Delaware State University Press Releases

DSU Signs New Accords With Four Chinese Institutions of Higher Ed

cholmes@desu.edu — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU Acting President Claibourne D. Smith and Dr. Guoji Zhang, chairman of the Council of Hunan University (seated l-r) sign an agreement that expands an existing accord with Hunan University in China. Flanking the university heads are (standing l-r) DSU Provost Harry L. Williams and Dr. Hongxin Jiang, Hunan vice president.

DSU SIGNS NEW AGREEMENTS WITH FOUR CHINESE UNIVERSITY

Delaware State University officials recently concluded a whirlwind trip of China this week where they are expanding DSU’s connections with institutions of higher education in that Far East country.

The DSU delegation – led by acting President Claibourne D. Smith Provost Harry L. Williams – traveled to Asia during the week of June 15 to meet with officials from four Chinese universities. By the end of the trip DSU had expanded two existing agreements, renewed another one and reached a new agreement with another institution.

As a result of the trip, a new formal collaborative agreement was established between DSU and Jilin Business and Technology College. The new accord will facilitate study aboard opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students from both institutions as well as in collaborations professional training and development, and in the academic areas of business, sciences and education.

In addition, new amendments were formally reached to existing agreements with Hunan University and Beijing Sport University that will result in Chinese students studying at DSU for a semester as part of a DSU American Culture Enrichment Program. The Chinese students will take courses in English, American & African American history, economics and international business.

DSU and Jilin University officials join Dr. Yulin Li, Julin executive vice president, and DSU Acting President Claibourne Smith (seated l-r) after they signed an five-year accord to continue an existing agreement between the two universities. Standing (l-r) and Jilin officials: Dr. Jin Xiaotong, Dr. Pang Guangsheng, Dr. Jin Liping, Dr. Bu Tiejun, Dr. Han Wei, alongside DSU representatives Dr. Harry L. Williams, Dr. Youngski Kwak, Dr. Rayton Sianjina, Dr. Noureddine Melikechi and Dr. Fengshan Liu.

DSU also renewed a five-year agreement with Jilin University for faculty and student exchanges, research collaborations and publication exchange.

Dr. Smith said that all of DSU’s Chinese institutional partners are committed to support and enhance the education value that they give to their students. He added that DSU will benefit from the agreements as well.

“China will continue to be a major economic factor in the world. Smart universities recognize that and will find ways to grow opportunities with those educational institutions there,” Dr. Smith said. “We are engaging with Chinese faculty in the disciplines of science, mathematics and energy conservation as well as exchanging ideas in new areas of knowledge.”

DSU officials that joined Dr. Smith and Dr. Williams on the trip included Dr. Noureddine Melikechi, dean of the DSU College of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology, and Dr. Rayton Sianjina, director of Education Graduate Studies, Dr. Fengshan Liu, chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Dr. Youngski Kwak, interim dean of the College of Business, and Dr. Li Chen, chair of the Department Sport Sciences

Dr. Liu, who also is the director of the DSU Applied Mathematics Research Center, said the DSU delegation gained a new understanding about the culture and economy of China.

“After we signed the agreements, there were many students there who expressed interest in coming to DSU,” Dr. Liu said. “Several have already started the paperwork.”

DSU Alumna's Business Named Among the Best of Delaware

cholmes@desu.edu — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU ALUMNA MAKES DELAWARE TODAY’S “BEST” LIST

DSU alumna Maxine Lewis, class of 1973, has been named among the 2009 “Best of Delaware” in the July edition of Delaware Today magazine.

The magazine recognized Ms. Lewis for providing the “Best Women’s Accessories” in Delaware through her Maxine’s New York Fashions, which is part of the Fashion Connection shop located on Loockerman Street in downtown Dover.

Ms. Lewis is featured in a page-length photo on page 91 of the July edition along with S. Renee Smith, a “Best of Delaware” judge and also a 1988 graduate of DSU. According to Delaware Today, Ms. Smith said that Ms. Lewis is included in the best because of her store’s stylish clothes and one-of-a-kind accessories.

Maxine’s New York Fashions has collaborated with the Wedding Boutique (owned and operated by 1992 DSU grad Tammy D. Robinson) and Top Notch Sewing to combine under one business roof called The Fashion Connection, located at 125A W. Loockerman St. in Dover.

The Delaware Today’s annual “Best of Delaware” edition features the best food, businesses, entertainment and places in a wide variety of categories.

DSUAA Chapters Exceed Tom Joyner Fundraising Challenge

cholmes@desu.edu — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSUAA CHAPTERS COMBINE TO RAISE OVER $42,000 IN SUPPORT OF DSU/TOM JOYNER PARTNERSHIP

Eight DSU Alumni Association chapters combined their fundraising efforts to surpass the Tom Joyner Foundation $25,000 Chapter Challenge.

The eight chapters raised a combined $42,475, surpassing the challenge and ensuring that a $25,000 match will be added from the Tom Joyner Foundation – all going to the Alumni Scholarship Campaign.

The Kent County DSUAA Chapter gave the strongest response to the challenge by raising just over $12,000. The New Castle County Chapter raised more than $10,600. Also contributing to the $42,475 were chapters in Charlotte, N.C., Greater Hampton Roads, Va., Greater Washington, D.C., Metropolitan, N.Y., Philadelphia, Pa., and Sussex County.

The Chapter Challenge is part of a year-long partnership between DSU and the Tom Joyner Foundation to raise money for scholarships for DSU students. The partnership’s goal is to raise $440,000 and the University has already achieved about 70% of that.

DSU is the Tom Joyner Foundation School of the Month for June, but the fundraising efforts will continue until the end of 2009. To contribute and help DSU students cover the cost of higher education, donations can be made online at www.desu.edu/giving or by mailing checks to Office of Development, Delaware State University, 1200 N. DuPont Highway, Dover, DE 19901.

The Tom Joyner Foundation (www.blackamericaweb.com/foundation) has assisted every HBCU, which is defined as “any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans.”

Alumni Couple to Bring Back Golden Old Radio Days

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU ALUMNI COUPLE TO PROVIDE OLD TIME RADIO REENACTMENT

Dr. Donald A. Blakey, class of 1958 and his wife Dolores, class of 1960 will take members of the Modern Maturity Center in Dover back to the golden days of airwaves in the fall as they reenact famous old-time radio programs.

Don and Dolores Blakey will bring back the golden days of radio to the lunchtime crowd at the Modern Maturity Center of Dover in the fall.

On every Thursday during the Modern Maturity Center’s lunch hours, the alumni will reenact radio programs such as Amos N’ Andy, The Long Ranger, The Shadow, The Inner Sanctum and others.

Dr. Blakey is a faculty member at DSU who also serves as the director of the DSU Theater and Dance Program, in which he is often assisted by his wife Dolores. The Program gives DSU students and community members an opportunity to perform in stage productions that are presented to the University and the public.

In addition, Dr. Blakey is also an elected member of the Delaware House of Representative, for which he serves the 34^th Representative District (Dover South).

The Modern Maturity Center, located 1121 Forrest Ave. in Dover, is a nonprofit organization committed to providing programs and services that enhance the quality of life, with respect and dignity for individuals age 50 and above.

DSU Hosts ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Camp

cholmes@desu.edu — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU HOSTS EXXONMOBIL BERNARD HARRIS SUMMER SCIENCE CAMP FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

Delaware State University served as the site for the June 14-26 ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp June 14-26, a science and math enrichment program for middle school students.

Dr. Bernard Harris spends some time at DSU on June 23 giving the summer camp kids the benefit of his engineering and science knowledge.

The two-week camp – co-sponsored by the astronaut’s Harris Foundation and Exxon Mobil – was designed to provide middle school students from Delaware with a fun-filled setting to give them a greater understanding of science, technology, mathematics and engineering, as well as information about exciting careers in science.

Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr., a NASA space shuttle astronaut, came to DSU on June 23 to work with the students and speak to them about the importance of science and technology education.

“Whatever your dream is, start working on it now,” Dr. Harris told the students, who all attend middle schools in Delaware.

The participating students spent the mornings, afternoon and early evening learning biology, chemistry, physiology, physics and math. The subjects were taught under the theme of human survival, and students were given projects that were based on math, science and technology that would aid them in the wilderness.

During media day on June 23, the students were challenged to construct a raft out of foil and drinking straws. The winning team’s raft was able to stay afloat while carrying the weight of more than 200 pennies.

Dr. Harris was at NASA for ten years, where he conducted research in musculoskeletal physiology and disuse osteoporosis. Later, as head of the Exercise Countermeasure Project, he conducted clinical investigations of space adaptation and developed in-flight medical devices to extend astronaut stays in space.

Selected into the Astronaut Corps in January 1990, Dr. Harris was a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-55/Spacelab D-2 in 1993. As payload commander on Space Shuttle Discovery STS-63 in 1995, he served on the first flight of the joint Russian-American Space Program, becoming the “First African American to walk in Space.” A veteran astronaut for over nineteen years, he has logged more than 438 hours and traveled over 7.2 million miles in space.

Board of Trustees votes no tuition increase for 2009-10

cholmes@desu.edu — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Despite Expected State Budget Cuts, DSU Freezes Tuition Rates While Only Imposing a Modest 3% Increase in Residential and Meal Plan Fees

The Delaware State University Board of Trustees today approved the institution’s tuition and fee structure for the 2009-2010 academic year, which includes no increases in in-state and out-of-state tuition.

The University’s tuition and fees remain the same as the 2008-2009 academic year at $3,240.50 per semester for in-state and $6,871.00 per semester for out-of-state.

The Board also approved a modest increase of room and meal plan rates of only 3%. The semester cost to reside in the University’s traditional residential halls now ranges between $3,057 and $3,282. Residential meal plans per semester range from $1,450 to $1,636.

DSU Acting President Claibourne D. Smith said because students and their families are being impacted by the current economic downturn in the country, the University does not want to make it more difficult for them to cover the cost of higher education at DSU.

“Students planning to attend DSU in the fall can move forward with confidence that there will be no increase in their tuition cost,” Dr. Smith said. “The Board kept the room and meal increases modest because it felt it was paramount to assist students and families realize their hopes for a higher education degree at DSU in these difficult times.”

In addition to approving the tuition structure, the Board also approved the DSU fiscal 2010 budget that totals $82,077,187 in expenditures.

DSU Signs New Accord with Hunan Univ.

cholmes@desu.edu — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(Seated l-r) DSU Acting President Claibourne D. Smith and Dr. Guoji Zhang, chairman of the Council of Hunan University, sign a new memorandum of understanding between the two institutions. They are flanked by DSU Provost Harry L. Williams (left) and an unknown Hunan official.

DSU SIGNS A NEW AGREEMENT WITH HUNAN NORMAL UNIVERSITY IN CHINA

Delaware State University officials took a whirlwind trip to China in mid June where they expanded DSU’s connections with institutions of higher education in that Far East country.

DSU Acting President Claibourne D. Smith sat down with Dr. Guoji Zhang, chairman of the Council of Hunan Normal University and signed a new Memorandum of Understanding that will facilitate an opportunity for Chinese students from that institution to study at DSU.

The DSU delegation also met with officials from Jilin Gongshang University in Changehum City and Beijing Sport University in Beijing where similar separate agreements were signed.

Dr. Smith, along with DSU Provost Harry L. Williams, Dr. Noureddine Melikechi, dean of the DSU College of Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Technology, and Dr. Rayton R. Sianjina, director of Education Graduate Studies, are visiting several Chinese universities this week to further solidify existing relationships through new accords.

TD Makes Donation to DSU Scholarship

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

TD Bank managers Donna Stone (left) and James Hutchison (right) present DSU Acting President Claibourne D. Smith with a donation of $1,195 to go into the DSU Foundation's Scholarship Fund.

TD BANK MAKES DONATION TOWARD DSU SCHOLARSHIPS

Representatives of TD Bank recently presented Delaware State University with a donation of $1,195 to go into the DSU Foundation’s Scholarship Fund.

“TD Bank is proud to support the Delaware State University scholarship program,” said Donna Stone, TD Bank Dover Manager. Ms. Stone and James Hutchison, who is also a TD Bank manager, recently presented the check to DSU Acting President Claibourne Smith.

Master in Teaching English as a 2nd Language Offered

cholmes@desu.edu — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

MASTER’S DEGREE IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE NOW OFFERED AT DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY

Delaware State University is now offering a Master of Arts Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). Classes will be offered beginning Summer Session II, June 30 at the main campus in Dover.

Offered through the DSU Department of English and Foreign Languages, teachers can enroll in the TESL program course as part of the DSU’s Summer College Program that offers them tuition for two courses for the price of one.

Dr. Abdul Aziz-Diop, chair of the English and Foreign Languages Department, states that, “The MA in TESL promises to be another locus of productive partnership between DSU, the state and the region.”

Teachers and non-teachers interested in the program can register for two courses during Summer Session II. The program leads to certification and is designed for completion in two years. It prepares candidates to teach English as a second language in many settings, including K-12 schools, colleges and universities in the United States and abroad, and adult education programs anywhere in the world.

For more information, please contact Dr. Abdul-Aziz Diop, chair of the Department of English and Foreign Languages at (302) 857-6560 or e-mail him at adiop@desu.edu.. Or contact Dr. Joseph Falodun, dean of the College of Education at (302) 857 6720 or at jfalodun@desu.edu.

DSU is the Tom Joyner Foundation's "School of the Month" for June

cholmes@desu.edu — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY IS THE TOM JOYNER FOUNDATION’S SCHOOL OF THE MONTH FOR JUNE

Delaware State University is being featured by as the June “School of the Month” by the Tom Joyner Foundation, a major driving force in raising money for Historically Black

Tom Joyner will feature DSU on his morning show throughout the month of June.

Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) since 1998.

The foundation, formed by the nationally syndicated radio personality Tom Joyner, said DSU was chosen as part of its on-going effort to raise money to help keep students attending these institutions.

As one of the Tom Joyner Foundation “Schools of the Month,” DSU will receive funds raised from listeners, alumni and other interested parties during the month of June. Throughout the month, the Tom Joyner Morning Show, aired in 115 markets around the country, reaches nearly eight million listeners every week, will promote the University and award scholarships to deserving students. It will also feature on-air interviews with acting DSU President Claibourne D. Smith and other representatives of the DSU family, as well as news of significant donors.

Regionally, the Tom Joyner Morning Show can be heard from 6-10 a.m. Mondays through Fridays on Philadelphia radio station WRNB-FM 107.9. The show can be heard online at http://1079wrnb.com/goout.asp?u=http://www.tomjoyner.com.

Established in 1891 as the State College for Colored Students, Delaware State University is located on a 400-acre campus in the state capital of Dover, Del. Currently serving more than 3,500 students, DSU offers a wide variety of undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees, including unique programs such as Airways Science, Applied Optics, Mass Communications, Sports Science, Educational Leadership and many others. The university is fully accredited and many of its academic programs possess national and international accreditation.

"The foundation is really happy to work with Delaware State University," said Tom Joyner, a graduate of Tuskegee Institute, who is the foundation’s chairman. "The college has a wonderful history and this foundation is all about making sure students are able to stay in school."

Acting DSU President Claibourne D. Smith said that the University is grateful for this timely fundraising opportunity.

“Being selected this year to be one of the featured historically black institutions of higher education by the Tom Joyner Foundation provides DSU an outstanding catalyst to raise the much needed funds to help our students,” Dr. Smith said. “Given the current economic climate of the country – that is increasing the challenges families are facing in paying for their loved ones’ pursuit of a degree – the financial support of our alumni is greatly needed.”

The foundation has raised more than $25 million over the past seven years to help thousands of students at some 80 colleges. Over the past year, it has presented more than $1 million to several colleges, including Harris Stowe State College (St. Louis, Mo.), LeMoyne Owen College and Lane College (Jackson, Tenn.).

Class of 1959 reunites at DSU

cholmes@desu.edu — Mon, 25 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

The DSC class of 1959 (plus one non-1959 alumnus that ended up in the photo: seated are Equilla Watson Boyce, Minnie Harris Hill, Bettye Henry Bellamy, Herbert B. Watson, Sr., Greta Naylor Yorkman; standing are James H. Moody (class of 1960), Richard L. Turner, Donald M. Evans, Cornell Harvell and Wilbert "Bunny" Miller.

THE DSC CLASS OF 1959 REUNITE ON CAMPUS DURING COMMENCEMENT WEEK

Equilla Watson Boyce and Minnie Harris Hill reminisce over their dormitory life.

A group of 1959 graduates gathered on May 16-17 during Commencement Weekend to reminisce about their Delaware State College days and marvel over the campus growth of their alma mater.

The University honored the 50^th anniversary of the Class of 1959 during a reception on Saturday, May 16 at historic Loockerman Hall on campus. Nine graduates of 1959 took part in the celebration. The 1959 alumni also donned robes and took part in the Commencement ceremonies on Sunday.

Richard L. Turner, Cornell Harvell and Wilbert "Bunny" Miller recall the old times. Harvell and Miller were members of the 1956 co-champion Hornet football team.

Returning for the Commencement Weekend were class of 1959 members Bettye Henry Bellamy, Equila Watson Boyce, Donald M. Evans, Minnie Harris Hill, Cornell Harvell, Wilbert “Bunny” Miller, James H. Moody, Jr., Richard L. Turner, Herbert B. Watson, Sr., and Greta Naylor Yorkman.

Two DSU Workers Honored for Lifesaving Act

cholmes@desu.edu — Sun, 24 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU Custodial Services workers Bobby G. Brown (l) and Christopher D. Jones (r) are honored by acting DSU President Claibourne D. Smith and Hornet Men' Head Basketball Coach Greg Jackson Sr. for their April 29 lifesaving action that sustained a collapsed Greg Jackson Jr -- the coach's son -- until ambulances arrived on the scene.

TWO DSU EMPLOYEES COME TO THE LIFESAVING AID OF A STUDENT

When DSU student Greg Jackson Jr. collapsed in medical distress outside of Memorial Hall Gym, there were was no one outside except two Facilities Management employees.

The two DSU workers were apparently the difference between life and death for young Greg.

Christopher D. Jones, a custodial group leader who has worked for 26 years at DSU, and Bobby G. Brown, a custodian technician in his fifth year at the University, were recently honored during the annual DSU Faculty and Staff Appreciation Luncheon for their lifesaving actions.

(L-r) Bobby Brown, Greg Jackson Jr. and Chris Jones, shown reunited at the Jackson home in early June, have a lifesaving bond with each other.

Greg Jackson Jr., a DSU Mass Communications student, is also the son of Greg Jackson Sr., DSU head men’s basketball coach. When the Hornet men earned a bid to the NCAA Basketball Tournament in 2005, Coach Jackson and his son Greg Jr. were the subject of some nationally published stories about young Jackson’s struggles with sickle cell anemia.

A bone marrow transplant has helped Greg Jr. to overcome the sickle cell, making him well enough to enroll at DSU in 2007 and even play on the 2007-08 basketball squad. He began the 2008-09 season on the team, but suffered a collapsed lung shortly after the Hornet’s first game and sat out the rest of the season.

On April 29, Greg Jr. spent some time that Thursday evening engaged in casual half-court basketball game with some friends in Memorial Hall. As 10 p.m. soon approached, Greg Jr. left the gym and passed by Mr. Jones and Brown as he walked to his parked car.

Having arrived there to pick up a piece of equipment, the two custodial workers were chatting when they heard Greg Jr. calling in distress.

“He yelled ‘Bob,’ and when we turned to look at him, he was falling to the ground,” Mr. Jones said. “When we rushed over, he was down on the ground conscious, but in distress gasping for air.”

While Mr. Brown talked to the student, urging him to “stay with me,” Mr. Jones called Public Safety and 911. While security officer and the paramedics were in route, the 911 operator gave Mr. Brown step-by-step instructions on how to administer CPR.

Following those directions as perfectly as they could, the custodians proceeded to give Greg Jr. CPR by blowing breaths into him and doing hand compressions of his chest.

Shortly after the custodians initiated the CPR, DSU Public Safety officers and the paramedics showed up simultaneously and took over the care of young Jackson. “The whole ordeal took about 10 minutes,” Mr. Jones said.

Greg Jr. had suffered from congestive heart failure, according to his father Coach Jackson. Upon their arrival, the paramedics found Greg Jr. with a weak pulse and had to apply electric defibrillator paddles to keep his heart going before transporting him to the hospital.

However, Greg Jr. might have been down for some time – and could have possibly died – if the custodians had not been out there. Mr. Brown said the area is usually relatively busy with people playing outdoor basketball as well as traffic in and out of Memorial Hall.

“But that night, there was nobody out there but us,” Mr. Brown said. “It was like we were by ourselves on an island.”

In addition, Mr. Jones and Mr. Brown were only there by chance. Mr. Jones was supposed to be working on the other side of the campus and Mr. Jones should have been involved in a project on the other side of the building. If it weren’t for a piece of equipment they had to retrieve together, the custodians would not have been there for young Jackson.

Greg Jr.'s father had heartfelt words for the two lifesavers“I am forever thankful for those young men to be there to give my son a second chance,” said Coach Jackson. “I praise God for allowing them to be in the area and for using them in that situation.”

Both Mr. Brown and Mr. Jones said it was a poignant demonstration of the value of CPR training. “My wife has been telling me for some time that I should get some CPR training,” Mr. Jones said. “So when I got home that night, she was kind of like ‘I told you so’.”

As for Greg Jr. after a period hospitalization, he returned home in mid-May where he continues to recover from his ordeal.

DSU Receives $3.7M for Research Projects

cholmes@desu.edu — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU RECEIVES $3.7 MILLION IN SUPPORT OF THREE RESEARCH PROJECTS

Delaware State University recently received a five-year $3.7 million grant as part of its collaborative work with other state institutions to develop Delaware’s biomedical research capacity.

DSU’s share is part of a $17.4 million grant from the National Center for Research Resources at the National Institutes of Health. The grant was awarded to institutional and clinical members of the Delaware IDEA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), which includes DSU, Christiana Care Health System, Delaware Technical & Community College, Nemours/A.I DuPont Hospital for Children, the University of Delaware and Wesley College.

The following DSU research projects will be supported by the University’s portion of the INBRE grant:

· A cancer-related research project in which DSU researchers will work to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of neuroblastoma, the second most common solid tumor in childhood cancer cases. Largely incurable in

Dr. Cynthia vanGolen, assistant professor of biology, will use some of the INBRE grant to gain a better understanding of a specific form of cancer and how it travels to the bones of young children.

its advance stages, it is believed that a better understanding of how and why it travels primarily to the bone and identifying targets for treatment is critical for improving advanced-stage patient survival. The research project’s principal investigator is Dr. Cynthia vanGolen, assistant professor of biology.

· A project that will use novel breast surface reconstructions from optical digitizer images to improve the accuracy of volumetric breast density estimation, which is used to estimate the lifetime risk of breast cancer. The principal investigator of the project is Dr. Fengshan Liu, professor and chair of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.

· A biology study on the genes involved in learning and memory. DSU faculty and students will focus on the role of dopamine and acid sensing ion channels in learning behavior. The research principal investigator is Dr. Harbinder Dhillon, associate professor of biology.

New Dean of College of Arts, Humanities and Soc. Sci. named

cholmes@desu.edu — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU NAMES NEW ACADEMIC DEAN FOR

COLLEGE OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Delaware State University has named Dr. Marshall F. Stevenson, Jr. as the new dean of its College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Dr. Marshall F. Stevenson, DSU's new dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

Dr. Stevenson most recently served as the dean of the Division of Social Sciences and professor of history at Dillard University in New Orleans. During his 1997-2008 tenure, he directed Dillard University’s National Center for Black-Jewish Relations from 1999-2004. He also served as interim Associate Provost and Provost at Dillard at various times post-Hurricane Katrina. Dr. Stevenson was governor’s appointee as the vice-chairman of the Louisiana State Police Commission from 2001-2008.

He served on the faculty of the History Department at Ohio State University from 1988-1997. He was also a teaching and research assistant at the University of Michigan from 1985-1987.

Dr. Stevenson said he is excited about this new chapter of his academic career. “I look forward to joining the Delaware State family and the opportunity to work with faculty and students to advance the tradition and mission of the University,” he said.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of Cincinnati as well as a Master of Arts and Ph.D. in history both from the University of Michigan. He has been a Lowenstein-Weiner fellow of the American Jewish Archives at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, a post-doctoral fellow at the Carter G. Woodson Institute for Afro-American Studies at the University of Virginia, and Kaiser Foundation fellow at the Walter P. Reuther Library of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University in Detroit. In 2007 he participated in the Andrew Mellon Foundation/United Negro College Fund Faculty Seminar in Ghana.

His research on Black-Jewish relations in the United States has appeared in Columbia University’s Teacher’s College Record, in African Americans and Jews in the Twentieth Century: Studies in Convergence and Conflict (1998); Strangers and Neighbors: Relations between Blacks & Jews in the United States (1999); and in the Greenwood Encyclopedia of the Great Black Migration (2006).

His latest essay on the history of Dillard University appears in the Oxford University Press Encyclopedia of African American History (2009). In April Dr. Stevenson was inducted in the Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collegium of Scholars for his work in the area of Black-Jewish relations. He continues to serve as a consultant to various organizations and institutions that focus on Black-Jewish relations.

Dr. Harry L. Williams, DSU provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, said Dr. Stevenson is an excellent addition to the academic leadership of the University.

“I am very excited to have Dr. Stevenson as a new member of DSU family,” Dr. Williams said. “Dr. Stevenson’s strong academic and leadership experiences can only enhance the reputation of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science.”

The DSU Provost also said that the University extends special thanks to Associate Provost Bradley Skelcher for doing an outstanding job as dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Science.” Dr. Skelcher, who began serving as the dean of the College in 2004, was elevated to the associate provost post in 2008. While serving as associate provost, he also continued in the dean post while the search for his predecessor was ongoing.

DSU Sets Another Graduation Record

cholmes@desu.edu — Tue, 19 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

The Educational Leadership doctoral graduating class: (l-r) Admon S. Alexander, Donna L. Blakey, Sherrie D. L. Brown, Elizabeth L. Chance, Jacquline L. Hampton, Jessilene E. Corbett, Aleakhue Yekpabo and Debra J. Troxler. Combined with the Mathematical Physics doctoral graduates, DSU awarded a school-record 14 doctoral degrees.

DSU’s 117^TH COMMENCEMENT PRESENTS DIPLOMAS TO A SCHOOL RECORD 630 GRADUATES

The Class of 2009 Decides to Hold Commencement Outdoors Despite the Morning Rain Conditions.

For the second year in a row, Delaware State University set a new school record for the overall total of graduates receiving their diplomas as well as the number of doctoral degrees awarded during its 117^th Commencement.

DSU President Claibourne Smith asked the class of 2009 if they still wanted to go through with the entire Commencement ceremony – including walking through the rain to receive their diplomas – the record graduating class overwhelming responded that they wanted to proceed despite the weather.

The class of 2009 surpassed the 2008 school-record of overall graduates (602) with a total of 630 graduates this year. DSU also recorded largest graduating class of doctoral candidates (14) with 10 students receiving their Ed.Ds in Educational Leadership and four students receiving their Ph.Ds in Mathematical Physics. There were also 146 master’s degrees awarded as well 470 bachelor’s degrees

The school-record 630 also included 129 honor graduates – 21 Summa Cum Laude (3.75 GPA and above), 33 Magna Cum Laude (3.50 to 3.74), 65 Cum Laude (3.25 to 3.49), as well as 10 honorable mentions (transfer students with a 3.5 or above).

Dr. Smith presented Presidential Academic Excellence Awards to three graduates who maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout their undergraduate years –Akosua Afiriyie-Hwedie, an accounting major from Dover; Carolina Nix, a nursing major from Dover Air Force Base; and Amy Worl, an elementary education major also from DAFB.

The DSU acting president also presented a Presidential Leadership Award to Danielle Gunter-Ward, a biology major from Dover who also worked on campus as a senior residential hall assistant as well as holding offices in a number of other student organizations.

CBS correspondent Bryon Pitts, Commencement keynote speaker, and Terry Coleman, the Commencement Committee chairperson, don their DSU rainwear for the ceremony.

The youngest undergraduate in the class of 2009 was Oleg Mironchikov, an 18-year-old international student from Moscow, Russia, who earned a bachelor of arts in mass communications/public relations. The oldest undergraduate was Frank Linwood Jenkins of Seaford, a 65-year-old management major. Deborah J. Taylor of Wilmington, a 58-year-old English major, was the second oldest undergraduate. The oldest graduate to earn an advanced degree was Robert B. Vincelette, a 62-year-old native of Mt. Clair, N.J. who earned a Ph.D in mathematical physics.

Byron Pitts, an award-winning correspondent for CBS, was the Commencement keynote speaker. Mr. Pitts is the chief national correspondent for The CBS News Evening News with Katie Couric and a contributing correspondent on 60 Minutes, the renowned CBS News magazine program.

In noting the challenging economic environment, Mr. Pitts said graduates should not be under any illusion concerning what they are facing. “Money is tight and so are jobs,” he said. “Keep your eyes on the prize.”

During the DSU Commencement weekend, the University honored the 50^th anniversary of the Class of 1959 during a reception on Saturday, May 16 at historic Loockerman Hall on campus. Twelve graduates of 1959 took part in the celebration and also donned robes and took part in the Commencement ceremonies on Sunday.

Commencement Rehearsal Moved to Memorial Hall

cholmes@desu.edu — Tue, 12 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

COMMENCEMENT REHEARSAL SITE MOVED TO MEMORIAL HALL

The mandatory Commencement rehearsal scheduled to take place at 9 a.m. Friday, May 15 has been moved to the Memorial Gym.

The rehearsal – original planned to be held at Alumni Stadium – has been moved to Memorial Hall in order for graduates to learn how the Commencement will be carried out in case adverse weather forces the ceremony to move indoors.

During the rehearsal, each graduate will received two tickets for two family members to attend the Commencement in the gymnasium if adverse weather forces the graduation indoors. The University has to limit the number of tickets because of the capacity limitation of the Memorial Gym.

Weather reports have indicated that showers and thunderstorms are possible on Sunday, May 17. While no decision has been reached concerning the site of the Commencement, DSU official are monitoring the weather reports closely.

The Honors Convocation rehearsal will take place immediately following the Commencement rehearsal as originally scheduled in the Education and Humanities Theatre.

Updates on the Commencement weather situation will be posted on this DSU Newswire item up to the May 17 graduation event. Also a Commencement Update Hotline has been established at (302) 857 7669 on which recorded update information can be obtained.

Graduates, their families and friends and all others planning to attend the Commencement should consult the DSU website Newswire or the Commencement Update Hotline for the latest information about the May 17 graduation.

DSU Honors Top Faculty and Staff

cholmes@desu.edu — Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU PRESENTS ITS 2009 FACULTY AND EMPLOYEE EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Delaware State University recognized its top 2009 faculty and employees during its May 14 annual Faculty and Employee Recognition Luncheon.

Dr. Hazel Bradshaw-Beaumont, the FEA for Teaching recepient, and Dr. Guinihal Ozbay, the FEA for Research recipient. Not pictured is Dr. Carla Murgia, the FEA for Service winner.

The following three faculty members were each honored with 2009 Faculty Excellence Awards (FEA) in the areas of research, service and mentoring:

Dr. Hazel Bradshaw-Beaumont, FEA for Teaching – An associate professor of art, Dr. Bradshaw-Beaumont has been active in making improvements in the existing degree programs and creating courses for a new visual arts graduate program.

In addition to serving on numerous University committees, she is currently advising art education undergraduate majors, students pursuing the graduate program and graduate students’ research and thesis. She has been active in preparing students for state and national presentations. She also has served as an advisor for the Caribbean Student’s Association and The Visual Arts’ Guild.

In April, Dr. Bradshaw-Beaumont was honored as the 2009 Eastern Regional Higher Education Art Educator of the Year by the National Art Education Association.

Dr. Guinihal Ozbay, FEA for Research – An associate professor in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Dr. Ozbay’s primary research is on habitat restoration and water quality issues with specific focus on the associations between algae, shellfish, and water quality. She has received approximately $3 million in grants.

In seven years, she has published 27 referred journals articles; 47 articles in the media; and 18 brochures pamphlets. She has given 8 international presentations; 25 invited presentation; 21 national presentations and 89 student presentations. In addition Dr. Ozbay oversees advising and mentoring graduate and undergraduate students, as well as a research advisor for 10 graduate students. She has overseen at least 29 undergraduate student internships with the various grants that have been awarded.

Dr. Carla Murgia, FEA for Service – A professor in the Department of Sport Sciences, Dr. Ozbay has excelled in her service to the students, the department, the university, the profession and civic organizations. In the department, she has served as chair of the department, program coordinator, personnel committee, curriculum committee. She is also the director of the movement analysis research laboratory.

At the University, she is a member of the Faculty Senate, the General Education Committee and the Assessment on Student Learning subcommittee. She has served on numerous administrative committees, such as the Accreditation Periodic Review, University Assessment for Student Learning, Committee for Academic Excellence, General Education Long-Term Planning, University Research Committee, College of Health and Public Policy Research Committee and Curriculum Committee.

She has served on the editorial board and is currently the associate editor of the Journal of Dance Medicine & Science. She has served on numerous committees for the national Association of Sports & Physical Education. Finally, she has been actively involved as the coordinator of the Delaware Physicians Care Catch Kids Program and is a member of the Capital Park Health Service Project.

Elizabeth Wardrop, the Professional Employee of the Year, with acting DSU President Claibourne Smith.

The University also presented the following employee awards that were the result of the first-ever online nominating and voting process by the DSU staff. Winners were:

DSU presented Elizabeth Wardrop, coordinator in the Office of Purchasing, with the 2009 Professional Employee of the Year Award.

Ms. Wardrop was described by her DSU peers as accurate, pleasant and persevering. It was stated that “she never passes the 'buck' to someone else....she sticks with the task to the end. She is very reliable, detail-oriented and has an open door policy to everyone.

Also honored were Robin Roberts, director of Career Services, and Lori Brown, research technician in the Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, for 2^nd and 3^rd place, respectively in the Professional Employee category.

Tirzah Grimes, account analyst and cashier in the Office of Business and Finance, received the 2009 Classified Employee of the Year.

Tirzah F. Grimes, the Classified Employee of the Year, with acting President Claibourne Smith

This DSU staff member is described as honest, trustworthy and reliable. It was stated that "it is not my job" has no place in her vocabulary. She has on numerous occasions stayed late in an attempt to help someone that could not make it to her cashier window before the close of business. She will go the extra mile to make telephones calls for people to prevent them from getting the run around. She really cares about people.

Fran Carson, supervisor/custodian technician in Facilities Management and Ruth Tierney, travel secretary for the Accounting Department, were the 2^nd and 3^rd place honorees in the Classified Employee category.

DSU 117th Commencement Advance

cholmes@desu.edu — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU's Ph.D candidates Chao Yu, Robert Vincelette, Claude Tameze, Shagao Xia and Russell Kohl are among the school-record 15 doctoral students to receive degrees on May 17.

DSU’s 117^TH COMMENCEMENT PROJECTED TO INCLUDE A RECORD NUMBER OF DOCTORAL GRADUATES

CBS Evening News Chief National Correspondent Byron Pitts to be keynote speaker at the May 17 Graduation event

A new school record is expected in the total number of doctoral graduates when Delaware State University holds its 117^th Commencement at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 17 at Alumni Stadium on campus.

The University won’t know the final total graduation numbers until spring semester 2009 grades are tabulated into the graduation candidates’ records. Last year, the class of 2008 set a school record with 601 graduates.

Byron Pitts

University officials already know that DSU will honor its largest graduating class of doctoral candidates since its established its first doctoral programs in 2004. During the May 17 Commencement DSU will present 15 doctoral degrees -- 10 Education Administration, Leadership and Supervision Ed.Ds and five Mathematical Physics Ph.Ds.

Byron Pitts, an award-winning correspondent for CBS, will be the Commencement keynote speaker. Mr. Pitts is the chief national correspondent for The CBS News Evening News with Katie Couric and a contributing correspondent on 60 Minutes, the renowned CBS News magazine program.

Kylea Woodley, 2008-09 senior class president.

The Commencement will also feature remarks from acting President Claibourne D. Smith and the annual address to the Class of 2009 by Senior Class President Kylea Woodley.

DSU will hold its annual Honors Convocation at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 16 in the Education and Humanities Building. The Honors Convocation – which recognizes all the 2009 graduates who qualify for the academic excellence distinctions of Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude and Summa Cum Laude – will feature, Dr. Lillian Lowery, Delaware Secretary of Education and DSU Board of Trustees member, as its featured speaker.

Dr. Lillian Lowery

During the DSU Commencement weekend, the University will celebrate and honor the 50^th anniversary of the Class of 1959 during a 6 p.m. reception on Saturday, May 16 at the historic Loockerman Hall on campus. The representatives of the then-Delaware State College class of 1959 will also be honored at the May 17 commencement.

The commencement is open to the public. Seating will be available in the football stadium stands; however, early arrival is recommended to ensure seating. The field area will be restricted to the graduates, stage dignitaries and University officials.

The youngest undergraduate Oleg Mironchikov (18) of Russia, the oldest undergraduate Deborah J. Taylor of Wilmington, and the oldest overall graduate Robert B. Vincelette (62) of New Jersey, who is receiving his doctorate in mathematical physics.

DSU's Dr. Graham Serves the U.S. State Department at the U.N.

cholmes@desu.edu — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY’S DR. JOHN GRAHAM TAPPED FOR U.N. SERVICE

Delaware State University’s international expertise is being enlisted at the United Nations as a DSU international affairs administrator has joined a team that is negotiating global issues on behalf of Africa.

DSU's Dr. John Graham, Phil Carter, U.S. State Department acting assistant secretary for African Affairs, and Dr. Harry Williams, the University's provost, discussed Dr. Graham's work and DSU's ongoing relationship with the U.S. State Department at a recent meeting.

Dr. John Graham, DSU assistant vice president of International Affairs, is in the final months of a one-year sabbatical during which time he has served the U.S. Department of State as a Franklin Fellow. In that capacity, he has worked in the Department’s Bureau of African Affairs as a foreign affairs officer-expert responsible for food security and agriculture issues. His particular focus has been the rise in food prices, drought, the use of biotechnology and local policies in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa.

Because of the quality of his work for the U.S. State Department, Dr. Graham has been selected as a member of that agency’s 60-member negotiation team. From May 4-16, Dr. Graham and the team will negotiate on global issues at the 17^th session of the United Nation’s Commission on Sustainable Development.

Dr. Graham and the delegation are meeting and negotiating with high-level officials from nearly 200 countries on global issues such as world trade, the global economic crisis, food security, biofuels, climate change, international environmental governance indigenous people and other topics. Dr. Graham serves the team as a technical advisor on food security and development issues in Africa.

The Franklin Fellows Program is an executive development vehicle at the Department designed to enable both private-sector and non-profit organizations to promote public service by their mid/upper-level professionals. Fellows contribute their knowledge and expertise to assist in the strengthening of policy formulations and programs within the Department.

Dr. Graham joined the University in 1999 after three years as Country Representative for Africare, Inc., in Uganda, implementing food security and related development assistance programming in cooperation with USAID. After serving in the College of Agriculture and Related Sciences, Dr. Graham left his associate dean post in 2004 to assume the then-new DSU position of assistant vice president for the Office of International Affairs.

In his current DSU post, he has been primarily responsible for advancing the University’s international engagement strategy, including coordinating study abroad programs and other efforts that have resulted in the establishment of 40 faculty-driven institutional partnerships in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and the Americas.

New Book by DSU's Dr. Toure on African Studies Pioneer

cholmes@desu.edu — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU's Dr. Ahati N.N. Toure's new book sheds new scholarly light on the life and work of Afrikan and Black Studies pioneer John Henrik Clarke.

AFRICAN HISTORY STUDIES PIONEER EXPORED IN NEW BOOK BY DSU’S DR. AHATI TOURE

Dr. Ahati N. N. Toure, a DSU assistant professor, has recently published a new book that explores the scholarly journey of John Henrik Clarke, one of the foremost architects of the emerging discipline of Africana Studies and Africalogy.

In his book, John Henrik Clarke and the Power of Africana History: Africalogical Quest for Decolonization and Sovereignty, details the navigation of Clarke’s development and teachings of Afrikan World History. The book explores his intellectual influences, his teaching approach, his notions regarding Afrikan agency and Afrikan humanity, his exploration of themes of Pan Afrikanishm and national sovereignty, as well as his legacy of Afrikan intellectualism and culture.

John Henrik Clarke

The late John Henrik Clarke (1915-1998) was an esteemed professor of African World History in the Department of Black and Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College of the City University of New York. Dr. Toure’s book explores Clarke’s theories of Afrikan liberation, his educational background and training, as well as the vital impact that he has had on Afrikan and Black Studies.

“He was a leading scholar in the discipline of Black Studies, African Studies and Africalogy, and he was played a major role in the development of the field at colleges and universities across the United States,” Dr. Toure said. “Although many may not be aware of it, the Black Studies Program that we have here at Delaware State University shares in the legacy of, among numerous others, Clarke’s intellectual contribution.”

According to the book, Clarke developed unique ideas about the restoration of Afrikan sovereignty. He also explored various themes of Pan Afrikanism, as well as developing his own ideas about the relevance of Afrikan culture through a historical perspective. Clarke introduced the notion of examining history from an Afrocentric perspective, which includes examining the history of other people (including Europeans) from the vantage point of the way in which the history of other people intersected with the history of Afrikan peoples, Dr. Toure notes.

Dr. Ahati N.N. Toure is an assistant professor of Africana History and Black Studies in the Department of History Political Science, and Philosophy at DSU. Prior to his arrival at DSU, he was the assistant director in the African American Studies Program at the University of Houston from 2002-2007.

DSU Events Cancellations

cholmes@desu.edu — Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

As of May 3, 2009

DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCES EVENT CANCELLATION

Because as of May 3, there have been no confirmed or possible Swine Flu cases, there will be no additional cancellation of events on campus unless the situation worsens.

On Thursday and Friday DSU followed the recommenations of the state Division of Public Events and for precautionary reasons canceled the following events on campus:

· A residential hall meeting that was scheduled to be held on the evening of Thursday, April 30.

· A Global Society’s event that was scheduled to be held in room 205 of the Mishoe Science Center at 5 p.m. Friday, May 1.

· The Spring Band Concert that is scheduled to be held in the Education and Humanities Theatre at 6 p.m. Friday, May 1.

Frequently Asked Questions about Swine Flu

cholmes@desu.edu — Fri, 01 May 2009 00:00:00 EDT

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (GENERAL AND DSU-SPECIFIC)

CONCERNING SWINE FLU

Are there any known cases at DSU?

There have been no confirmed as of Swine Flu on the DSU campus as of 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 1. There are, however, two suspected cases and those individual have been tested by the DSU Health Center, which is awaiting the findings.

How is DSU classifying individuals with flu-like symptoms?

DSU health official are using the same classifications for a confirmed or possible case of Swine Flu as the Center for Disease Control. Those classifications for some exhibiting flu-like symptoms are:

· A suspected case is a person with flu-like symptom who been in close contact within seven day of someone with Swine Flu, within seven days of travel to a community where there are one or more confirmed cases of Swine Flu, or someone who resides in a community where there are one of more confirmed cases of Swine Flu.

· A probable case is a person who has tested positive for the Influenza A, but is not confirmed yet as having the Swine Flu virus.

· A confirmed case is a person that has CDC laboratory confirmation that he or she has the Swine Flu virus.

What happens if I have flu-like symptoms during Finals Week?

The current Swine Flu situation does not change the University process that is in place concerning sickness that could cause a student to miss their final exam. Any student who is sick must present a written valid medical excuse from the DSU Health Center or a medical provider confirming the illness to the professor or instructor that is administering the final exam.

Should the current Swine Flu situation affect my off-campus activities?

Common sense should prevail. Students and others should stay away from areas where there are confirmed or possibly cases, including the University of Delaware and the Newark, Del. community. Anyone exhibiting flu-like symptom should not expose themselves to others in the public and should refrain from attending any public events.

How is the current Swine Flu situation affecting academic and special events on campus?

All academic activities and the Finals Week schedule of exams will take place as scheduled.However some May 1 mass gathering events have been cancelled or postponed, and DSU officials will decide on the status of other events on campus that are to take place over the next few weeks. There have been no discussions concerning the May 17 Commencement and related events, which are still slated to take place as scheduled. For the list of cancellations, click on http://www.desu.edu/advancement/pr/press_release.php?article_id=526.

What is swine flu?
To date, human cases of Swine Influenza A (swine flu) virus infections have been confirmed in residents of several states in the U.S. and in Mexico. Investigation of tese cases suggest that ongoing human-to-human Swine Flu virus is occurring. The illness’ symptom are the same as the regular strains of flu (see below for the FAQ on symptoms).

Are there human infections with swine flu in the U.S.?
In late March and early April 2009, cases of human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses were first reported in Southern California and near Guadalupe County, Texas. Other U.S. states have reported cases of swine flu infection in humans and cases have been reported internationally as well. An updated case count of confirmed swine flu infections in the United States is kept at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm CDC and local and state health agencies are working together to investigate this situation.

Is this swine flu virus contagious?
CDC has determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it is not known how easily the virus spreads between people.

What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people?
The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

How does swine flu spread?
Spread of this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

Can I get swine influenza from eating or preparing pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

How can someone with the flu infect someone else?
Infected people may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

What should I do to keep from getting the flu?
First and most important: wash your hands. Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Try not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
Yes. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with these swine influenza viruses. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).

How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?
People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?
Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. Germs can be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface like a desk and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.

How long can viruses live outside the body?
We know that some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. Frequent hand washing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?
If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

What is the best technique for washing my hands to avoid getting the flu?
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Wash with soap and water or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner. We recommend that when you wash your hands -- with soap and warm water -- that you wash for 15 to 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn't need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.

What should I do if I get sick?
If you become ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact their health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others.

If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting

What is CDC doing in response to the outbreak? April 29, 2009, 10:55 PM ET
CDC has implemented its emergency response. The agency’s goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by the new virus. CDC continues to issue new interim guidance for clinicians and public health professionals. In addition, CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) continues to send antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. For more information, visit the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/.

What epidemiological investigations are taking place in response to the recent outbreak?
April 29, 2009, 10:55 PM ET
CDC works very closely with state and local officials in areas where human cases of H1N1 (swine flu) infections have been identified. In California and Texas, where EpiAid teams have been deployed, many epidemiological activities are taking place or planned including:

Active surveillance in the counties where infections in humans have been identified;

Studies of health care workers who were exposed to patients infected with the virus to see if they became infected;

Studies of households and other contacts of people who were confirmed to have been infected to see if they became infected;

Study of a public high school where three confirmed human cases of influenza A (H1N1) of swine origin occurred to see if anyone became infected and how much contact they had with a confirmed case; and

Study to see how long a person with the virus infection sheds the virus.

Links to non-federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the federal government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.

Links to non-federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the federal government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links.

Messages on Swine Flu from the President and Provost

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

A MESSAGE FROM DSU ACTING PRESIDENT CLAIBOURNE D. SMITH

The health, safety and welfare of our campus population is of the highest priority at Delaware State University. For that reason, the University is closely monitoring developments concerning the Swine Flu. We are providing students, faculty and staff with important information about the symptoms, preventive measures and the courses of action that should be taken if flu-like symptoms develop.

We are fortunate that no cases of Swine Flu have been identified or are suspected on the DSU campus, but we will certainly post information here on the DSU website if that changes.

I have convened a Swine Flu Task Force on campus and have directed Dr. Harry Williams, DSU provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, to serve as its chair. The Task Force will ensure that there is a regular flow of information and updates to all segments of the campus population. That group is also establishing contingency plans for the University to implement if any Swine Flu cases appear on the campus or if the current alert level in the state of Delaware increases.

The below memo is a correspondence from Provost Williams to the campus community detailing information we thought you would find helpful.

CLAIBOURNE D. SMITH

Acting President

Delaware State University

A MEMO TO THE CAMPUS COMMUNITY FROM PROVOST

HARRY WILLIAMS CONCERNING SWINE FLU

April 29, 2009

To: Deans, Chairs, Faculty and

Campus Community

From: Dr. Harry Williams

Provost and Vice President

of Academic Affairs

Re: The Swine Influenza Update

As of this posting, there have been 4 confirmed cases of swine influenza at the University of Delaware, as well as another 15 probable cases there. In addition, there are about 400-500 cases in which Swine Flu is possibly the cause of the symptoms. With the increased identified cases and related deaths in the U.S. and Mexico, the World Health Organization has determined that a pandemic is imminent.

To date there have been no reported cases at DSU. We proactively began disseminating information about swine influenza on Tuesday, April 28^th, via eNews and have continued to increase our preparedness and share more information with the campus community every day since.

It is especially important to ensure that our student population pays attention to this medical issue and that everyone informs themselves about the symptoms and preventive measures. Faculty and staff can play a role in this by discussing the swine influenza with students in class and encouraging them to avail themselves of the information that DSU has provided via their DSU email accounts, flyers and correspondence in the residential halls. Any student with flu-like symptoms should be urged to seek medical attention from the DSU Health Center or their own local medical provider.

Acting DSU President Claibourne D. Smith has convened a DSU Swine Flu Task Force that is operating out of the Office of the Provost. I have been directed to chair this Task Force, which also includes Dr. Lisa Barkley, director of DSU Medical Services. It includes representatives from Public Safety, Student Affairs, Public Relations, Safety and Risk Management, Academic Affairs, Athletics, Facilities and others.

As an added precaution, the DSU Health Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 2-3 for any students with health concerns. Faculty and staff should also immediately contact their medical providers or local emergency rooms if they are suffering from flu-like systems.

While we do not want to cause unnecessary panic, the University wants the entire campus to stay informed about this issue. At present, no events on campus have been cancelled and the last day of classes, Reading Day and Finals week are slated to go on as scheduled. However the University continues to monitor the situation and will make the appropriate decision should the situation worsens. The University’s Medical Services officials are in constant communication with the state Division of Public Health and will provide updated information when necessary to students, faculty and staff on campus.

As a reminder, the Delaware Division of Public Health recommends the following actions to help protect yourself from contracting Swine Flu:

Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are effective.
Avoid close contact with sick people. People infected with Swine Flu can be contagious for seven days or more.
Stay home from work or school if you become sick, and limit contact with others. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

The symptoms for Swine Flu are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu in humans and may include:

Fever greater than 100 degrees F,
Sore throat
Cough
Stuffy nose
Headache, chills and/or body aches
Fatigue

Helpful links for further information on Swine Flu:

Delaware Division of Public Health:

http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/index.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/

The assistance of everyone in promoting the health and well-being of the campus community – and especially the student population – is greatly appreciated.

Dr. Harry Williams

Provost and Vice President

Office of Academic Affairs

Swine Flu Information

cholmes@desu.edu — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

WHAT IS THIS SWINE FLU CONCERN ALL ABOUT?

Although the Swine Flu has been a big story in the media lately, some people may not have paid close attention to the articles and news broadcasts concerning this illness. However, like everyone in the country, DSU community member should be informed about the sickness origins, the symptoms and the preventive actions that can be taken to stay healthy.

For information about the origins of Swine Flu, visit Center for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov/swineflu.

According to the CDC, symptoms for swine flu are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu in humans and may include:

· Fever, greater than 100 degrees F,

· Sore throat,

· Cough

· Stuffy nose,

· Chills

· Headache and body aches

· Fatigue.

To prevent the spread of swine flu, the CDC suggests:

· Avoid contact with ill persons.

· When you cough or sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue or your sleeve (if you do not have a tissue). Throw used tissues in a trash can.

· Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.

· If you think you are ill with flu, avoid close contact with others as much as possible. Stay at home. Seek medical care if you are severely ill, such as having trouble breathing. Do not go to work, school, or travel while ill.

It is also important to note that swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. Pork lovers can relax and continue to enjoy that meat.

The number of cases reported in Mexico continues to increase; cases have also been reported in Canada, Spain, and Scotland. Individuals entering the United States who are experiencing such symptoms and who have traveled to an affected area during the last seven days should report their illness to a health-care provider and inform them of their recent travel.

Students who believe they may have contracted the virus or have flu-like symptoms or other concerns should call the Student Health Center at ext.6393. Faculty and staff with similar concerns should contact their medical provider.

Additional information is available at the CDC Web site: [www.cdc.gov/swineflu].

DSU Discontinues Wrestling

cholmes@desu.edu — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU DISCONTINUES WRESTLING PROGRAM

Delaware State University’s Department of Athletics has announced that it will discontinue its wrestling program effective the 2009-10 academic year, reducing the number of sports offered from 18 to 17.

“Dropping the wrestling program was a very difficult decision influenced by several factors,” said acting DSU President Claibourne D. Smith. “Like a number of programs around the nation being discontinued in these economic times, it is with regret that the University can no longer field a wrestling program adequate to University and NCAA expectations.”

Student-athletes presently receiving athletic scholarships in the wrestling program will continue to receive the same dollar amount, AD Young-Sanders said, provided they maintain good academic standing for 2009-10 school year. She added further that the reason for making the announcement now was to give full support to any wrestler wishing to transfer to another institution.

A review of the program took place due to ongoing concerns of financial viability, academic deficiencies and the lack of improvement with the Academic Progress Rate (APR) at the NCAA Division I level, said acting Director of Athletics Candy Young-Sanders.

“With the tough economic times, including budget cuts state-wide, the wrestling program was in serious distress in several areas and the University lacks the resources to fix many of the problems,” said AD Young-Sanders.

Of great concern have been the state’s budget cuts and their potential impact on the University. The entire University is engaged in prioritizing budgets and making cuts, AD Young-Sanders explained. “We don’t have the ability to put additional monies toward the wrestling program to give it needed improvements and support,” she said.

Along with the budgetary concerns, AD Young-Sanders points to the team’s low APR scores. The program has not achieved nor progressed in the APR to the standards mandated by the NCAA. Two consecutive years of perfect APR scores (1,000) by the wrestling program would still not bring the team to level that NCAA requires (925), resulting in severe penalties that will affect the entire Delaware State Athletic Department, including its Division I status. Wrestling, along with football and men’s basketball programs, have been assessed historical penalties (last four years of data) in the latest APR report, due to be made public on May 6.

With the number of coaching changes and the inability to retain student-athletes, it is anticipated that the wrestling program will be hit with a penalty as a result of the four-year average APR score, impacting the program’s scholarship levels, practice times and roster size, the acting-AD said.

AD Young-Sanders said the team made great improvements this past season, with 100 percent retention. Head Coach Ken Melchior took over the position last September and kept the team in good academic standing, while recording more victories than the squad had produced in the past few years.

“Coach Melchior’s efforts in trying to get the DSU wrestling program righted over the past year is to be commended,” said AD Young-Sanders. “In less than one year, Coach Melchior found success on and off the mat, winning more contests than this team has seen in a number of years, and maintaining support in the wrestling community. Unfortunately, the emotional support has not translated into the long-term financial support needed to keep the program going.”

The loss of the wrestling program will bring DSU’s gender equity percentages closer, the acting-AD said. Including the wrestling program, the DSU athletics programs had an overall percentage breakdown of 58% male and 42% female. With the discontinuation of the wrestling program, the male percentage is reduced by 4-5%, resulting in an improved parity in intercollegiate sports opportunities for DSU men and women.

Delaware State Athletics is an NCAA Division I member that competes in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Women’s sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, equestrian, indoor and outdoor track, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball. Men’s sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, indoor and outdoor track, and tennis.

Robert A. Young Scholarship Established

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU recently recently received a donation of $6,000 to establish The Robert A. Young Scholarship Fund. From l-r, Dr. Dyremple Marsh, dean of the College of Agriculture and Related Sciences, DSU acting President Claibourne Smith who is receiving the donation from Thorris Brown, the widow of Robert A. Young, DSU alumna Claretta Davis, Dr. Billie Friedland, chair of the University's Education Department, and Charity Shockley, director of the DSU Annual Fund and Donor Relations.

THE WIDOW OF DSU ALUMNUS ESTABLISHES A SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Thorris Brown, the widow of a DSU alumnus Robert A. Young, and an educational association established in his honor, have started a memorial scholarship in the name of her late husband that will benefit students who major in agriculture or education.

Mrs. Brown along with DSU alumna Claretta Davis recently presented a check for $6,026 to DSU acting President Claibourne D. Smith for the establishment of the Robert A. Young Memorial Scholarship Fund. Mrs. Brown is the president of the Robert A. Young Educational Association and Mrs. Davis serves as the treasurer.

The scholarship will specifically be geared to Agriculture or Education majors, who have a GPA of 2.5 or greater. Students with the most financial need will be given first priority.

Robert A. Young, who died in 1992, was a U.S. Army staff sergeant veteran of World War II who afterwards attended and graduated from Delaware State College in 1952. After continuing his education at the University of Delaware and the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Young taught a variety of subjects and coached baseball at William Henry High School, Lake Forest High School and Sussex Tech High School for a total of 30 years.

Students interested in the Robert A. Young Memorial Scholarship should apply online via the DSU Website scholarship page at www.desu.edu/scholarship. Anyone interested in contributing to the scholarship should go to www.desu.edu/giving.

DSU Brass Quintet to go to Germany

cholmes@desu.edu — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

The DSU Brass Quintet -- (l-r) Matthew Brown, trumpet, Shawn Walker, trombone, James Fair, tuba, Antoine Hughes, french horn, and William Pitts trumpet. Their musical excellence has won the group an invitation to participate in the Aug. 4-8 Lichtenberg Brass Festival in Germany.

DSU BRASS QUINTET INVITED TO GERMANY’S PRESITGIOUS BRASS FESTIVAL

Brass Quintet will perform May 1 with DSU's Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble in the annual Spring Band Concert in the Education and Humanities Theatre on campus

The Brass Quintet of Delaware State University has been invited to participate as a featured ensemble in the Aug. 4-8 Brass Festival at the renowned Haus Marteau Chamber Music Institute in Lichtenberg, Germany.

The DSU Brass Quintet has been known to spontaneously break out with an outdoor performance like the group did above recently on a recent Spring day.

The brass festival begins on August 3, with an intensive daily chamber music course at the internationally recognized Henri Marteau Estate. Participants will attend master classes conducted by the festival’s guest artist, James Thompson, the former principal trumpet of symphonies in Montreal and Atlanta and currently the a professor of Trumpet at the Eastman School of Music.

The festival will culminate with a concert that will include performances by the Rekkenze Brass, Mr. Thompson, and festival participants, as well as established student ensembles from Germany, the Eastman School of Music and from DSU. In addition to performing with the participants, the DSU Brass Quintet will give an individual performance of several compositions from their repertoire.

All members of the DSU Brass Ensemble also play for the DSU Approaching Storm Band and took part in the Jan. 20 DSU performance at the Presidential Inaugural Parade in Washington, D.C. The brass musicians are all enrolled in a “Chamber Ensemble for Brass” course at DSU and the musical chemistry of the group has melded them into the official DSU Brass Quintet.

Dr. Patrick Hoffman, the quintet's director, brings a lifetime of experience at performing with brass ensembles -- including as a child in his family's Hoffman Brass Quartet and as an adult with Germany's Rekkenze Brass.

Dr. Patrick Hoffman, DSU assistant professor of music and the director of the Brass Quintet, said that the chamber ensemble course does not require that class members form a brass music group. He said this quintet was a case of student-musicians who naturally gravitated together.

“Not only do you have to get five musicians, but you have to have guys that get along and have similar ideas about playing music,” Dr. Hoffman said. “That is how this group has come together.”

Dr. Hoffman also has a connection with the festival’s resident artist group the Rekkenze Brass of Germany; he performed with that ensemble from 1998 to 2001.

The members of the University’s Brass Quintet are:

Matthew Brown, trumpet, a junior music education major from Orange, N.J. who also serves as the DSU Approaching Storm Band drum major. He is also a member of the National Honorary Band Fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi.
William Pitts, trumpet, a junior music education major from Willingboro, N.J. In addition to being the Approaching Storm Band’s trumpet section leader, he has also performed with the Harlem Festival Orchestra in a performance of The Messiah..
Antoine Hughes, french horn, a sophomore management major from Upper Marboro, Md.. In addition to his music service with the Approaching Storm, he also performed twice with the Harlem Festival Orchestra during performances of The Messiah.
Shawn Walker, trombonist, a sophomore music education major from Rockhill, S.C. He is a member of the National Honorary Band Fraternity Kappa Kappa Psi.
James Fair, tuba, a junior education major from York, Pa.

The Festival will cover the cost of DSU students’ tuition, room and board in Germany, while the University will cover their transportation costs.

The DSU Brass Quintet, along with the University’s Concert Band and Jazz Ensemble will perform in the annual Spring Band Concert at 6 p.m. Friday, May 1 in the Education and Humanities Theatre on campus. It is free and open to the public.

DSU Names New Athletics Director

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

NEW DSU ATHLETICS DIRECTOR NAMED

Delaware State University announced the hiring of Derek A. Carter as its new Athletics Director to oversee the institution’s 18 intercollegiate sports programs.

Derek A. Carter

Mr. Carter has served since July 2003 as the athletics director for Bowie State University in Bowie, Md. where he had oversight responsibility for that institution’s 13 athletics programs. In that post he coordinated aggressive fundraising efforts, created a strategic plan for the department and also served as a sports management instructor.

Prior to his Bowie years, he served from 2001-2003 as the athletics director for Virginia State University in Petersburg, Va.. He also had two stints at Virginia Tech University where from 2000-2001 he was the director of the athletics program’s Monogram Club, which is designed to foster fellowship among student-athletes. From 1994-1998, Mr. Carter was an assistant athletics director at Virginia Tech in posts that focused on spring sports, compliance and student life.

Sandwiched in between his Virginia Tech stints, Mr. Carter served as the director of athletics at Patrick Henry High School in Ashland, Va. from 1998 to 2000.

The new athletics director – who will officially begin his DSU post in early May – said he is grateful for the opportunity to provide executive leadership for DSU’s intercollegiate sports programs. “I am excited with the opportunity and challenge to join DSU and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference,” Mr. Carter said. “I am looking forward to all the great things that will take place.”

Amir Mohammadi, DSU vice president of Finance and Administration and the chair of the University’s AD Search Committee, said Mr. Carter was the top choice among 65 candidates that DSU considered. “He has a wealth of experience at Division I and Division II, and DSU is very fortunate to attract and hire an athletics director with such a wealth of experience,” Mr. Mohammadi said.

Mr. Carter will take over a DSU Department of Athletics that features 18 intercollegiate Hornet sports programs – men’s football, baseball and wrestling; women’s bowling, equestrian, softball, volleyball and soccer; as well as men’s and women’s basketball, indoor and outdoor track and field, cross country and tennis.

Mr. Carter has a 1985 Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing Education from Virginia Tech University and a 1991 Master of Science in Sports Management from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He is also a 1997 graduate from the Sports Management Institute’s “The Executive Program.”

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., the University’s new athletics director followed his football and basketball years at DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md. by starring at cornerback for the Virginia Tech football team. Mr. Carter was a defensive teammate of former Buffalo Bills defensive lineman and a 2009 NFL Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Smith.

As a result of his defensive exploits, Mr. Carter was named to the 1980s Virginia Tech All-Decade Hokies’ Football Team. He also earned an opportunity to try out as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1985.

In becoming part of the DSU family, Mr. Carter is joined by his wife of 10 years, Karen, as well their two young sons – Bryce, seven, and Cole, four.

DSU to Present "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide" April 16-18

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU PRESENTS FOR COLORED GIRLS WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE APRIL 16-18

DSU’s Drama and Dance Program will be present an all-female stage play, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf” in 7:30 nightly performances from April 16-18 on campus in the E.H Theatre.

The all three performances are free and open to the public.

The stage play is based on an original Broadway stage play by Ntozake Shange. Set in a monologue format, the play contains a series of poems chronicling black women, dealing with a series of issues such as love, abandonment, abortion, rape, domestic abuse and men. The plays characters are all-portrayed by DSU female students.

The director of the DSU production is Tamika Hudson, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, a DSU alumnus and current director of the DSU Dancers of the Approaching Storm Band.

“I’m honored to produce play for Delaware State University,” Ms. Hudson said. “(The Play) encourages people to not judge a book by its cover, but to get to know a person before you judge.” As a seasoned actress in several films, commercials, and television, “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf” is the first play Hudson has directed.

The DSU women performing in the play include Kiarah Truitt; Tearara Brown, Jaynay Johnson; Breah Clay-bey, Soni Warsaw, Daryle Wynn and Alicia Buie.

DSU to Provide Tuition-Free Summer Course for Teachers

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU TO PROVIDE TUITION-FREE SUMMER COURSE TO ALL DELAWARE TEACHERS

Delaware State University announced today that the institution will offer teachers in the state one tuition-free course during summer 2009 to help offset current economic upheaval.

Although the State of Delaware has historically supported teachers by covering the cost of two courses during the summer, that funding support is uncertain with the current economic challenges presently facing the state and the country.

With the current economic difficulties facing Delaware teachers, DSU officials have decided to provide some help to offset the possible absence of such state support.

“The State of Delaware is facing a fiscal crisis that is requiring Gov. Jack Markell and other legislators to make very tough decisions,” said DSU acting President Claibourne D. Smith. “Delaware State University has decided to offer this program to do what it can to help the state during this time of need.”

Dr. Smith noted that many Delaware educators and administrators are trained through the undergraduate and graduate programs at DSU, as well as hundreds who annually enroll in summer courses.

“We want to ensure that teachers continue to have access to professional development and courses to obtain recertification,” the DSU acting president said.

To be eligible, teachers must enroll in one course to receive the second course tuition free. The University will allow up to two free courses. Administrators and paraprofessionals are also eligible for the program. In the event that the State of Delaware funds summer school exemptions for teachers at prior levels, the University will continue to match up to six credit hours tuition-free.

The DSU Education Program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), the professional accrediting organization for education programs. Teachers can attend courses at DSU main campus in Dover, or at either of the University’s satellite sites in Wilmington or Georgetown. Business educators may enroll in special five-week summer courses through the AASCB-accredited DSU College of Business.

For more information, visit the DSU website at www.desu.edu/summercollegeor contact the University’s Division of Adult and Continuing Education at (302) 857-6820 or via email at ace@desu.edu.

Arts Students Study in Greece

cholmes@desu.edu — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

With Greece in the background, (from l-r) Marcus Snowden, Capri Nugent, Professor Crawford, Beth Hakes, Rayshard Jones, Tytianna Twyman, Britney Fisher, Ashley Larkin, and center front, Erin Wilkerson

DSU ART STUDENTS TAKE A SPECIAL SPRING BREAK COURSE IN GREECE AND ITALY

Nine DSU art students took a unique Spring Break opportunity to take a “Special Topics” course in the countries of Greece and Italy to study various archaeological sites and museums.

The group – which in included Dr. Donald Becker, assistant professor of art and Lori Crawford, associate professor of art – left the U.S. on March 11, and after a stop in Frankfurt, Germany, they flew onto Rome, Italy.

Stops in Rome included Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel the ancient forum and collosseum and Mount Vesuvius. The group traveled to Sorrento where they got an excellent view of the Bay of Naples.

The Italy leg of their trip culminated with a guided sightseeing tour of Pompeii, one of the riches archaeological sites in the world. There the students and faculty visited the ruins of villas, ancient temples, and the Stabian Baths.

The DSU group then traveled cross-country to board a ferry that go to Patras, a major port in Greece. After a good nights sleep that group embarked on a tour of Delphi. The students got to see where Greece’s ancient military leaders left gifts for the Oracle in hopes of good fortune in battle, as well as the Temple of Apollo.

The whirlwind trip climaxed with a trip to Athens, Greece, where the DSU group went to the Acropolis to view the Parthenon, the Temple of Athena. The students and faculty also visited Agora and the National Museum.

The students who returned to the U.S. on March 20 and ultimately DSU, returned with an enriched sense of ancient history, European art and a priceless experience to look back on.

DSU to Host Bernard Harris Summer Camp

cholmes@desu.edu — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DELAWARE STATE UNIVERITY TO HOST THE

EXXONMOBIL BERNARD HARRIS SUMMER SCIENCE CAMP

Dr. Bernard Harris, the first African American to Walk in Space, has designed the program to give middle school student a deeper understanding of science field and the careers that can be pursued.

Dr. Bernard Harris

Delaware State University will be the site for the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp, a science and math enrichment program, for middle school students from June 14-26.

The two-week camp is designed to provide middle school students from Delaware with a fun-filled setting to give them a greater understanding of science, technology, mathematics and engineering, as well as information about exciting careers in science.

During the camps – which are free of cost to the students – the students will explore the theme “Human Survivor.” Led by faculty from DSU and local school districts, the student will be engaged in classroom activities, experiments, individual and group projects and weekly field excursions. The middle school youths will also be exposed to guest speakers who will motivate students to fulfill their dreams.

To apply, students must:

Be a middle school student (grades 6-8) in the fall of 2009
Must have a “B” average in mathematics and science
Score at the median to superior level in standardized mathematics and science tests.
Write a 250-word essay about why he or she is interested in attending the camp
Provide recommendations from current science and mathematics teachers (a recommendation form is included with the application)
Submit application, essay and recommendations by May 8, 2009

Selections to the summer camp will made by May 8. For more information, contact Dr. Mazen Shahin at (302) 857-7055 or embhssc@desu.edu.

Dr. Lillian Lowery, 2009 Honors Convocation Speaker

cholmes@desu.edu — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Dr. Lillian Lowery

DR. LILLIAN LOWERY, STATE SECRETARY OF EDUCTION TO BE 2009 DSU HONORS CONVOCATION SPEAKER

Dr. Lillian M. Lowery, Delaware Secretary of Education, will be the keynote speaker during Delaware State University’s 2009 Honors Convocation at 6 p.m. Saturday, May 16 in the Education and Humanities Theatre on campus.

The annual Honors Convocation, which takes place the day before the May 17 Commencement, recognizes the university’s scholars whose academic excellence qualifies them to graduate as Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude or Honorable Mention.

Dr. Lowery was appointed as the Delaware Secretary of Education by newly elected Gov. Jack Markell in January 2009. Prior to that, Dr. Lowery was the superintendent of the Christina School District, a New Castle County school system that she oversaw from March 2006 until her state cabinet appointment earlier this year.

She served for almost two years as the assistant superintendent in the Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax, Va., a school system she had previously served in various other administrator positions. Prior to 1995, she taught middle school and high school English in the Alexandria and Fairfax, Va., as well as in Gastonia, N.C.

Dr. Lowery has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Secondary Education from North Carolina Central University in Durham, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, as well as Administrative Certification and a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from Virginia Polytechnic and State University in Blacksburg.

She currently serves as a member of the DSU Board of Trustees, as a board member for the Delaware Nature Society, the Hope Commission in Wilmington and the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Newark. She has been recognized with numerous honors such as the 2007 Distinguished Educator Award of the Eastern Star of Bethlehem, Chapter #8, the 2006 Outstanding Service Award and Proclamation from the City of Fairfax School Board, the 2002 Mayor’s Service Award for the City of Fairfax, as well as other awards.

CBS Correspondent Byron Pitts to be 2009 Commencement Speaker

cholmes@desu.edu — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

CBS NEWS CORRESPONDENT BYRON PITTS

2009 COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

Chief National Correspondent for CBS Evening News and Contributor to the news program 60 Minutes will speak at May 17 graduation event

Byron Pitts, CBS National Correspondent

Byron Pitts, an award-winning correspondent for CBS, will be the Delaware State University Commencement keynote speaker, at 10 a.m. Sunday, May 17 event in which over 500 students are expected to graduate.

Mr. Pitts is the chief national correspondent for The CBS News Evening News with Katie Couric and a contributing correspondent on 60 Minutes, the renowned CBS News magazine program.

Pitts was one of CBS News' lead reporters during the Sept. 11 attacks and won a national Emmy award for his coverage. As an embedded reporter covering the Iraq War, he was recognized for his work under fire within minutes of the fall of the Saddam statue. Other major stories covered by Pitts include Hurricane Katrina, the war in Afghanistan, the military buildup in Kuwait, the Florida fires, the Elian Gonzalez story, the Florida Presidential recount, the mudslides in Central America and the refugee crisis in Kosovo.

          Pitts was named CBS News correspondent in May 1998 and was based in the Miami (1998-99) and Atlanta (1999-2001) bureaus before moving to New York in January 2001. Before that, Pitts was a correspondent for CBS NEWSPATH, the 24-hour CBS affiliate news service based in Washington, D.C. (1997-98).

         He joined CBS News from WSB-TV Atlanta, where he was a general assignment reporter (1994-96). Previously, Pitts was a special assignment reporter for WCBV-TV Boston (1989-94) and a reporter and substitute anchor for WFLA-TV Tampa (1988-89). He also served as a reporter for WESH-TV Orlando (1986-88) and as a military reporter for WAVY-TV Virginia (1984-86). While at WNCT-TV Greenville, N.C., he reported and served as weekend sports anchor (1983-84).

        Pitts earned a national Emmy Award for his coverage of the Chicago train wreck in 1999 and a National Association of Black Journalists Award. He is also the recipient of four Associated Press Awards and six regional Emmy Awards.

        Pitts was born on Oct. 21, 1960, in Baltimore, Md. He overcame a difficult childhood in which he did not learn to read until he was age 12 as well as faced speech stuttering challenges until he 20. He graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and speech communication. He currently lives with his wife in Upper Montclair, N.J.

Hearts and Minds Film Fest, April 4

cholmes@desu.edu — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

SERVIAM MEDIA AND DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY TO PRESENT

4^th ANNUAL HEARTS AND MINDS FILM FESTIVAL

A Weekend of Socially Focused Film at Schwartz Center for the Arts in Dover

Serviam Media once again is joining forces with Delaware State University to present its fourth annual Hearts and Minds Film Festival on Saturday, April 4.

The annual Delaware event features the socially focused cinematic works of grassroots level, independent filmmakers from around the world. The 23 selected independent films will play in the main theatre the Schwartz Center for the Arts in downtown Dover on Saturday.

"Against the Wind" will be the first movie of the H&M Film Festival

An All-Festival Film Pass $5 can be purchased on the day of the festival at the theatre for the entire day of films.

A diverse variety of films will feature remarkable characters from all walks of

life through fiction and non-fiction films of many lengths and types. The cinematic works will focus on a myriad of human themes - from war to family, drugs and art, as well as international human rights. Several of the filmmakers and producers will be in attendance, eager to discuss their work.

The schedule of thematic movie blocks and the films to be featured:

Family film shorts: Perspectives, 10 a.m.

Against the Wind – The winner of eight awards and an official selection of more than 30 film festival worldwide, the film tells the story of a man in the twilight of his life. The subject’s reflections on his life show the old are young at heart and that the university emotions live within us all. 10 minutes.
His Good Will – A 1950-period heart warming story about a young

"His Good Will"

boy struggling against poverty in a small town, and how his innocence and optimism touch those around him. 12 minutes.
Hungry God – A reflection on the irony of idol worship. In Marathi with English subtitles. Nine minutes.
Kid Collector – Alyce, 92 lives along in Seaford, Del. with over 1,000 dolls. By caring for the lifelike porcelain girls, she attempts to replace the three daughters that left her 40 years ago. 10 minutes.
Mofetas (Skunks) – Night fall at Tanger’s port, Karim and Aziz with wait in silence. Or at least they try to… 10 minutes.

Education and Society – 11 a.m.

Counterculture 101 – A lyrical documentary essay about the real meaning “counter culture” and its significance today. 10 minutes
School of Thought– There are some local that call Fairfield, Iowa a “Midwestern Stepford” and a few even believe that a cult is slowly taking over the town. All because some people are trying to change

"Talkin' Water"

the world – one student at a time. 40 minutes.
Talkin’ Water -- For teenage girls take cameras to search for truth in the post-Katrina New Orleans. 38 minutes

Lives of Faith, 12:30 p.m.

· Fremont, USA -- A glimpse of religious diversity on the local level of this California city that is driven the history past and present of the area. 58 minutes.

· Secret Circles, Hidden Prayers – Neo-pagan families and modern witches reveal why they’ve been hesitant to “come out of the broom closet” and talk frankly about their little known and misunderstood religions. 25 minutes.

Identity, Race & Society, 2 p.m.

I’m not Britney – A requiem for a Hollywood Stereotype. Four

"Prom Night in MIssissippi"

minutes
Prom Night in Mississippi – A southern state high school holds it first-ever integrated Senior Prom, ending a period of segregation. Actor Morgan Freeman stimulated the change by paying for the prom. 90 minutes.

Art & Disability, 3:40 p.m.

In Search of Colors – In an animated documentary film, Will Kim uses hand-drawn and painted animation techniques to tell the story of his own experiences from a home for people with developmental disabilities. Nine minutes.
Shooting Beauty -- The story of an aspiring fashion photographer whose career takes an unexpected turn when she discovers a hidden world of beauty at a center for people living with significant cerebral palsy and other disabilities. 63 minutes.

Struggles of Modern Life, 5 p.m.

Habits – A film exploration of people’s habitual behaviors as a

"Without a Home"

reflection of their mental state. Three minutes.
Without a Home – A young woman’s desire to understand her connection to the homeless takes her on an extraordinary four-year journey into the lives of several homeless individuals. 74 minutes

Evening shorts: Impacts of War, 6:15

Bring the War Home – A documentary on a group of radical Vietnamese protestors. 22 minutes
Conflict in the Middle Table – The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is played out on a small scale, as a plate of hotly contested hummus is placed between an Israeli and a Palestinian at a dinner party. Nine minutes.
Pag-asa (Hope) – A 1941 WWII film about Filipino and American soldiers who are retreating to Bataan to defend it, when something goes really wrong for two Filipino soldiers. 11 minutes.

"Viko"
Second Mourning – For Angela, war hits home in unexpected ways. 10 minutes.
Viko – Struggling to find a way out in 1997 from the former Yugoslavia, a 17-year-old Viko decision to do black market work takes him to a darker place than he could have imagined. 18 minutes.

Lives of Faith, Part 2, 7:45 p.m.

Hearing Everett: The Rancho Sordo Mudo Story – A neon sign

"Hearing Everett: The Rancho Sordo Mudo Story"

builder and father of seven, Ed Everett was an average man in search of his purpose. During a short term mission trip to Mexico, his life would change forever. A true life story. 68 minutes.

Rights, Reconciliation & Justice

Concrete, Steel and Paint – The story of a group of men in a

"Concrete, Steel and Paint"

maximum security prison who work together with victims of crime to design and paint a mural about healing. It is not a film that provides easy answer on the issues of forgiveness, responsibility and punishment, but does underscore the need for dialogue about crime and reconciliation. 54 minutes.

Hornet Bowlers Picked for NCAA Tourney

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

The Hornet Bowling Team and supporters react March 25 to the online NCAA Selection Program that announced that DSU had been selected as one of the top eight teams in the country to compete in the post-season National Collegiate Bowling Championship.

HORNET WOMEN’S BOWLING TEAM EARNS INVITATION TO THE NATIONAL COLLEGIATE BOWLING CHAMPIONSHIP!

Hornet Bowlers’ Success Marks the Fifth Consecutive Year that a DSU Athletic Team has made to National Post-Season Tournament Play.

The DSU Hornet Women’s Bowling Team has been selected to compete in the 2009 National Collegiate Women’s Bowling Championship on April 9-11 in Canton, Mich.

Last weekend Hornet Bowlers achieved its first-ever Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship resoundingly by shutting out Florida A&M 4-0 in a best of seven Baker matches. However, the MEAC success notwithstanding, with no automatic post-season bids in this

The DSU Lady Hornet Bowling Team celebrating its first-ever MEAC title are: (l-r, front row): Adriana Jaime, Jazmyne Hefflefinger, Samantha Scionti, Krystyna Johnson, Courtney Varin; back row: Kim Terrell-Kearney (head coach), Brooke Peterson, Kalyn Washburn, Angela Reynolds, Michelle Turnbell, Samantha Noviscky, Eric Kearney (asst. coach)

emerging women’s sport, the DSU women had to wait on the NCAA Women’s Bowling Committee’s decision on which schools would play in the eight-team championship double tournament.

That decision came on March 25, and DSU was selected among the top eight teams in the nation. Also selected along with the Hornet Women were: Arkansas State University, Central Missouri University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, University of Maryland-Eastern Shore (UMES), New Jersey City University, University of Nebraska and Vanderbilt University.

The Hornets’ MEAC Championship halted the three-year conference title run by the UMES women, who also won the national championship last year and has earned an invitation to this year’s post-season tournament.

Coach Kim Terrell-Kearney, who has guided the Hornet to a conference championship and post-season tournament bid in only her second year, is interviewed by WHYY-TV following the NCAA's tourney selection announcement.

“This is a great achievement for our team and the university,” said DSU second-year head coach Kim Terrell-Kearney, who also won both the Most Outstanding Coach of the MEAC Tourney and the Conference Coach of the Year. “Our girls have worked so hard all season, and its great to be rewarded with a conference championship. The MEAC is well respected in women’s bowling, so winning the championship means so much to our program. Winning the conference and earning a NCAA Tournament bid were among our top goals this season.”

The Hornets (117-36 overall) entered the MEAC Tournament as the No. 4 team in the latest National Tenpins Coaches Association Top 20 poll, a ranking it had achieved earlier in the year but dropped down to No. 5 before moving back up at the regular season’s end. UMES finished the regular season just behind DSU at No 5.

Angela Reynolds

In course of the Hornet Bowling Team’s 117 wins during the 2008-09 season, the team won four tournaments, including the Mid-Winter Invitation at Arkansas State (which included wins over No. 1 Vanderbilt and No. 2 Nebraska), the Kutztown Invitational in Reading, Pa., the ECAC Championship in Brunswick, N.J. as well as last weekend’s MEAC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C.

The Hornets also placed three players on the 2009 All-MEAC First Team and featured the league’s top rookie. Angela Reynolds, Jazmyne Hefflefinger and Andriana Jaime were All-MEAC First Team picks. Jaime was also selected as the MEAC Rookie-of-the-Year. Terrell-Kearney was chosen by her peers as the 2009 MEAC Coach-of-the-Year.

Hefflefinger, a freshman, led the Hornets with a 197.3 season average, followed by sophomore Reynolds at 193.8 and freshman Kalyn Washburn with a 193.6.

Jazmyne Hefflefinger

Reynolds said the combination of Hornet players that wanted badly to win and an outstanding coach to channel that desire was a big secret to their success. “(Coach Terrell) is an outstanding coach. She believes in us, and that means so much,” Reynolds said. “We never give up because we have so much heart; and Coach Terrell works with us on that.”

Jaime – a first-year player who had only competed in league competition before coming to DSU – said that playing on a high-caliber Hornet team has taught her the importance of communication and supporting each other.

“Sometime players will see something in another player’s form that they or even the coach may not notice, and we communicate that with each other,” Jaime said. “The support is important because if someone is not

Kalyn Washburn

doing well, that player can look to her teammates to pick her up.”

Jaime added that having a coach that has won a pro championship (Coach Terrell won the U.S. Open Championship in August 2008) also provides the team with inspiration.

“She has shown what she is capable of, and it is motivation for me,” Jaime said. “I want to be a champion as well.”

Hefflefinger said that she knew this team was good, but also found out that “with hard work, anything is possible.” Although she is a first-year, Hefflefinger said she is not daunted by the specter of the national post-season tournament.

“It’s the same thing,” Hefflefinger said. “You just play your game.”

Andriana Jaime

The Hornet Bowlers’ success in 2009 marks the fifth consecutive year that a DSU athletics team has achieved post-season tournament play (Men's Basketball, 2005, 2006, 2007, Women's Basketball, 2006, Football, 2007, Women's Softball, 2008, Equestrian, 2008, and the Hornet Bowling Team, 2009).

Prior to 2004, no team in the history of DSU athletics had achieved post-season tournament selection.

The National Collegiate Bowling Championship will begin on April 9 with Total Pin Fall matches that will determine the seeding of the double elimination matches that will be held on April 10-11. The Championship Finals will be televised live on ESPN2 at a time to be announced.

In Memoriam of Dr. John Hope Franklin

cholmes@desu.edu — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

IN MEMORIAM: DR. JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN, 1915-2009

The Delaware State University community joins with country and the world in mourning the loss of pioneering historian Dr. John Hope Frankline, who passed away from

Dr. John Hope Franklin

congestive heart failure on Wednesday, March 25.

Dr. Franklin, a preeminent in the historical presentation of African American history, visited DSU in the fall of 2007 to give a guest lecture to packed room in the Martin Luther King Student Center on campus. With quiet dignity, Dr. Franklin mesmerized and enriched the audience with rich nuggets of history and golden wisdom, making his visit one of the truly memorable events at DSU of the decade.

In memoriam to this towering intellectual and historian, the article that captured the complete transcripts of his presentation at DSU is being republished below:

John Hope Franklin, Preeminent Historian of the 20th and 21st Centuries, Speaks at Delaware State University

On Oct. 29, 2007, African American history arrived at Delaware State University in the person of its prime national caretaker, Dr. John Hope Franklin. The author of the definitive Black History volumes From Slavery to Freedom, and 20 other history books, including his autobiography Mirror to America, Dr. Franklin received countless honors and awards for his working factually documenting numerous historical aspects of the almost four centuries that African American have been in the U.S.

Following the opening welcome by DSU President Allen L. Sessoms, the event’s M.C. Harmon Carey noted that Dr. Franklin presence inaugurated the first annual Louis L. and J. Saunders Redding Lecture in the Humanities. Marilyn Whittington, executive director of the Delaware Humanities Forum (which largely funded the event), introduced the speaker of the hour, noting that Dr. Franklin lives what the wisdom reflects in the African Proverb “Until the lions have their historian, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter”

Ms. Whittington then presented “our Alpha Lion… who writes to make our history world history.”

Dr. Franklin approached the podium to the sight and sound of an enthusiastic but yet respectful standing ovation given in hour.

The following is the complete transcript of his address (not including the Question & Answers Period that followed):

Mr. President (Allen L. Sessoms of DSU), Ms. Whittington, members of the dais, ladies and gentlemen I am just a little uncomfortable about the people who are standing. I wish that we could get some chairs for them I am always distressed when I am more comfortable than others. This young lady has her desk and she is doing her work. She might be willing to share her chair. There a chair there and there’re chairs back there. I’d just feel more comfortable. (Pause while people fill the empty seats and more seats are brought in). You see one of the problems is, it is a very personal problem. At my age, I cannot stand very long…you might make me uncomfortable, even though I’m standing, I might want to sit down if I see you standing.

Dr. Akwasi Osei, chair of the DSU Department of History, Political Science & Philosophy who also was responsible for bring the renowned historian to campus, interviews Dr. Franklin after his guest lecture.

I am really very honored to be here. Pleased and delighted. I have only been to Delaware State once before. That’s when a very good friend, a childhood buddy of mine taught here in the late 1930s. But I have been able to follow this institution for many years and to watch with admiration its growth and development into leading institution, not merely in the northeast, but also in the country. I want to congratulate you for your continued growth and support.

I feel very comfortable at speaking at the inauguration of chairs. I’m just from Hawaii , where I spoke at the inaugural lecture for the chair named for the senior senator from Hawaii, the Honorable Daniel Inouye and his pretty wife Maggie. And I ask you to replicate the experience that I had there. I had a wall of orchids on one side and a three-room suite on the other where I could look out on the Pacific Ocean on one side and the mountains of Hawaii on the other, and on the third side I could look down from my suite and see a pond that contained the most magnificent fish, including (unintelligible).

It is a great pleasure to remember that experience even as I talk about being at Delaware State University.

I am very honored and pleased to speak at the inauguration of chairs for Sanders Redding and his brother Louie. I didn’t know Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, although I honor him greatly. But I knew both Louie and Sanders. They were old and dear friends.

I met Saunders Redding when I was a young, … I’m not going to say graduate student, but shortly after my graduate student days. And I was pleased to be familiar already with his book They Came in Chains and the other one, Lonesome Road. I knew him when he taught at Winston-Salem, later at Hampton, and finally at Cornell University

It is very interesting how we make our moves from one stage to another. My trajectory was not unlike his, from a HBCU right through on to a leading university regardless of race. But this was very important for both of us…that is, for me and the Reddings. For me, it meant I had the inspiration of looking up at them. Although I had known Saunders for some time, it was Louie Redding with whom I became quite familiar. In the early 1950s, we were both working on Brown vs. Board of Education and related topics related problem, related problems and plaintiffs in that big historic case.

When I was teaching at Cornell University one summer, the summer of 1953, I got a call from Thurgood Marshall. He said “What are you doing this fall.” I said, “I am going back to the only real job I had.”

You see these other institutions were playing with us at that time. They’d invite you for one month, two months, six weeks, maybe a semester. And then, thank you. And then you’d go back to where you belong. I belonged at the time to Howard University. I wasn’t certain I wanted to go anywhere else, as a matter of fact. And I certainly didn’t think I could go anywhere else. Although I continued to do my work as though I were up for tenure, although I had tenure and was a full professor at Howard University.

I was under no illusion about my experiences at these other institutions, like the University of Wisconsin, Harvard University, the University of California at Berkley, or Cornell University. I had no illusion. I just did my work and sort of laughed at them

Thurgood said, “what are you going to be doing this fall” I said, “I’ll be going back to the only real job I have, and that is at Howard University.”

He said, “You know what else you are going to be doing?” I said no. He said, “You are going to be working for me.”

Some of you might…some of you older people might have known Thurgood Marshall. He not only was amusing in some ways and serious in some way, but he was somewhat vulgar and profane. I said, “I am?”

He said, “Yes you are going to be working for me. And if you don’t agree to work with me, I’ll feel sorry for you as they gather up your parts and put you back together again.”

I said, “Yes sir.” Then he told me what I would be doing in Brown vs. the Board, heading up a historical committee with a group of scholars who were working on the case, trying to answer the questions that had been raised by the Supreme Court when it remanded the case back to the court for a rehearing.

And he then explained to me what we had to do. It indeed was historical, in the sense that we had to work with materials of history throughout. Try to understand the intent of the framers of the 14th Amendment, the intent of the framers of the other the other reconstruction amendments. And finally the intent of the court as it looked on these additions to the constitution. And see the extent to which they could have an impact on the cases that were appearing before the court and whether they could affect the outcome of these deliberations.

So I did work with Thurgood Marshall, but as I worked with him I was working with Louie Redding at the same time, because Louie was in the office, not as much as we were, but he was there every week or so. As I trudged up and down the Pennsylvania railroad track from Washington to New York and back again every week from the middle of August to the middle of November in 1953

I got to know him quite well. And was sadden by the fact that he when he invited me to Wilmington to speak at a sitting dinner many years later,

He met me at the railroad station, I came by train. He took me to my hotel and told me that he would be back at a certain time. He didn’t return. He did not remember that he met me at the airport.

I found my way to the dinner where I was to speak. He came in later and expressed delight to find me there and wondered how I got there, and where I was living and so forth. That was a foretelling of an experience that would become deeply personal to me when my wife experienced the same kind of dementia that took Lou Redding and took her away at a later time. It was a kind of forewarning of what my experience would be.

Dr. Franklin (right) shares a laugh with Marilyn Whittington, executive director of the Delaware Humanities Forum, who introduced the esteemed historian.

I’m delighted therefore to share with you some view of what it means to be a historian, working as I have been working in the 20th century, but always reaching back to the roots which makes the historian.

I have written a lot extensively, and some people say too much, about too many different things. But they have meant an education to me, as much as, perhaps more than any education I received formally in an educational institution. It meant everything to me in terms of forming my career and making me the type of historian I have become.

I was trained as a historian before I really appreciated the value of record. And I was a practicing historian before I really learned the connection between history and life, the connection between history and the problem you and I face in the 21st century. And one of the ways I learned this, was trying to work out my own connection, my own relationship with the world and the community I lived in which I live, and with life itself.

So I trudged all the way through my career almost to the end of it, before I began to grapple with the fundamental problems of research and the relationship of the problems of past and the problems of the present and the problems of the individual. It was when I really turned to write my own autobiography, that I began to see this whole unfolding and entirely different and very more relevant life light than I had before.

How does one write this? How does one cope with this? How does one handle this problem? I handled it by trying to see what the past said to me. Not all these other thing, but (what it) said to me. And in that way I could somehow reach an understanding of myself and my relationship to the world which no other path would lead me to.

You know, I was about to retire before I saw clearly the connection between me and the world in which I lived. And the “me” and the materials that made up the world and the experience I had gone through. It’s amazing how you march your life to a certain rhythm or tune without knowing where that tune came from or how its relationship is, was, or could be to you.

I was always fascinated by my own life, frankly, and my relationship to the world. But I didn’t know how to get at it and grapple with it until I began to think of myself as a person who lived in this world and had some relationship to it.

And then I began to think, what can I do? How can I understand me and my relationship to the rest of the world. I thought only by studying me and seeing the world through my eyes as I could see it through no other eyes. So I began to work on it, but one of the problems was I didn’t have any material in which to work.

I had been doing history of free Negroes in North Carolina, blacks in the Western Hemisphere, blacks in the Eastern Hemisphere, the United States as a whole. But never John Hope Franklin and that world that he lived in. So then I began to see myself and the relationship to the world. But the problem was had no materials. I hadn’t saved anything. I didn’t have a record in my library the way I could find records in other library of other people and other states and of other worlds.

There was just nothing.

So I had somehow to create a world in which lived. And that became an enormous task of mine the last within the last eight to 10 years. So I began to say, well, what I need is the kind of materials that other people had, and I that had in writing about in writing about larger communities and larger worlds. I could do that. I couldn’t even start to doing it about Franklin. Because there was almost nothing.

So I had to scape and scrounge and get the materials. Well how do you do that? Well, it would have been very wonderful if I had could have saved the material from when I was young. If I could have saved the materials, I would have been in pretty good shape. I didn’t save anything. My mother and fathers, who were college graduates, and wrote to me every week that I was in college, wrote me very interesting letters about what was happening in Tulsa where I grew up and about their own lives. I said that was very nice. But what did I do after I read it? Well there’s a wastebasket somewhere around, I’d find it and drop it there. Can you appreciate what four years of weekly letter from parents would have done for my self-esteem to be sure, but also for my understanding of the world in which I was living. And I just trashed them all.

The same thing is true as I moved out of that. Went to graduate school, went to my first job, went to my second job. I didn’t save anything until I became chair of the history department at Brooklyn College. And I wasn’t saving it, my secretary was saving because they had to save it for the board of education.

So I thought about that, and I started writing about my own life, and began to scourge around, and get those records, and bring them back. Get the record from Fisk, get the records from Howard University, and get the record finally from Brooklyn College. And later from the University of Chicago and from Duke University, which had been preserving these records. And then I would do research. Not long ago when just before I published Mirror to America, my autobiography, I was working at the library. And someone said, “what are you working on?” I said, “I’m working on John Hope Franklin, I just trying to get some understanding of who he is and where he came from and how he’s doing.

And that is what I always did when I worked on Mirror to America, I worked on Franklin. Franklin is a subject. He’s not a lot of people, but he is one. And that’s where one has to begin.

So I did research, Not only did I work on Franklin in general terms, but I worked on him in specific terms. And as I speak about this, I am crusading. I am asking you to do the same thing. History is made up of the lives of you, and of you, and of you back there in the corner her can’t be seating down now. It’s made up of the lives of all of us. And we have to do it ourselves. I had to work on Franklin. You have to work on Jones, or whatever your name is. And you will find that this is the most fascinating, interesting experience that you can possibly have. And you’ll find that you are a fascinating person, that you are an interesting person. But you won’t find that out, unless you look hard and long at the records.

And so you must be your own conservator. You must be your own biographer. You must be your own historian. And if you do that, you can have a lot of fun, and you can become one of the sages of our time. Earlier we had griots, and we had traveling troubadours and we have various other kinds of historians and would-be historians. Now if you find out that the simple life can be a very interesting life, you can be your own historian.

Not only can you beg your mother, daddy or whoever it is. (Chuckles) Some of the people out here, I don’t know who they can beg, they are kind of past having mothers and daddy and so forth. But whoever it is, whatever it is, beg them to save the records, and keep the records yourself and preserve them with great care. And you will be happy one day.

As a matter of fact, you see, as I began to do this, I began to look back and see that all that I was doing as a historian was depending on other people to save their materials. And now I can do if for myself. And you can do for yourself, and particularly these young people can do it and enjoy the satisfaction of shedding light on themselves at a time and point later when that light will help illuminate all kinds of things, not only you but for things around you. So I want all of you to promise me, in my old age, that you’ll do like I did. That you will become your own conservators and biographers, and you’ll be as happy as possible.

I know that, you may say, “where do I begin?” Well you can begin with those records that I mentioned, but you can also learn to do some other things. You don’t have to go to graduate seminar in history to learn this. If you want to reestablish your own childhood, you can do that yourself.

I can tell you all about Rentiesville, Oklahoma. Now Rentiesville wasn’t keeping records, I wasn’t keeping records, hardly anyone was keeping records. But you know that Bureau of the Census was keeping records. The Bureau of the Census was keeping records even as I was a child. And all I need to do was go to the unpublished census schedules and see there the list of people that lived on that one road in Rentiesville – and Rentiesville was a village; didn’t have nearly as many people as there are in the room – but I went to these records and I found out all the things I needed to know about me as a child. Because what I needed was not merely the routine information I got there, but I needed the simulation to help me remember. Now some of you might not have as good a memory as some others do or as I do, or I might not have as good a memory as you do as far as that is concerns. But whatever you have, it can become active and become part of what you are trying to do.

Let me give you an example. I was born in 1915. We moved to Rentiesville. …I was born in Rentiesville, we moved out of Rentiesville when I was 10. And that was a vague period of life for me. And I went and got the unpublished census schedules. The unpublished census schedules, not the ones you find on the shelf in reference rooms that has them all printed out. Unpublished ones that are still not published, but you can still get them. All state libraries have them. Your local library can borrow them if they don’t have them.

They have material like the family name, the people in the family, where the father and mother came from, and the ages of all the people. So I sent for the census schedule of McIntosh Co., Okla. 1920. You can’t get them for 1980 and you certainly can’t get them for 2000, which was the last single census. Because the presumption is that the people are still alive, and these materials are confidential. So it has a very interesting connection between what you can find of what life expectancy is. And you can’t go there and find out what your neighbors are worth, until the presumption is that their dead, and then you can find out. So I can’t go and find out something about my neighbors in 1980 or 1990. But I can find out 1920, and I can find out about myself in 1920.

So I went to the census and found out that my father, it had his age, where he came from, where he was born, where he lives, it had in it all about my family, my mother, my siblings. But perhaps I knew about that. But I could not salvage and get clarified in my own mind my neighbors. Now they didn’t live on 41st St. Northwest, they lived on that road. They had everyone that lived on that road listed. And the same about them that they had about my own family. So I was able to reconstruction the road. It’s only one road…it’s know called (chuckle) its call the John Hope Franklin Blvd. But it hadn’t quite risen to that level in 1920.

But there they all were, all my playmates and everything. I could almost reconstruct the games we played as a result of being simulated by reading the census of 1920. So the kids I played with, I didn’t have any fights, I didn’t’ believe in fighting, it was kind of stupid. So the kids I played with…

And the blind man I went to see every Saturday to read to him, there is Mr. Bohanon in the census. And his wife, and I couldn’t remember that he had a son. Then I began to wonder why he didn’t ask his son to read to him on Saturday afternoon, but he didn’t; or if he did, he didn’t let me know it. And I read to him every Saturday afternoon. And he made to read not merely the newspaper, but he had me to read the Sunday school lesson. I wondered why he had me do that. Then I reflected back, it came into my consciousness once more. And it really might have had to do with his wanted to be certain if I went to Sunday school, I at least wouldn’t be ignorant about what the Sunday school lessons were about. So I would have to read it to him and then we would talk about it.

I was able to do a lot in learning about my life when I was six, seven, nine and 10. But by that time we had moved to Tulsa. And I can’t remember much more. But one of the things I found out was if the longer you live, not the better you get at memory, but the more selective you are in what you remember. So you need reinforcement and information where you might not have needed earlier. So I found … I played with this first, just to see what it was like to try to remember something in 1927 and then try to see whether that was true, you would have to put what your memory was against your finding in the record.

Now when I was young in high school I was smitten by music. I loved music, classical music. And I wanted to go to the opera and to the symphony. Tulsa was a relatively new town, it had a lot of money, and it brought the Chicago Opera Company there every year. And they did the same thing with the symphony orchestra. But my mother father did not want me to attend, because they were segregated. But no amount of persuasion, I feared, would make it possible to get their permission to go. I tried and I tried.

Finally my father said, “I want you to go, not so much because I like what you are going to hear, that fine, but because I want you to learn how humiliating it is. subject yourself to segregation. How could you do that?” he said. “You don’t seem to understand how humiliating it is. So you go on, You go on and then maybe you’ll know.” And I said, “yes sir,” but I was so delighted that he permitted me, even with the reproaching he subjected me to, but in the meantime I went and I really had a great time.

Well, having done that, have achieve that, I thought I could persuade that I could go hear Paul Whiteman. And this is getting reported as jazz, or as the greatest jazz musician of the 1920s it is said in many places. And I wanted to hear Paul Whiteman and his band. I was playing in a band at that time. I wanted to see how those people played the cornet, the trumpet, you see. So I persuaded and prevailed upon him and my mother, and they finally gave in there, reminding me that I must understand how humiliating it was, how terrible it was, and bring back that sense of disgrace, that I didn’t know the difference between voluntary and involuntary segregation. And so I went. I was trying to remember that when I was working this autobiography.

Paul Whitemen. He played Gerswin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and George Gerswin was a guest. I remembered it. And then I went to newspaper, not the census, but the newpaper. I went to the newspaper, and I found out that Paul Whiteman had indeed played in the spring of 1927 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And they had the program. George Gerswhin wasn’t there, and the orchestra didn’t play Rhapsody in Blue. Some unknown pianist that I never heard of before, played George Gerwin’s Concerto in F; not the Rhapsody in Blue, it was the Concerto in F.

You see, you can correct your own, you can get out there on that limb, and then you can correct your own historical ignorance by the records. There it is, it’s right in the records. And I was able to do that and that sort of thing. I was able to do it in other kinds of checking, and was able to cleanse my manuscript of errors, which otherwise would mislead me, mislead you and that sort of thing.

And that’s what I call the difference between a memoir and an autobiography. A memoir, from my point of view, there is no condemnation on people who have written memoir or their definition of memoir. I simply have written the kind of memoir that is subject so much to internal and external criticism, that I can regard as biography, or this case autobiography. And that is, from my point of view, the difference; when you write an autobiography, you are subjecting it to the kind of scientific criticism that you’d subject any other historical work too.

When people tell me, “I just got done reading your memoir.” And I say, “Oh my goodness… please, please.” (Dropping his head down into his head in mock distress) I don’t say that to them, but that is what I feel. They have finished reading my autobiography. I don’t have a memoir, I haven’t written a memoir, don’t intend to write one, you see. And

Dr. John Hope Franklin's work has played a significant role in immotalizing the true history of African Americans in the United States.

that is, from my point of view, the difference.

I am pleased that I have been able to live a relatively long life, and that I have been able to share my life with others. And I have been able to look critically, not merely at the history as largely written, but as the history I have participated in. I am willing and anxious to subject my own experiences to the kind of criticism that I subject the lives of you, you, you, about whom I have written. That is the lesson of history, from my point of view, and that is what we have tried to do in Brown vs. the Board, and which I have tried to do all my life, not merely in 1953 and 54, but before that and after that.

And we can all be pleased that we have at least gone that far, and that we have been able to write critically about the present as well as about the past.

Now, I hope that the past is in reliable hands. It will be, if you citizens of this community and citizens of the world, if you will take it upon yourselves, not to merely save the material, as I advised you earlier, to save the materials, to hold it in the highest esteem. Because those are the materials of history. Not someone else’s but yours. You are a historian. If you don’t believe it, just pack away those records until they get a little older, perhaps a little more faded so they look like documents. And then you will say I have the history in my own hand, that I can write in my own way, and that I can illuminate the experience of the past with what I have been able to illuminate myself. History will then be in reliable hands. And we will be all the better having learned more about, not merely about ourselves, but our relationships with ourselves with the world in which we live.

That is what history is, that is what it will always be. And if we keep that in mind, we will have better and better history.

IRS Agents Visit DSU to Give Student Hands on Investigation Instruction

cholmes@desu.edu — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(L-r) Special Agent Scott McLeod discusses search warrant procedures with Cecilia Sango, Latanya Elliott, Roosevelt Ben III and Monet Williams as part of Project Adrian

INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE AGENTS GIVE DSU STUDENTS

HANDS-ON TRAINING IN INVESTIGATION WORK

“Project Adrian” gives College of Business students financial criminal case scenarios to solve during an all-day session with the agents

Twenty-five agents from the Internal Revenue Service descended upon DSU on the morning of March 24, and when they left they carried off boxes of evidence out of the College of Business.

DSU student Stephen Jones (seated right) makes his case for a search warrent a "magistrate" played by Troy N. Stemen, IRS special agent-in-charge. Standing behind him are DSU students Roosevelt Ben III, Monet Williams, Cecelia Sango and Latanya Elliott.

Fortunately it was evidence they had planted in the Bank of America Building to give College of Business students an opportunity to learn first-hand what it is like to carry out financial crimes investigation.

The IRS agents brought its Project Adrian program to DSU at the recommendation of Special Agent Melissa Marsh, a 2003 DSU alumna who went from her senior year internship with the agency to a full-time job there.

During the daylong project, agents took 28 students under their wings and gave them instruction in the fine art of financial crimes investigations. After a morning orientation session, the students were broken up into several groups and were assigned hypothetical financial crimes scenarios.

A group of DSU sift through financial information and other evidence as part of a drug trafficking case scenario.

The students had the rest of the day to investigate the crime, find the evidence and expose the fraud. With IRS agents posing as potential witnesses, the students had to identify and interview then, gather evidence and build their case. The student were able to use some of the tools available to federal law enforcement officers, such as undercover operation, surveillance and some had to even go before a “magistrate judge” to obtain a subpoena or search warrant.

“It gives the students exposure to what it is like to be an IRS special agent that conducts special investigations,” said Leslie DeMarco, IRS special agent in-charge. “Hopefully some of them will consider a career with the IRS.”

Special Agent Marsh, who earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Accounting at DSU, said that she was exposed to the IRS career possibilities at a job fair, which led her to a “co-op” (internship) with the agency.

Special Agent Melissa Marsh, a 2003 DSU alumna, chats about the success of Project Adrian at DSU with Lisa Dunning, director of the College of Business' Advisement Center.

“A lot of people think that we just do taxes and seize property, but there is also the criminal investigation work we do,” said Special Agent Marsh, who is based in the Philadelphia IRS Bureau. “There is just so much more to the IRS.”

College of Business student Mario Accumanno, whose group’s case scenario involved getting to the bottom of some false tax returns, said it was a valuable experience.

“The agents gave us real life experience on what it’s like to be an agent,” Mr. Accumanno said. “It really gave us a view of what really goes on in the business world and the environments these agents have to work in.”

DSU Women's Bowling Team Wins MEAC Championship!!

cholmes@desu.edu — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

The 2008-09 DSU Lady Hornets Bowling Team made school history on March 22 when it defeated Florida A&M to win its first-ever MEAC Championship. Celebrating the title are: (l-r, front row): Adriana Jaime, Jazmyne Hefflefinger, Samantha Scionti, Krystyna Johnson, Courtney Varin; back row: Kim Terrell-Kearney (head coach), Brooke Peterson, Kalyn Washburn, Angela Reynolds, Michelle Turnbell, Samantha Noviscky, Eric Kearney (asst. coach)

DSU HORNETS WIN MEAC BOWLING CHAMPIONSHIP!

DSU Women to Find Out Wednesday, March 25 if the Team has been Selected for the NCAA Tournament

The Delaware State bowling team is the new Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion.

The Hornets defeated surprising Florida A&M four-games-to-none to capture the first MEAC title in team history this afternoon at Gate City Lanes in Greensboro, N.C., outscoring the Rattlers 792-to-706 in the four games.

Brooke Peterson

DSU was undefeated in four Baker matches the last two days to claim the title. Florida A&M upset Maryland-Eastern Shore (UMES) this morning to advance to the championship round. UMES, the defending NCAA champion, had won the previous three conference titles.

“This is a great achievement for our team and the university,” said Delaware State second-year head coach Kim Terrell-Kearney. “Our girls have worked so hard all season, and its great to be rewarded with a conference championship. The MEAC is well respected in women’s bowling, so winning the championship means so much to our program. Winning the conference and earning a NCAA Tournament bid were among our top goals this season.”

Andriana Jaime

Although there are no automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament, the Hornets are among the favorites to reach the eight-team tourney for the first time is team history. The NCAA will announce its tournament selections on Wednesday (Mar. 25) at 5:00 pm. The 2009 NCAA Women’s Bowling Tournament is set for April 8-11 in Detroit, Michigan.

The Hornets (114-34 overall) entered the MEAC Tournament as the No. 4 team in the latest National Tenpins Coaches Association Top 20 poll. UMES was No. 5. Florida A&M received votes, but not enough to crack the Top 20.

Terrell-Kearney also gave a nod to Florida A&M and UMES following the DSU championship celebration.

“Florida A&M performed well all weekend, and really showed what it was made of in defeating UMES in the semifinals,” she said. “Maryland-Eastern Shore, of course, is the defending national champ and has dominated our league in recent years. UMES has made our whole league better by raising the competitive bar.”

Angela Reynolds

The Hornets defeated Bethune-Cookman (4-2), Florida A&M (4-1) and UMES (4-0) on Saturday to reach the MEAC Tournament championship round for the second straight year. DSU lost to UMES 4-2 in the 2008 MEAC championship series.

Terrell-Kearney was named Most Outstanding Coach of the MEAC tournament, while freshman Adriana Jaime was named to the All-Tournament Team. Jaime was second among all competitors with an 822 pinfall (205.5 average) in four games.

DSU placed three individuals in the Top 10. Brooke Peterson was sixth with 768 (192.0), while Jazmyne Hefflefinger was ninth with 742 (185.5).

The MEAC championship is the biggest highlight of a season that’s been full of honors for the Hornets. Delaware State won three tournaments during the 2008-09 regular season, claiming first-place in the ECAC Championship, the Kutztown Tournament and the Arkansas State Tourney, which included wins over No. 1

Jazmyne Hefflefinger

Vanderbilt and No. 2 Nebraska.

The Hornets also placed three players on the 2009 All-MEAC First Team and featured the league’s top rookie. Angela Reynolds (so.), Hefflefinger (fr.) and Jaime (fr.) were All-MEAC First Team picks. Jaime was also selected as the MEAC Rookie-of-the-Year. Terrell-Kearney was chosen by her peers as the 2009 MEAC Coach-of-the-Year.

ESPNU will air the Delaware State/Florida A&M MEAC Tournament championship match on April 2. The broadcast time has yet to be announced.

DSU Mourns the Loss of Hattie Mishoe

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY MOURNS THE PASSING OF

MRS. HATTIE DABNEY MISHOE

The Widow of Longtime DSC President Luna I. Mishoe was 95. Homegoing arrangements at the end of this article.

Mother Hattie Dabney Mishoe, former First Lady of Delaware State College, 1960-87

Hattie Dabney Mishoe the longtime first lady of then-Delaware State College, passed away on Tuesday morning, March 17 at her Dover home. She was 94.

Mother Mishoe, as she has been well known in the Dover-area church community, was the widow of Dr. Luna I. Mishoe, whose 27-year tenure (1960-1987) made him the second longest-serving president in the history of the institution.

When she was a practicing nurse, she met the love of her life Luna Mishoe, with whom she was united in holy matrimony in 1944. Although she put her nursing career on hold to support her husband's career in academia, her nursing experience came in handy while she raised five children that were produced by the union.

As the longtime first lady of Delaware State College, she and her husband opened their home to the faculty, staff, students and community. There were even times that students stayed at the Mishoe home because of campus housing shortages.

Sandy Arnell, who began working at Delaware State College in the 1964 as a secretary for Dr. Mishoe, actually first knew Mother Mishoe when she was a nurse at the Providence Hospital (the segregated facility for blacks) in Baltimore. She recalled that at DSC, the president’s wife was “sweet, gentle and quite motherly” when it came to the students.

“She was very busy, because she had to do the cooking when Dr. Mishoe had guests,” said Ms. Arnell. “She was the Thompson Hospitality (the current DSU food service) during his tenure.”

Hattie Mishoe and her husband Dr. Luna I. Mishoe are dressed for the annual President's Garden Party for graduating seniors in May 1983.

Ms. Arnell, who retired from the University in 2004, said Mother Mishoe would cook for students who were struggling with their finances, as well as for the foreign students, especially when they had to remain at the College during the breaks. “She loved to cook, and when she did she would always have her big pretty apron on,” she said.

Ms. Arnell added that Mother Mishoe often had to represent Dr. Mishoe at events when there was a scheduling conflict in his schedule.

Mrs. Mishoe loved attending all of the Hornets' home basketball and football games, and also traveled to the away games with her husband to cheer the Hornets on to victory. Even after her husband passed away in 1989, Mrs. Mishoe continued to attend home games while her health permitted, and then later she continued to follow the Hornet games on the radio.

Mother Mishoe receives her DSU Alumni Association Legacy Hall of Fame induction award from DSUAA President Deidre Ottley.

In October 2008, Mother Mishoe was inducted in the DSU Alumni Association Hall of Fame, at which time she was honored for her dedication and exemplary service as a mentor of thousands of DSC students.

She was a member of numerous organizations, including: The Links of Dover, Electa Chapter No. 6 of the Order of Eastern Stars, the Golden Circle #43, Mercy Douglas Hospital, the School for Nurses Alumni Association, as well as the Neighbor to Neighbor Volunteer Services.

Despite physical issues in her later years that required Mother Mishoe to use a walker to get around, she continued to actively attend church regularly and other events.

Mother Mishoe makes her way to the polling place at Dover High School on last Nov. 6 to cast her vote for Barack Obama and others.

Dr. Warren Rhodes, DSU acting associate dean of the College of Health and Public Policy who was initially hired at then-Delaware State College by her husband Dr. Mishoe in the early 1980s, recalled Mother Mishoe ambling up the ramp last November at Dover High School to cast her vote to make Barack Obama the first African American president of the U.S.

“It was so uplifting to see this 94-year-old woman making her way with her walker in the rain to go vote,” said Dr. Rhodes, who took the picture of her at the polls. “She said, ‘I’ve got to vote’.”

Up to the time of her death, she continued to be an active member of Mt. Zion AME Church in Dover, where she served as a deaconess and Mother of the Church. She also served as a church stewardess there for many years.

She is survived by five children, Dr. Wilma Mishoe, Rev. Rita Paige, Bernellyn Carey, Luna Mishoe II and Henry Mishoe, as well as a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and other relatives.

All of the Homegoing events for Mother Mishoe (except the internment) will be held at Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church, North Queen and Fulton streets, Dover. The Homegoing arrangements are as follows:

A Viewing will be held from 5-7 p.m. Sunday, March 22 and from 8-10 a.m. Monday, March 23, both at Mt. Zion AME Church
During the Sunday, March 22 Viewing, The Links will hold a short Memorial Service at 5:45 p.m., and the Eastern Star and Golden Circle organizations will jointly hold a short Funeral Ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, March 23 at Mt. Zion AME.
The interment will be held in Bucksport, S.C. later that week at a time to be announced

DSU Alumni and Lady Hornet Honored

cholmes@desu.edu — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Former Hornet running back Gene Lake became the second DSU Athlete to be inducted in the MEAC Hall of Fame. He stands at the induction wall next to his photo.

TWO FORMER DSU STUDENT-ATHLETES HONORED AT THE

MEAC TOURNAMENT

Current Lady Hornet Sonia Johnson also Honored for her First Season Success

Although the Hornet teams did not do as well in the 2009 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament as they have in the past, accolades still came DSU’s way as two football alumni and one current basketball player were honored for their accomplishments during the MEAC week in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Dr. John Land (left) DSU interim chairman of the DSU Board of Trustees and alumnus along with acting DSU President Claibourne Smith pose with MEAC Hall of Fame inductee Gene Lake (seated).

The MEAC Hall of Fame inducted former Hornet football star Gene Lake while the conference also recognized former Hornet wide receiver standout Darnerian McCants as one of its MEAC Distinguished Alumni.

A Milford, Del. native, Lake tore up the ground for the Hornets from 1982-84, finishing his career with 3,123 rushing yards. During his junior year of 1983, Lake led all collegiate players with a MEAC and school record 1,722 rushing yards. He earned All-MEAC First Team accolades in 1982 and 1984 and was named as the MEAC Offensive Player of the Year in 1984.

Lake holds DSU records in four categories: rushing touchdowns in a season (20), career rushing touchdowns (35) and points scored in a season (120) and single season rushing yards (1,722). He was a 1983 and 1984 Sheridan Black College All-American and a 1984 Kodak All-American.

Former DSU football standout Darnerian McCants receives a 2009 MEAC Distinguished Alumni Award from a conference official.

Lake joins former Hornet football great John Taylor, former President Luna Mishoe, athletics administrator John R. Price as well as former coaches and athletics directors James "Fuzzy" Williams and Bill Collick as the DSU inductees in the MEAC Hall of Fame.

The MEAC presented McCants with a 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of his philanthropic support of his alma mater. While he is one of the few DSU football players to make to the NFL, he has never forgotten DSU.

Over the years since he graduated DSU in 2000, the former Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagle wide receiver has donated more than $40,000 to DSU -- $10,000 of which has gone to the establishment of an endowed fund for scholarships and the remainder has gone in support of DSU’s departments of Visual Arts and Sport Sciences

A Distinguished Alum with one of the Distinguished DSUAA Chapters -- Darnerian McCants poses with members of the Hampton DSUAA Chapter at the Hornet Fan Center at the Winston-Salem Holiday Inn Select. (From l-r) Bottom: Alexander Norwood, Armestris Howard, David Redding; Top: Linda and Albert Weal, Jayne Alexander, McCants and Frankie Manley.

as well as the Hornet football team.

During his final Hornet season in 2000, he had 36 receptions, 692 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns (including one kick-off return touchdown). His 18 touchdown receptions set touchdown records for DSU and the MEAC – which both remain unbroken. McCants was a Division I-AA All-American by the Sports Network Division, the Associated Press and the Sheridan Broadcast Network, and he also was a 2000 All-MEAC First Team member. Overall, McCants ranks third in DSU history in touchdown catches (26) and sixth in receiving yards (1,622) and eighth in receptions (83).

Lady Hornet freshman Sonia Johnson -- the 2009 MEAC Rookie of the Year -- makes a move on a Hampton player during the DSU Women's 58-56 heartbreaker loss in the MEAC quarterfinals.

In addition Lady Hornet freshman Sonia Johnson has been named 2008-09 MEAC Women’s Basketball Rookie-of-the-Year in voting by league head coaches and sports information representatives. Johnson was also named to the All-MEAC Second Team and All-Rookie Team.

The Newport News, Va., native is the Lady Hornets’ leading scorer this season, averaging 11.5 point-per-game, tops for MEAC freshmen and 14^th among all league players. She averaged 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game vs. MEAC opponents, also tops on the team this season.

A three-time MEAC Rookie-of-the-Week, Johnson has the top four scoring games for the Lady Hornets, including the only 20-plus-point games on the team this season. She has tallied 20-or-more points in four games and reached double-figures in scoring in 18 contests.

Johnson is first DSU women to be named MEAC Rookie-of-the-Year since Marin Hightower in 1996.

Photos and article by Carlos Holmes

SGA Women's Panel Features Speakers from Entertainment, Law & Academia

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

The SGA's Celebrity Panel Discussion featured the perspectives of esteemed participants from the entertainment industry, legal profession and academia.

DSU STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION’S CELEBRITY PANEL DISCUSSION YIELDS GREAT PROFESSIONAL WISDOM

Guest Panelists included Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, Entertainment Lawyer Lauren Lake, and others for a Discussion on Important Women’s Issues

The Student Government Association and the Royal Court gave a high profile edge to its Women Conference on Thursday evening with a Celebrity Panel Discussion entitled “I am a Woman, Elevated, Motivated and Empowered.”

Held March 5 in the Bank of America Building’s Longwood Auditorium, the Celebrity discussion featured a powerful panel of actress Sheryl Lee Ralph, star of the hit television comedy series "Moesha",

Sheryl Lee Ralph

entertainment lawyer Lauren Lake, a frequent legal analyst and on-air commentator for several major networks, and on-air personality Valeisha Monique Butterfield, who is also the managing director of the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.

The impressive panel also featured former Miss DSU Dana Robinson, a freelance public relations professional and a media studies graduate student at the New School in New York City, and DSU mass communication Assistant Professor Francine Toliver Edwards, who is also a organizational development specialist with expertise in the areas of diversity, strategic communication, and conflict negotiation and resolution.

Valeisha Monique Butterfield

The panel had much wisdom for the gathering, which almost filled Longwood Auditorium. One of the questions for the panelists dealt with how women represent themselves professionally.

Ms. Butterfield said she found out the conventional notions of dressing in “business suits and low-heeled shoes” did not conform with her destiny as an executive for the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. “I found that you have to believe in her you are, but have standards,” she said.

Dana Robinson

While noting that she is still in graduate school, Miss Robinson said that she has learned that it is important to have faith in one’s self, but should not project overconfidence. “Be confident, but don’t be arrogant,” she said. “People can smell that a mile away.”

Ms. Lake said women should be assertive and confident in whatever they are engaged in, as well as be themselves. “When you are authentic, at the end of the day you can be proud of yourself,” she said.

Lauren Lake

With respect to having confidence in any setting, Ms. Ralph noted that it is directly related to how much diligent work has been put in on self-development.

“Self work is some of the best work you do,” Ms. Ralph said. “When you walk in a room, hopefully you will have worked on yourself and on being confident in yourself.”

The discussion eventually shifted to the impact that the current state of the economy will have on the room of future graduates after they have begun their professional journeys.

Dr. Francine Toliver Edwards

Dr. Edwards noted that while she was surprised when her husband told her that her family would be living “below their means,” she soon realized that it was good wisdom.

“You need to wake up to what’s happening now (with the economy) because it is going to fall on your shoulders,” Dr. Edwards said. “If you have credit cards, pay them off, and put them to the side.”

DSU Will Host Hornet Fan Center at MEAC Tourney

cholmes@desu.edu — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DSU TO BUILD MEAC EXCITEMENT WITH ITS ANNUAL

HORNET FAN CENTER

Delaware State University will once again get behind its men’s and women’s basketball teams and cheer them on by hosting the Hornet Fan Center at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The Hornet Fan Center will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, March 13 in the Holiday Inn Select, 5790 University Parkway in Winston-Salem.

The DSU Cheerleaders will be perform at the Hornet Fan Center.

Hornet faithful – alumni, students, DSU faculty and staff, and friends of the University are welcome to attend free of cost. There will be food, performances by the DSU Cheerleaders and the University’s Approaching Storm Band, and a lot of fellowship going on as Hornet fans get psyched up to get behind the Lady Hornets and the Hornet Men.

Depending on the scheduling of the games, attendees of the Hornet Fan Center may get to meet DSU basketball players and their coaches.

Come and support the Lady Hornets and Hornet Men basketball teams.

Mr. DSU Deon Williams win Mr. Oratory title

cholmes@desu.edu — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

MR. DSU DEON R. WILLIAMS WINS ORATORY TITLE AT THE

NATIONAL MR. HBCU PAGEANT

Deon R. Williams, the reigning Mr. Delaware State University, added another title to his resume Saturday by winning the title of Mr. Oratory the 5th annual Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) King Pageant held Feb. 24 at Lincoln University in Jefferson, Mo.

Mr. Williams, a senior psychology major at DSU, won the first place sash & trophy by outperforming 10 other campus kings from HBCUs

Mr. DSU Deon R. Williams shows off the trophy and certificate he won in capturing the Mr. Oratory title at this year's HBCU King Pageant.

across the country.

The college and university kings spoke on the topic “HBCUs, the Cornerstone of African American History and Culture – Black Males, the Catalyst for the Survival of these Great Institutions.”

(The entire transcript of Mr. William’s oratory can be found at the end of this article),

The 2008-09 Mr. DSU said that the experience was really enlightening. “It taught me how to be a better person, not just for my university, but also for my community,” said Mr. Williams, a Dover native and graduate of Dover High School. “The experience has deepened my understanding of the importance of being a mentor and a positive role model.”

Mr. DSU prepared for his winner oratory by practicing at various times with the staffs of the University's offices of the Provost, Financial Aid, Student Accounts and Admissions, welcoming their comments and constructive critiques. He also obtained some guidance his advisor Eric L. Lewis, as well as from someone who two years ago captured both the Mr. Oratory and Mr. HBCU crowns – the 2006-07 Mr. DSU Harold G. Burnett II, who now works as an admissions counselor at his alma mater.

“I went to Harold Burnett and he helped me understand how to get my point across without saying to much or too little,” Mr. Williams said. “I appreciate all of the people that listened, critiqued my speech and helped me win the Mr. Oratory title.

To win the Mr. Oratory title, Mr. Williams presented the follow address:

Historically Black Colleges and Universities the cornerstone of African American History and Culture—Black males the catalyst for the survival of these great institutions.

By Deon R. Williams

Fisk University, Lincoln University, Bethune Cookman University, Clark Atlanta University, Hampton, Howard, Morehouse, Cheney, Delaware State University, the list goes on and on. From a 21-centurty perspective, HBCU’s have been mistakenly perceived as ordinary and average, unfortunately causing the rich history of these immense institutions to be lost and forgotten. But I challenge you to controvert your conventional considerations and to transcend your traditional train of thought because these black institutions are far more than just colleges and universities.

These black institutions are building blocks which built the notion that black was not only beautiful, but black is brilliant. For example, W.E.B. Dubois….brilliant, Thurgood Marshall….brilliant, Martin Luther King Junior….brilliant, James Weldon Johnson…..brilliant, A. Phillip Randolph…..brilliant. Brilliant in that their intellectual cohesiveness was molded, developed, fostered, cultivated and nurtured by thee institution commonly referred to as the Historically Black College and University.

So, are Historically Black Colleges and Universities the cornerstone of African American history and culture? You better believe it. It was Morehouse that helped Martin Luther King Junior have a dream. It was Clark Atlanta that helped James Weldon Johnson lift every voice and sing. It was Lincoln University that helped Thurgood Marshall drop the mallet on justice.

Serving as the threshold of knowledge and gateway to intelligence, it was the HBCU that perpetually propelled black people to a position of power. Brick by brick…stone by stone, the HBCU is where the parliament for black brilliance was first built.

It was the black men of yesterday that helped present the ability of the black mind to the world. So, as black men, as black collegians we will not scar the splendor of the black wisdom. As black men we will continue to be the driving force that impels black history into the next dimension of destiny. As black men….we will continue the vision of accomplishment.

As black men….we will embark on a journey to exemplify academic excellence.

SAY WHAT YOU WANT ABOUT US…. But as black men we will serve as the catalyst for the survival of these immense institutions. We will come to the realization that we are the representation of historically black heritage that is rooted and undoubtedly, undeniable and definitely the cornerstone of African American history and culture.

DSU Reopens on Tuesday, March 3

cholmes@desu.edu — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

The DSU Mishoe Center and other academic building will resume a full schedule of classes Tuesday, March 3 after being closed Monday due to the snow storm that hit Delaware.

DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY WILL REOPEN ON TUESDAY, MARCH 3 FOR REGULAR OPERATIONS AND CLASSES

All Students, Faculty and Staff are to Return to Regular Classes and Work Schedules.

Delaware State University will be open for regular operations and all scheduled classes on Tuesday, March 3. All faculty, staff and students are expected to report for work and all scheduled classes.

The University was closed Monday due to the winter snow storm that descended on the State of Delaware. Roads and grounds crews worked around the clock from Sunday night into Monday to clear campus roads and sidewalks of snow and ice.

Winter Weather Advisory for DSU

cholmes@desu.edu — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EDT

WINTER ADVISORY ISSUED FOR STATE OF DELAWARE

Faculty, Staff and Students Should Call the DSU Snowline (857-7669) for Updates on Monday Classes and Campus Operations

Due to the upcoming wintry conditions throughout the region, for today, March 1 through tomorrow March 2, the state of Delaware has issued a winter weather warning. While it will begin Sunday as possibly a wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow, it is expected to change to all snow around mid-evening Sunday.

The past wintery scene at DSU's historic Loockerman Hall may be mild compared the winter storm that is expected to hit the campus and surrounding state on Sunday and Monday, March 1 and 2.

The snow will continue throughout tonight and into Monday; it is expected to be heavy at times with accumulations between 5 and 11 inches.

If the snow storm forecast is as predicted it will be the most signficant storm storm since February 2004 when Kent County was hit with two separate nor'easter storms.

These conditions may affect your morning and evening travels. Please continue to monitor local weather stations and media outlets for updates. You may also call the DSU snowline (857-7669) for further updates.

DSU Fraternities and Sorority to Hold Food Drive

cholmes@desu.edu — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EDT

DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY SORORITIES AND FRATERNITIES TO HOLD A FOOD DRIVE FEB. 28 TO HELP THE HUNGRY

Eleven sorority and fraternity chapters at Delaware State University have joined together to hold a “Stroll Out Hunger” Food Drive & Stroll Competition from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 in the Memorial Hall Gym on campus

The DSU Sororities and Fraternities are conducting the Food Drive in support of the United Way’s “Delaware Does More” food drive. The United Way of Delaware has set a goal to collect 300,000 pounds of food and raise $250,000 to address an anticipated spike in demand for health and human service programs in Delaware this winter.

To help the United Way of Delaware reach its goal, the DSU sororities and fraternities have combined its food drive with a “Stroll Competition.” Differentiated from a “Step Competition” the Stroll Competition involves a single file of strolling movement by a team.

The DSU fraternities and sororities will accept non-perishable food, clothing and money during the event Saturday, all of which will all go towards the United Way’s “Delaware Does More” effort. The participating campus chapters include:

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, Inc.
Tau Beta Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

“Stroll out Hunger is more than a competition.. it’s a call for help,” said Chavis Anderson, Stroll Out Hunger chairman. “Helping those who need it in these harsh economic times we face is not something that affects Delaware, but everywhere.”

Mr. Chavis said the public is invited to come to the event and give their donations of food, clothing or money to their favorite sorority or fraternity, which will all be represented. For more information, contact Mr. Chavis at (267) 970-8862

DSU and UD Agree to Football Series

cholmes@desu.edu — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EDT

(From l-r) UD Head Football Coach K.C. Keeler, UD President Patrick T. Harker, Gov. Jack Markell, DSU Acting President Claibourne D. Smith and Hornet Head Football Coach Al Lavan pose in celebration of the new agreement.

DSU AND THE UD REACH AN AGREEMENT FOR A THREE-YEAR FOOTBALL SERIES

Delaware State University and the University of Delaware announced today that they have reached a formal agreement that will result in the scheduling of future football contests.

In a joint announcement made today by DSU acting President Claibourne D. Smith and UD President Patrick T. Harker, the two universities will play a series of games that will take place on Sept. 8, 2012, Sept. 7, 2013 and Sept. 6, 2014. All of the games will be played at the Tubby Raymond Field at Delaware Stadium on the UD campus in Newark.

In addition the two schools will play a scheduled game on Sept. 19, 2009 also at the UD campus in Newark

The DSU Hornets and the UD Blue Hens played for a historic first time in 2007 when both teams earned bids to play in the post-season Football Championship Series. However, the two football programs have never before scheduled a game against each other.

“The tremendous excitement that was generated when DSU and UD played in the 2007 college playoffs made it clear that this is a match-up that football fans in Delaware want to see regularly,” said Dr. Smith. “With this agreement, Delawareans will be able to look forward to an in-state collegiate rivalry and both football squads will have an outstanding game challenge for which they will prepare.”

DSU and UD officials expect the same intense excitment at future games between the Hornets and the Blue Hen as was experience to the above 2007 historic game.

“This is a great day for two exceptional NCAA Football Championship Subdivision football programs, but more importantly for the players, for the student bodies, for the alumni, and for the citizens of the State of Delaware,” Dr. Harker said. “The Delaware-Delaware State game is a win-win for both universities, promising a great athletic contest and a great atmosphere, not to mention a competitive stimulus for both athletic programs with a game certain to sell out every time it is played.”

The historical significance of the agreement was not lost on Gov. Jack Markell, who also spoke at the press conference. “When I was sworn in as Governor last month, I said that we cannot let the historic challenges we face define us,” Gov. Markell said. “We must overcome the significant obstacles in our way and do great things for the state of Delaware. A football game between the University of Delaware and Delaware State University – the state’s two public four-year universities -- will be one of those great things.”

Gov. Markell added that in the midst of trying time, the football contests between UD and DSU will bring Delawareans together “to celebrate the student-athletes, the spirit of competition and the sportsmanship of the two teams and the universities they represent.”

Both teams experienced tremendous successes in their 2007 football campaigns which led to the Hornets and the Blue Hen’s historic meeting in the opening round of FCS Playoffs. The following year however, both UD and DSU experienced off-years with records of 4-8 and 5-6, respectively.

UD’s optimism is high in 2009 as the Blue Hens return over 20 players with starting experience, including 14 back from a defense that ranked among the top units in the Colonial Athletic Association a year ago. Leading the group is senior defensive end/linebacker Matt Marcorelle, a two-time all-conference pick who earned All-American honors in 2007, and senior safety Charles Graves, who led the team with 78 tackles and earned second-team All-American honors by the Associated Press this past fall.

Delaware head coach K.C. Keeler will enter his eighth season at the helm of the Blue Hens with a record of 56-34. In 14 seasons as a college head coach, he is 144-55-1 and ranks among the top winning active coaches in NCAA Division I FCS.

“This game is an exciting thing not only for our football teams and our instititutions, but for all the fans in Delaware,” said Keeler. “I have the utmost respect for Coach Lavan and his program at Delaware State and we look forward to this year’s game and to all our future meetings. It’s always exciting to begin a new rivalry. We can’t wait for September.”

The University of Delaware has enjoyed outstanding football success during its 117 seasons since 1889. The Blue Hens have captured six national titles, including in 2003 when the team went 15-1 and defeated Colgate in the national title game. In addition, UD has finished as national runner-up four times (including 2007), won 15 conference titles, advanced to the NCAA Tournament 19 times, been named Lambert (Eastern) Cup champion 19 teams, and ECAC Team of the Year 11 times.

The DSU Hornets – who play in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) – will be put to the test in 2009. In addition to the Sept. 19 game against the Blue Hens, the Hornets will later take the field against the University of Michigan Wolverines on Oct. 17 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. DSU will open the season with a MEAC game on Sept. 5 at Florida A&M.

In five seasons at DSU, Head Coach Lavan has posted an overall record of 34-22, including a 29-10 mark in MEAC contests. He has led the team to winning records in three of the last four seasons. In the three years prior to his arrival, the Hornets were 10-24 overall and 6-17 in the league. Delaware State had just one winning season in the eight years before Lavan took the job.

“The scheduling of these games will establish an in-state regular season matchup that has been a long time in coming,” said Lavan. “It is a challenge that the Hornet team accepts and we look forward to the competition between these two great universities.”

As the State College for Colored Students in 1905, the school established its first football team. According to the existing win-loss records that date back to 1924, Delaware State has an all-time record of 328-357-11, with undefeated conference records in 1985, 1987 and 2007. The 2007 season was the top football campaign in the DSU’s history as it finished the year 8-0 in the MEAC and 10-2 overall, with its final game loss coming against UD in that historic playoff matchup.

While this is the first time that DSU and UD have included each other on their regular season football schedule, the two universities have competed previously in men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, women’s softball, women’s volleyball, tennis, cross country as well as track and field. For the first time in the fall 2009, the two schools’ women’s soccer teams will play a regular season match.

DSU to present Tears of a Teenage Mother Feb. 28

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Courtnee NcNeal portrays Tamika, the underage mother in the Priest Cephas production The Tears of a Teenage Mother.

DELAWARE STATE UNIVERSITY TO PRESENT

THE TEARS OF A TEENAGE MOTHER IN THE E&H THEATRE ON FEB. 28

DSU in conjunction with the Delaware Adolescent Program and Girls Inc. will present the dramatic stage play “Tears of a Teenage Mother” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 in the Education and Humanities Theatre on the DSU campus.

The play is a dramatic and realistic depiction of a teen mother’s trials and triumphs after she is impregnated by an older man. While it is an entertaining production, it is also an education for adults and young people alike concerning the issues and dilemmas that teens face and the highly consequential decisions they have to make.

The production’s playwright and director Priest T. Cephas is a longtime Wilmington resident who was inspired by the story of his mother Cynthia Cephas – who was a teenage mother. The play debuted in 2007 and has received enthusiastic responses in its performances in Delaware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, which included some sold-out crowds.

Mr. Cephas – an actor as well – has had several acting roles on the HBO mini-series “The Wire.” It was on the set of the show one day during a break that Mr. Cephas was talking to his mother on the phone, and he asked her about her prom pictures from her high school days. Her response was that she did not attend the prom because she had gotten pregnant as a teen.

Priest T. Cephas, the playwright and director of the play as well as one of the major actor in it, was inspired to write the production by his mother Cynthia Cephas, who became pregnant as a teen.

“I borrowed a pen and started writing,” Mr. Cephas said. “Two pages turned into 10, and 10 turned into a script.” His mother died of cancer two weeks before the play debut in 2007, but Mr. Cephas notes that it was his mother’s vision for him and her struggle with cancer that produced his gift of playwriting.

The 15-member cast features Courtnee McNeal as the Tameka as the teenage mother, Donna Jones and Ms. Brown, Kenny Chin as Stephen, and Mr. Cephas stars as the older man Corey who impregnates the teen, as well as other actors.

The performance at DSU also represents the launching of a new statewide movement called “myVoice” – which is designed to give Delaware teens a voice to express their feeling. The movement myVoice – a joint youth initiative by Girls Inc. and the Delaware Adolescent Program, Inc. – is also designed to give teens the tools and guidance necessary to overcome low self-esteem, self-defeating attitudes, as well as the consequences of poor decision-making skills.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling (302) 764-9740 or (302) 575-1041. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.dapi.org or at www.girlsincde.org.

VOTE for Miss DSU to be the MEAC Queen

cholmes@desu.edu — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Ms. Brittany D. Pace, the 2008-09 Miss Delaware State University.

VOTE ONLINE FOR MISS DSU BRITTANY PACE TO BECOME THE 2009 MISS MID-EASTERN ATHLETICS CONFERENCE QUEEN

VOTES CAN BE MADE ONCE AN HOUR ON WWW.MEACHOOPS.COM

Miss DSU Brittany Pace is currently the leading vote-getter in the conference competition that will crown the 2009 Miss MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference).

However, to maintain her current lead, the 2008-09 Miss DSU will depend upon the continued online votes of the DSU faithful.

DSU community members can show their support by going to www.meachoops.com and clicking the MEAC Queen item at the bottom of the MEAC home page. The competing queens photos are on the next webpage, and supporters need to only click on Miss Delaware State’s “VOTE NOW!” located on her picture to cast their vote.

The Miss MEAC online polls will accept votes until March 5

Votes can be submitted from each computer once an hour. The winner -- who will be the queen with the most supporters who frequently cast their votes – will be crowned the 2009 Miss MEAC during the coronation to be held March 13 during the MEAC Basketball Tournament week in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Ms. Pace is currently leading in the voting among the 11 queens from MEAC schools, having garnered 23% of the total vote. She is currently trailed by Miss-Winston Salem (20%), Miss Hampton (19%), Miss Howard (17%) and the rest of the competing HBCU queens.

However only a few days ago Miss Pace was enjoying a 34% share of the vote, more than 10 percentages points in front then-second place Miss Howard. Since then, Miss Winston-Salem and Miss Hampton – who were only in the single percentage digits at the beginning of the week – have galvanized their supporters, have surpassed Miss Howard and diminished Miss DSU’s lead significantly.

Ms. Pace is an early childhood education major from Prince George’s County, Md.

Support Miss DSU with frequent votes!!!!!!!!