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

08.29.14Vol. 62, Issue 1

Vol. 62, Issue 12 05.01.15

With the almost im-minent closure of various Historically Black Col-leges and Universities due to failed enrollment and financial downfall, Black colleges across the nation are doing what they can to improve admission rates; Norfolk State is no excep-tion.

The university’s “First View” program will begin on April 18 and give pro-spective students an oppor-tunity to visit the campus. Despite the “First View”

program, Norfolk State will not only have to com-pete for admissions due to the fact that they are a Historically Black college, but also due to the fact that they are one of the schools that has struggled this past year.

In Dec. of last year, news went out that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, placed the university on a

NSU admissions, exploring alternativeenrollment options

by Mahogany Waldon

The tuition is set to make a dramatic increase next semester and how much it will affect the Sports programs is still unknown. Photo from NSUSpartans.com

As tuition is set to in-crease next semester, so will the budget of Norfolk State’s sports division. It is preparing adjustments by developing strategies, seek-ing new revenues to cover additions of expenses and to perform efficiently.

Student fees pay for auxiliary enterprises which includes athletics. Around 70-80 percent of the athlet-ic operating budget comes from student fees. Due to

the tuition increase, the ac-ademic program is looking for ways to help students involved in athletics suc-ceed academically.

According to NSU ath-letic director, Marty Miller, the university needs addi-tional revenue as it doesn’t just Affect athletes, but the entire student body. He feels the increase is neces-sary for providing resourc-es to students.

“We need to have the

appropriate revenue to pro-vide the kind of services that our students need here, including the student ath-letes.” said Miller. “What we’re going to have to do in athletics is to find alter-natives to bringing in addi-tional revenue so that we can continue to compete athletically and to gradu-ate our student athletes.”

Scholarships are given, though the athletic division chooses students who can perform academically. Stu-dent athletes tend to have a higher graduation rate than the regular student body. The athletic division is looking to improve those numbers annually.

Currently, the academ-ic division is in the plan-ning stage of developing budgets for the 2015-2016 academic year for each sports program. Mill-er hopes sports fans will make contributions to sup-port the athletic programs.

Tuition increaseto affect athletics

by Antonio GArlAnd

The fate of future student admissions lies in the hands of past & present students of NSU. Photo by Storm Calder

• Continued on p. 3

LEAD NSU | See Page 5 Jonathan Mason | See Page 2 NSU Bowling Recap | See Page 5 “Trigga Reloaded” | See Page 8

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

Jonathan Mason, a Norfolk State University alumnus who graduated in 1995 and president of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., visited the campus during the Mass Communications and Journalism (MCJR) week to share his expe-riences as a student and how they shaped him into a sales director for radio stations, such as 77 WABC and WABC Syndication in New York. His goals were to show students he was where they are today and that they too could become successful.

Mason wanted students at NSU to understand they come from a university they should be proud of.

“Understand that the education they get comes as a result of what they put in to it,” Mason said.

A native from Penn-sylvania, Mason attended NSU due to its excellent mass communications program. Being gifted aca-demically and athletically, Mason was used to being treated with favor; howev-er, he found it didn’t mat-ter due to everyone being treated the same.

“I realized very quick-ly that in Norfolk State, it wasn’t about status. Every student was treated equal-ly.”

After a few setbacks, Mason considered leaving the university. His parents told him to stay on cam-pus to honor his commit-ment. Though he initially disliked this option, look-ing back he feels it was the

right decision.“I thank God that my

parents didn’t let me come home. I’ll tell you why. The greatest experience I had in my life was being a student on the campus of Norfolk State University,” said Ma-son.

From personal expe-rience, he said the stu-dents should be proud of the school, due to several teachers making a positive difference in his life. Be-cause of this, he graduated with a bachelor's of science degree in news and public affairs with a minor in pub-lic relations. Despite the racial challenges he faced, Mason became one of the only African Americans in the country presiding over broadcasting sales for ma-

Jonathan Mason graces NSUby antonio garland

jor radio stations within a general-market company, like New York's WABC and WMBM.

“If you’re passionate about your profession, take what you can get to get your foot in the door.”

Mason said people shouldn’t pursue a job, but a career. While in college, students should spend time sharpening their swords and fine tuning their skills. He also encouraged stu-dents to not follow a career just for money.

“Don’t run for money. Find something to do that you’re passionate about and you’ll never get up in the morning and go to work, because it’s some-thing that you love to do.”

As the Director of Sales for WABC and WMBM in New York, Mr. Jonathan Mason, Sr. knows what it takes to survive & thrive during & after college. Photo by DeQuan Moss

Mother and daughter Audrey Jackson and Lata-sha "Tasha" Jackson will walk across the stage to-gether for May graduation.

Audrey began college in 1983, but put her career on hold after becoming a mother.

When she came back years later, Audrey felt out of place with a new gener-ation of students. However, the students and her pro-fessors made her feel wel-comed.

“It worked out very well,” she said. “It’s been a wonderful experience.”

Audrey said while they were equals as students, she still had to remind Tasha

she was still her mother. On the other hand, Ta-

sha gave her mother guid-ance on adjusting to new changes for her in college.

Tasha said going to school with her mother had good and bad moments, but she mostly enjoyed it.

One memorable experi-ence from their time spent at Norfolk State was that they once dressed alike.

After graduation, Ta-sha is currently debating on studying for her mas-ter’s degree. She was also recently accepted into Re-gent University. Audrey is debating on returning to Norfolk State for her mas-ter’s degree studies.

Mother and daughter graduate together

by antonio garland

Proud mother & business major Audry Jackson looks forward to graduating with her daughter, sociology major Latasha Jackson, in Spring 2015. Photo by Storm Calder

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

spartan news• Continued from front page12 month probation. The university is now faced with the task of finding new incentives to gain stu-dents in wake of its earlier setbacks.

Regardless of the pro-bation, students and facul-ty still maintain a degree of pride throughout campus that things are definitely improving.

The university is also continuing to defy the odds on a national scale.

The Norfolk State Uni-versity Honda Campus All-Star Challenge quiz team advanced to the semi-final round at the annu-al HBCU National Quiz Championship this year

and Dr. Mikhail Noginov, a researcher for the De-partment of Physics was named a Virginia Out-standing Scientist by Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

Dr. Andrew Arroyo of the Department of Inter-disciplinary Studies, pro-vided research this year at the university’s Undergrad-uate Research Symposium on Historically Black Col-leges and the non-black students that attend them. To some, his research may be surprising due to the fact that most people associate Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with the Black community. This assumption, while val-

Norfolk State alumni re-turned to campus on April 2 to share how to play the game of success in today's technol-ogy driven climate. They con-sisted of Vincent Ellis White (2002), Katie Barrie (2011), Iisha Scott (2008) and Angela Moore (1995), each specializ-ing in mass communications.

Success is a marathon, which is ran gradually through a period of time. White, who's currently employed with the Virginia Department of Social Services, said he had to learn as he went. He constantly built connections, relationships and networked with others.

Barrie, who is currently a writer and an on-staff produc-er for Discovery Network, fo-cused on never settling where she was and looked to making herself better.

“With making relationships, you have this mindset of who

NSU alumni talk secrets to SUcceSSby antonio garland

is this person and how can they get me a job, how can they get me in a door,” Bar-rie said. “Instead of looking at people as bait, try and form a relationship with them, be-cause those relationships will [assist] you.”

Scott talked about her ca-reer as a meteorologist for ‘13News Now’, crediting her previous job as a traffic re-porter as adding to her expe-rience.

For those pursuing a career, Scott said you have to take small steps while following a career, sending out emails and internships.

Moore, a comedian, re-cruiter for Peace Corps and former Spartan Echo writer said you will always be striv-ing for success in each level you reach; graduating college, obtaining a career, working to better that career, etc. While

it’s easy to network, Moore said the key is to maintain those relationships. She en-couraged students pursue opportunities outside the classroom, especially those in their first year.

“Take advantage of it. You may not have money, or it may cost you something, but the road to success is going to cost,” Moore said. “Either it’s going to cost you your time to put in the seeds to get to that level of success or it’s going to cost you by not achieving it, so it’s up to you.”

Barrie said one should take failure as a learning ex-perience. She also said if you don’t put in the work now, it will be harder to get chosen for a job. “When you’re here, your entire focus is honing your craft and be amazing at everything you do, learning (From left to right) Angela Moore, Iisha Scott, Dr. Wanda Brocking-

ton, Katie Barrie and Vincent Ellis White. Photo by DeQuan Moss

everything you can.”Scott said while a career

has difficulties, once you’ve obtained your chosen career, you never have to work a day in your life.

“As long as you are pas-sionate about it and you love what you’re doing, it’s not as bad as waking up at 3 ‘o clock in the morning,” Scott said.

id, is not always the case. The idea of opening HB-CUs to non-black students has been an ever-present matter since the founding of many schools of color.

“The latest research demonstrates that HBCUs are excellent choices for all students, regardless of race.” said Arroyo. “It’s also critical to remember that HBCUs have never discriminated against any populations. That’s part of what makes HBCUs unique. We have no history of segregation or discrim-ination. So, it’s important to be clear that we are open to all students, and we al-ways have.”

When it comes to im-proving admissions at Nor-folk State specifically, Dr. Arroyo ensures the uni-versity is on the right track and is taking “new initia-tives geared towards the continuous improvement of admissions,” but he be-lieves it’s the students who are on the front lines of the battle for admissions.

“Students themselves can move the needle on ad-missions numbers probably more than any other group of stakeholders. Take pride in your institution. Influ-ence friends and family to become Spartans. Wear your school gear and col-ors with pride everywhere

you go. Bleed Green and Gold,” said Arroyo. “De-termine to be a cut above. Make people in your cir-cles of influence want to be like you. Give them reasons to look up to you. Then, when the time is right, tell them about NSU. If each student recruits just one person, the entire land-scape of NSU can be trans-formed. We owe it to the brave founders of this insti-tution, we owe it to future generations who will need this place, and we owe it to ourselves.”

White said to never brush aside anyone in the depart-ment, as those people could be the ones who you look to for a job or an internship. Moore encouraged those who are pursuing a career to do it for themselves.

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spartan sports

Although both Norfolk State’s men and women’s basketball season came to a heart breaking end in the semifinals of the MEAC tournament, there are a few Spartan “Ballers” that still have a reason to hold their head high.

Norfolk State University (NSU) Women’s basket-ball had a surprising sea-son ending with an 11-5 (MEAC) record. Adding to their historic win over the Hampton pirates earlier in the season, the Lady Spar-tans managed to take some big post season honors.

Senior guard Rae Cor-bo landed a spot on the MEAC All-Tournament Team for the second year in a row. Corbo led the Spartans in scoring, aver-aging 18 points per game in their final three games of the MEAC tournament, helping the Lady Spar-tans reach the tournament semifinals for the first time since 2005.

Corbo joins Suawana Taylor as the only players in school history to earn MEAC All-Tournament Team honors twice in their four years at NSU.

While the senior made noise this year earning her spot on the All-Tour-nament Team, the rookie Kayla Roberts also made some noise of her own.

BasketballHonors

by Kazahna JoyCe

The freshman forward was voted as the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) University Divi-sion Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year.

Roberts also was named MEAC Rookie of the Year, and ranked number 14 in the MEAC in scoring. The freshman from Miami Gardens, Florida was also named Rookie of the week seven times throughout the season.

As for men’s basketball, the Spartans had honors from a couple of their play-ers as well.

Juniors Rasheed Gaston and Jeff Short were both named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-Dis-trict Team.

Short was also named to the seventh annual second team All-America by the BOXTOROW. The junior guard led the Spartans to a second place spot in the MEAC, and also ranked second in the MEAC and top 30 in the nation in scor-ing.

For the Spartans men and women’s teams the success is bound to go on. Short and Gaston will be returning for Men’s Bas-ketball, and Kayla Roberts will be returning for the Lady Spartans.

WHERE WILL YOU GO AS APEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER?

PEACECORPS.GOV/LEARN

5/2 vs. Coppin State 1 p.m.5/2 vs. Coppin State 4 p.m.5/3 vs. Coppin State 12 p.m.

5/5 vs. Virginia Commonwealth 5 p.m.5/7 vs. Jackson State 3 p.m.5/7 vs. Jackson State 6 p.m.5/8 vs Jackson State 12 p.m.

Upcoming Baseball Schedule

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

spartan sports

After having an overall successful season, Norfolk State Women’s Bowling came to an end in this year’s Mid-Eastern Atlantic Con-ference (MEAC) champi-onship game against No. 9 University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES). The Hawks managed to come back from trailing the Spartans 3-0, to win-ning 4-3 in the best-of-sev-en Bakers series match up.

This was the number six seed Spartans’ second ti-tle match appearance ever. Norfolk State Bowling fin-ished with a 60-38 overall record, making this the fifth time in six years that the Spartans have reached 60 wins.

“I’m very pleased with our season, we had our ups and downs but it was still a great season,” said head coach Wilhelmenia Harri-son.

This season will be the last for five Spartan seniors, including Courtney Wil-liford and Delilah Bethel, who both were named to the MEAC All-Tourna-ment Team.

Bethel led the Spartans this year averaging 181.2 in 30 games, making this her

NSU Bowling recapby davonte SMith

The student athletes of Norfolk State University received HP laptops for the first time this semester. The athletic advisor gave lap-tops to the student athletes who are on a full scholar-ship.

Christina Ruffin worked three years in the Norfolk State athletics department as the athletics academic coordinator. Ruffin’s re-sponsibilities include ad-vising all NSU student-ath-letes on issues of NCAA eligibility requirements and monitoring progress toward their degrees.

Jacqueline Nicholson worked seven years for the Athletic department. Nich-olson enters her fourth year as the assistant athletics director for academic sup-port after serving coordina-tor for a couple of years.

Nicholson oversees the operations of the Stu-dent-Athlete Academic Support Office which in-cludes a team of academic

NSU Athletes receiving laptops

by davonte SMith

Quarterback Michael Pierson & many more NSU athletes received laptops this semester, courtesy of the Spartan’s athletic advisor. Photo by Reginald Thomas

coordinators, interns and tutors. Both Nicholson and Ruffin played major parts in making sure Norfolk State athletes maintain success in the classroom as well as on their playing grounds.

“Mrs. Nicholson and Mrs. Ruffin distribute them, but the NCAA funds giving the laptops and tab-lets to student-athletes. We just have to return it at the end of each semester,” freshman women’s basket-ball forward Io Chaney said.

Student Athletes grades suffer mostly due to missed class time. Football players tend to miss less class time because they usually trav-el on the weekends, but as for baseball, basketball and softball, they miss an extensive amount of class time.

According to the NCAA Eligibility website, “In Di-vision I, student-athletes must complete 40 percent

of the coursework re-quired for a degree by the end of their second year. They must complete 60 percent by the end of their third year and 80 percent by the end of their fourth year. Student-athletes are allowed five years to grad-uate while receiving athlet-ically related financial aid. All Division I student-ath-letes must earn at least six credit hours each term to be eligible for the following term…”

The NCAA has been under fire in previous years for not administer-ing proper equipment to student athletes with the tools they need to maintain good grades and represent their institutions in athletic competition.

“I think it’s very benefi-cial because when we trav-el on the road for games, we have something small and portable to work on assignments on the bus,” said Chaney.

second-best average in her four years at Norfolk State. Along with Bethel and Williford, Norfolk State bowling will lose Court-ney Brown, Ashely Buck and Kelsea Yarbrough. Kelsea Yarbrough played 43 games including head to head battle average of 180.7 with 7,770 pin falls and high of 238.

“The five seniors bond-ed very well this year and they’ve been playing to-gether since their fresh-man year,” said Harrison.

This year’s senior class won the MEAC southern division title three of its four seasons under Harri-son.

“Even though we lost in the MEAC Champion-ship, every year our goal is to win the Southern Division, MEAC Tourna-ment and a chance to win the NCAA Tournament,” Harrison said.

Despite coming short of this year’s MEAC title and losing five strong seniors, the Spartans look forward to next season with fresh-man Briana Gardner and Megan Marciano, who will be returning next year.

According to NSUSpartans.com, NSU finished the season with a 60-38 overall record, the fifth time in the past six years the Spartans have reached the 60-win plateau. Photo by Reginald Thomas

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spartan lifestyle

It is almost that time of year again. Summer – when the sun is out, the wind is blowing just slight-ly and the sky displays a nice hue of blue.

For college students, it is the most anticipated season of the year with the weather, events and mem-ories. Summer is the one time students do not have to worry about classes – that is if they are not en-rolled in summer classes.

“I can’t wait to spend time with family and relax with them. I’ll also go back to my job and make some money. Aside from that, I will be working out for this next football season, because we have to come back early to get ready for game one,” freshman mass communications major Chris Lee said.

Summer is a great way to get away from all of the stress from school and enjoy the freedom of not having to wake up for classes.

College beach week in Virginia Beach is the last weekend in April. It is basically a way for col-lege students to get a taste of summer before it actu-ally gets here. Tickets for events and parties during

beach week can be pur-chased on eventbrite.com

There are also many concerts in the Hampton Roads area that will be tak-ing place this summer, in-cluding performances from Wale and Meek Mill.

While some students are out partying and en-joying the festivities, others are just grateful to have a lighter course load.

“I look forward to the good weather and getting away from academics for three months. I also may take two classes,” senior ki-nesiotherapy major Rickey Foreman said.

Over the summer, many students go on vaca-tions with friends or family, start internships and even work summer jobs. Many find that the three months of summer go by way too fast; however, every stu-dent tries to make the best out of his or her time off.

“I look forward to the adventure of summer, be-cause for a month or so you have total control of your life. You could take a road trip across the U.S. or go live in Europe for a month or two and nothing is holding you back, except for funds,” junior nursing major Brianna Boyd said.

Summer fun in the sun

by io Chaney

Upon meeting the new Student Government As-sociation (SGA) president, Antwain “Twain” Davis there were many questions to ask him; however, the most necessary question for the occasion seemed to be what is an ideal SGA president, and out of the qualities necessary for the role which do you feel are necessary to represent the student body?

Davis said, “I feel as if an ideal candidate would invoke power as a leader, not only for their leadership abilities, but for the respect that he promotes to oth-ers.” He then concluded, “I feel as if I am the ideal can-didate because I invoke the presence of a leader that is needed to actually get work done in order to secure a legacy at NSU and bring back student and commu-nity involvement.

Davis spoke highly of Norfolk State University. His mother is an alumna and he feels that the uni-versity is a part of him. He plans to rebuild ties be-tween NSU and Booker T. Washington High School in order to bring back the community environment that this university once held.

This is all incorporated in his campus moral ini-tiative LEAD NSU, which will involve initiatives that will help bring back a fam-ily atmosphere to the uni-versity.

Davis is also a proud member of Alpha Phi Al-pha Fraternity Inc., but makes an important note

LEAD NSU: the Spartan evolutionby JazMine WigginS

that he is a separate entity from just being a part of a Greek organization. Rath-er than disowning the fact of Greek affiliation, he points out that although being an Alpha man is a very important part of his personal make-up, it is im-portant to have personal ideologies and beliefs.

“Being that I am the first out of my siblings to go to college, it is impera-tive that I get to reach my fullest potential as a man to provide a role model for my two younger sisters,” Davis said.

Along with the con-versation he spoke of the fees and rising tuition and he is in full agreement that the costs are getting outra-geous, but promised that he wanted to make NSU a more student-friendly en-vironment.

Davis understands that being a transparent leader is vastly important with-in any type of practice of power. He is working to establish an open-door re-lationship that he hopes leads to the changes that will prove positive for NSU’s future.

Junior Nursing major Twain Davis will serve as the SGA’s new pres-ident. Photo by Tykhari Coles

Students are looking to make new memories and to take a much needed break from their academic life as NSU scholars. Photo by Storm Calder

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e d i t o r s

Kazahna JoyceSports Editor

Jason GillEditor-in-Chief

DanielleKirshOnline/Managing Editor

Tykhari ColesMulti-mediaEditor

Chantelle PoliteEntertain-ment Editor

MalaunHouseLifestyle Editor

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Antonio GarlandNews Editor

MarioLawrenceGraphic Design/Layout Editor

spartan lifestyle

What is the SACSCOC?The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) is the regional body for the accredi-tation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states, including the Commonwealth of Virginia. The SACSCOC (the “Commission”) is a private, nonprofi t voluntary organization that is located in Atlanta, Georgia.

Are institutions on Probation still accredited?Yes. Institutions remain accredited by the SACSCOC while on Probation.

Why was Norfolk State University placed on probation SACSCOC?The SACSCOC placed Norfolk State University on Probation for twelve months after its review ofMonitoring Reports and fi nancial statements related to fi nances, governance, adequacy of full-time faculty, educational pro-gram assessment, and policy adherence. The University is required to host aSACSCOC Special Committee On-Site Visit during the fall of 2015 to demonstrate its compliance with the Principles of Ac-creditation – the accreditation standards of the Commission.

How long will NSU be on probation?The University was placed on probation for 12 months. It is anticipated that the SACSCOC will reviewNSU’s accreditation status at its December 2015 Annual Meeting.

Will NSU lose its accreditation?No. While the action taken by the SACSCOC to place NSU on probation is very serious, the institution continues to be ac-credited. The NSU Board of Visitors and administration say they are fully committed and prepared to implement all of the necessary corrective actions to satisfactorily address the cited compliance areas of concern.

Does NSU’s probation status affect my fi nancial aid?No. The University remains accredited by the SACSCOC and is therefore, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to offer and award federal fi nancial aid to eligible students.

Does probation impact the accreditation of departments that are accredited by other associations?The probation decision does not affect the accreditation status of other academic programs that are currently accredited by specialized accrediting associations. NSU will keep the specialized accrediting associations informed as it works to remove the SACSCOC sanction of probation.

Does NSU have other academic or specialized program accreditations?Yes. Norfolk State University has numerous programs accredited by prestigious associations. For a full list, please visit http://www.nsu.edu/provost/accreditation-and-affi liations.

How will NSU’s probation affect my Fall or Spring Graduation? Will employers want to hire me?The value of your NSU degree will not be diminished and is just as valid as it was before the sanction of probation. You will still graduate from an accredited institution with a legacy of producing high performing graduates. The SACSCOC sanction did not arise from concerns about the quality of NSU’s academic programs.

How will NSU’s probation affect my ability to gain internships?The SACSCOC sanction does not refl ect concerns about the quality of NSU’s academic programs. Faculty will continue to provide excellent instruction and programs to ensure that students remain highly competitive for internship opportunities.

How will NSU’s probation affect my ability to apply for graduate school?You will still be a graduate of an accredited institution. The SACSCOC sanction did not arise from concerns about the quality of NSU’s academic programs. NSU graduates will continue to be highly competitive for admission to any graduate program.

How can I stay informed about new developments regarding NSU’s status with SACSCOC?Norfolk State University has information on its website on accreditation, in general, at www.nsu.edu. Any new developments regarding the SACSCOC decision will be posted on the website at under accreditation at www.nsu.edu.

What can I do to help?Share with your friends, parents and family the following information.

• Norfolk State University remains an accredited institution of higher education.• NSU is a great place to learn, live and work.• Accurate information about what probation really means is on the NSU website.• NSU is committed to removing the probation sanction.

Q&A on SACSCOC probation of NSU

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spartan entertainment

After the 2014 release of Trigga and the Between the Sheets Tour, Trey Songz has proved time and time again that his career is far from over.

Through the course of his career, he has managed to deliver us album after al-bum, never ceasing to give us an earful of either his signature slow jams or up-beat club bangers.

According to www.billboard.com, Trigga, Songz’s last album, man-aged to reach number one on the billboard charts. His album has set the bar pretty high for other artists to follow.

We heard from multi-ple artists on this album, such as Nicki Minaj, Juicy J, Justin Bieber, and more. Fans must anticipate who

Trey Songz to release “Trigga Reloaded”by riChelle haMMiel

Trey Songz is set to release his 7th studio album, “Trig-ga Reloaded,” in 2015. Photo from Facebook.com/treysongz/photos/

and what will be brought to the table for the June 23 release of Trigga Reload-ed.

Seeing that “Trigga Reloaded” will be Songz’s 7th album along with his release of numerous mix-tapes, his fans have contin-ued to support his music and his career.

This far into the game, Trey, also known as “Mr. Steal Your Girl,” still hasn’t lost his touch with his fans.

As a sneak peak of what we will get on the al-bum, Songz has premiered a video for his song “Slow Motion,” which is only one of his hits on the upcoming album.

Both the song and vid-eo are true to his lusty yet seductive sound.

Though Songz is most-

ly referred to as a singer, he often brings out his in-ner rapper, which is also as lyrically on fire as is his singing.

Until the album is re-leased, fans must wonder just what side of Songz will we get on “Trigga Re-loaded?”

With the name Trig-ga Reloaded, we must ask ourselves, what exact-ly does that title mean? Though we can’t get his thought processes behind the name, just imagine what is to come.

Is it possible that Songz and his team will provide us with a whole new per-sona, a new image, a new sound, or overall a new side of creativity?

This spring, Vin Diesel and fellow “The Fast and the Fu-rious 7” -- also referred to as “Furious 7” -- co-stars took us on “one last ride” in the sev-enth installment to the Fast and Furious film series.

Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his crew of foreign car racers find themselves, once again, in the middle of foreign conflicts that involve thievery,

large amounts of money and of course, fast cars.

In the previous film, “Fast and Furious 6,” Toretto and his crew took down Brit-ish thief Owen Shaw who spawned events from “Fast and Furious 5.” For those who remember the cliffhang-er from “Furious 6,” it was no surprise that Jason Statham would be making an appear-

ance in this film. Statham takes on the role

as Deckard Shaw, brother of Owen Shaw, vowing revenge in Dominic Toretto and his crew. Shaw takes Toretto, Toretto’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), Mia’s husband and Toretto’s close friend Bri-an O’Connor (Paul Walker), Dom’s amnesiac girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and their FBI agent foe-turned-friend Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) through a series of dangerous and over the top action-packed con-flicts that would not be a suc-cessful a “Fast and Furious” film without them.

Even through all of the over exaggerated action scenes and driving cars out of airplanes, one thing nearly

“Furious 7” takes viewers on one last rideby Chantelle Polite

The release of Furious 7 was a critical and commercial success, with praise aimed primarily at the film's mind-blowing action se-quences and its tribute to the late Paul Walker. Photo from Face-book.com/FastandFurious/photos/

impossible to not think about for “Fast and Furious” view-ers was the late and great Paul Walker, who died in a car ac-cident in November 2013, be-fore production of “Furious 7” was completed. Walker had been starring in the “Fast and Furious” franchise since its first film nearly 15 years ago as the former undercover cop who originally was sup-posed to take down Dominic Toretto but, instead, fell in love with his sister and joined the Toretto crew.

The “Fast and the Furious” movie franchise may not ex-actly be over. However, the utterances of the words “one last ride” throughout the movie make the series’ ending seem closer than we think.

“Furious 7,” of course,

saw success in the box office grossing $252.5 million mak-ing it the franchise’s highest grossing film to date. The films have capitalized on its continuing storylines of rob-bery, good taking down evil, and the importance of fam-ily all while staying true to what the films were all about: street racing.

Whether they were on the streets of Abu Dhabi or back to where it all began in Los Angeles, “Fast and Furious 7” is a must- see film to start off the summer blockbust-er season with a tear-jerking ending that will make this installment one of its most memorable.