60.4 spartan echo

The Voice of the Spartan CommunitySpartanEcho.org | 700 Park Avenue. Norfolk, Va. 23504

Spartan Echo10.24.12Vol. 60, Issue 4

SPARTAN ECHO| Norfolk State University 700 Park Avenue Norfolk, Virginia 23504|NEWSROOM: 757.823.8200 E-Mail: [email protected]

■ Continued on p. 2

View the Student Life section for a highlight of NSU Alumni. See page 6. Photo credit: Sharon Elcock

Read how the women’s tennis team warms up for their upcoming season.See page 5. Photo credit: DeVanique Riley|Spartan Echo

TopSTorieSi n S i d e

See how the debates of legalizing Marijuana continues to make headlines. See page 3. Photo credit: DeVanique Riley|Spartan Echo

President Atwater’s initiative, “High Risk Behaviors: You Can Live Without Them,” was launched on Oct. 1 just as the teen violence in Hampton Roads began to increase. The campaign is NSU’s effort to inform young adults of ways to have safe fun. |Photo credit: Norfolk State University

INCREASING OBESITY, LESS SLEEP CAUSEHEALTH ISSUES TO DEVELOP IN YOUNGER PEOPLE

By Krysta ricKs


Three teenagers were gunned down in the Hamp-ton Roads area in the past two weeks. Almost every city in Hampton Roads has fallen victim to the violence that is claiming teen lives.

President Atwater has cre-ated an initiative called “High Risk Behaviors: You Can Live Without Them” with goals that coincide with the Hampton Roads area’s charge to reduce teen violence.

Reports of young mur-der victims used to be a rare topic on the night-ly news but this has be-come normal in the area.

Of the 98 homicides listed in the homicides in Hamp-ton Roads for 2011 on Daily-Press.com, 16 fatalities were citizens aged 19 and under.

“If we do nothing about it, it’s just a matter of time before it ends up on your front door,” said Norfolk

Vice Mayor Anthony Bur-foot in an interview with Channel 10, WAVY-TV.

Burfoot also told WAVY-

TV that in order to stop the violence, all resources need to be pooled. He believes

A 2012 study by the Neu-rology journal says an in-creasingly obese population is to blame for health issues such as stroke and type 2 diabetes in younger people.

“Stroke rates among Af-rican-Americans ages 20-54 increased from 83 per 100,000 [people] in 1993-94 to 128 in 2005,” said the Neurology journal study.

According to the Ameri-can Stroke Association, about 80 percent of all strokes are preventable. Diet and exercise are key factors.

Researcher Matthew

Brady says that sleep depri-vation is another factor that increases young people’s chances of developing health issues. Sleep deprivation

NSU CAMPAIGNS FOR SAFER BEHAVIORAS TEEN VIOLENCE RISES IN HAMPTON ROADS

By Krysta ricKs

210.24.12Spartan News


■Continued from front page

NSU CAMPAIGNSFOR SAFER BEHAVIORAS TEEN VIOLENCE RISES IN HAMPTON ROADS

■Continued from front page

INCREASING OBESITY, LESS SLEEP CAUSEHEALTH ISSUES TO DEVELOP IN YOUNGER PEOPLE

that a collective approach coupled with discussing the issue at all council meet-ings is a strong start to bat-tling this growing trend.

On Monday, Oct. 1, the “High Risk Behaviors” campaign was launched in the New Student Cen-ter. Seminars and work-shops intended to inform students of behavior that could put them in danger have been implemented in the multi-year campaign.

Other tools include posters, an interac-tive website and public

service announcements.

“As a college president, I am obligated to educate the next generation of leaders on be-haviors that could place them at risk,” said President Atwa-ter in an NSU press release.

One question on the lips of some NSU stu-dents is “Will this work?”

Some students like sopho-more nursing major Ryan Hurdle are comfortable with their current behavior and feel that the campaign will do more to help those who struggle with vices such as substance abuse

and unsafe sexual behavior.

“I’m secure in how I han-dle things like that [high risk behaviors], but some people really do need a reminder,” said Hurdle.

The interactive website in-cludes some intense photos depicting the lifestyle many young people live now and the possible consequences of that lifestyle. For more information on the cam-paign and tips for avoiding risky behaviors visit http://www.nsu.edu/HighRisk-B e h a v i o r s / m a i n . h t m l .

leads to weight gain which causes diabetes and stroke.

With less sleep, fat cells’ ability to use insu-lin properly is decreased.

“Insulin promotes release of leptin, so if your fat cells are less insulin-sensitive, you will make less leptin, which is associated with an increase in food consumption and

weight gain,” said Brady in an interview with USA TODAY.

According to the Ameri-can College Health Associa-tion, 29.2 percent of college students were reportedly overweight or obese in 2011. Poor eating habits, lack of ex-ercise and a substantial lack of sleep throughout the week contribute to that figure.

“I barely get enough sleep as it is,” said senior biology major Christian Ezeagwu. “When we’re at school, it’s worse. I prob-ably sleep about five hours per night and pull two to three all-nighters a week.”

Ezeagwu has a very strict workout regimen and eats fairly healthy foods

throughout the week. He says five hours is enough sleep to last through the day.

NSU offers a variety of ac-tivities on campus to keep students active. Zumba, pi-lates and intramural sports are just three of a list of Spartan Happenings sched-uled weekly and emailed to every NSU student.

Participation in those activities that encourage students to stay active cou-pled with a healthier diet and exercise plan can aid in reducing the number of health issues developed at a young age and ensure healthier, more productive lives for future generations.

Visit Spartan Echo’s mobile-friendly site by using your phone

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310.24.12 Spartan News


U.S. MEDICAL MARIJUANA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: ‘LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

WILL HELP GROW ECONOMY’By ashley clarKe

The subject of legalizing Marijuana is a steady conflict that raises much controversy. Photo credit: Tony Batchler, Jr.|Spartan Echo

The movement for the legalization of medical marijuana in the U.S. is steadily gaining momen-tum. Seventeen U.S. states and the District of Colum-bia have already legalized medicinal use of the plant cannabis sativa, common-ly known as marijuana.

Sandra Olanitori, advisor and recruiter for the NSU Department of Nursing and Allied Health, believes that although medical marijuana is helpful in some medical cases, it is not necessary.

“Marijuana has some me-dicinal effects,” said Olani-tori, naming caner and glau-coma patients as examples. However she believes that marijuana is still a disposable asset in the medical field.

“I think we have other medications in the medi-cal/nursing area that could help [patients] just as well or better than mari-juana,” said Olanitori.

According to See Chase Strategy, an independent fi-nancial news and informa-tion firm, the national market for legalized medical mari-juana was worth $1.7 billion

in 2011 and has the poten-tial to reach $8.9 billion in approximately four years.

The United States Medi-cal Marijuana Chamber of Commerce (USMMCOC), an organization founded in Sept. 2011, believes that legalization of marijuana will help grow the U.S. economy by creating jobs and taxing a pre-existing, approximately $18 million black market for marijuana.

“The USMMCOC will solve 40 percent of the un-employment problem in the United States,” claimed the USMMCOC’s website.

“Consumption of Medi-cal Marijuana and Canna-bis products will be legal for anyone over the age of 18 with a Physicians rec-ommendation and a permit from the USMMCOC,” says the bill proposed by the USMMCOC.

Olanitori said that she was leery of the USMMCOC’s claims.

“The black market is not going to go away,” she said. “A lot of people are mis-using painkillers and an-tidepressants. The people

who want the marijuana can’t get a prescription be-cause they have no physi-cal ailment that requires it.”

Olanitori believes the black market will not fal-ter with the addition of USMMCOC’s proposed bill. She feels that they will continue to seek black mar-ket drug dealers to meet the demand because black mar-ket consumers will not be able to obtain the desired amount of marijuana legally.

In the proposed bill, the “patient” must have a valid driver’s license, must not have any pending criminal charges and must not have a medical history of drug abuse, among other requirements.

The USMMCOC proposes that severe fines be imple-mented for those who do not adhere to the guidelines.

According to Olantori much time and effort would be needed to enforce the sys-tem. The bottom line is that there is no way to perfect it.

“There are a lot of stipula-tions. It’s going to take extra personnel,” she said. “You’re not going to find a 100 per-cent foolproof system.”

Ever had a logic teacher who seemed to want to teach philosophy or a his-tory teacher that seems to want to teach religion? If you have been at NSU for more than a semester, you have probably been in a classroom and felt like the professor forgot what class he or she was teaching.

Students find themselves sitting in a class and hear-ing a lecture that they never signed up for, and gain less knowledge on the actual subject matter of the class.

We cannot blame the professors who try to en-lighten us on these subjects because they may feel that we will not learn anything on the topics of philoso-phy and religion otherwise. Norfolk State does not offer these classes, so the topics seem to pop up at random.

Our neighboring school, Old Dominion University, offers a bachelors pro-gram in philosophy. ODU students also have the op-tion of taking religious studies as a minor. Surely, they actually talk about logic in their logic classes.

The quality of our pro-grams is at stake when our core classes are off topic be-cause of topics that should be discussed elsewhere.

I love the topics of reli-gion and philosophy and hope that they will exist at NSU in the near future. Many students love the in-tellectual debates involved in such classes but wish they were offered separate-ly in a controlled setting.

The partiality and biased nature of the professors who initiate philosophy and religion debates (especial-ly religion) in their classes is also enough to drive any college student insane.

Christianity is the punch-ing bag of nearly all reli-gion conversations, and anything supported by Obama is the gospel truth according to what seems to be NSU’s unwritten class discussion rulebook. Best wishes and my most sincere condolences to anyone who thinks differ-ently than their classmates.

Classes like religion and philosophy stimulate critical thinking and logic skills, making them great tools to help college stu-dents learn how to think independently. For this reason, it would be expo-nentially beneficial to our student body to have of-ficial, impartial philoso-phy and religion classes.

What class is this again? Off-topic religion and

philosophy discussions creep into core classes

an editorial By ashley clarKe

410.24.12Spartan Sports

BEYOND THE BALLAJ ROGERSWITH

AJ Rogers, a Spartan Echocorrespondent and a forward on the NSU men’s basketball team, details NSU athletes’ lives once the clock stops.


RUNNING BACKBRENDON RIDDICKA BREAKOUT STARIN THE MEAC

By leonard Fairley

Most football players are quite versatile and every so often a player may change his position to something he is more suitable for or something to better the roster. Immediate break-out success on the field af-ter the position change is a very uncommon result.

Redshirt freshman run-ning back, Brendon Rid-dick has been one of the biggest surprises on the Spartans’ roster this sea-son. He has garnered well-deserved recognition by quickly becoming a key fac-tor in the Spartan offense.

Riddick came to Norfolk State as a quarterback but decided to switch to run-ning back in the offseason.

“I had asked my coach if I could give it a try be-cause I was very inter-ested and I wanted to get on the field as soon as possible,” said Riddick.

Not only did Riddick gain early playing time, but he also made his presence felt early this season. He is the team’s second leading rusher with 279 yards, leads the team with 5.7 yards per carry and leads the team in rushing touchdowns with five. He also adds a receiv-ing touchdown and seven catches for 56 yards as well.

“My ability to run hard carried over to the running back position because I was a tough physical run-ner as a quarterback in high school,” said Rid-dick. “I also learned the

offense well because I was a quarterback.”

This success did not come overnight as Rid-dick well prepared himself for this season by adding strength, speed and quick-ness. He also has a strong support system of coaches and teammates, especially fellow upperclassmen run-ning backs Takeem Hedge-man and Randy Maynes.

“My coaches were pa-tient with me and made my transition as easy as they could,” said Riddick. “My teammates like Takeem and Randy helped a lot by teaching me the posi-tion and helping strength-en my weaknesses.”

Statistically, Riddick has been the Spartans’ most productive offen-sive player. He leads the team in touchdowns with six and is second in to-tal yards from scrim-mage with 335. His aver-age yards per game is 67.

After rushing for 150 yards and three touch-downs against Liberty, he was mentioned in an ESPN article about ris-ing stars in the MEAC. However, he remains humble and hardwork-ing to make this success last the rest of the season.

“I am going to make this a successful sea-son by continuing to run hard and taking my time to learn my position and understand the game the best I can,” said Riddick.

In addition to passion, dedication and drive, faith is also needed in order to succeed as a student-ath-lete. Quineshia Leonard, sophomore center for the women’s basketball team, understands this very well.

As a student-athlete, Leonard feels the pres-sure of trying to maintain good grades while devot-ing the required amount of time to basketball. She feels that her religious be-liefs keep her on track.

“I think it takes a whole lot of faith because it gets hard juggling school and your sport. You have to have faith that you can do it, or you’re going to give up,” said Leonard.

Though she believes in God and herself, there are still times when balanc-ing school and basketball gets a little crazy. At those times she also relies on her faith to get her through.

“When things get hec-tic the first thing I do is start to pray and ask for guidance,” said Leonard.

Throughout the sea-son, Leonard’s time is limited and she cannot always attend church.

“I try to find time to go to church, but I also go to FCA meetings on campus once a week,” said Leonard.

FCA is the Fellow-ship of Christian Ath-letes, a group that al-lows Christian athletes to meet and study the Bible.

“I feel good because I know that if I can’t make it to church, I can get the Word there,” said Leonard.

Leonard’s religion is the back bone of her faith. She feels that once God gives her a purpose, it is her job to fulfill that purpose.

“My religion helps me be-cause I believe God will get me through. This is what He gave me to do, so I’m go-ing to do it,” said Leonard.

Senior volleyball play-ers Charlotte Armstead and Noelle Eagles are playing at a high level, displaying their exceptional skills in their respective positions. Armstead, who will argu-ably be one of the most powerful hitters in NSU history, became the pro-gram’s all-time leader in kills against South Carolina State.

Becoming the all-time leader was just not enough for Armstead. A few games after the South Carolina State match, Armstead became the first NSU player to sur-pass 1,000 career kills in an astonishing win against the tribe of William and Mary.

Armstead humbly credited the play of her teammates when she broke the record.

“It could not have been done without my team-mates. They set the ball well and help put me in the position to break the record,” said Armstead.

She felt privileged to be put in a position to break the record. Achieving it was an honor and a goal she

Charlotte Armstead cheers on teammates in a game against Howard, Saturday, October 7, 2012. Photo credit: Keith Offutt |Spartan Echo

could cross off of her list. “It felt good to break the re-

cord because it was a goal of mine. Now I’ve left a lasting impression,” said Armstead.

Against Hampton, red-shirt sophomore libero Noelle Eagles broke the school record for digs in a match with a total of 31.

“Sitting out last year and staying healthy was my mo-tivation,” said Eagles, “and I actually set the record I broke.” Eagles set the dig re-cord with 30 twice in 2010.

“Coach knew I was close, but I didn’t want to think about it,” said Eagles. “I just try to dig as many balls as I can.”

Eagles takes pride in her role as the defensive specialist and fulfills it through her intense play.

Eagles and Armstead are game changing players for the Lady Spartans, and their ability to encourage their fellow teammates through their impacting play will definitely be needed in this last stretch of games as their season comes to an end.

Armstead and Eagles steadily soaring, breaking records

By Marian BrooKs

510.24.12 Spartan Sports


The Norfolk State women’s tennis team opened its brief 2012 fall season at the Lib-erty Classic and recorded a pair of wins over its Virginia Tech opponents. The team also competed at the Long-wood Classic in Farmville, Va., and recorded another pair of wins. The Lady Spar-tans have had a chance to compete against North Car-olina Central, James Madi-son, Appalachian State, West

Virginia State, Morehead State and Radford through-out these tournaments.

Having a total of four matches on the fall sched-ule allows the team to get a feel for their strengths and weaknesses. There have been some inconsistencies in play, like failing to close out some matches, but that is why they compete in the fall.

“Our season actually starts

in the spring, and we will have a lot of matches then,” said junior Maryna Kariuk. “Our goal is to keep a posi-tive attitude throughout the season and show others our best tennis to win MEAC of course.”

As the Lady Spartans train and work harder to prepare for the spring, they are al-ready looking for more sup-port from team NSU.

“Well, it has been kind of frustrating to see only few fans out there during our home matches in previous seasons,” said Kariuk. “The reason is because our sport is n ot promoted enough on campus and some people don’t even know that NSU has a tennis team or when the home games are.”

Sophomore Laura Gutier-rez agrees.

“Home matches are sup-posed to be easier with fan support,” said Gutierrez. Those extra cheers of excite-ment can serve as more mo-tivation for the home team and a method of intimida-tion for their opponents.

Both girls hope that more NSU students go out to the team’s matches this season to show support and cheer them to victory.

Women’s tennis trying to meshBy Marian BrooKs

There is much to do with being a member of the track team but outsiders cannot see what happens off the track. The team members have full schedules with very few hours between school and workouts.

Before the track meets, each athlete has to be pre-pared physically and men-tally. A common preparation method among all of them is listening to their favorite music to help them focus before their event.

“At meets, I stay to myself and listen to music to get in my zone so I’m ready when it’s time to run,” said senior Champagne Bell.

“We hype ourselves up by listening to music and try not to get psyched about the competition,” said senior Keith Nkrumah.

Music helps clear the mind, but warming up the body is an essential part of preparing for the events.

“We always try to get a good warm up so we don’t pull a muscle,” said senior Kenneth Smith. “While I warm up, I run through my race in my head.”

Off-season workouts pri-marily consist of heavy con-ditioning while in-season workouts focus more on fine-tuning their specific events. Each athlete has spe-

BEHIND THE SCENES OF TRACK AND FIELDBy Mariah Goodrich

“We hype ourselves up by listening to music and try not to get psyched about the competition...

”-Keith Nkrumah

cific target times to reach as the season progresses.

“Right now, we are doing a lot of hard 600s to build up our endurance,” said Bell.

Indoor track and outdoor track are completely differ-ent. Indoors tracks are only 200m with six lanes while outdoors are 400m with eight lanes.

“Indoor track warms you up for outdoor track,” said senior John James. “It gets you used to it all instead of going straight to outdoor.”

Indoor track is also more competitive.

“To make it to Nationals, you have to make the top

15,” said Nkrumah. “You won’t go if you are six-teenth, which is what hap-pened to me last year.”

According to these four seniors, both the women’s and men’s track and field teams have promising sea-sons ahead of them.

“This year the girls’ team will be better than last year so hopefully we can bring home that championship,” said Bell.

“The track team should do amazing things this season because we’ve been work-ing harder than before and trying to build up our suc-cess,” said Nkrumah.

610.24.12Spartan Student Life



Many Norfolk State stu-dents know Anthony Till-man as the “go-to guy” when it comes to taking glamorous pictures on or off campus. He is the guy many go to for breathtak-ing photos that would cap-ture a moment for a lifetime.

Tillman’s amateur pho-tography business was so successful that in December of 2011 he decided to make his photography company official. He became the cre-

ative director of AntUnltd (pronounced Ant Unlim-ited). Tillman credits his experience at Norfolk State as a factor in his success.

“NSU gave me perspec-tive; it gave me the chance to control my destiny,” he said.

The 23-year-old alum-nus graduated in May of 2011 from Norfolk State University with a bach-elor’s degree in Fine Arts.

NSU’SGO-TO GUY

GOES INTO BUSINESSBy aManda chaMBers

Norfolk State University alumnus and freelance proj-ect manager from Queens, New York, Sharon Elcock graduated in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication/news & public affairs.

Previously, Elcock was a model booker/sittings editor for magazines such as Es-sence and Parent magazine for over ten years.

When she was laid off from the magazine she de-cided to redirect her career path to another calling. El-cock believed it was time to improve the lives of the im-provised in Africa.

"I parlayed my career as a successful magazine edi-tor into a freelance coordi-

nator/project manager for New York-based non-profit companies in Africa," said Elcock.

Today, the non-profit orga-nization with which she does freelance work oversees de-velopment for new global businesses in Rwanda and Ghana.

"I’ve recently returned from a summer in the West-ern region of Ghana, where I taught English as a second language, art, drama and dance in various schools. It has inspired me to pursue a master’s degree in early childhood education. It is my plan to be bicontinental between the United States and Africa," said Elcock.

Elcock believes that stu-

dents should take advantage of their youth after gradu-ation and experience the world.

"I would implore my fel-low Spartans to travel out-side of the United States for at least a year upon graduat-ing. Don't be in a hurry to be tied down to a 9-5 job. Consider doing what you love, even in communica-tions/publishing, in another country. You are young and single and the world is yours for the taking,” said Elcock.

Sharon Elcock is certain that students will be success-ful by helping others.

“Do something meaning-ful. Improve the lives of oth-ers. Uncover your passion," said Elcock.

N S U A L U M S H A R O N E L C O C KTA L K S S U C C E S S O V E R S E A S

By aManda chaMBers

Creative director of AntUnltd, Anthony Tillman takes his experience at Norfolk State into his own hands by starting a successful business.. Photo credit: www.facebook.com/antunltd

Every fall semester, NSU celebrates homecoming with a week of festivities. The cel-ebration begins on Oct. 29, and NSU welcomes alumni as well as current students to the land of the Spartans. Students of various orga-nizations, teams and clubs showcase their purposes as well as commitment to the Spartan community.

Current students normally view homecoming events as a way to socialize and attend campus events at a discount-ed cost. For alumni, home-

coming week has a com-pletely different meaning.

“Homecoming is a time for friends, family and un-forgettable memories, said Alexis Jay, a 2008 mass communications graduate.

A former on-air person-ality of Hot 91 and mem-ber of Delta Sigma The-ta, Jay uses homecoming events to reunite with for-mer colleagues and sorors.

Currently in constant travel from Virginia to New York as a Digital Manage-

ALUMNI RETURN TO NSUTO CELEBRATE HOMECOMING

By tempis asKew

ment Consultant for public figures and small business-es, Jay says the highlight of homecoming to her will be the celebrations of the Ep-silon Theta chapter of Delta Sigma Theta’s 50 years of service, unity and sister-hood, as well as celebrat-ing her fifth year anniver-sary with her line sisters

“Nothing compares to a Spartan homecoming,” says Briana Jackson, a 2010 fine arts graduate. While work-


710.24.12 Spartan Student Life


e d i t o r s

Ashley ClarkeNews Editor

Marian Jones-BrooksSports Editor

DeVanique RileyGraphic Design/ Layout Editor

Krysta RicksEditor-in-Chief

Bethany CartwrightManaging Editor

Keith OffuttMultimedia Editor

Briaun RooksEntertain-ment Editor

Brittany ElmoreStudent Life Editor

■ Continued from page 6

His company is based in Hampton Roads but business is conducted predominately online. Tillman is always eager to gain more clients.

“My vision is that I would expand and network to be a prominent resource tar-geting all different busi-nesses, whether in the modeling world or the edu-cation world,” said Tillman.

Not only is Tillman quickly building his brand but he is also building a reputation of helping some his clients gain success in

their modeling careers. When asked what ad-

vice he has for current stu-dents, Tillman recommends that students take control of their own situations.

“If you really want some-thing, go after it. DO NOT make excuses for anything,” said Tillman.

For more information on Anthony Tillman’s pho-tography company, An-tUnltd, visit his Facebook page www.facebook.com/anewtouch or email him at [email protected].

NSU’SGO-TO GUY

GOES INTO BUSINESS

At the start of the school year, there were rumors cir-culating that Norfolk State’s homecoming budget had been cut by about $50,000. Controversy was stirred up around campus amidst ru-mors that the homecoming committee, student activi-ties and Student Govern-ment Association would have very little resources to put together a homecom-ing that would meet the ex-pectations of the alumni as well as the student body.

“The budget was never cut,” said SGA presi-dent Leah Bradshaw. “We just wanted to use funds

provided by the school more wisely, make sure we man-aged it correctly through-out the year and still have a successful homecoming.”

The theme this year is “Fantastic Voyage 2012.” It was announced on Oct. 4 that R&B singer Tank and rap artist Future will be headlining the annual homecoming concert on Thursday, Nov. 1. Another point of controversy sur-rounding the 2012 home-coming is that there will be no comedy show; however, numerous events are sched-uled to unite homecoming’s past, present and future.

SGA’s administrative as-sistant Bianca Lascano is excited about the con-cert as well as the Na-tional Black in Wax mu-seum, a traveling exhibit.

“As a rising senior this homecoming concert will be the next best from 2009 when we had Fabolous and Trey Songz. The wax mu-seum’s educational spin is different, but I feel it will be very informative and worth coming to,” said Lascano.

Saturday’s football game between Norfolk State and Savannah State will be followed by the King

HOMECOMING EVENTSANNOUNCED AMIDST CONTROVERSY

By Jason BaKer

and Queen Ball. The wor-ship service on Sunday, Nov. 4 will close out the homecoming celebration.

Other alumni events scheduled for the week in-clude a meet and greet at the Patrice Stith Alumni House, the Golden and Diamond Luncheon, the crowning of Ms. Alumni, Spirit Fest, a jazz concert and the NSUAA Annual Golf Tournament.

“I’m very confident that everyone will be pleased with this year’s homecom-ing, and I’m just as excited as everyone else is to get started,” said Bradshaw.

ing off campus during col-lege, Jackson discovered that several of her cowork-ers were fellow Spartans. Now residing in Las Vegas in pursuit of a career in fash-ion merchandising, Jackson says she is ecstatic to re-unite with former classmates and coworkers at this year’s homecoming festivities.

“Tailgating is a time for food, friends and catch-ing up. I have lots of Ve-

gas stories to tell my love-ly ladies,” said Jackson.

The Spartan family con-tinues to grow annually as students enter Norfolk State with a dream and exit with a newfound outlook on the world. Whether it is bundling up in green and gold attire to watch the game or watching the city unite in the legend-ary parade, all students, cur-rent and former, are proud to say they are Spartans.

ALUMNIRETURN TO NSUTO CELEBRATE HOMECOMING

■ Continued from page 6

810.24.12Spartan Entertainment

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SPARTAN WATCH


Young rap phenomenon, Diggy Simmons, has reached new heights in the media world. He has made a name for himself in hip hop and is now working on making a name in film. He has an untitled movie set to be released on BET in summer 2013. The film is about a kid named “Blake,” played by Simmons, and his life as a blogger. The film also stars Allen Maldonado playing the role of “Manny,” Simmons’ character’s best friend, and actress Bria Murphy, Eddie Murphy’s daughter. Diggy, who has a strong fan base, has many eyes waiting for this performance. Hopefully, Simmons can give a great performance.

@Mr_Tw1tter: #NSUHome-

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only right turn up or transfer!

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coming2K12 is going to be live!!

@Jeremy_JayB: #NSUHome-coming2K12 ohhh myyyy @djd_izzy @ash-mac2FLYY, WE GOING CRAZY THIS YEAR!

Rapper Diggy Simmons is branching out into other industries and taking his talents to acting. Photo credit: www.facebook.com/diggysimmons

ECHO MAKESBYLINE CORRECTIONIn Volume 60, Issue 3 of the Spartan

Echo, the entertainment section fea-tured a story entitled “T.J. Holmes en-lightens Black America on BET” with an incorrect byline. Entertainment edi-tor Briaun Rooks’ name was printed beneath the article, but the byline should have read “by Kyna Uwaeme.” The Spartan Echo apologizes for this misprint and greatly appreciates Kyna Uwaeme’s efforts.

Echo r e v i e wBy Briaun rooks

Homecoming week is quickly approaching and one question is on everyone’s mind: what is planned?

The 2012 homecoming’s theme this year is“Fantastic Voyage 2012.”

The festivities will be held from Oct. 29 to Nov. 3.

Saturday, Nov. 3 - Echols Dance The Echols Dance is a party to which NSU students are no strangers, but the

“Fantastic Voyage 2012 Echols Dance will be different. This will be an all-black up-scale event. Joseph G. Echols hall will be transformed into a ball room.

All black is required and semi-formal attire is desired.

Monday, Oct. 29 – Bonfire The Norfolk State style bonfire is going to be held near the NSU softball field.

There is going to be food, games, music and a celebration for our football team. The festivities will begin at 7 p.m. It is sure to be a great way to kick off homecoming.

Tuesday, Oct. 30 – Fashion Show Couture is coming to NSU and students will have front row seats. The fashion show

will feature Norfolk State students as models and it will be free. It will begin at 7 p.m. and will be hosted in the NSC rooms 138A, B and C. Seating is limited and is on a

first come first served basis.

Wednesday, Oct. 31 – Gospel Show To add variety to the festivities, homecoming week will feature a gospel show.

Norfolk State’s very own Gospel Choir will participate, as well as many others from the surrounding areas.

Thursday, Nov. 1 – ConcertIn the tradition of homecoming, there will be a concert with some of the biggest names in hip hop and R&B. With the collaboration of rap artist Future and R&B singer Tank,

the concert is sure to be one to remember.

Friday. Nov. 2 – Step Show The 2012 Greek Step Show will be like no other. Come watch the returning champions fight to keep their title as the other organizations give them a run for their money. Also,

an element that has been missing for years will return with a bang.

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