By Darnesha Cotton

Rapper Preauxx, pronounced "Pro," has been busy  perfecting his craft and making a name for himself since 2008.  With a growing fan base and plenty of enthusiasm, he still has the ambitions of a new artist.

His hard work has not gone unnoticed as the Student Activities Council asked him to perform at the first Spring Fling Music Festival opening up for Big Sean. Here is what he had to say about his fans, inspiration, music and the future of his career.

By Dee Reneé

The UDistrict has many great eating places from wings and pizza to Mediterranean food. Restaurants such as Brother Juniper's and CK's coffee shop are great places to eat breakfast and to start the day off right. Many restaurants like RP Tracks are trying to find a way to satisfy all types of customers. That's why recently they have added barbecue tofu to their menu to attract vegan and vegetarian customers. 

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By L. Taylor Smith

During the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship’s Spring Ideas weekend, one team won $1,000 for an idea they developed over a 48-hour period.

Friday, anyone with an idea had the opportunity to pitch an idea in two minutes. Afterward, each participant voted on the ideas they liked best until only five ideas were selected to be built into a rough business model throughout the weekend.

Flyover Footage was one of those ideas.

Darrin Devault, a University of Memphis journalism professor, and Tom Willcox, senior public relations major, developed the idea.

They have been working together through Meeman 901 Strategies, a student-run PR firm that operates through the Crews Center.

“I remember he was like ‘Should we pitch something?’ and I asked him what we would pitch, and he said ‘Drones,’” Willcox said. “I didn’t even think that was allowed.”

By Cormac Parker Jr

When some people think of mission trips, the first couple locations that come to mind are deep in the jungles of Africa, parts of China or maybe even the local mission serving the homeless.

However, for more than 100 University of Memphis students, Orlando can be added to the list.

Affectionally called the Orlando Project, the 10-week program, starting May 25, sets out to “give students tools that would help them share their faith with their families and friends while growing closer to God,” said Denny Catalano, campus director of the Orlando Project.

Campus Outreach is an interdenominational organization whose "mission is to glorify God by rising up labors on the campus within a lost world." The organization reaches thousands of college students each year with eight college sites across the nation.

When asked why the city of Orlando was choosen, Catalano shines a light on the diversity that the city naturally possesses. 

“We go to Orlando because it is one of the most visited cities in the world, a melting pot of the nations,” he said.

By Jamesa Y. Alston

Memphis' favorite doughnut spot Gibson's Donuts
is now offering late night discounted prices. 

Every night starting at 11  p.m., Gibson’s offers a dozen doughnuts for $3 or a half dozen for $1.50. The discounted prices only last until the doughnuts sell out.

Gibson’s, located at 760 Mt. Moriah Road, has been serving the Memphis area since 1967. It is currently located in the Sea Isle community, near the University of Memphis and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“When I get off work late and I know I would be up until the early morning studying, I would stop by Gibson’s on the way home and grab a dozen of maple bacon donuts and orange
juice,” said Ashley McKinney, a sophomore business major. “Although the doughnuts are made hours early, they are still just as good as the fresh donuts.  I am winning with the discounted price.”

By Dee Reneé

A four-year public college costs an estimated $18,391 per year for in-state students and an organization has found a way to help students get some relief from their increasing tuition and living expenses.

Walking into the Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) on Free Food Friday, there's laughing and pool balls scraping against billiard tables.
 
Located just across the street from the University of Memphis at 469 Patterson St., the BCM has served food to college students for the past 10 years.

"I come to get free because I’m a broke student and I need food and I always ask my friends if they want free food to come with me on Fridays," said Rianna Sarmiento, a senior biology major.

Churches from the city come and serve students different meals and deliver a message. The event lasts from noon to 1 p.m. 

 Students must show their college IDs and non-students pay $2.

The $2 goes to the mission's foundation where students go on mission trips.Students go on varies mission trips in hopes of sharing the gospel and the love of Christ with people.

"I love being a part of this organization where I help serve my peers and just fellowshipping and getting to know other students," said Anna Joy Batchelor, a sophomore journalism major

This past Friday Whitehaven Baptist served hot dogs, chips and cookies.

"I haven’t brought anyone but people have brought me and this is my third time here," said Morgan Bell, a freshman music composition major.

Everyone is always welcomed to get seconds.

The meals vary on what the participating church brings to serve the students, which can differ from home cooked meals to barbecue and even pizza.

Late Night appetite is another free meal opportunity hosted by the BCM every third Monday of the month from 9 p.m. till midnight, and they serve breakfast food.

By Kirby Cheers

It takes a village to raise a child and it take hot wings to raise a college student.  

At least that's what one will find when they visit Ching's Hot Wings located at 1264 Getwell Road, one block away from South Campus on the corner of Park.  

On any given weekday, the hot wing restaurant is filled to capacity with standing room only. Placing an order for carry-out over the phone leaves the customer waiting for about 45 minutes on "Scandal Thursdays" and a solid hour for a night of March Madness. Yet, the various, mouth-watering flavors keep Ching's customers coming back and waiting for more each week.  

"It's a good problem to have," Stacey Jackson, one of the co-owners of the popular hot wing restaurant, said. "We talk about the parking. Even with our employees, they will call me and say, 'I'm here, but I can't find a parking space.' It's exciting to see the growth and see where the next level will take us."  

By Kirby Cheers

The next time you are on a campus tour at the University of Memphis, make sure to visit Smith Hall. After the tour guide showcases the exhibition dorm room, ask them to introduce the Assistant Area Coordinator (AAC) there. This may cause an eyebrow to raise, but the guides are more than accommodating. 

On the first floor in a small office hidden around the corner of the dormitory's desk and lounge area, sits Kanesha Johnson, the AAC for Rawls and Smith Halls—adjacent, all-women dormitories in the middle of campus off Patterson Street. Her credentials may not sound extraordinary, and when you meet her, she may not come off as important as one of the four candidates for university president.  

Nevertheless, she is an unsung, success story in Memphis. 

Johnson, 22, graduated from the university in the fall of 2013 with a B.A. in political science. She was the first in her family to graduate from college in addition to being the first in her maternal family to graduate from high school.  

A Raleigh-Egypt High School alumna, Johnson, was raised predominately in North Memphis, surrounded by poverty, drugs and gangs during her upbringing.  

"I grew up in a single parent home with my mom, brother and older brother," Johnson recalls. "The neighborhood was pretty rough. Frequently, there were gun shots and my mom did not allow me to go outside. My brother was also in a gang."  

Living in an unstable home and being engulfed by poverty and violence seemed normal to Johnson. However, what truly impacted her childhood was her mother's schizophrenia, something Johnson never understood, but could recognize the signs and symptoms.  

"I always knew something was wrong," Johnson said. "It wasn’t until I got older and went through counseling on my own that I knew that's what was going on with her. We tried to offer her help, but she would not accept it." 

By Charles Gray

Immediately south of the main campus at the University of Memphis sits a railroad line that serves as a way to port goods from the country's longest river to the nation’s capital.

Although most students might complain about the inconvenience it causes seemingly anytime they are running late for class, its history is rooted in being an integral part of the development of the city.

'The railroad track has enough importance of its own,” said Memphis historian Jimmy Ogle. “That track was the first to connect the Mississippi to the east coast. It was over 780 miles long at a time when most railroad were short tracks, usually only 100 miles at most.”

The railroad tracks were originally built in 1857. They connected the Mississippi to the Atlantic Ocean and were primarily used to haul inland cotton to the coast for trade with European countries.  As the area developed due to the growth of the city and the presence of the West Tennessee Normal School, passenger cars became more abundant on the line.

“People used to use the passenger trains quite a bit,” said retired Norfolk Railroad employee Pete Craft. “I remember when the first diesel engine trains used that railroad. They were so fast and new people nicknamed them ‘Streamliners.’”

Along with streetcars that traced the streets, the railroad was the main form of transportation in the area. Shortly after World War II, the use of cars began to trump that of streetcars and train lines resulting in the once great passenger train not being needed in the same way.

“People during the war had made more money than in their entire lives,” said Memphis historian Wayne Dowdy. “They wanted to buy a car and a house so this area really developed.”

In 1949, Normal Station went out of service and was destroyed. After it no longer served passengers, the railway became a dedicated goods rail.  The land in which the station stood still holds visual cues from its past.  North of the tracks and south of U of M buildings Ellington Hall and Smith Hall, the outline for the old stop can still be seen.

Even though many would lob petty complaints at the train's location, it has been a huge catalyst for development both in the area and the city.

“Nowadays most people tend to think that it’s in their way,” Ogle said. “But it’s been there longer than Memphis, so really, we’re in its way.”

By Leah Beth Bolton

If ever an inch of snow falls on the ground in Memphis, Tenn., you can guarantee the students at the University of Memphis are anxiously awaiting an alert from the school’s Director of Public Safety and Police Services Bruce Harber letting them know school is canceled for the day.

However, for Harber, that decision isn’t as easy as sending out an email.
 
Many students were disappointed Monday night following the bad weather on Sunday when Harber made the decision to open the campus late rather than canceling school all together. Twitter complaints flooded the U of M’s page with students commenting on the inconvenience of the late decision.

Senior journalism major Shelby Smith commutes from Arlington, Tenn., and said she was one of the  students disappointed in the decision.

“A 30-minute commute is no joke,” Smith said. “I think if Shelby County Schools are out; we should be out, too.”

Sara Harrison, a senior fashion merchandising, home decor and journalism major, said coming to school with ice on the ground is an inconvenience for commuters.

“I commute to school on a daily basis, so when school closes due to weather, I’m thrilled. I would rather not drive when there is ice and snow on the ground,” Harrison said.

Harber said that, contrary to popular belief, determining whether the UofM should close due to inclement weather doesn’t fall solely on him.

“I don’t make the absolute determination,” Harber said. “It’s kind of a misconception a lot of people have. I usually end up making a recommendation to the president or vice president, and then we all make the final decision together.”

Harber explained that this year brought more unexpected weather than he has seen in years past, forcing him to be abreast of the weather as far in advance as possible.

“This has been a really challenging year for us as far as weather is concerned,” he said. “Some years we’ll go a whole year without a single threat of bad weather. I tend to watch the weather, well, my deputy and I do, and like, right now, we know 10 days out what to expect.”

But for Harber, sending out a TigerText to let students know school is cancelled doesn’t mean he’ll be sleeping in.

“I’m up no later than 4:20 a.m., so I can hear what they’re saying on the weather on the morning news,” he said. “I have several layers of who to contact and what to look at before I make a decision.”

Harber said he starts by using the Weather Channel, then he moves on to Weather.com to view their map in motion. After that, he calls the Memphis Police Department’s senior dispatcher and the Shelby County Sherriff’s dispatcher to check on the roads for commuter students. Lastly, he checks in with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

“We just gather as much information as we can from those sources, and then I call campus to see what’s going on there,” Harber said.

Harber said most importantly, students, faculty and staff must make their own decisions when it comes to safety.
  
“We always tell people they have to make their own personal decisions, too,” Harber said. “We don’t know where everyone lives. We have to go by what campus looks like, and if everything’s fine here it’s hard for us to know. We tell people to do what you think is best for your situation.”