News-Record.com

If you can't go to college go to A&T -
On January 22, 2008 the N&R reported that beginning in the fall of 2009 entrance requirements @ A&T will be RAISED to a high school GPA of 2.0 and a SAT score of 700 - this news can only make one wonder about the current entrance requirements.

You are right. The entrance requirements were too low.

But to suggest that this means the typical students are thugs is not only a stretch but patently false.

Ironically, among A&T's most distinguished alumni is Henry Frye Sr., a former chief justice of the N.C. Supreme Court, and his wife, Shirley.
I'm surprised their son didn't give the Lowes an upbraiding for disparaging his parents' alma mater this way.

Same old story, no personal responsibility.We have this down pat in the country. My wife has a PHD in it. Its always someone else fault. I have know some pretty good folks that did well from A&T. Question, how much knowledge does it take to get 700 on a SAT?

It's a pretty low threshold, although I've seen some students with low SATs do quite well.

Not to worry A&T and GTCC now have a "memorandum of understanding" what ever that
is. One head of academics at A&T said it is
"Awesome"

15 months for kidnapping and shooting someone.
I guess basketball does have a lot of pull in NC.

Maybe his father is the problem.

I find this unreal in the extreme.

.

I recently read an autobiographical book written by a former Asbury Park NJ gang member, who moved to Greensboro to attend UNCG.

He recounts in his book about how he continued his lifestyle of drug dealing in the campus dorms at UNCG -- but instead of performing his robberies on his home turf, he would instead drive over to A&T to rob students at gunpoint there.

Such robberies make the local news, and then bolster the local perception that A&T students are the perpetrators.

Most white people in Greensboro have never once visited the A&T campus or attended an event there -- I am always surprised how many of them, who have lived here for many years, are not even sure where the campus is! They'll never know how mistaken their perceptions are.

Mr. Johnson, thank you for having the guts to point out the obvious absurdness of the accusations and insinuations made by Mr. Lowe's family that A&T was the source of all his problems. As an alumnus of A&T, I know that I was never asked or never was it implied that I needed to dumb down in order to fit in. It was quite the opposite. I was encouraged to excel and be the best in my field and never settle for less than that. I believe the old saying of, "when you point your finger at someone, there are four pointing back at you", is more than appropriate when it comes to Mr. Lowe's family. When will they take responsibility for not teaching him the basics or giving him the foundation to have a mind of his own, make better decisions for himself and being accountable for the choices he makes.

"He wanted to dumb down and thug up when he went to school," said uncle Michael Grace. "He wanted to be accepted. He wanted to drop his britches around his butt and show his underwear."

I have been nothing but proud of the accomplishments of my fellow Aggies, people I knew, people who knew me, people who came before me and people who have come now that I am gone.

This statement by Lowe’s uncle Michael Grace panders to the racial biases "mainstream" America harbors for African Americans/blacks and the intellectual inferiority of black men. He may not even realize he was playin into the "mainstream" idea that blacks are just puppets easily led astray, but I am sure he knew by painting his nephew as a pawn it would present him as far less of a threat – which also speaks to America’s relationship with African American/black males. Both father and uncle fell back on the age old practice of make a black man seem far less menacing, more docile, childlike, fragile, and in the eyes of the court and in the public before asking for pity.

It is understandable both father and uncle were espousing opinions as they grappled with their own shortcomings as they related to Lowe II’s current circumstances. However, like any other statement uttered by or with regard to high profile African Americans/blacks universality takes the shape gigantic finger pointing at NCA&TSU.

That universality is rooted in “mainstream” Americas approach to a separate but equal society. They say, “Yes, but this is why…” and instances like these are used to highlight racial stereotypes in a “see I told you fashion”. It is instances of the internalized racial inferiority complex like these that has polarized African American/Blacks. Rather than address the underlying cause of the problem, we divide on the issue. This is why we can’t all just get along. It is instances like these that keep us bound in the world of “me” and prevents us from going any further.

Racial injustices perpetuated against blacks in America have become so prevalent, all we really have time for is the obligatory," Oh no they didn't" before something else comes along. Mr. Grace’s comment should not have been repeated much less printed because it suggests that every student that goes to NCA&TSU “gets their sag on”.

The truth of the matter is, every 4 years NCA&TSU transforms somebody's baby from a scared teen to a vibrant, productive individual. Some of the most prominent Arican Americans/Blacks on the American Stage right now have roots at NCA&TSU or some other HBCU. The climate at NCA&TSU when I was there was inspiring, motivating, and self affirming. Only someone who chose to reject that environment, with no self respect, honor and loyalty to their blood or their school could be reduced to such levels – and to suggest that rejection could have only happened because Lowe II’s first choice was not A&T also suggest that he could have avoided the specter of crime elsewhere a fact that his record refutes. I dare say inspite of his record NCA&TSU gave him the opportunity to get on a more productive path. Speaking to another theme polarizing African Americans/blacks which is when things are good, the "mainstream" is great, but when the "mainstream" turns against you, where are you going to go? Back home into the arms of the people you stepped on getting to where you thought you wanted to be.

Having to point out the massacre at Virginia Tech seems in as poor taste as Michael Grace’s comments, but the actions of that student were not publicly attributed to VT and I dare say no one would have allowed that to happen. There are going to be misguided individuals in our midst and their first point of contact is the family. We all know that families have a way of blocking out the bad in their blood and only focusing on the good, so it is pointless to point out how badly his father/family failed him. Our generation is seeing an inordinate amount of people who refuse to take responsibility for their own actions because someone is always going to be there with an explanation for their behavior.

The explanation may very well be valid but will always distract from the reality. Lowe II had a number of different avenues present to him as a student at NCA&TSU. He was sent/went to NCA&TSU to get an education. The institution has been educating students since 1891 if he failed to get that education it is because he didn't want it. NCA&TSU is an honorable institution and I would hope the ignorance of the comments made by Michael Grace were leading, false and malicious and were used to deflect attention from his nephews actions and buy sympathy in a criminal justice system that is biased against black males. I hope that his statements in no way influence Judge Henry Frye's decision. It is clear Judge Henry Frye did not go to NCA&TSU, because no Aggie would have let comments like the ones made by Lowe II's father and uncle stand. I am hoping his decision was rooted in the hopes that this incident will serve as a wake-up call to Lowe II, he will recognized the opportunity he has been given and move forward on a more productive path 180 degrees away from a life of crime.

As an alumna of N.C. A&T State University, I take offense to the comments of the Lowe family regarding the real reasons for Lowe II's behavior. Nearly 15 years ago, I heard a senior administrator from the University talk to parents about their children coming to A&T. What he told them is "the values that you instill in your child are the values they bring to A&T". Those values guide you, even when another 18, 19 or 20 year old suggests you do something that is morally, ethically and legally wrong. Not only that, young Lowe has engaged in criminal behavior before coming to A&T. Do the Lowe's blame Lowe II's high school, his former coaches or do they see a child who years ago was crying out for the attention of his family. I also ask Coach Lowe. When your game ends and you come to the mike to explain why your team didn't win, where do you point the finger? Do you blame their University for a sub-par performance? Do you blame the parents or do you jump on the kids? No, you take the "we" responsibility for the outcome. It stands to reason that if the "we" of the Lowe family were the coaching family for Lowe II, the guidance and values should have come from you. The institution that has educated, elevated and matriculated tens of thousands of citizens of the world who have proven themselves over and over again as capable, intelligent and excellent at what they do without dumbing down is not to blame. Our students and alums don't break down doors and draw guns. They work to showcase all that is good about N. C. A&T and what is good and right and excellent in them. Young Lowe missed a great opportunity.. to be part of the few, ... the family of Proud Aggies but more importantly to get a quality education at North Carolina A&T State University.

Thank you for the interesting new article. I have been reading up on the new about the activity of a well known coach's son.

I must say that my reason for going to A&T was because I wanted to attend a HBCU that is considered higher education. Coming from Illinois, I had do have a GPA of at least a 3.0 to enter the Engineering program and a 3.5 to receive any type of grant. As far a 700 for the SAT, lets just say that for me that was something I couldn't have to get in. I feel that the coach's family have made excuses after excuses for Lowe II's actions. He's having trouble, but you have to let him man up to his actions. Accusing the school for his actions are just more excuses and sheltering him. I feel that a public appology should be made accusing the school for his actions. If he was at another university, he will still run with the crowd that will cause him to do crime.

Overall, I hope that Civil Suits will be made. Since this family decided to use their so called celebrity status to get their son a smaller sentence, maybe they can pay the celebrity price of a law suit.

Thank you for the interesting new article. I have been reading up on the new about the activity of a well known coach's son.

I must say that my reason for going to A&T was because I wanted to attend a HBCU that is considered higher education. Coming from Illinois, I had do have a GPA of at least a 3.0 to enter the Engineering program and a 3.5 to receive any type of grant. As far a 700 for the SAT, lets just say that for me that was something I couldn't have to get in. I feel that the coach's family have made excuses after excuses for Lowe II's actions. He's having trouble, but you have to let him man up to his actions. Accusing the school for his actions are just more excuses and sheltering him. I feel that a public appology should be made accusing the school for his actions. If he was at another university, he will still run with the crowd that will cause him to do crime.

Overall, I hope that Civil Suits will be made. Since this family decided to use their so called celebrity status to get their son a smaller sentence, maybe they can pay the celebrity price of a law suit.

Thank you for the interesting new article. I have been reading up on the new about the activity of a well known coach's son.

I must say that my reason for going to A&T was because I wanted to attend a HBCU that is considered higher education. Coming from Illinois, I had do have a GPA of at least a 3.0 to enter the Engineering program and a 3.5 to receive any type of grant. As far a 700 for the SAT, lets just say that for me that was something I couldn't have to get in. I feel that the coach's family have made excuses after excuses for Lowe II's actions. He's having trouble, but you have to let him man up to his actions. Accusing the school for his actions are just more excuses and sheltering him. I feel that a public appology should be made accusing the school for his actions. If he was at another university, he will still run with the crowd that will cause him to do crime.

Overall, I hope that Civil Suits will be made. Since this family decided to use their so called celebrity status to get their son a smaller sentence, maybe they can pay the celebrity price of a law suit.

Mr. Lowe's uncle said:

"He wanted to dumb down and thug up when he went to school," said uncle Michael Grace. "He wanted to be accepted. He wanted to drop his britches around his butt and show his underwear."

Newsflash, Mr. Grace: I'm from (east) Winston-Salem, NC. I lived amongst pimps, prostitutes and pushers. I lived with both parents. I never dropped my pants, dealt drugs or committed armed robbery to fit in. My values were instilled by God-given parents.

I'm a graduate of North Carolina A & T with a degree in Engineering Physics.

Some of the places I've worked:

USAF: Communications/Computer Systems Officer.
IBM: Maintenance Supply Clerk
Motorola, Inc.: Process Engineer, Device Engineer, Product/Yield Enhancement Engineer
AMD: Manufacturing Engineer
Clockwork Solutions, Inc.: Modeler/Analyst

Some of the places I've traveled:

Nassau, Bahamas
Cancun, Mexico
The United Kingdom
Rome and Florence, Italy

Some things I've done:
Eliminated Ozone Depleting Materials in Poly Silicon Etch Processes
Presented to the Motorola Analytical Technology Symposium
Authored "Unemployed: A Memoir"
Spoken word CD: “Collective Assets and Other Prophesies
Build web sites

I emphatically agree with the comments that have thus far corrected you: your nephew made a choice, and life is minimally chance driven and largely choice driven.

I teach at one of the high schools Sidney Lowe II attended. He didn't need to "dumb down and thug up" before college. He was already there. The sad part is that, here is a young man from an upper-middle-class family, who was given every opportunity. He came from a good home, attended decent schools, and then got accepted by an outstanding university. He was handed far more opportunities than many young black men and threw it all away. And once again, he's given another special chance, a reduced sentence, something extraordinary. I just hope someday he makes something of himself, and pays back society in some way, to redeem himself for being a complete idiot as a teenager.

I can not believe the comments Mr. Grace made concerning NCA&T. A&T is a fine institution and many great Black men have graduated from there including my brother-in-law, friends and fellow co-workers. The younger Lowe made bad choices and his parents/family are blaming A&T.