue 8

sPARTAN eCHo • Norfolk State University • 700 Park Ave • Norfolk, VA 23504 • NeWsRooM: 757.823.8562 • e-MAIl: spartanecho@nsu.edu

Around this time four years ago, the nation was buzz-ing with apprehensiveness at the possibility of America’s first black president. Barack Obama’s energized campaign brought out the young voters in percentages that had not been seen since 1972.

The buzz is nothing more than a whisper this year as election month approaches.

According to the Center for Information and Research on

The youth vote has been proven highly influencial.Credit: www.overseasvotefoundation.org

Jaywalking around the Tide station has become an issue for students. Credit: VaDOTContinued on p. 3

Continued on p. 6

Continued on p. 5

92 STUDENT-ATHLETES MAKE HONOR ROLL

IMPROPER CROSSING FROM NSU TIDE STATION DRAWS CONCERN

By: Krysta ricKs

By: Krysta ricKs

By: Jamal Felton, echo correspondent

Civic Learning and Engage-ment, 51 percent of registered voters under 30 years old turned out for the 2008 elec-tion.

“I am excited about this election,” said junior biology major Cory McNeal. “This is my first time voting, but I am also very interested in the candidates.”

President Obama’s 2008

Having two train stations on campus and riding for free is the convenience of being NSU students; how-ever, simply using the pro-vided crosswalk has become a hassle for some students.

Impulsively, some stu-dents are crossing directly from the NSU Tide station instead of using the cross-walk provided at the corner of Brambleton and Park Av-enue. Although it may seem more opportune, students must pay close attention to vehicles hurdling down the Interstate 264 off ramp.

HRT as well as drivers have made several public complaints regarding stu-

dent safety. There have even been talks between the City of Norfolk, HRT and Nor-folk State concerning this issue. A Public Outreach Coordinator for HRT states that “[their] focus is on the students’ safety…the City of Norfolk is working with the university to look at ways to make this area [more safe] even if that means putting a fence down the middle of Brambleton Avenue”. While this will indeed deter jay-walking, should such mea-sures be taken for adults whom know the proper man-ner in which to cross?

NSU’s athletics depart-ment has more than record breaking seasons to shout about.

For the fall 2011 semes-ter, NSU had an impressive total of 92 student-athletes named to the athletic direc-tor’s honor roll. Each athlete had to maintain a 3.0 or bet-ter to make the list.

The football team had 22 players make the list, put-ting it in the lead among the other sports. However, the women’s tennis team leads the ranks of the highest per-centage of a team to make the list with 83 percent. At least half of the bowling, volleyball and women’s bas-ketball team made the ath-letic director’s honor roll as well.

Of the 92 student-athletes on the list, Kent Austin, men’s tennis; Rebecca Graff, women’s tennis; Everett Goldberg and Alex Killam,

Sallie Maepetition— See Page 3

Baseball season begins — See Page 4

Rainy Days ahead — See Page 8

WILL THE YOUTH ROCK THE 2012 VOTE?

23.12.12

e d i t o r s

Spartan Opinion

Just when black women finally convinced themselves that a Barbie body is unat-tainable, out waltzes Nicki Minaj. Thanks for the confi-dence boost, Nicki.

Black women seem to be stuck in an eternal love/hate relationship with their bod-ies. We cling to our curves like a security blanket but cower in despair at the word “cellulite”. We strive to em-brace our natural beauty, but most of us hide every hint of our “so-nappy-that-it-broke-your-momma’s-wide-tooth-

More and more black wom-en at NSU are choosing to stop chemically altering their hair. They are learning to love their hair in its natural, kinky-curly state. Sophomore, history major Alexandria Purifoy has been sporting her natural hair for one year. In a quick Q&A, she explained her natural hair journey and the pros and cons of maintaining natural hair.

Q: What was your motiva-tion to go natural?

A: The perms were destroy-ing my hair.

Q: What’s the best part about being natural?

A: Just being able to wash it and go. You don’t really have to do much to it.

Q: What kind of feedback did you receive from others?

A: My friends and my hairdresser said “Why are you doing this? Your hair is already thick! It’s going to be difficult to control. My mom said “You should do it’s going to be cost efficient.”

Q: How did you transition from relaxed to natural?

A: I started to transition but and then got frustrated with the transition process. I transi-tioned for probably around six

through insane lengths to get and preserve the bodies that will keep their jobs.

Like Nicki Minaj’s freak of nature-ish derriere? Please. An ingredient label of Nicki would most likely include the phrase “Contains plastic.”

Your personal beauty is not in the beholder’s eyes; it is in your own eyes. Why do we view beauty through a Euro-centric pair of spectacles?

The world is comprised of one race, the human race. We are unique, but of equally beautiful varieties. Imagine a

A: You have to really be committed to it. It you want to go natural, go natural! Your hair is going to be healthier and you won’t be spending all that money to get a relaxer every month.

Natural Lingo• Creamy crack – Relaxers• BC – Big chop (Cutting

comb” textured hair. With her iconic curves,

gorgeous facial features and always perfect hair, Beyoncé Knowles would have been the one in high school that every girl loved to hate. The truth is that everything about her is professionally managed down to her hair, weight and skin. Even her baby girl, Blue Ivy, is rumored to be profession-ally managed by six nannies.

We judge beauty by unob-tainable, fictitious standards. Our most loved and beautiful music artists and actors go

months. Then I did the “big chop”.

Q: What’s the most difficult part?

A: Combing it. I can’t comb it while it’s dry; you have to always comb it when it’s wet.

Q: Do you have any sugges-tions for women who want to go natural?

French poodle imitating the looks of a German shepherd. Not at all a flattering image.

The human race is diverse, and we are beautiful. Work with what you have, love who you are. If you don’t like something about your-self, then feel free to change it. It is ignorant to compare natural beauty to fabricated beauty.

Whether it is hair, skin, nails, shape or size, natural is always beautiful.

all of your relaxed hair off at once).

• TWA – Teenie Weenie Afro

• Transitioning – When you stop relaxing your hair and gradually cut off your relaxed hair.

PLASTIC BEAUTY

NATURAL HAIR PHENOMENON AT NSU

By: ashley clarKe, echo correspondent

By: ashley clarKe, echo correspondent

Krysta RicksNews Editor

Marian BrooksStudent Life Editor

Ricky LawrenceMultimedia Editor

Dexter BunnGraphic Design/Layout Editor

Keshara CoxEditor-in-Chief

Bethany CartwrightManaging Editor

Quamé A. HamlinEntertainment Editor

Junior Arielle Jackson stopped getting relaxers at professional salons after they began to damage her hair. Credit: Krysta Ricks | Spartan Echo

33.12.12 Spartan News

campaign included plans to end war and create jobs, but some supporters voted for him for other reasons.

“I voted for Obama because he was a black democrat. Democrats’ platform usually supports the middle class, and that is me,” said junior computer engineering major Brian McClanahan.

People usually vote for the candidate that offers the most protection. Young people without careers, families or property have nothing to pro-tect. Therefore, they do not vote.

With 44 percent of young adults underemployed, finan-cial instability is more reason to put starting a family and owning a house on hold for years.

Much of the youth remains inactive yet concerned as Obama runs for a second term.

“I am too busy to even pay attention to their campaigns, but I do care who wins,” said McClanahan.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Republican bill that imposes identity requirements for voting in Virginia passed the Senate on Feb. 27 thanks to Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bol-ling’s tie-breaking vote.

Another bill on which Bol-ling had given Republicans a one-vote margin, a measure that would have excluded the press and public from viewing the counting of provisional ballots, was later reconsidered and a final vote was put off for another day.

The voter ID bill generated bitter opposition from Demo-crats, particularly African-American senators who said it was akin to Jim Crow-era efforts to suppress black votes in a battleground state bracing for bruising presidential and senatorial campaigns.

Sen. Henry Marsh, a lawyer involved in the legal fight to desegregate public schools 50 years ago, said the bill would similarly put new obstacles be-fore the poor, elderly, disabled and others.

“This is one more barrier

buy cigarettes, to get on a bus, a train, to cash a check, to do just about anything, and we’ve been telling people for de-cades, you have to have an ID to vote. It’s just a requirement that we’ve turned a blind eye to,” said Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg.

But Democrats noted that supporters of the bill have provided no evidence of people casting votes fraudu-lently. Rather, said Sen. Yvonne

dents make. She mistook Sal-lie Mae for an agency with the same terms as federal agencies.

“I was under the impres-sion that Sallie Mae was a governmental agency, a non-profit, with the same terms as federal loans,” she said in an interview with The New York Times.

Unlike Gray, many stu-dents are aware of the conditions of borrowing from Sallie Mae and other private lenders.

Freshman nursing major Alexandra Simmons said, “I heard so many horror stories from my friends that bor-

beyond those that have been erected over the years,” Marsh said. “When I first voted, I had to pay $5 for a poll tax. There were blank registration forms used at the time I registered to vote, so they gave you a blank piece of paper and you had to fill out the questions and the answers.”

The measure requires that voters bring to their polling places some government-issued identification such as a driver’s license, voter registra-tion card or Social Security card. Sufficient alternatives to prove residency would include a current utility bill or bank statement.

Those who don’t have iden-tification would be allowed to vote a provisional ballot that is counted after election day only if the voter returns to the local registrar with the needed identification.

Republicans said the bill mirrors federal voter identifi-cation requirements.

“That is all this bill does, it discourages fraud. You have to have an ID to buy beer, to

Stef Gray, 23, grew tired of paying a $50 fee to suspend her loans temporarily with Sallie Mae, so she did some-thing about it. She presented a petition with 77,000 signa-tures to the Sallie Mae office in Washington hoping to persuade officials to remove the fee.

The fee is what Sal-lie Mae calls a “good faith deposit.” Borrowers must pay $50 on each loan for which they suspend payments. The money is never refunded or credited to the borrower’s ac-count.

Gray made the same mistake many college stu-

Miller, D-Norfolk, the problem has been apathy, people staying home on election day, and the new ID requirements would only worsen the problem.

Del. Mark Cole’s voter identification bill returns to the House for concurrence with amendments that were added to it. The provisional ballot privacy bill heads to the desk of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell. (Copyright 2012 The Associated Press)

rowed from Sallie Mae so I knew not to borrow from them.”

Others borrowed because they had no other choice.

“I had to take out a loan because I am an out of state student,” said senior tourism and hospitality management major Virginia Kemp. “Now I owe almost $150,000 for my bachelor’s degree.”

After Gray’s petition, Sal-lie Mae’s new policy states that after making a number of payments on time, the new policy applies the $50 fee to the borrower’s account.

WILL THE YOUTH ROCK THE 2012 VOTE?

SALLIE MAE PETITION ONE STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

VA. SENATE PASSES VOTER ID BILLContinued from p. 1

By: Krysta ricKs

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, after one of several tie-breaking votes, including a voter identification bill, during the floor session of the Senate at the State Capitol in Richmond, Va., Mon-day, Feb. 27, 2012. (AP Photo/Richmond Times-Dispatch, Bob Brown)

Sallie Mae charged defaulted borrowers $50 for bearance fees.

43.12.12Spartan Sports

By: Krysta ricKs

SENIOR WHITNEY LONG SCORES 1,000TH POINT

Senior Whitney Morgan Long scored 17 points on Sat-urday, Feb. 4, against the Dela-ware State Hornets at Memo-rial Hall, surpassing the 1,000 point mark of her career. She is the 20th player of all-time at NSU to reach 1,000 points and the first to do so in five years.

Standing at just 5’4”, Long has been with the Lady Spar-tans since 2008; Long is a dominating force on the court, but never lets that get to her head.

“I always keep in mind that it is not about how well I am doing but how well the team is doing,” said Long. “I could have a million points but at the end of the day, basketball is a team sport. The team’s success is what is most important.”

Pressure is not an issue for Whitney Long, and she is com-pletely focused on the game when she is on the court. When asked about shooting the bas-ket that gained her 1,000th point, she said, “I had no idea.”

As of now, Long ranks 18th in career scoring, and by the end of the season she could rank 14th in all-time scoring at NSU.

Long plans to stay focused for next season and then con-tinue her education.

“I plan on helping the team out next year. After I graduate, I am going to graduate school to get my master’s in kinesio-therapy,” said Long.

Whitney Long aspires to be a physical therapist.

Senior guard Whitney Long scored 1,000th point against Delaware State. Credit: www.nsu.edu

By: marian BrooKsBASEBALL PREVIEWOutside of the well-known rivalry against Hampton in athletics, many students often

want to see NSU go head-to-head with the neighboring ODU. The NSU versus ODU baseball game will continue their yearly tradition on a bigger stage at Harbor Park.

Since 2005, NSU is on the latter half of the win-loss record with four loss and two won against ODU. Playing in the home of the Norfolk Tides heightens the excitement for both fans and players with a game date set for Tuesday, April 16. Although playing in this arena does not change that one team will walk away a win and the other a loss, both with financially benefit from the matchup.

According to nsuspartans.com, the Harbor Park game will serve as a fundraiser for both programs. Selling tickets in advance will not only attract a larger crowd, but any money earned through sales will be kept by the program. Additionally, the walk-up tick-ets sold the day of the game will be split equally.

Beginning in 2013, the teams will face each other three times: once at NSU, ODU and Harbor Park, giving spectators more than enough to see who will be the dominant team in Hampton Roads.

53.12.12 Spartan Sports

By: marian BrooKs

By: marian BrooKs

Continued from p. 1

KOBE’S KEY TO SUCCESS

SOFTBALL PREVIEW 92 STUDENT-ATHLETES MAKE HONOR ROLL

He has five NBA titles, is currently fifth on the all-time scoring list, and a slew of 40 point games; who is he? His name is Kobe Bryant, who is now attributing his success to what he identifies as the Kobe-System.

How do you know when you are in the Kobe system? Wear-ing the Nike Zoom Kobe VII puts you half way there. The other piece involves reaching the top of the success pyramid and soaring over the top of all the other competition. In the commercial, which aired late January, Bryant is seen rising through the middle of the bas-ketball floor in front of a crowd of quite successful people.

Bryant emphasizes that some of the people before him may have rose to success by acci-dent, through winning numer-ous awards, or being the first to do something spectacular in their country; but no matter the path they are all successful.

athletes making grades at or above a 3.0, it is clear that NSU is disproving the age-old stereotype that athletes “just get by.”

NSU Athletics Di-rector Marty L. Miller said in an interview with Sports Information Director Matt Michalec, “The athletics de-partment wants its student-athletes to set the standard of academic excellence for students to emulate at Nor-folk State University.”

football, were the only four to earn a perfect 4.0 grade point average.

The large amount of stu-dent-athletes on the honor roll is positively affecting those on the list and those striving to make it for the spring semester. Junior, women’s basketball center Batavia Owens said, “This seems to have created a bit of friendly competition be-tween all the sports.”

With nearly 100 student-

According to the MEAC preseason poll, the lady Spartans were picked to finish third in the MEAC Northern Division, behind Delaware State and Coppin State. In the 2011 season, the lady Spartans lost to Coppin State was the last team they played in the MEAC tournament losing 0-1, but split a pair of games with Delaware State. This sets the tone for an interesting turnout between these two teams and the lady Spartans.

They face some tough competition on their schedule with Villanova, who went undefeated in their fall schedule, and Western Michigan who captured the Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament titles in the same season for the first time ever in 2011.

They have an All-MEAC performer in senior, outfielder Danielle Wright, and sophomore catcher Kathy Cortez who earned second team honors. Both players were names to the preseason All-MEAC team along with senior, third baseman Whitney Holland. Two of the eight newcomers are junior college transfers who will add to the team using their previous experience.

He assures that oper-ating by the KobeSystem will make them the elitist their field. The shoe is a small part of the overall message, but put-ting both to use simultaneously ensures personal and financial success. The phrase is “The KobeSysten-Success For The Successful.”

This system involves going over the top once you have already reached the top. In the commercial Bryant says, “The KobeSystem is about adaptation, attacking fast, and strong.”

Its catchiness is the reason it can now be seen as a trend-ing topic among athletes and famous people alike and has nearly 2 million views on You-Tube. Toward the end of the commercial, Kanye West poses the question “What if you are really successful?” and Bryant smiles replying “You’re wel-come.”

63.12.12Spartan Student Life

SEXUAL ASSAULT IS NOT UNCOMMON TO NSU

ODU TO OFFER DEDICATED HOUSING FOR GAY STUDENTS

By: Krysta ricKs

Extensive research has been done on sexual assault on col-lege campuses, but the studies are rarely conducted at histori-cally black colleges and uni-versities.

Aside from ranking number 15 on TheDailyBeast.com’s “Top 25 Most Dangerous Col-leges” in 2010, no in-depth study has been conducted at

Finally, all of your hard work is starting to pay off in the form a “fairly substantial” refund check, now how are you going to make your mon-ey work for you?

Receiving a refund check before spring break is a great feeling; however, splurging on restaurants, apparel and game consoles may not be the best idea. To some, ensuring you stay fly for the spring is deemed a necessity, for others keeping their bank accounts

(AP) — Old Dominion Uni-versity is giving gay and les-bian students a new option for living quarters.

Old Dominion says in a news release that it will offer dedi-cated on-campus housing in the fall for gay, lesbian, bisexu-al and transgender students and their supporters.

The dedicated housing an-nounced March 1 will be called Lavender House. It will be lo-cated in an existing residence hall.

Eighteen students have signed up so far to live in Lav-

ender House.The university says the Army

ROTC also will have dedicated housing in the fall.

Kate Griffin is assistant di-rector of new student and par-ent programs. She says the university wants to become a leader in diversity in the South-east.

George Mason University and the University of Rich-mond also offer dedicated housing for gay and lesbian students. (Copyright 2012 The Associated Press)

NSU.In the event of sexual assault,

only five cases were reported at NSU in 2009 and four in 2010.

One in four college-aged women has been sexually as-saulted, and over 80 percent of those assaults were committed by acquaintances.

“I have realized that not ev-erybody is who they claim to

secure is of more importance. Sophomore, music media

major Joel Fudge said, “I save as much as I can, and I try to get a plan together be-fore I get it so it will last a while”. He knows all too well the temptation of over-indulgent spending once you’ve received your check. Based on how hard we work through the year, indulging may be justified. Yet, here are a couple of practical benefits to saving your money.

be,” said an anonymous NSU junior who was raped twice on campus. “Somebody with whom you have plenty of mu-tual friends could just violate you in the cruelest way.”

A considerable amount of victims try to save their attack-ers. Studies show that over 25 percent of the victims do not report their assault because

Loan Interest: “six months after you graduate” comes around sooner than you think; therefore, having an account to pay off your interest will look favorably on credit scores. Also, a job is not promised. Paying your rent for a few months could help balance future bills. Lastly, summer is around the corner; make it memorable with a trip that your parents are not re-sponsible for.

they do not want to get the as-sailant in trouble.

Some victims become stron-ger after being assaulted.

“I was abused, but I realized that I deserved more,” said an anonymous NSU psychology major. “Not everyone can live together. I deserved my inde-pendence so I left.”

More vulnerable victims

tend not to report assaults in an effort to maintain a relationship with their attacker.

An NSU junior who also wished to remain nameless said, “I still keep in contact with her. I realize that people that hurt others usually have been hurt at some point in their lives.”

IMPROPER CROSSING FROM NSU TIDE CONCERN- Continued from p. 1

SAVE OR SPLURGE: GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR SCHOOL REFUNDBy: Jamal Felton, echo correspondent

“It scares me so badly to cross the street”, says Soph-omore Dominique Garcia. NSU have taken preventive measures by installing a fence across from the sta-tion. But since the city has already forced a $7 million relocation of the station for campus safety, the student body should meet them half-way in avoiding traffic in-cidences by protecting our-selves as much as possible.

Be sure to practice safety while enjoying your spring break. Credit: www.panoramio.com

STUDENTS GO SAFEBy: Brittany elmore, echo correspondent

With spring break rapidly approaching, students across the country are gearing up for a week free of classes and full of fun. According to World-Press.Com, an average of 1.5 billion students travel for spring break each year.

“I’ll be taking my son to Disney World, and I’m really looking forward to spend-ing time with him away from all the hassles of school and work,” said Maranda Hall, a junior English major.

Here are some easy ways to keep break relaxing, but more importantly safe.

1. Stay accountable to someone.

2. Carry small amounts of cash.

3. Limit alcohol con-sumption.

4. Make copies of all important documents.

5. Avoid risky behavior.6. Use protection.7. Stay in well populat-

ed areas.These tips can help avoid

unwanted complications to travel plans, and ensure a safe return to campus. Enjoy break, but remember safety is most important.

73.12.12 Spartan Student LifeNEW BLACK HISTORY MUSEUM RISING ON NATIONAL MALL

OBAMA TAKES TOUGHER STANCE ON HIGHER EDUCATIONWASHINGTON (AP) —

Access to college has been the driving force in federal higher education policy for decades. But the Obama administra-tion is pushing a fundamental agenda shift that aggressively brings a new question into the debate: What are people get-ting for their money?

Students with loans are graduating on average with more than $25,000 in debt. The federal government pours $140 billion annually into fed-eral grants and loans. Unem-ployment remains high, yet there are projected shortages in many industries with some high-tech companies already complaining about a lack of highly trained workers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Frederick Douglass was black and that was enough for the Smithsonian Institution to bar the famed abolitionist from speaking at a lecture series intended to convince Presi-dent Abraham Lincoln that he should end slavery as war di-vided the nation in February 1862.

A century and a half later, the country’s first black presi-dent helped break ground on a National Mall museum meant to give voice to the African-American experience long ig-nored by the chief repository of U.S. history and heritage.

The 19th Smithsonian mu-seum, set to open in 2015, will rise on ground where “lives were once traded, where hundreds of thousands once marched for jobs and for freedom,” President Barack Obama said. “It was here that the pillars of democracy were built often by black hands.”

The Smithsonian’s silenc-ing of Douglass, who had es-caped from slavery and rose to national prominence, was just one example of the museum’s

Meanwhile, literacy among college students has declined in the last decade, according to a commission convened during the George W. Bush admin-istration that said American higher education has become “increasingly risk-averse, at times self-satisfied, and unduly expensive.” About 40 percent of college students at four-year schools aren’t graduating, and in two-year programs, only about 40 percent of students graduate or transfer, accord-ing to the policy and analysis group College Measures.

College drop-outs are expen-sive, and not just for the indi-vidual. About a fifth of full-time students who enroll at a community college do not re-

long neglect of black culture and contributions.

“Well into the 20th century, curators purposefully excluded African-American history,” said Richard Kurin, the under-secretary for history, art and culture at the museum com-plex.

Obama said the National Museum of African American History and Culture would ensure that the sometimes dif-ficult, often inspirational role that blacks have played will not be forgotten.

The museum, a seven-level structure with much of its ex-hibit space below ground, will rise between the Washington Monument and the National Museum of American History. A bronze-coated “corona,” a crown that rises as an inverse pyramid, will be its most dis-tinctive feature. Organizers said the bronze plates are in-spired by African-American metalwork from New Orleans and Charleston, S.C., and that the design evokes African roots.

The museum will showcase Harriet Tubman’s shawl, a Jim

turn for a second year, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually, according to an analysis released last fall by the American Institutes for Research.

There’s been a growing de-bate over whether post-sec-ondary schools should be more transparent about the cost of an education and the success of graduates. President Barack Obama has weighed in with a strong “yes.”

During his State of the Union address, Obama put the higher education on notice: “If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down,” he said. “Higher education can’t be a luxury— it’s an economic

Crow-era segregated railroad car and Emmett Till’s casket, as well as galleries devoted to military, sports and entertain-ment history.

“We will have stories that will make you smile and sto-ries that will make you cry,” the museum’s director, Lonnie Bunch , told The Associated Press.

Congress has pledged to provide half the $500 million cost. The museum already has a gallery at the Smithsonian’s American history museum with rotating exhibits to show-case its new collection and test different approaches with visi-tors.

The newest exhibit explores Thomas Jefferson’s ownership of slaves and his advocacy against slavery, while also looking at the lives of six slave families who lived on his Mon-ticello plantation in Virginia.

Such stories have been miss-ing from the National Mall, and Bunch said that by pre-senting a fuller view of his-tory and dealing directly with difficult issues such as race, the Smithsonian can present a

fuller view of what it means to be an American.

“What this museum can do is if we tell the unvarnished truth in a way that’s engaging and not preachy, what I think will happen is that by illumi-nating all the dark corners of the American experience, we

will help people find reconcili-ation and healing,” he said.

Curators estimate that 15,000 to 20,000 artifacts are in hand. Bunch estimates they will need about 35,000 to choose from to create permanent galleries.

Copyright 2012 The Associ-ated Press.

imperative that every family in America should be able to af-ford.”

He wants to slightly reduce federal aid for schools that don’t control tuition costs and shift it to those that do. He also has proposed an $8 billion pro-gram to train community col-lege students for high-growth industries that would provide financial incentives to pro-grams that ensured their train-ees find work. Both proposals need congressional approval.

At the same time, the admin-istration is developing both a “scorecard” for use in com-paring school statistics such as graduation rates as well as a “shopping sheet” students

would receive from schools they applied to with estimates of how much debt they might graduate with and estimated future payments on student loans.

American’s higher educa-tion system has long been the backbone of much of the na-tion’s success, and there’s no doubt that a college degree is valuable. It’s now projected that students with a bachelor’s degree will earn a million more dollars over their lifetime than students with only a high school diploma, Education Secretary Arne Duncan says. (Copyright 2012 The Associ-ated Press)

FILE - This April 14, 2009 file photo, shows the winning design concept for the National Museum of African American History and Culture submitted by Freelon Adjaye Bond/ SmithGroup in Washington. President Obama helped in the ground breaking ceremony for the Smithsonian’s new black history museum on the National Mall, Wednesday, February 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

83.12.12Spartan Entertainment

“RAINY DAYS” ARE AHEAD FOR COCO AND BREEZY

2012 AIR JORDAN SS LINEUP

By: Quamé a. hamlin

CoCo and Breezy, an ac-cessories design team, has become the likes of entertain-ment’s elite. Beyoncé, Gaga, Serena Williams and more have been seen in Brianna “Breezy” and her twin sister Corianna “CoCo” Dotson’s line, most known for their hand-crafted sunglasses.

The custom sunglasses that made their dream a reality re-main as popular as ever, but their 2012 spring-summer collection, “Rainy Days,” delivers a more lightweight design, sold at a lower price than previous collections.

“All of our studded frames, those are all hand-crafted by

us, but these are manufac-tured,” said Breezy. “It will expand our brand. [...] We want to reach that larger mar-ket, where we still create an edgy piece, but it’s still sell-able to reach [...] the bigger stores that have better qual-ity.”

Students of business, the sisters are dedicated to im-proving their brand and mak-ing sure that their line has staying power. “I think that you should be happy with the goals that you accomplish, but don’t let that stop you from wanting more,” said Breezy on not being satis-fied with success. CoCo and

Breezy have plans to expand their brand that already fea-tures children’s items, brace-lets and keychains.

Also, the duo looks forward to branching out and being known for more than design-ing. When asked for a scoop

that would be exclusive to the Spartan Echo, Breezy said that part-time phoenix and full-time supermodel Selita Ebanks will be starring in a fashion film directed and pro-duced by CoCo and Breezy.

At 21-years-old, fashion accessories design team CoCo and Breezy have seen their pieces worn by fashion and entertainment’s elite since starting their business in 2009. Credit: www.facwbook.com/cocoandbreezy

#SMARTDECISION

Wait. Kobe loses 70+ million in a divorce, just to get back with his ex-wife? #smartdecision

Spending the last bit of your refund check on the CIAA weekend. #smartdecision

You’re a graduating senior and haven’t completed any internships? #smartdecision

Moving into the suites before testing the internet connection. #smartdecision

Any #smartdecision > @LILBTHEBASEDGOD

Making the educated decision to file your taxes with a company named “Mo’ Money.” #smartdecision

Missing reruns of #TCAP #smartdecision

Hitting your ‘dougie’ on any and all songs. #smartdecision

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Bow Wow, 25 — mar. 9

Chuck Norris, 72 — mar. 10

Carrie Underwood, 29 — mar. 10

Eva Longoria, 37 — mar. 15

Will.i.Am, 37 — mar. 15

Adam Levine, 33 — mar. 18

April 14Retro 4W/ Ultra

Violet

May 5Retro 11

LowWhite / Red

June 23Retro 12Obsidian

July 7Retro 6Olympic