A DAY IN THE LIFE OF VCU TRANSPORTATION

Fall Block at VCU

FALL BLOCK AT VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY

By Kelsey Mejia

(RICHMOND, September 21) - Colored spotlights and hundreds of anxious spectators circled the Stuart E. Siegel Center Saturday night in what resembled the start of a rock concert. But there would be no rock stars performing that night. It was the 23^rd Annual Virginia Commonwealth University Fall Block Step Show.

Fall Block at VCU is not just a step show; it is an entire week of events to showcase what Greek Life and the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), the organization of all nine historically black Greek letter organizations, is all about.

“Fall Block is like homecoming here,” said Michael Perkins, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. “Since our homecoming is in the spring, this is our big fall event.”

September 15 was the first day of fall block. A High School Step Team Competition took place in the student commons in which area high schools came to compete for the opening spot during the competition on Saturday. Potomac High School from Woodbridge, Va. took the top prize.

Tuesday was a chance for all NPHC organizations to showcase a portion of their routines at the Pre-Show Cookout/Step Exhibition and Wednesday a ‘Why Be Greek Forum’ was held to answer questions about NPHC. An Ice Cream Social took place Thursday and a Wing Night in the Break Point game room was held Friday night.

But Saturday night, it was about who could bring home the trophy for the best step, a tradition that dates back to slavery.

African studies show that the African “Boot Dance” was developed in the coalmines where slaves worked in boots given to them to deal with the rough terrain. On Sundays, their days off, slaves would stomp in their work boots which became known as “boot dancing”. Boot dancing resembled the sound of African drums which reminded the slaves of their home land. They would accompany the dance with stomping and clapping in rhythms.

In the early part of the 20^th century, the first eight out of the nine black fraternities were formed. White Greek organizations would sing and chant on campuses so Black Greek organizations made stepping their trademark. At their Inter-Fraternity Conferences, they used stepping as a friendly call and response competition. It has evolved into the stepping observers saw Saturday night at VCU.

Stepping was also made popular by hit movies like “School Daze” and “Stomp the Yard”.

Potomac High School opened the show Saturday night to a loud uproar from the audience. “I’m from Woodbridge and I live close to Potomac,” said Allan Moody, a sophomore at VCU. “I was impressed with their step.”

Seven of the nine fraternities and sororities stepped beginning with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and ending with Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. In between routines, DJ B-Sounds from Power 92.1 entertained the crowd as the host. DJ 5’9 played popular music in the background while the NPHC organizations “party-hopped” doing choreographed steps to the music.

When the two-hour long show was complete, the winner of the sororities was Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. took the title on the men’s side. Second place went to Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. took the third place prize.

“I feel like the Deltas deserved to win,” said Josalyn Coleman, a spectator. “Some people should have placed that didn’t but everyone did pretty good.”

Profile Piece on Tanisha Carter

By Kelsey Mejia

(RICHMOND, Va.) – Sept. 10, 2008- Tanisha Carter never thought that her D average in college and constant partying would lead her to success, but it did.

Carter, a Chesterfield County native, began her collegiate career at Norfolk’s Old Dominion University. Her first semester was so daunting that she could not even achieve a C average.

“My grades were so bad,” recalls Carter. “After my first semester, my parents said, ‘I don’t know what you’re doing down there, but you need to get it together.’ It was a wake-up call.”

Carter enrolled at ODU in the fall of 2004. She was a biology major, but was not focused on her academics in her first semester. In the spring of her freshman year, she made all As and Bs and she continued to the rest of her time at ODU.

The summer before her sophomore year, Carter began working a part-time announcer’s job at a Norfolk radio station. Her job included handling promotions for club events and advertising for local parties.

“I loved my job at the radio station,” said Carter. “I just knew that was what I wanted to do.”

Carter enjoyed her job at the station so much her priorities shifted and she changed her major to Mass Communications.

After a year at ODU’s school of Mass Communications, Carter wanted to enroll in a more comprehensive program.

“All of the Mass Comm. courses at ODU were taught by the same people,” said Carter. “I felt like I needed to transfer schools so that my degree would be more valuable.”

Carter contemplated transferring to nearby Norfolk State University, but since she always partied there, she thought she would do better academically at another school.

During her junior year at ODU Carter took a chance and applied for an internship closer to her home with Richmond radio station 106.5.

“I told myself if I got the job, I would definitely transfer to VCU [Virginia Commonwealth University],” said Carter. A bold move considering she would be entering her senior year in college when she transferred. That would mean another year of school on top already changing her major.

Carter got the job with 106.5. Although transferring to VCU put her a full year behind her expected graduation date, she is now more focused than ever.

Carter now expects to graduate in May. She lives at home and does not party much anymore. She can also see her 10-year-old brother more often and be a bigger part of his life.

Although she has lived in Chesterfield County her entire life, Carter plans to move after graduation.

Graduate school is in Carter’s after-graduation plans. When asked if she wants to stay local she just smiled. “My main goal is to move to a major city,” said Carter. “I really want to go to The Academy of Art University in San Francisco”.