Run Date: 09/25/08

As I walked toward the Women’s Gym Saturday, I had many thoughts going through my head. After all, it was a day that many people had waited for, and it was finally here. I made my way through Long-Jones Hall and Jewett Hall, looking to see who was out there.

To my dismay, the only students present at this glorious event were the World Famed Tiger Marching Band and Gramblinite staff members. Not only that, but few professors, faculty and staff were out there as well.

It’s sad how people are quick to complain that GSU produces only negatives, but when positives happen, no one shows up. But, is this a trend among Black people in general?

We are a group of people who, for some reason, complain about everything and rarely do something about it. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been told about problems that go on around campus.

Yet, when the SGA has a general assembly, most of the students who show up are on the SGA or Favrot Student Union Board. I’m sorry, but why are you complaining if you won’t step to the plate and actually do something?

It’s funny how people were quick to watch Flava of Love, but barely watched BET News. It’s funny how College Hill gets more airtime on the sets than the Discovery Channel.

Why is this? Why are we so quick to poison our minds with mindless trash? Yes, these shows are entertaining, but there are many other things to watch that will educate your mind.

Oh, but let a rumor about organization XYZ having an interest meeting kick up, and people will flock there to see if it’s true. But a fact about a meeting of the minds for improving the university yields only 15 people.

But let two idiots fight in the Union; everyone and their momma will be there, trying to see what happened. A community service project to help the kids out with homework will be vastly ignored.

When refunds drop on the card, everyone quickly goes to Wally World to buy whatever their heart desires. Yet, a women’s basketball fundraiser for a disease gets few to no donations.

You see, we keep ignoring the positives and only focus on the negatives. I still laugh every time I’m told that The Gramblinite puts out nothing but negative news. It’s one of the longest-running perceptions of a newspaper I’ve ever seen.

Maybe we should do that though. Put some negatives in to draw the positives out. Then again, maybe a fight should’ve broken out at the Eddie Robinson Museum Groundbreaking ceremony. I’m sure you would’ve been there then.

Run Date: 09/18/08

It’s been called an isolated incident. It’s been called a prank. However, the facts of the case remain the same.

On Tuesday (Sept. 16) night, two armed men robbed a group of students in Tubman Hall. According to various reports, the men took wallets, jewelry, and credit cards. After the robbery, the men fled the scene, according to reports.

Ralph Wilson, GSU media spokesman, told The Gramblinite that a statement would be e-mailed to the paper Wednesday morning. However, as of 4 p.m. Friday (Sept. 19), no statement or press release has been received.

Wilson did, however, inform The Gramblinite that the police does have a description of the suspects, and they are looking for them. To date, no suspects have been arrested or found.

According to the Ruston Daily Leader, Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office Spokesman Stephen Williams said that the LPSO was called in to assist GSUPD around 9 p.m.

“We set up perimeter around the building, and once we got everyone on the scene, we closed the area there,” Williams told the Leader. “We did a room-by-room search of the dormitory, clearing the building, but have not located any suspects.”

From there, the story varies depending on who is talked to. The News-Star reported that the armed men used a shotgun and a handgun, according to a GSU release. However, one of The Gramblinite photographers was told by an officer on the scene that the guns used was a shotgun and an AK-47.

Another staff member was told that it was a shotgun and a rifle. According to witnesses, the guns used were a shotgun and an AK-47.

The incident left a scar on some students.

“I was kind of scared,” said Kasani Brown, a freshman. “I saw the police with guns. I don’t feel safe.”

The University of Louisiana System President Randy Moffett released a statement, praising the law enforcement and university officials, according to The News-Star.

“We feel this is an unfortunate but isolated incident and appreciate the efforts of law enforcement,” Moffet said. “We believe the GSU administration has taken appropriate steps to deal with the situation, and we continue to be in communication to make sure no additional action needs to be taken.”

One problem most students had was with the FirstCall system. Many students, who did not want to be named, felt that the FirstCall system should have been activated when the robbers fled.

“It’s effin ridiculous!” said one student. “Robbers are running around with guns, and they don’t tell us. But, when the water goes out, we are quick to be notified.”

The university used the FirstCall system Thursday (Sept. 18) to inform students that a water main broke on campus, shutting the university down.

“The First Call system was not activated because it (the armed robbery) was an isolated event,” Wilson told the The News-Star.