60.5 Spartan Echo

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

Spartan Echo11.7.12Vol. 60, Issue 5

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

■ See Tide Extended p. 2

TopSTorieSi n S i d e

OPINION• IstheStudent

Accountsofficenotsatisfyingstudents?

See page 6.

• Evernoticethegreenandgoldnoticesthatdisplayeachdepartment’sfriendlinessratinginthestudentservicesbuilding?

See page 7.

Photo Credit: This vacant building has been talked about being constructed on for some time and now it coming about. Photo Credit: Brittany Elmore | S partan Echo

HRT survey says riders want Tide e x t e n d e dBy Ashley ClArke

■ See Regell at NSU p. 2

Congressman Scott Rigell

discusses debt, President

Obama, and job seeking

By Ashley ClArke

Construction at NSU: big changes and big price tagsBy GreGory Perry

Located directly beside the Norfolk State University po-lice station is an old hospital building. The building has not been fully used for over a de-cade. Both NSU students and neighborhood residents are wondering what the university plans to do with the building.

“Our program is one of the largest at NSU. We deserve a new building. We’re in Brown, which is falling apart. We’d be-come better nurses with a bet-ter building,” said sophomore

nursing major Jasmine Jordan.Nursing students are hopeful

that a new building means bet-ter equipment as well.

“We go to the CINE lab and it’s tight in there. There’s like 50 people in the room at once,” said junior nursing major Cora-sha Dent. “Compared to TCC, the simulated mannequins are outdated. I’m excited about this new building.”

In Oct. 2012, Facilities Man-agement began a demolition

process to bring the building down. Plans for constructing a campus parking lot are sched-uled to begin as soon as the area is fully clear.

The new parking lot will not serve as extra parking for the university. Instead, it will be a relocation lot for Lot 5, which is located between the New Student Center and the Lyman Beecher Brooks Library. The new replacement lot then will be partially removed as the

■ See Construction p. 2

A strong majority of Hamp-ton Roads residents favor ex-tending the Hampton Roads transit (HRT) light rail, the Tide, to Virginia Beach. HRT conducted a customer survey which found that 30 percent of all riders board at Newtown Road, and 61 percent of the

Republican Virginia Con-gressman, Scott Rigell of the second Congressional district, visited Norfolk State to speak on his concerns for our state and to answer the questions of NSU students. He greeted NSU students with generous smiles and handshakes before

STUDENT LIFE• NSUstudents

sharetipsandideasonfashionastheseasonchanges.Seewhattheyhadtosay.

See page 3.

211.7.12Spartan News


■Continued from front page

Construction

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university begins construction on a housing project to extend the Spartan Suites into the area where the old hospital is lo-cated.

The university feels that the number of students attending Norfolk State will continue to grow, eventually requiring more space for housing. A por-tion of that lot will remain after the extension of the Spartan Suites and it will serve as extra parking.

Lot 5, between the New Stu-dent Center and the library, will be used to build the new nursing facility. Facilities Management plans to begin construction on the new nurs-ing building in March 2013.

Once the building is com-plete, the university plans to reconstruct Brown Memorial Hall. Some of the demolition

process on Brown Hall has al-ready begun, but construction workers are limited to what can be completed because classes are still in session.

Facilities Management esti-mates that the cost of the new nursing building and Brown Hall together will be about $50 million. The estimated cost to extend upperclassman housing into the old hospital’s original location is around $57 million.

The addition of the nurs-ing building and a revamped Brown Hall signify the end of a master plan for a diamond-shaped quad consisting of the library and the student center at opposite ends and the new nursing building and a new Brown Hall across from each other.

The Tide service began on August 19,2011 and a little over a year later, riders are wanting an expansion. It starts at Fort Norfolk/ Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMC) and ends on Newtown Road. This length of 7.4 miles doesn’t seems to be enough for the 60 percent of riders that believed the most needed improvement was an extention. Photo Credit: DeVanique Riley | Spartan Echo

■Continued from front pageTide Extendedriders who board at Newtown Road are Virginia Beach resi-dents.

Of all the Tide riders sur-veyed, a solid 60 percent re-sponded that the most needed improvement to the Tide is an extension of the light rail to Virginia Beach.

A similar study, “Life in Hampton Roads,” conducted by the ODU Social Science Research Center found that 80 percent of responders are sup-portive of extending the light rail. When given a choice, re-sponders listed the Oceanfront, Virginia Beach Town Center and Norfolk Naval Base as top choice extension destinations.

Exact costs for extending the light rail are currently un-known, but Hampton roads cit-izens remain concerned about the inevitable costs. Virginia Beach public safety officials, including police officers and firefighters, protested the pro-posed light rail extension, ac-cording to the The Virginian-Pilot. They feared that light rail extension costs will cut into Virginia Beach’s public safety budget.

The light rail’s contempo-rary appeal attracts more riders under the age of 30 who have the option of driving. Over 80 percent of workers in Hampton Roads commute to work alone,

according to goHRT.com. This adds to the number of

vehicles on the highways and promotes morning and evening road congestion. More light rail riders means less cars on the roads and less congestion on major highways and tun-nels.

The “Life in Hampton Roads” survey indicated that the public suggests that the city of Virginia Beach pay for the costs of light rail exten-sion. Increasing taxes was the answer of over 22 percent, and borrowing money and increas-ing the fuel tax were slightly less popular ideas.

introducing himself to his au-dience.

“I’m in my first term, and I’ve learned a lot,” said Rigell. “It’s been quite the journey for my family and me.”

Rigell described himself as being one of the least partisan Republican members of the House of Representatives. Ac-cording to Rigell, he is number 300 out of 435 in the level of partisanship in the House of Representatives. He said that his priority is the American people, not a Republican agen-da.

“This is a very challeng-ing time in our country,” said Rigell. “It’s not about a par-ticular outcome to a particular election; it’s far deeper than that. It’s about who we are as American people.”

Rigell prides himself in say-ing the same thing, without bias, to every group of people he addresses.

Rigell also said that he be-lieves in respecting the Presi-dential office, regardless of

what party is in occupancy. Although Rigell does not

agree with the President on some of his policies, he said that he does not disrespect President Obama.

“I always say ‘President,’” said Rigell. “I never use the term ‘Obamacare.’ It unneces-sarily personalizes the act.”

Rigell noted the extreme isolation of the two parties in Washington D.C., saying that it was hard to get to know even four or five members of his own party, let alone the other party. It is for this reason, according to Rigell, that our country is in such distress.

“Where we’re headed is not good as a country,” said Rigell.

Rigell explained that a lot of the problem has to do with the past spending habits of the U.S.

“It’s not fair for one genera-tion to consume and pass it on to the next generation as debt,” he said.

Rigell believes that to get the country back on the right track, the U.S. must “responsibly

Rigell at NSUlower expenses and gradually increase revenue.”

“Federal spending has to come down in a wise way,” said Rigell, “or it’s going to go broke in about eleven years.”

In answering a student’s question about finding jobs in a tough economy, Rigell sug-gested that students “expand your personal network” and “be deliberate in getting out into the community.”

“I’m an introvert on the My-ers-Briggs test,” said Rigell. The Myers-Briggs test is a personality test that was devel-oped during World War II by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers. Rigell explained that his re-sults do not keep him from be-ing outgoing when necessary, such as when he visits college campuses.

“Just ask [potential employers] for fifteen minutes, be prepared and have a list of questions,” said Rigell. “Get to know a lot of folks. It’s fun.”

■Continued from front page

311.7.12 Spartan Student Life


Tyisha Bridges shows off two of the hottest trends. On the bottom left, she displays geo-patterned black and white top. On the right, her short shorts are splashed with tons of sparkle and sequin. She adds some more fun with the blazer. Tyisha bridges steps out on cool, sunny days with her floral sundress and timeless denim jacket.

Tyisha bridges steps out on cool, sunny days with her floral sundress and timeless denim jacket (left).NSU Student Rachel Gordon shows off her brown combat boots that can be accessorized with many pieces, including denim pants(right).

NSU students share fashion tips

Article and photos by rAe CorBo

Great fashion can always be spotted when walking around NSU’s campus. From unique, decorated platform shoes to patterned, yet subtle flannel tops coupled with feminine circle skirts, the student body has definitely got an eye for fashion.

As the temperature begins to change, many of the most popular winter fashion trends spotted during New York’s Fashion Week are begin-ning to surface at NSU. Bold fabrics, the comeback of the strong pantsuit and funky footwear make it easy for any young lady or mature woman to be totally fashion forward this winter.

One downside to these high fashion styles is that

not everyone can afford the expensive designs of Marc Jacobs, Sam Edelman and the many other designers whose creations were featured at New York’s Fashion Week.

Junior psychology major Rachel Gordon said, “As the weather gets cooler, I love wearing my combat boots with a nice cardigan. I usually find cheap, quality items from Ur-ban Outfitters and Pacsun.”

Junior mass communications major Kristian Parker said thrifting is the key to adding distinctive characteristics to clothing while maintaining the vintage look. Thrifting is shop-ping at thrift stores for slightly used garments.

“I love to go thrifting when-

ever I need to find a piece that will definitely turn heads and allow me to remain the center of attention,” said Parker.

Some great grabs for the winter such as thick, cable-knit sweaters and faux, red leather pants can be found at thrift stores.

“Winter fashions are my favorite fashions of the year because they allow me to express myself in an array of colors and fabrics,” said senior mass communications major Tyisha Bridges.

NSU students can visit the Salvation Army Thrift Store or the CHKD Thrift Store, both on Virginia Beach Boulevard, for trendy, inexpensive fashion finds.

Krissy Parker models print pants with a white blouse and ac-cessorizes with a satchel bag from a thrift store.

“ “

411.7.12Spartan 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.


Tackling tough obstacles: NSU’s football team aims to finish strong

By Mariah Goodrich

Men’s tennis teAM Continues to Build suCCess

By: MAriAh GoodriCh

Unlike last season, the 2012 season for the NSU football team has been rough. The team recently had a tough loss against rival Hampton University giving them their first MEAC win of the season. NSU also gave Delaware State their first MEAC win this season.

The Spartans had a chance to make history by winning against South Carolina State, but they fell short. They also took a hard hit when the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats gave them their sixth straight loss.

Sophomore Jake Basmagian and redshirt senior Takeem Hedgemen agree that losing hurts no matter who it is against; however, losing against Hampton hurts a little more.

“Any loss is bad, but we have to see Hampton players and hear about the loss at other things like basketball games,” said Hedgemen.

Although the team may not have a chance for a MEAC championship repeat, these two players are still ready to work hard to win some games.

“Even though there is no

more championship for us, we can still spoil someone else’s season,” said Basmagian.

“There are seniors on this team that still have dreams of playing football, so we have to keep fighting and keep the young motivated,” said Hedgemen.

The Spartan football team knows what its weaknesses are; now they just have to strengthen them.

“We can’t go out against two opponents, ourselves and the other team,” said Basmagian. “We have to focus on the

other team so we don’t defeat ourselves.”

Hedgemen and Basmagian make good points. Now they need to win so they can remember how it feels, preserve that feeling and finish out the season strong.

A winning season would have most certainly promoted those players who are striving for NFL dreams but in this case, the saying “it is not how you start, but how you finish,” will apply to those Spartans trying to reach the next level.

The men’s tennis team’s season had an inconsistent start. However, the team is not letting this discourage them. Their successful matches have taught the team how to

We need to be tougher mentally...

-Kent Austin

Men’s tennis team may have gotten off to a rough start, but they continue to strive as they go through the season. Photo Credit: DeVanique Riley| Spartan Echo

One of the newest members to the men’s basketball team is a seven-foot-one-inch pow-erhouse from Švencioneliai, Lithuania. Paulius Vinogra-dovas, also known as Paul, came to NSU with hopes of improving his chances of be-coming a dominating force on the court.

For Vinogradovas, playing basketball at NSU is more than just a college sport; it is an international adjustment.

“It’s difficult because in Europe there’s one style of basketball and here there’s another style. I have to adjust. I’ve played American basket-ball for three years so I think I can adjust quickly,” said Vi-nogradovas.

Not only does he have to adjust to the court, but he has to keep focus in the class-room.

“It’s hard because you have to do well on the basketball court and in the classroom. I struggle in the classroom be-cause my English isn’t that good,” said Vinogradovas.

Some question his decision to come to the United States just to play basketball, but Vi-nogradovas sees greater pro-spective opportunities.

“I came to the states be-cause I love basketball. I love to do this and I hope to play professional ball. If not, I will have a really good education and find a good job in the fu-ture.”

Vinogradovas knows a bit of English so language is only a small barrier.

“I’m used to the language so I can understand, but my vocabulary is low. If I knew better English I could do bet-ter in my classes.”

The language barrier has not hurt Vinogradovas’ social life.

“I get a lot of attention from girls. I like it!”

Vinogradovas has a young-er brother who is a kick boxer.

“I think my brother may want to come to the United States because he asked me about it.”

By following his dreams, Vinogradovas might be open-ing doors for his family to pursue their own.

really compete, and the guys use their losses to learn their weaknesses.

“We need to be tougher mentally, especially for tight matches,” said junior, Kent

Austin.Austin and his teammates,

like many other less celebrated teams on campus, would appreciate more support from the student body.

“It would be nice if more people showed up,” said Austin. “There is a big difference when you have supporters backing you up.”

511.7.12 Spartan Sports


International athletes:struggle to transition

By leonArd FAirley

little bit of trouble in class be-cause the teachers spoke fast while they were explaining things.”

The transition struggle for international student-athletes has been made easier thanks to people around them that are willing and able to help.

“Basically, we make sure that all transcripts are trans-lated to English, the proper tests are taken, documentation is completed, they understand NCAA inquiries and that they are NCAA certified,” said Der-rick Coles, Director of Compli-ance at NSU.

“My junior college coach, Tyrone Mushatt, helped me find NSU, and Coach Evans helped me find everything around campus and understand how everything on campus works,” said Vinogradovas.

As the athletics department continues to expand and im-prove, NSU will see an in-crease in international student-athletes.

“I would encourage other in-ternational student-athletes to come here,” Ferreira said. “It is a great test of hard work and dedication being away from home, but you make some life-long friends and it’s a great overall experience.”

Want to know what Ferreira and Vinogradova had to say about campus life at NSU as an international-athlete? Check out the rest of their interview at www.spartanecho.org.

NSU’s population has be-come more diverse, especially in athletics. With the increase in international student-athletes, there has been an improved ef-fort to make them comfortable in the classroom and around campus.

While sports such as track, tennis and volleyball have been able to bring in international athletes for many years, this year has seen international fac-es in other sports, most notably men’s basketball.

Paulius Vinogradova is Lith-uanian and Grant Hefeng is Chinese; however, their nation-alities are not the only reasons they stand out. Vinogradova and Hefeng stand at 7’1” and 6’8” respectively. In order to adhere to NCAA transfer rules, Hefeng, a Fresno State transfer, will sit out this year.

Like the many other inter-national student-athletes, this year’s new faces have had their share of difficulties in transi-tioning from life in their home-land to college life in America.

“Sometimes I have problems with the language and classes are a bit harder,” said Vinogra-dovas.

Beatriz Ferreira, a senior on the volleyball team, is one of the many student-athletes that can relate to Vinogradovas’ transition difficulties.

“I had trouble understanding some of the language and con-cepts in class,” said Ferreira. “I knew English, but I had trouble with the slang and other details in the language. I also had a Paulius Vinogradova stands over seven feet. Photo Credit Roland Drew| Spartan Echo

611.7.12Spartan Opinion


It’s a never ending conversation about the poor service students receive in the Student Services building. Financial aid and registration are guilty of this lack of service being talked about. However, it is student accounts that raises havoc with trying to reach somebody. Photo Credit DeVanique Riley | Spartan Echo

Good help is hard to find in NSU’s student accounts office

By Ashley ClArke

The number one rule to getting any help with financial aid, registration and student accounts at NSU is to go directly to the source. Do not pass go, do not collect $200 and whatever you do, do not call any of these offices expecting to get help.

Nine times out of ten, you will be asked to explain your problem to a few people in the office before being forwarded to another office. Then you can expect to repeat the process.

Heaven forbid you have a question or concern during the summer months or winter break. If so, you may as well give up hope.

Although Norfolk State holds classes during the summer months, it would appear that no staff members are on campus until August.

The office telephones will ring several times before sending you to a voicemail box which seems to be a black hole of messages.

In order to maintain a thriving campus, students need to be able to communicate with the people who will assist them in planning their education. Concerns about grades, registration, and finances come about during the summer and school holidays for many students.

It is inconvenient and unprofessional to have constant lapses in communication between school offices and students, but it is especially unprofessional to have lapses in communication during the heart of the school year.

Communicating is not that difficult. Simply having a

knowledgeable person within reach of a telephone should not be this big of an issue. Perhaps the student body has become so accustomed to the problem that it has become indifferent. Less of a fuss is being made about this problem because students expect not to receive answers.

Unfortunately, dilemmas such as a lack of communication between university personnel and students hurt the quality of our university. Our standard of excellence should be about more than building new facilities and hosting presidential campaign events.

Norfolk State will truly be the “University of Choice” when it gets back to the basics. This includes having personnel who are ready, willing and able to assist students when they need help.

While we would love to say it is because he was the first Black president, and as an HBCU we have been privi-leged to be a part of making history by helping place him in office, there are more qualities in this president than the color of his skin.

We would also love to say that he deserves a second term because the economy is boom-ing and everyone is employed. Sadly, that isn’t true either.

However, as a university, employment conditions are im-portant to us. The preventative measures taken by the Obama administration make four more years seem promising.

The facts are plain and sim-ple: while we might not be “better off” as a country since 2008, we could have been in a worse condition. The amount of job loss could have been much worse without the very helpful, albeit imperfect, stim-ulus package.

Increases in unemployment cannot be blamed on the gov-ernment; there were simply not enough companies willing to hire and consumers willing to spend. Now, with unemploy-ment below 8 percent, there is hope for the future.

And, yes, many students cer-tainly believe that Obama has

the interests of college stu-dents at heart, especially given his work on student loans and Pell Grants. Evidence of the same in Mitt Romney is lack-ing, to say the least.

Romney and running mate Paul Ryan have both contra-dicted each other on pulling troops in 2014. Romney has contradicted himself on his stance on Planned Parent-hood and Obamacare. And, of course, his words about half the country not taking respon-sibility for their own lives can-not be forgotten. Those were words he did not believe would become public, and show ob-vious lack of integrity regard-less of their intention.

As a result, we support Pres-ident Obama in his re-election bid and hope Spartans will turn out in force to vote for him.

The Spartan Echo believes that President Barack Obama should be re-elected for a

second termA stAFF editoriAl

President Barack Obama speaks to supporters Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, (AP Photo/Tom Lynn)

711.7.12 Spartan Opinion


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

nSu STudenTS unhappy wiTh healThy SelecTionSBy BrittAny elMore

ratings in student services center are product of student surveys

By tAnzAniA trout

Any Spartan who has visited the second floor of the student services center has seen the bright, green and gold notices that display each department’s friendliness rating.

After Norfolk State University students wait countless minutes in line for the financial aid, registrar, cashier, admissions and student accounts offices just to be unfulfilled with the service, surveys are used to help students voice their opinions.

The green and gold notices are the results of surveys filled out hurriedly by students as they leave the offices.

Junior psycology major

Tyler Dudley said that the most frustrating part of the school year is trying to get things handled with financial aid.

“I’ve been sent [to the] back and front, don’t get phone calls answered and the people working can be rude,” said Dudley.

Lack of communication causes difficulties for students during the enrollment process so the customer care center conducts surveys for students’ benefits.

“Student assistants from [the] customer care office survey students and parents face to face after they are done getting serviced,” said customer care

director Michelle Marable. “The high ratings on these offices are based off of the students’ feedback.”

The surveys have up to six basic survey questions with ratings from poor to excellent about the quality of service.

The questions are simple so that the survey does not deter people that may be in a hurry, but students should still be sure to give efficient feedback on the survey.

When asked how the rating method worked, Marable said that the customer care office came up with the questions on the surveys. The ratings get updated quarterly after

being sent to the assistant vice president of the enrollment office, Terricita Sass.

Criticisms and feedback are then shared with the supervisors of each office and possible concerns are considered.

Spartans are encouraged to visit the student services center’s customer care office to fill out a student consultation form. To obtain a form, ask to speak with Mrs. Marable.

Students can visit www.nsu.edu/customercare to fill out the customer care concern form online and give any opinions or suggestions on how to make visiting the student services center a fulfilling experience.

Obesity is on the rise in America and some Norfolk State students feel the campus is doing more to contribute to the problem than to find a solution. Soul Food Thursdays, Pizza Hut and Chick-fil-A are among the popular dining choices of NSU students, but the university does offer some healthy options.

Chick-fil-A’s salads, the soup and salad bars in the cafeteria and Tropical Smoothie are popular choices for students who wish to have a healthier dining experience.

“I think nutrition is pretty poor on campus. There is definitely a weight problem at NSU, and I think [NSU] should offer diet plans/ options

at the café as well as different places to eat on campus that are more nutritious,” said junior accounting major Kenton Austin.

Some students recognize the healthy options on campus, but do not think they can compete with the unhealthy eateries.

“Nutrition on campus could be better. At the café they are always serving pizza and fries. Yes, they serve other things such as fish and salads, but obviously students are going to choose the food that tastes better,” said Gillian Giarizzo, a senior kinesiotherapy major. “As for the union, there is Pizza Hut, Chick-fil-A and Tropical Smoothie—two unhealthy restaurants to one healthy.”

Senior nursing major Krystal Anderson agrees that unhealthy options are more available than the healthy choices on campus.

“I feel like campus does not have a lot of options. As a commuter I am always on the go, and I’m stuck grabbing unhealthy, sugary smoothies. I feel like there should be a salad bar in the union or more options in the union that are healthier,” she said.

Other students think that more healthy alternatives are not the only solution. Physical activity is also an issue among students.

“Although they are not the most popular, healthy options are available for students. For example, the soup and salad

bar in the cafeteria. I think students should get involved and start their own health and fitness clubs or organizations,” said Maranda Hall, senior English major.

It seems to be pretty unanimous that students want more appealing, healthier dining options on campus. A simple solution may be for students to take matters into their own hands.

There may not be tons of choices, but the fact of the matter is that healthy options exist. Choosing salads and chicken wraps coupled with an exercise regimen is a good start until NSU sees an increase in healthy options.

811.7.12Spartan Entertainment

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SPARTAN WATCH Echo Review


Tyler Perry plays the title character in Alex Cross. Photo credit: http://www.facebook.com/thetylerperry

Tyler Perry is gracing the sil-ver screen again, but not as his usual in-your-face character, Madea. Tyler Perry, who has directed, written or produced every movie he has stared in, stuck to acting in his latest flick. Perry stars as the title character in the new action thriller “Alex Cross.”

The movie is an adaptation of James Patterson’s novel “Cross” about a detective that solves high profile cases. Alex Cross has appeared in over ten of James Patterson’s novels and is one of the only African-Amer-ican protagonists featured in a high profile novel series. Perry was under a significant amount of pressure to deliver a worthy performance. “Alex Cross” was released on Oct. 19 and made $11.4 million making it the most disappointing open-ing weekend for any movie in which Perry has starred.

Rihanna is changing her sounds with her new album Unapologetic set to be release on November 19, 2012. Photo credit: http://www.facebook.com/rihanna

@VAz_VeRyOwn: I really do have a genuine love for my #NSUFAM. We have a bond that could never be broken.

@TeaTheSong -bird: Shout out to everyone in the 757! I miss all my #NSUFAM!!!

@The_Awesome-One_: I love seeing my family in Rich-mond, but there is nothing like the time I spend with my #NSUFAM

@C_Chest: We are having a five game losing streak, however, we are a family. So, we win together and we lose together. Go game #NSUFAM

@_xRea l l yDn t -Care: Every time I wake up I have to say good morning to my #NSUFAM!

With Election Day vastly approaching, the presidential campaign trail has heated up. However, something is missing from the campaign. The entertainment community has not shown support for this presidential election like they showed for president Obama’s first campaign in 2008.

In 2008 the entertainment community was instrumental in getting the younger demographic excited about voting. According to voting statistics, young people voted in record numbers in the 2008 presidential election. Now it seems as if the hype has

subsided.Specifically, the hip-hop

community banded together and launched a huge “Vote or Die” campaign in 2008. Rappers, singers, fashion moguls and athletes were all speaking out to promote voting among young people. Oprah, Diddy, and Jay-Z were some of the activists doing all they could to get Obama elected. This year, it is hard to find a rapper speaking up for voting.

There have been campaign ads using high profile celebrities to endorse voting. However, these ads are hard to find on television. In

2008, many major television networks like BET and MTV played voting ads heavily.

This lack of support begs many questions. Why has there not been as much support from the entertainment industry for this election? Do young people still understand the importance of voting? Is this recent problem going to affect Obama’s bid at re-election? Hopefully, Tuesday, Nov. 6 will prove that the American youth do not rely on the influence of the entertainment industry alone to make the decision to vote.

Where is the support for 2012?

Rihanna is “Unapologetic” with the title of her seventh album. Rihanna, who burst on the scene in 2005 as America’s Caribbean sweet-heart, has transformed over the years. After five Grammy’s, 25 million units sold, and six albums, Rihanna is changing up for her new album. The album’s lead single, “Dia-monds,” is different from any of her other projects.

“I was looking for a new sound and I found it,” said Rihanna. “Unapologetic” is scheduled to be released on Nov. 19. Promotion has been lax, and Rihanna’s record label is worried about the recent controversy of Rihanna and fellow singer Chris Brown’s public reunion. Although there are problems, critics predict “Unapolo-getic” will be another platinum album.

Rihanna ‘s“Unapologetic”

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