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Ashong: African Culture Misrepresented by Rap
Camron Rushin | Editor In Chief

Today’s hip-hop music doesn’t fairly represent black youth culture, Derrick Ashong said in his speech, presented by the Artist Lecture Series Monday night.
Fewer than a quarter of the seats were filled for Ashong’s slam-poet energized speech about his project to change the image of hip-hop music.
“Hip-hop music is all about sex, drugs, guns and money,” said Ashong. “Those things appeal to the lowest common denominator. We need to start asking crucial questions, like who represents us.”
Ashong, a doctorate student at Harvard University in Afro-American studies and ethnomusicology, showed the audience part of a documentary he is working on. The film was about the influence of American hip-hop on the people of Ghana, Africa, where he was born.
Ashong then related a story about an university student in Ghana who thought African-Americans were the upper class because of they way they are portrayed in music videos.
“They’re always wearing jewelry and have the nicest cars. You never see white people like this,” he said.
American hip-hop has also changed the language of the people in Ghana. Ashong said that once, as he was walking down the street in Ghana, someone asked him “What’s up, my nigga?”
Hip-hop music had completely changed the culture of the youth in Ghana, he said.
“Hundreds of years of slavery could not turn an African into a nigger, but 10 years of hip-hop done did it,” he said.
Ashong explained that bands in the early nineties, like Public Enemy, had a message.
“The major labels invested in hip-hop and it went from being the pissed-offness of urban youth to where all they talk about is money, sex and guns,” he said. “The voice of hip-hop is scared to talk about anything with substance.”
Ashong showed a music video of his band’s remix of an African folk song called “Sweet Mother.” The video had a positive, energetic message and portrayed Africa “how it really is,” said Ashong.
The video made it to number four on the Ghana charts, a huge feat considering American hip-hop artists owned the nine other spots on the charts. Ashong hopes to bring this video and message worldwide.
The American media only shows the bad things in Africa like violence and AIDS, said Ashong. This misrepresents Africa to America.
“We’re working on a project that will help Americans view Africa like it really is. Most people who visit Ghana don’t want to leave,” he said.
Ashong also talked about the false hardcore image of the American hip-hop artist.
“How many criminals do you know who go around bragging about it on television?” he asked.
“We even have black kids at Harvard who walk around with this fake thug mentality,” Ashong said.
The people in Ghana are more hardcore, he said.
“We don’t have drive-bys, we have coup d’etats,” he said.
Ashong ended his speech abruptly and asked for questions from the audience. The audience sat, silently soaking in all that he had said. A man from the audience raised his hand and asked, “Can we give you a round of applause first?”
Ashong’s speech received a standing ovation.



Students vote'yes': Recreation Center Passes with 82.6 Percent Approval
Paige Dickerson | Managing Editor

The proposed recreation center passed the student referendum, with 82.6 percent of students voting in favor of the building.
The recreation center, which was approved by Student Government three weeks ago, will be presented to the Board of Regents for their approval.
A total of 992 students voted online last week, according to the Office of Student Affairs.
“I’m excited because we’ll be able to offer all students opportunities in health, wellness and recreational sports,” Joey Greenwood, director of recreational sports, said.
The proposed recreation center would include a rock climbing wall, an outdoor pool, racquetball courts and an outdoor adventure center.
“All of it is proposed, obviously. We are not going to go and cut out all the ideas and concepts that student government really wanted in there,” Greenwood said.
The project will also include a new wellness center and another campus physician.
“One thing about the fees students don’t realize is that it will go for maintaining everything as well. It will pay for all the new equipment and for the new physician,” Greenwood said.
If the Board of Regents gives its approval, proposals will be accepted from architects to find the lowest bid.
“Any architect can bid on it. That way, we can get competitive bidding. On the brochures it says ‘up to $130’ and we can say that it won’t exceed $130,” Greenwood said.
The center’s proposed completion date would be Fall 2007. The fee would begin in Spring 2007. 
The location chosen by the student government committee is near Sikes Lake.
“It would basically be on top of where the Sikes Lake Center is. There are two metal buildings out there, the Sikes Lake Center and the Outdoor Education Center, and this would replace them both,” Greenwood said.
The primary reason Greenwood saw for building the recreation center was scheduling conflicts.
“This is one thing that a lot of people don’t see. We have a lot of scheduling conflicts with the 10 athletic sports now and we share all the facilities with the teams. A lot of students come talk to me because they can’t get into the gym and there is really nothing I can do,” Greenwood said.


Food and Housing Rates Rise for Fall
Camron Rushin | Editor In Chief

Renovations to Killingsworth and Pierce halls have led to a 7.5 percent increase in cost for next year’s residents.
Modifications to bring the buildings up to fire codes were the reasons for the significant rises in fees for Pierce and Killingsworth, said Keith Lamb, associate vice president of student affairs.
Lamb explained that, in 1999, a fire in a dormitory in Seton Hall, NJ, prompted the Texas Fire Marshall to review every residence hall in state institutions.
When the Fire Marshall set new standards for universities, Killingsworth and Pierce both fell short of the new safety requirements.
To meet the new fire codes, the dorms needed automatic sprinkler systems, Killingsworth’s stairwell and elevator had to be rebuilt, hallways needed to be made shorter, new doors needed to be installed and the walls needed to be rebuilt.
“The walls didn’t go all the way up to the real ceiling.  Instead, they went to the drop ceiling,” Lamb said. “This allowed smoke to go from one room to the next through the ceilings.  If we had to shut down the dorms to do fire work, we might as well do a complete renovation too.”
Killingsworth’s renovations were finished last semester and Pierce began renovations this spring.
Because of the influx of students, Sunwatcher Village had to be built before Killingsworth could be shut down to do renovations, said Lamb.
The school had to invest in government bonds to help pay for the renovations.
“Part of the increase is to make sure we can make debt payments on Pierce and Killingsworth,” Lamb said.
The cost of semi-private rooms for Pierce and Killingsworth went up from $1,200 to 1,290. Private rooms rose from $1,650 to $1,740.
Semi-private rooms in McCullough-Trigg Hall rose 3.79 percent from $1,320 to $1,370. Private rooms rose 2.82 percent from $1,770 to $1,820.
Semi-private rooms in Bridwell Courts Apartments rose 3.81% from $1,180 to $1,225. Private rooms rose 2.76 percent from $1,630 to $1,675. All other Bridwell Courts rooms were raised $25.
Rooms in the Biology and Honors houses were raised by $25 and all Sunwatcher Village rooms were raised by $5.
These prices will not affect current MSU students because of the room rate freeze program.
“As long as you stay with housing, you will keep paying the same amount as the price it was when you first moved in,” Lamb said.
Lamb said room rate prices rise a little bit every year to keep up with rising rates and inflation across the board.
Fuel prices will cause food-service rates will also rise next fall. The prices for meal plans and individual meals rose 2 to 3 percent.
“This is probably the lowest we’ve gone up on food service,” Lamb said. “Gas for transporting the food and for cooking the food has gone up, so we had to go up as well.” Lamb said.
The 19-meal plan rose 2.29 percent from $1,222 to $1,250. The 14-meal plan rose 2.18 percent from $1,145 to $1,170. The 10-meal plan rose 2.52 percent from $1,112 to $1,140.
A single breakfast meal rose 3.21 percent from $4.99 to $5.15. A single lunch rose 2.86 percent from $5.59 to $5.75. A single dinner rose 2.76 percent from $5.79 to $5.95.