campus crawl

the race for housing is nearly impossible to beat. most students wake up early or miss class just to right click three times for semi-decent rooming. some colleges have lotteries, while others focus on students gpa, involvement, and other requirements. one would think it would be simple to wake up, open the university's housing page, and select the room of choice. this is true, it is; however, with unreliable internet connections a simple task can be impossible.

imagine sitting at your computer for fifteen minutes, on the same screen, waiting for 9:00 am to hit. you know that in twenty seconds over half the people in your dorm and many others will on a mad dash for housing. its 9:00am. wham-bam-thank you ma'am! you're on, but wait.. why did the screen turn blank?



this question has been boggling university student's across the nation, specifically those at an hbcu in washington, dc. internet outages, round about housing responses, and inefficient work ethics have left some tuition paying students - dormless. when it seems impossible to get through to the housing managers .. after weeks of phone calls and meetings, the next step is speaking to the president of the university. chasing the pavement is the only way to get anywhere.


when a student has the criteria and rsvp points available to reserve housing, why ignore their concerns? what is the point of having housing officers who are not sympathetic to issues that plague the students? clearly the students can’t manipulate the wireless internet, so it must the university’s fault for having poor technology.


so what do you do?

you write a letter and you continue to call. you show up at one office and if they dismiss you, you prance into another. people can tell you 'no' all day, but eventually someone will reply 'yes'. gather your friends, family, and others for support - make a petition on the dorm reservation system. do what you can to make your situation better.


that's what Howard University student, Melissa, is doing,

she states:

"I am taking my final step in “Operation Melissa Must Stay” on Friday [August 8, 2008]. I am currently drafting an e-mail to our new President, Dr. Sidney Ribeau. In this e-mail I would like to attach a list of names of Howard students who feel that my situation is unjust and to regularly happening on our campus. If you are in a similar situation your name will be added also. All I need if for everyone to write on the wall of the event or if u want your name to be kept secret send me a message with your first and last name as well as your classification."

if you would like to help Melissa, and the many students in her position, send me an email with your name and classification and you will be added to the petition as well. you can also view her facebook event at : http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=21703948794.



there's nothing like paying thousands of dollars to an institution that can't guarantee you a reliable dorm-selection process.

..it’s a campus crawl.

dear black in america, i gotta bone..

after watching CNN's BlackinAmerica with my family, i have to say i was disappointed. i could tell that members of my father's generation produced the show. i felt as though black americans were displayed as starving, 3rd world citizens, struggling to find themselves in a white world. you have GOT to be kidding me. arent we past that? at least more than the show portrayed. perhaps my views of the real world are unrealistic. but, i dont see things as black and white. our nation needs to get out of this state of mind that blacks are the underdog because we cant, wont, dont try to succeed due to the amount of pressure white america places on us. now, my father and i debated endlessly on the subject. he feels as though the show capitalized the essence of blacks in america. yes, this is true. if you think showing an elderly woman dying in a hospital or a young african american male with gun shot wounds is the essence of our people. every race endures a struggle of some kind. why does ours need to be a cable series? also, blacks wont be the largest minority by 2012, due to the overwhelming latino population that has immigrated. holding onto the past and old values keeps the black community floating in a sea of depression. thank you CNN. it saddens me that the world saw this showcase, a showcase for ratings. maybe i wouldnt be so disappointed if it was called "living in america" and not "hey look at me, im black and trying!" ive always had different views on race and the media. my parents are very much pro black - due to the time period they were raised, but i was brought up colorless(whether my parents chooose to admit it or not). but then again, ive always thought differently than most. care to debate?


bring it kidds.

tell jesse to calm down.

jesse jackson has lost all respect. truth be told, i was never fond of the man and when i met him he was rather distant and bland. as a man and ex-presidential candidate one would think jesse would know how to conduct himself while in the public eye. so much for uplifting the "black community" jesse! i can't seem to grasp why he, of all people, would degrade Barack Obama -our nations presidential Democratic candidate. mr. jackson is getting reckless and i might even build up the nerve to place him in the same catorgory as al sharpton; not a good look.


only the ignorant who lack common sense would utter crude words on a live television program .. i mean on The O'Reilly Factor.

"See, Barack been, um, talking down to black people on this faith based ... I want to cut his n**s off ... Barack ... he's talking down to black people."


sound bite..clip..or what have you.

the man is a fool.


good.day


n.mot