An unnamed trespasser caused a commotion when he re-fused to move from under the black, red and white plot of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity of America, Inc after being asked respectfully to move.

A throng of students gath-ered around as the scene unfolded. Some of the trespasser’s belongings were thrown toward the Armour J. Blackburn Center. The trespasser, a white student, attempted to retrieve his possessions, but he fell while running back to the plot to protect the rest of his things. After regain-ing his composure, four Campus Police officers spoke with him for at least 15 minutes.

“A couple members of the fraternity were complaining that he

was sitting under the tree,” Officer Maximillion Holland said. “We managed to talk to him and get him to move.”

Some onlookers felt em-barrassed that the incident hap-

pened, since they believed the com-motion ensued because he was an outcast.

Cramton Auditorium was filled with Senegalese music and culture as feature artists performed the Concert for Peace, Tolerance and Understanding. Though the festivities began an hour late, the audience – about 900 – received the four feature artists warmly with shouts, dancing and singing for the entire duration of the show.

Howard alumnus Toni Blackman hosted the concert and began by apologizing for the unexpected delay “due to circumstances beyond the control of the producers of the event.”

Positive Black Soul, a hip-hop duo of Senegal natives Didier Awadi and Duggy Tee, opened the show with a song in their native language Wolof, as well as in French and English. The first piece was politically charged as “Awadi” paused to proclaim that the song was for his people “suffering everywhere in Africa because of the political system.” The audience responded with cheers and clapping as the concert began. The show continued with performances from Waflash, Titi and Abdou Guité Seck. Each artist performed a 15-20 minute set.

While the audience was predominantly Senegalese D.C. residents, there were also concertgoers who did not speak

the language but believed in the transcendental power of music.

D.C. resident Rafaela Stalbalk, a native of Rio de Janeiro, recently returned to the U.S. from Senegal and attended the concert with her boyfriend. She heard Titi sing while in Senegal and “fell in love” with the artist. “I love her sound and the spirit of the music,” she said. “I can feel the joy in it. Although I don’t understand the words, I understand the music.” When asked why the auditorium was not packed to capacity, Stalbalk speculated that, while it seemed natural for students of an HBCU to come out and support African artists, “people just don’t appreciate what art that they don’t understand, and that’s normal. It’s also funny since all music does come from Africa.”

Howard University was represented mainly by members of the African Student Association (ASA). The organization was primarily responsible for event publicity both to the Howard community and the surrounding African community. Senior biology major Musaleehat Hamadu serves as this year’s public relations officer for the ASA. “We publicized mainly through e-mail blasts, Facebook – that was really helpful – and phone texts.” Hamadu says she’s genuinely interested in learning more about Africa as a continent and learned a great deal from helping with and experiencing the performances.

The experiences were also

“new” for Ionne McNeill, a senior accounting major. “I haven’t been exposed to much Senegalese music, but I did enjoy the show.” She said after the concert ended.

The concert – a joint effort among the U.S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal and the Senegalese Ministry of Culture – is the second in a series of three. Tonight, all of the featured artists and many more will come together for the final

installment of the series in Dakar at the 60,000 seat Stade Léopold Senghor (also called the Stade de l’Amitié) at 8:00 p.m.

THE HILLTOPVOLUME 93, NO. 109 WWW.THEHILLTOPONLINE.COM

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

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BACKLASH FROM A HILLTOP ARTICLE?

49 The Daily Student Voice of Howard University

Sean Robinson - Photo Editor

Students and the D.C. community gathered for a Senegalese inspired concert. The final installment will be held tonight.

1924Established

E&P PAGE 7

Charges Dropped Against University of Maryland Students

INDEX Metro 2 Business & Technology 4 Life & Style 6 Editorials & Perspectives 7 Hilltopics 8

BREAKING NEWSAccoRdING to cNN, A NAvy tRAINING jEt cRAShEd IN A NoRth GEoRGIA foRESt KIllING thREE PEoPlE, ANd oNE IS mISSING.

mEtRo

PAGE 2

lIfE & StylEIN THE DATING WORLD, IS IT SMART TO HAVE A CHECKLIST OF PREFERED QUALITIES? READ LIFE & STYLE TO SEE WHAT OTHERS HAD TO SAY.Notebook

Tuesday’s

PAGE 6

FIND OUT HOW ADRIENNE & ALVIN CARTER HAVE MANAGED TO KEEP THEIR FAMILY RESTAURANT OPEN FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS.

BY SARAYA WINTERSMITHContributing Writer

Students and Senegalese Community Unite in Cramton

> See tRESPASS, Page 3

University Discusses New Breast Cancer Screening Recommendations

The Howard University Hospital Auditorium was filled with doctors, researchers and medical school students for a debate that might change the fate of African-American women.

Recently, the U.S. Preven-tive Task Force (USPTF) issued a recommendation to perform fewer breast cancer screenings and to be-gin them at a later age. This directly affects African-American women,

the demographic that gets diag-nosed with breast cancer at a lower rate than white women but die at a greater rate. This poses a worry to physicians and researchers who say that this may lower the survival rate due to the later and less frequent screenings.

The USPTF recommended against routine screening for wom-en ages 40 to 49. They said the decision to start regular screening before the age of 50 should be left to the patients.

MSNBC political analyst

and Howard University alumni Michelle Bernard moderated the panel that consisted of Jenny Lu-ray, president of the Komen Ad-vocacy Alliance, Dr. LaSalle D. Leffall, cancer researcher, former president of the American Cancer Society and the Society of Surgical Oncology and professor of surgery at Howard University College of Medicine, Dr. Eric Novack, an or-thopedic surgeon, U.S. Rep. Donna Christensen, a Democratic delegate to Congress from the U.S. Virgin Islands.

It also included Dr. Worta McCaskill Stevens, head of Breast Prevention and the Minority-based Clinical Community Oncology Program for the National Cancer Institute, and Dr. Charles P. Mou-ton, chair of the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Howard University College of Medicine and Howard University Hospital.

The American Cancer So-ciety came up with guidelines for breast cancer screening years ago that recommended women get

yearly mammograms after the age of 40. Lefall said once the recom-mendations came out from the task force, the American Cancer Society was flooded with calls.

“The recommendations were created with a narrow mind of health care,” Lefall said.

Mouton said to remember that these are not guidelines but rec-ommendations by the task force. He said the mission of the task force is to provide recommendations based upon the given material.

BY TAHIRAH HAIRSTONCampus Editor

Charges facing two University of Maryland (UMD) students for allegedly hitting Park Police officers were dropped on Monday. Nineteen-year-olds John J. McKenna and Benjamin C. Donat faced charges for allegedly striking Park Police officers after a March 3 men’s basketball frenzy. The allegations stemmed from a celebration after College Park’s win over Duke. Twenty-eight people were arrested or cited in connection with the celebration. Now a new video has surfaced showing Park Police beating McKenna. In the one-minute video shot by another student, police are seen hitting the student with their batons. McKenna did not provoke nor resist the beating. Officers from the Maryland-National Capital Park Police can be seen in the video, but they took no action to stop the beating. According to the report filed by county Police Officer Sean McAleavey, Donat and McKenna were being loud and inciting an unruly crowd. The two students allegedly “struck those officers and their horses causing minor injuries.” The charges were dropped against Donat, because he could not be identi-fied by officers. No comment has been made on why McKenna’s charges were dropped.

– Genet Lakew, Metro Editor

BY JASMINE CARPENTER & DERRICK HAYNES Hilltop Staff

Trespasser Invades Phi Mu Alpha Tree on The Yard

Sean Robinson - Photo Editor

An unidentified white male was asked to leave the area but refused to move.

2 CAMPUS April 12, 2010

THE HILLTOP

Parking Meters Increase, Frustrates Students

The consistent paying of a parking meter around Howard’s campus is a common hassle student drivers face. Since fall of 2009, the meter rate that was once 30 min-utes per quarter is now approxi-mately seven minutes per quarter.

The increase in parking me-ters, more students are consider-ing other alternatives in order to prevent from the likelihood of re-ceiving parking citations. Students have been known to use handi-capped permits-without the degree of being handicapped-, and even sit in their cars regardless of the

weather conditions until their next class begins.

After receiving over $600 in Howard parking tickets, and sitting in her car on D.C. roads, Jasmine Norwood, senior broadcast jour-nalism major, opted to pay the $250 fee for a Howard parking permit.

“I live off campus and a permit is the easiest way to prevent that problem of tickets, especially after having a car boot and having my car towed once before while at school,” Norwood said.

Jendayi Hogan, a junior physical therapy major obliges that the problem isn’t with Howard, but with the D.C. parking system. “I

don’t let it affect me; I would rather get a citation from Howard instead of D.C. parking so I just park pret-ty much anywhere,” Hogan said.

According to the Public In-formation Officer for the District Department of Transportation, John Lisle, the increase in rates is for revenue, budgetary reasons and to provide more available parking in busy commercial areas.

“We match supply and de-mand by adjusting rates and ex-tending hours,” Lisle said. “We chose to apply these restrictions also on Saturdays now because free parking can increase ingestion and pollution for people driving around.”

Lisle explains that the loca-tion of Howard is the reason why it has had these implications in its area.

“Howard has city streets running throughout the campus. There were 3500 meters that were changed to $2 per hour and How-ard’s campus community is in a premium zone that calls for a lot of demand for parking, so this was strategically a good way to estab-lish more parking,” Lisle said.

On the other hand, Robert Boyd, senior business manage-ment major feels the rate increase was not a good idea. He believes it causes a limited amount of space rather than more open spots.

“I feel that public meters should not be present on a private campus. I’ve already received plen-ty of tickets on campus during my time as a student here. It’s made me more conscious of where I park, but in some cases it has made me late for class,” Boyd said.

Like Norwood, Boyd has a parking permit but still has been affected by the D.C.’s parking laws. As a result, he claims to simply pay attention to more signs and keep extra quarters in his car.

BY MALIKA MICHAUDContribitinh Writer

Four New Beginnings, One Weekend

ADDDDD

Ryan Hamilton - Advertising Layout Manager

As the spring semester wraps up, Divine Nine fraternities and sororities on Howard’s campus began to unveil their new members for 2010.

On Thursday, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc., Alpha Tau Chapter (below) brought out three new members and on Friday, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Chapter (left) brought out 62 new members. The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Alpha Chapter (above), brought out 12 new members and Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., Alpha Phi Chapter (upper left) brought out three new members.

Ryan Hamilton - Advertising Layout Manager Photo courtesy of Natalie Robinsonr

Photo courtesy of Tyra Flotte

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ADVERTISEMENTS 3

There are now fewer than two weeks until the last day of classes and less than four weeks un-til graduation day for Howard Uni-versity’s Class of 2010. As excited as students are, whether graduating on time or not, they must prepare for the harsh realities of post-col-lege life.

Some of these aspects of the real world, especially the job mar-ket, may turn out to be a bit more of a challenge than previously re-alized. Despite a national unem-ployment rate of 9.7 percent, the economy is improving. Yet for those between the ages of 16 and 24, the size of the labor market is shrinking and unemployment is rising.

According to the latest re-search by the Economic Policy In-stitute (EPI), a Washington, D.C. based non-profit think tank, 18.9 percent of all workers between the ages of 16 and 24 are unemployed.

Teenagers and young adults repre-sent 13.5 percent of the workforce, but account for 26.4 percent of un-employed workers.

The numbers are based on research gathered from late 2007 to early 2010 and suggest serious cur-rent and potential problems that are exacerbated when broken up by race and gender. The difference for male and female unemploy-ment is 7.5 percentage points, with 15 percent for young wom-en and 22.5 percent for young men. Black 16 to 24 year-old workers (male and female) have the highest unemployment rate at 32.5 percent, followed by Hispanics at 24.5 percent and whites at 15.2 percent.

In addition, the increases in youth unemployment under the current downturn are much stron-ger than they were in previous re-cessions and they are remaining without a job for longer periods of time. The average length of un-employment has doubled, from 11

weeks to 25 weeks.Some of the reasons for

the decline in labor among young adults are structural. As more ex-perienced and older workers retire, current workers rise in position, providing opportunities for newer and younger workers. However,

“baby boomers,” or those now reaching retirement age, are not retiring and are working longer. Many have seen their pensions cut and 401K plans wiped out by the recession. The collapse of the hous-ing bubble resulted in a loss of $5 trillion in residential wealth as well

as plummeting home values. Those between the ages of 55 and 65 saw their personal wealth fall by nearly 38 percent over the last five years. As older workers try to rebuild their nest eggs and financial savings, the labor situation for young workers is continuing to deteriorate.

However, young adults are less prepared to deal with unemployment than other aged groups. Many have not had much years of employ-ment and are not likely to have attained high-paying positions. Also, most have not accumu-lated enough savings for an individual safety net. Without adequate work experience, many young workers may not

qualify for unemployment insur-ance either.

Young adults are also faced with higher debts. About 2 in 5 young adults under 29 are more than $5,000 in debt, and that’s without taking student loans or mortgages into account. According

to a study by Greenberg Quinian Rosner Research, citizens 35 and under have the highest ratio of debt to assets at 44 percent.

“With such little financial se-curity, young workers have less free-dom to wait out a downturn and so they frequently take whatever job is available, even if it pays less than a job that matches their skill level,” said the EPI study.

For those who were fortunate enough to find and retain a job, this is one of the many new reali-ties they will have to come to terms with. According to a March 2010 report by U.S. News & World Re-port, fewer employers are offering jobs to college graduates than they did in 2009, while more of those in their early twenties are settling for internships or temporary work.

“It is not enough for the economy to recover, young adults need robust growth in the labor department to minimize the effects of the current recession,” the EPI study said.

4 NATION & WORLD April 12, 2010

THE HILLTOP

Rwanda Restores Economic Relations with France Rwanda has resumed economic ties with France after a four- year freeze, its finance minister announced Friday. Rwanda’s finance minister John Rwangombwa made the statement after signing an agreement with France’s ambassador to Kigali, Laurent Contini. Last month, French President Nicolas Sarkozy paid a state visit to Rwanda, signifying the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries after years of disagreement over responsibility for Rwanda’s infamous 1994 genocide.

U.S. Urges “Civil” Secession Vote in Sudan President Barack Obama’s special envoy to Sudan says his country is working to resolve various contentious issues in order to prevent a return to the 21-year civil war that ended in 2005. With the semi-autonomous South showing all signs of determination to secede, U.S. Special envoy Scott Gration said the U.S. hopes next month’s general elections will pave way for a “civil divorce, not a civil war” after the 2011 referendum. Two million people died and over four million fled their homes in the two decade war between the north and the south.

Information from www.NewsFromAfrica.org

Nigeria’s Acting Leader Unveils Cabinet Nominees Nigeria’s Acting President Goodluck Jonathan has released his list of cabinet nominees, which retains only seven of President Umaru Yar’Adua’s former ministers and includes the president’s nephew, Murtala Yar’Adua. Jonathan dissolved the cabinet earlier this month, having stepped in as the country’s acting leader following President Yar’Adua’s incapacitation late last year. Murtala is the eldest son of the President Yar’Adua’s late older brother, Shehu Yar’Adua, who was Nigeria’s vice president between 1976 and 1979. His selection is seen as an effort to either placate the first family or to prepare him for future political responsibility. Nigeria’s senate has to approve the nominees before the acting president can formally swear the ministers into office.

- Compiled by Marquis H. Barnett, Nation & World Editor

BY OLLIE MONTGOMERYStaff Writer

Teens, Young Adults Account for Large Number of UnemployedCourtesy of the Bureau of Labor Statistics

The table above lists the average amount of workers ages 16-24 who are unemployed as opposed to the remainder of the workforce. Also illustrated is the spike in unemployment from past years.

Recent statistics show that teens and young adults between 16 and 24 account for one-quarter of the unemployed population

“...Young workers have less freedom to wait out a downturn and so they frequently take whatever job is available, even if it pays less than a job that matches their skill level”

-Economic Policy Institute

All over America, fans are fawning over athletes from the sidelines, and groupies are waiting outside locker rooms in professional arenas, hoping for some interaction with a rich and famous sports star. Maybe it’s the muscles. Maybe it’s the attention. Whatever the reason, athletes seem to be at higher odds of securing female attention than the average guy.

From the outside, the life-style professional athletes live are undeniably glamorous, from sizable paychecks and multi-million dollar homes to the slews of women that instantly come with the fame of be-ing a professional athlete.

Much like professional ath-letes, Howard University’s athletes are subjected to a similar lifestyle, simply on a much less grand scale.

Their prime real estate is the much-coveted, air-conditioned rooms of Cook Hall, education

costs covered by the university, and like professionals, “groupie love” associated with being an athlete.

Calvin Thompson, a sopho-more psychology major, and guard for the men’s basketball team, wasn’t surprised by the number of groupies he encountered upon his arrival at Howard. After the sur-prising amount of female attention he received during a high school visit, he expected it.

“When I was a freshman, I paid a little attention to the group-ies, but that’s changed as I’ve gotten older,” he explained. “I really don’t know why they even exist, it’s not like we’re getting paid. I think it’s degrading.”

Although the lure of women can initially be exciting for an ath-lete entering college, they can pose a few problems, sometimes distract-ing players from their demanding schedules of schoolwork and athlet-ics.

The “groupie love” also may make it difficult for athletes to have successful relationships later on,

due to the negative stigma some-times associated with being a col-lege athlete.

Senior administration of justice major Gerald Jackson, de-fensive back for the Bison football team also experienced his share of “groupie love” firsthand during his time as a collegiate athlete at both Howard and State University of New York in Buffalo.

“I’m not really a big groupie guy, because you know they’re re-ally after one thing,” Jackson said. “When they know a player’s good, they see dollar signs over his head. At the same time, you capitalize on what you can get from them. They act just like they would towards us as they would [an] athlete at the professional level.’’

According to Jackson, atten-tion from groupies never got in his way romantically, although they did cause a small amount of strain on his relationships.

“I blocked out all the group-ies when I was in a relationship,” he said. “She’d be mad about them,

but she had to deal with it, and had no reason not to believe me. I had the situa-tion under control.”

In Thompson’s case, although he wasn’t involved with any of his female “fans,” the nonstop atten-tion posed serious compli-cations in his relationships, causing an understandable level of insecurity and ten-sion.

Although the groupie attention was rough on his relationship, he never had any problems with figuring out if females were inter-ested in him, because he played ball, or if they really liked him for his personal-ity.

“Nine out of ten times, I only talk to a girl that I pursue, not one that pursues me,” he said. “My mother taught me that a long time ago, and it works well.”

In basketball, not many names are as well known as that of Michael Jordan. However, what may be bigger – and coincidentally a little more known than the man himself are the shoes that bear his name.

The Jordan Brand began in 1984 as Nike’s attempt to have an athlete represent an entire apparel line beginning with shoes. In 2010, the brand sponsors 21 athletes in-cluding Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Derek Jeter and Michael Crabtree. They also sponsor Uni-versity of North Carolina, George-town University and University of Cincinnati basketball teams.

One of the most unique things about the Jordan Brand is that the featured athlete is no lon-ger active. Michael Jordan retired permanently from the NBA in 2003 but people still buy new Air Jordan shoes every time they are released. In 2008, the Air Jordan XXIII was released and people were camped outside the Niketown store in Chi-cago waiting for it to open the day of the shoe release.

Junior administration of jus-tice major and Howard offensive tackle Cory Gwinner said the Jor-dan name is the main reason the brand has still carried on for so long.

“He is a legend,” Gwinner said. “His name is still relevant, even with kids today who never saw him play with the Bulls.”

Another unique thing about the Jordan Brand is the advertising and marketing. Nike played on the emerging hip-hop generation in the mid 1980s with the Spike Lee commercials, and Jordan wearing Air Jordan sweats to the 1985 NBA Slam Dunk Contest. They com-

bined this with universal appeals such as comedy and Jordan’s well-known work ethic.

These elements can still be seen today. Senior finance major Phillip Batten said Nike struck gold with the way they marketed the Jor-dan Brand.

“They created something unique that evolved from a basket-ball shoe to a fashion statement,” Batten said. “The apparel manages to stay relevant without ever losing its classic feel.”

One major criticism of the Jordan Brand is the cost of most of the product. The 2010 Air Jordan shoe costs $175. They also sell a leather coat for $300. This has lead to many people, especially teenag-ers, being robbed and sometimes killed for their Jordan apparel. Jordan himself said in that situa-tion, people should give up their apparel.

Senior broadcast journalism major Killian Lewis said it is not the company’s responsibility to make sure nothing happens to people while wearing Jordan merchandise.

“Unfortunately, people get robbed sometimes for their nice things. It is not unique to Jordan’s,” Lewis said. “No one tells people to display their nice things in places they know are not safe.”

The most recognizable part of the Jordan Brand is its logo. Howard Bryant was on the Nike staff that launched the shoe back in 1984 and is an executive today. He said the original logo was a winged basketball, seen on Air Jordan I and II, and it wasn’t mature enough. They were looking for something to appeal to all ages. The creative director, Peter Moore, saw a picture of Jordan dunking at the University of North Carolina, and the jump-man logo has been used ever since.

Jordan is not the typical bas-ketball shoe spokesperson. He is

CEO of Jordan Brand, and is, along with his family, involved in every decision from marketing to the product designs. Bryant said this common male mentality is a

big part of what has kept the brand strong for almost 30 years.

“The world is in a short sup-ply of hope and Mike emulates hope,” Bryant said. “Here is a guy

that was cut from his high school basketball team and became the greatest basketball player ever. It shows people if they work hard they can also become extraordinary.”

SPORTS 5

THE HILLTOP

Sports Trivia!

What minor league team signed Hank Aaron to his first Major

League Baseball deal?

Search the Hilltop for the answer!

April 12, 1988

Frank Robinson replaces Cal Ripken as manager of Baltimore Orioles.

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thehilltopsports@gmail.com To Write About Them.

BY STEPHEN KNOXContributing Writer

BY RYAN FOSTEREditorial & Perspectives Editor

Jordan Brand Still Strong 26 Years Later

Photo Courtesy of wordpress.com

Despite no longer being an active player in the NBA, Michael Jordan continues to produce sales from his shoes more than any other NBA player in history. Jordan plays a crucial part in every decision involved in his brand.

Athletes Being Chased By More Than Opponents

Photo Courtesy of HU Sports Information Office

Bison guard Calvin Thompson has experienced “groupie love” since being at Howard. He said groupie attention has caused issues in his re-lationships.

THE HILLTOP

6 ADVERTISEMENT April 12, 2010

In the face of Justice John Paul Stevens’ highly anticipated retirement af-ter 35 years serving on the Supreme Court, President Obama is being presented with the rare opportunity to nominate a second justice in less than two years.

Justice Stevens, despite his age and status as a registered Republican, has traditionally been very bipartisan in his decision making, with a surprising tendency to fa-vor the liberal viewpoint. Subsequently, Obama’s nomination of a second left-wing justice doesn’t really have the potential to greatly alter the struc-ture of the court in terms of more liberal decision making. However, Obama’s nomina-tion does have the potential to set yet another American precedent.

Obama’s bucket of possible nominees to replace Stevens includes four women and two African Americans. If he chooses a woman, it

will mark the first time three women have served on the Supreme Court at the same time, and if he chooses an African American, it will mark the first time two Afri-can Americans have served at the same time.

Eighty-nine year old Stevens’ retirement comes

at a good time for President Obama, as his forthcoming nominee will presumably be in favor of his controversial health care agenda, which has to pass through the Su-preme Court to officially take effect and possibly serve as the swing-vote to its ap-proval in a majority conser-vative court.

Regardless of right-wing conservative criticism, the slowly changing compo-sition of the Supreme Court is reflective of American society’s progression into a more accepting and diverse nation. In his short time in office, Obama is making a significant amount of con-

tribution, with his first appointee Sonia So-tomayer and likely, his impending selection.

As students, and American citizens, we really shouldn’t take for granted the impor-tance of Obama’s im-pending nomination. Supreme Court Justices serve either until they

choose to retire or resign, until they’re impeached, or until they die. The affect of Obama’s decision won’t sim-ply affect the most important decisions for the next couple years – they’ll affect us for a huge chunk of our lives, and subsequently a huge chunk of American history.

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The Hilltop encourages its readers to share their opinions with the newspaper through letters to the editor or perspectives. All letters should include a complete address and telephone number and should be sent electronically on to hilltopeic@gmail.com.

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businessoffice@thehilltoponline.com Now in its 85th year, The Hilltop is published Monday through Friday by Howard University students. With a readership of 7,000, The Hilltop is the largest black collegiate newspaper in the nation. The opinions expressed on the Editorial & Perspectives page are the views of the The Hilltop Editorial Board and those of the authors and do not necessarily represent Howard University or its administration. The Hilltop reserves the right to edit letters for space and grammatical errors and any inappropriate, libelous or defamatory content. All letters must be submitted a week prior to publication.

India ClarkBusiness Manager

Crystal J. AllenEditor-In-Chief

Jada F. SmithManaging Editor

Traver RigginsManaging EditorDeontay Morris

Deputy Managing Editor

Nicolette McClendonCartoonist

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D a i l y S u d o k u

Retirement Presents Liberal Opportunity

Our View:It’s excellent that Obama

is getting the opportunity to appoint a second Supreme

Court Justice.

EDITORIALS & PERSPECTIVES 7

Perspective

Chivalry For All

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Send your perspectives to hilltopeditorials@gmail.com

Ever since the topic of chivalry was mentioned nearly a month ago in my so-ciology class, I’ve been think-ing about it more than ever.

In fact, my thoughts have been further fueled by an article I read recently about a middle school Latin class in Arizona in which not only are boys now expected to open doors and pull out chairs for the girls, but also expected to stand whenever a girl stands and are not al-lowed to sit at their desks until all the girls are seated.

Some may find this adorable and classic; how-ever, I found my lip curling and my head shaking from side to side the more I read.

I’d like to preface this by debunking a common misconception whenever this controversial subject is brought up: I have no problem with people open-ing doors, offering seats on a crowded metro train, or anything of that nature. My problem, however, is with the notion that basic man-ners have to be gender spe-cific. Frankly, I don’t care if you’re a man or a woman: if you hold the door for me or offer me a seat as I struggle with an armful of groceries, you are display-ing respect and politeness.

Here is the truth that many female supporters of chivalry either don’t know or don’t consider: chivalry, as we know it in its modern

context, is incredibly sexist. Chivalry does noth-

ing more but perpetuate the notion that women are the weaker, “fairer” sex and therefore, need extra atten-tion, assistance, and the like. It is a set of gendered man-ners packaged as quaintness.

For those who are skeptical of my declara-tions of chivalry’s sexism, simply consider the time pe-riod in which it was popular-ized and how women were treated at said time. Men should treat women with respect, but chivalry isn’t the way of going about it.

Are we really judg-ing a man’s admiration and value based on their ability to open a door? Manners, human decency, civility, and respect have no gender and should be taught at an early age and reinforced through-out life. Open the door if you get there first; offer your seat to somebody you think needs it more than you, not based on sexist stereotypes.

Curious about how my girlfriends here at How-ard felt about chivalry, I was rather disillusioned by their responses. The girls I talked to seemingly esteemed chiv-alry and enjoyed the notion of men respecting women by opening doors and of-fering seats to their female counterparts. They notice-ably frowned at me, seem-ingly perplexed by my dis-tain for these old-fashioned

acts of respect and my opin-ion that — while these acts were okay — it should not be an expectation just be-cause of a person’s gender.

I recently found this very telling when a friend of mine who admittedly liked the benefits she receives from chivalry expressed irritation at the fact that when she once held a door open for a man on campus, he stood at the threshold and refused to go through it. She reached the door first, opened it for him, and he stood stiff as a rod, either confused by this act of basic, human courtesy or was uncomfortable with being in the position which chivalry deems to be the weaker traditionally female role. So is it okay for men to enjoy having the stronger role and awkward when the roles are reversed? I’m sure the many strong, independent women of Howard would think twice before endorsing a concept based on the no-tion that they are lesser than their male counterparts. Es-sentially, chivalry is a de-terrent of gender equality.

Many have asked the age old question: Is chiv-alry dead? The answer to that question is all rela-tive, but I know one thing: If chivalry does die, sign me up to offer the eulogy.

Ashley Reese,sophomore print journalism major

8 HILLTOPICS April 12, 2010

THE HILLTOP

Student days 20% OFF ALL

services on Tuesdays

and Wednes-

days. Call to make

appoint-ments

202 986 8685. Www.

souldayspa.com

ask for Lanisha or

Katrina.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING THIS

SUMMER?

Co-lead your own elementary school class

$1,000 living stipend

Leadership skills and teaching experience

Immerse yourself in an urban school system

Mentor youth and bond with children grades K-8

Have a summer like no oth-er!

HEADS UP

SERVE-LEARN-LEAD

Join Todayhttp://www.headsup-dc.org/ program/college/serve.php

For more info contact: mney@headsup-dc.org

Go online and Vote for the

Student’s Choice Awards

for Excellence Awards!!

http://banweb.how-ard.edu:4443/

pls/PPRD/twbkwbis.P_WWWLOGIN

Awards Include:

•Mordecai Wyatt

Administrator of the Year

Award

•Harold Gray Humanitarian

of the Year Award

•Bison Choice Award

• Outstanding Professor of the

Year Award

2010 Student

Council of the Year is…..

Stop by Cramton and

Get your ticket

TODAY for Bison Ball

2010! Excellence Awards/

BisonBall - $35.00

& Bison Ball -

$20.00.

See you April 24, 2010 at

Marriott Wardman Park

at 7:00!

Email Huexcellence

awards@gmail.com

to reserve your table.

The Ladies of Alpha Chapter,

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated

Present,

May Week 2010

“Diligently Strengthening

Our Ties:Uplifting Our Heritage to Restore Our Community”

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Call to ChapelCramton

Auditorium11:00am

Monday, April 12, 2010

“Sankofa: Reclaiming

the Legacy of Black

Business”Location TBA

7:00pm

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

“It Takes a Village: The Role of the

Black Family in Educating

Youth”Blackburn

Digital Auditorium

7:00pm

Wednesday,

April 14, 2010“The R.I. S.E. of

Nollywood: Recognizing

International Strengths in

Nigerian Entertain-

ment”Blackburn

Digital Auditorium

7:00pm

Thursday, April 15, 2010“Umoja: Con-necting with

the Motherland

through Cultural

Expression”Burr

Gymnasium7:00pm

*Athletic Wear Suggested

Friday, April 16, 2010

“History in the Making:

Health Care Reform and its

Societal Im-pact”

Locke Hall Auditorium

7:00pm

The Homecoming

Steering Committee is hiring for the

following positions.

1. Audio Visual

Specialist

2. Web Designer

3. Graphic Designer

4. Vending Liaison

5. Sales Representa-

tive

6. Gospel Coordinator

7. Celebrity Basketball

Coordinator

8. Opera-tions

Manager

9. Treasurer Assistant

10. Interna-tional

Coordinator

All applications

are due in the Office of Student

Activities BlackburnCenter #

117 April 16, 2010 on or

before 10:00 a.m.

HUSA & Street

Bid’naz Presents...Reclaiming

the Kingdom:

The Return of the Black

Man

Tuesday, April 13,

20107:00 PM

Cook Hall Lounge

For Black Men Only

Join the movement

by first joining the conversa-

tion!New Bethel

Baptist Church9th Annual

Scholarship Gospel Concert

Featuring Howard

University Gospel Choir

Saturday, April 17, 2010 6:00pm1739 9th Street

NW, Washington, DC

20001One block from Shaw-Howard

Metro Stop

Alpha Nu Omega Inc. Presents:

Project REFUGE:

Gospel Benefit

Concert for Homeless

Child Playtime Project TODAY

East Ball-room

Blackburn 7:30pm

The Lovely La-dies of

Alpha Chapter, Alpha

Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.,

Present

Health Week 2010

“Televised: Healthcare Reform”

MondayDr. 90210:

The Extremities of Plastic Surgery

Location: Gallery LoungeTime: 7:08 p.m. Attire: Business

TuesdaySo You Think

You Can Dance?: Benefits

of Dance as a Workout

Location: West Ballroom

Time: 7:08 p.m. Attire: Casual

WednesdayFight or Flight: Stress and its

Effects on Your Body

Location: Founder’s

Browsing RoomTime: 8:08 p.m. Attire: Business

ThursdayCharlie’s Angels:

Self Defense

Location: Medical School

Rm. 2208Attire: Casual

College of

Arts and

Sciences

Junior Class

Meeting is

scheduled

for Tuesday,

April 13 2010

at 5:30 p.m

in Room 101

Locke Hall.

Wednesday Night Live Presents:

“The Come Up!” on

Wednesday, April 14th @

6:45PM in the Andrew Rankin Me-

morial Chapel

“Ain’t No Party Like a Holy

Ghost Party, Cuz a Holy

Ghost Party Don’t Stop!”