By Kylcye Bolden

Off of the train tracks at 3618 Walker Ave., there is a two-story brick building, where what happens inside is unlike anything else on the University of Memphis campus.  

At the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship, U of M students are being mentored through the process of developing their ideas and creating startups. The structure at the Crews Center is much more informal than typical campus services in order to better promote innovation and creativity among student entrepreneurs.

Originally called the Crews Ventures Lab, it was envisioned as an incubator for startups —typically university research for later commercialization.  However, Crews Center director Mike Hoffmeyer, suggested the University reevaluate the function of the operation. 

“An incubator by definition is very exclusive,” he said.  “What I recommended to the university was not to let go of the incubator concept, but to broaden it.  Let’s create our own destiny.”

Expanding the idea of the Crews Center opened the door for it to be an environment for any student who has an idea for a startup, regardless if it is researched based or a cool idea, to utilize and perfect that idea for commercialization.  More than simply that, however, Hoffmeyer feels that the purpose of the center is to influence the entire university to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. 

Hoffmeyer expressed that the culture of innovation is contagious.  Saying that once people experience it, they get attracted to it and come back with a desire to get more involved. 

By Darnesha Cotton

Fashion Moguls Memphis (FMM), a newly formed University of Memphis organization, will host its debut fashion show, titled #reWERKd,  on Monday, March 24, in the University Center Theatre at 7 p.m.

“It’s a different approach to fashion; it’s not just able the labels. It’s about using what you’ve got and adding your flare to it,” said Christina Dang, Fashion Moguls Memphis president.

Members of FMM collaborated with each other to redesign and create new garments to be modeled and sold during the show. Lena Ray, one of the stylists for the show, said she is anticipating the response of the audience to the shows approach towards fashion.

“I look forward to seeing how the people react to the clothes that we created,” Ray said. “A lot of the clothing we reworked for the show were donated by students at the University of Memphis that they didn’t want.”

FMM hosted a clothing drive at the university in December 2013 and January 2014. The clothing donated during the clothing drive that was not used in the show was donated to Clothes4Souls.

Every model in the show will be wearing two #reWERKed garments partnered with clothing provided by local boutiques: Wish, Langford Market, Crazy Beautiful and Plato’s Closet.

By Courtney Smith

The Memphis Tigers (23-9, 12-6 AAC) are in a similar situation they have been in before since coach Josh Pastner has been leading the team. The media, especially the fans, are not sure if the team can make a deep run in this season’s NCAA Tournament.

All of the speculations started last week in the American Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament when the Tigers suffered an embarrassing outing (72-53) in the quarterfinals round to the hands of the Connecticut Huskies (26-8, 12-6 AAC).

The four senior guards for Memphis (Joe Jackson, Chris Crawford, Geron Johnson and Michael Dixon Jr.) combined to score 29 of Memphis' 53 points on 26.3 percent (10-of-38) shooting from the field.

Pastner assured the media that the Memphis Tigers are prepared to face its first round match-up against George Washington University (24-8, 11-5 A-10).

“We will be ready to play. We will be ready to play,” Pastner said twice to one of the reporters present at Tuesday’s press conference. “I can’t sit here and guarantee the outcome, but we will be ready to play. I know I felt that going into the UConn game, but we will ready to play.”

By Courtney Smith 

The AP Top 25 poll in college basketball was released on Monday, giving fans a chance to see whether or not their favorite teams ranked in the top 25 or had vanished from the list.

Five teams were ranked in the top 25 from the American Athletic Conference: Louisville (11), Cincinnati (15), SMU (18), Connecticut (19) and Memphis (20).

The Tigers (22-7, 11-5 AAC) should be done celebrating their win over defending national champion Louisville Cardinals (24-5, 13-3 AAC), from Saturday. Now, the Tigers have another task on their hands as they are out to get revenge on the Cincinnati Bearcats (24-5, 13-3 AAC).

"As I told our guys after the Houston game, we can't have a hangover from that game going into Louisville, same thing from Louisville game going into Cincinnati," Pastner said. "We can't have a hangover meaning we now got to focus on Cincinnati."

In the last meeting between these two teams, the Bearcats had their way with the Tigers by not allowing them to get the easy transition points that the Tigers are so used to getting.

Senior forward Justin Jackson was effective for the Bearcats on both ends of the court. He added 13 points, eight rebounds, seven rebounds, and two assists to lift his team to an 69-53 victory in front of Tiger Nation.

The Bearcats' star player Sean Kilpatrick added 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting (45.4 percent) from the field.

"I think they're (Cincinnati) one of the very best defensive teams in the country," Pastner stated to the media.

By Akilah Speaks

The National Association of Black Journalists sponsored a panel discussion titled “The N-Word in Sports and Hip Hop: Fair or Foul" for students at the University of Memphis on Thursday night in the UC Bluff Room.

Otis Sanford, the panel moderator and a journalism professor, strived to raise awareness of how the use of the N-word continues to spread throughout generations and what affects it has on black people.

An expert panel, comprised of Ron Tillery, Memphis Grizzlies beat writer, Knowledge Nick, local rapper, Martin Ifedi, U of M football player, and Tatianna Ingram, an active student, to elaborate on their perspectives of the N-word in black culture and to talk about personal experiences within society.

Sanford decided that the best place to have this discussion was among the faculty and students at the U of M because of the diversity on campus. It was a way for all cultures to come together and discuss a word that has been linked to hate and racism throughout history.

“I was very pleased with the outcome,” Sanford said , “and with the N-word being a topical issue, this was a great place to have this discussion. This campus is so diverse and the conversation was good and productive.”

The N-word has been a trending topic within the news, an issue in pro sports, and hip hop culture. In his article, “N-word is wrong for anyone,” written for The Commercial Appeal, he discussed the issues in pro sports, which have sparked feuds in the locker room and even coaches who have penalized players for the usage of the word.

Tillery explained a discussion that Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins had with “only” his black players. In his article “Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins puts focus on life, not just basketball,” he talked about the lecture Hollins had with his players about their use of the N-word and how he felt it was used recklessly on and off the court.

By Kirstin "Kirby" Cheers

Jacqueline Christion, head bowed-chin to chest and arms folded, watched footage of a familiar scene on Wednesday. She had seen this footage before. In fact, she was one of the features in this particular film.  

It was on a day in October of 1961. She along with 12 other black children started their first day of elementary school—at an all-white school.  

"It was exciting, but I was nervous and scared," Christion recounts on the film. 

Christion lifted her head to the screen as she heard the voice of a friend, Sharon Malone, "Once that door closed and our parents walked out of that school, it was us."  

"The Memphis 13" premiered in the Beale Room of the University of Memphis' University Center to a crowd of more than 30 students and 30 university professors and personnel. The documentary accounted the experiences of 13 African American 5-year-olds who were the first to integrate Memphis City Schools. The group was divided and sent to four inner-city elementary schools: Rozelle, Bruce, Gordon and Springdale.  

"That was a part of our childhood that we just wanted to shut out of our lives for the rest of our lives," Malone said on the panel that afternoon. 

By Darnesha Cotton

A crowd gathered at the 7 p.m. in the University Center Theatre Tuesday on the University of Memphis campus as actor, author and activist Lou Gossett Jr. spoke on the importance of education, unity and getting back to cultural roots.

“Although Mr. Gossett is still working in films, with an emphasis on faith-based stories, he is primarily dedicating ‘the last quadrant’ of his life to an all-out conscious offensive against racism, violence, ignorance and social apathy,” said Tori Thompson, a 20-year-old journalism student and host of the event, as she introduced Gossett.
 
The theatre was filled with students, faculty, and community members of all ages. The crowd of approximately 100 welcomed Gossett with a standing ovation.

Gossett was featured as the second celebrity guest speaker for the 2014 Black History Month celebration.  Honored with his own event, Gossett chose to title his speech, “The Education before the Education.”

“Here, lately, I don’t think too many people are teaching you. The manners that you learn at home that you take out into the world with you so that you are able to be teachable,” he said.

By Darnesha Cotton

The University of Memphis African Student Association will be making the world their runways. The student organization is using cultural fashions to unite students of different backgrounds and heritage.

Senior film student Lawrence Shaw and Justin Brookes, a sophomore health and human performance major, are co-directors of the first Multicultural Fashion Show on campus. 

 “We are trying to show the diversity of the world," Shaw said. "The best way to learn about a different culture is through their food or through their clothing."

 The show is set to occur in April during the University’s Multicultural Week, an annual
celebration done by the University to honor the diversity of the students. 
 
“The vision is just to show everybody that although we are all from a different culture, we all
of one body, we are all the same. We can celebrate each other’s diversity,” said Shaw, the creative half of the duo.

By Courtney Smith

Tiger Nation was quiet for the most part of Wednesday night's game against the UCF Knights. They weren't as rowdy as they were on Saturday night when ESPN's College GameDay crew was in town for the game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

The fans were watching a sluggish Memphis Tigers team that looked to have a hangover from their recent win over the Zags. 
Before the game got out of control, the Tigers had to get going on offense and defense to satisfy the 15,021 people in attendance at the FedEx Forum.

Despite the Tigers' sluggish start in the first half and midway through the second half, Memphis (19-5, 8-3 AAC) was able to hold off UCF (9-13, 1-10 AAC) for the potential upset with a 76-70 home victory in conference play. With the loss to Memphis, the Knights losing streak extended to nine games.

"It was a good win. We found a way to get the W," Coach Josh Pastner stated to the media. "It was not pretty. We got to give Central Florida credit, but we got the W and that's the bottom line. I didn't think we were sharp in some things. Championship teams got to play the championship level every time you step on the floor. I felt like our energy was fine, but I didn't think some of our execution in some areas we were real good."