She’ll introduce herself as Mandi and that’s what her friends call her. Don’t touch her Starbucks or Diet Coke unless you’re ready to throw down. Other things she loves include Mexican food, which she claims she would eat every day if she could and also spending time at the beach. She enjoys all kinds of music, but especially enjoys action movies.

A sister of Delta Zeta, she recently became the social chair planning events such as parent’s weekend. Joining Delta Zeta introduced her to her current roommate and best friend Katie James. Mandi and Katie enjoy being random together and simply enjoying each other’s company. Katie defines Mandi as her best friend and the “most caring, selfless, fun person she has ever met.”

Mandi has a boyfriend now of a half a year Blake Callison. The two met a little over a year and a half ago and have a great relationship. Blake defines Mandi as a girl who is “a care-free spirit who marches to the beat of a different drummer.” He added that, that was what he liked most about her and is what makes her so special.

Of all the people Mandi is close to, the closest has to be her mother. Both Blake and Katie say that it is strange how close they are, almost seeming like two girlfriends more than your typical mother and daughter relationship. In talking to Mrs. Miller about her daughter you will instantly understand as well. She describes her daughter as a natural caretaker, always concerned of the feelings of others. She also said that she is a very easy going girl who has no problem laughing at herself and has a strong sense of happiness.

Mandi also has a very strong relationship with her grandfather or to her “Papa”, spending as much time with him as she can. She very often will take time to hang out with him, especially doing things like getting an early morning breakfast.

Next Semester Mandi is considering studying abroad, possibly in New Zealand. Her boyfriend and roommate were both jokingly upset with the idea, sadly admitting that it would be great for her if she decided to go. Her mother however was very excited about the experience, though she said she would definitely worry having an entire ocean between her and her daughter.

Also Mandi works as a waitress at nearby restaurant Gilligan’s. Being a waitress comes easy to her with her passion of making others happy. Though she’ll tell you she’s not that good at it, it is obvious that she makes up for it with her sense of humor and warmth.

Mandi is currently considering graduate school, but sees herself working in public relations at some point. This area of work seems very fitting considering her naturally kind nature and capability to find the good in all situations says her mother.

When asked where they saw Mandi in the next ten years, everyone replied with very similar answers. Her mother and boyfriend saw her in a big city, being very successful working for a public relations firm. Mandi’s roommate Katie took a slightly different approach however also saying that she saw her living in the big city, but that she saw her working for a famous person. “I think she would be good at that”, she said.

In knowing Mandi for less than a month now, it was not surprising hearing what her Mother, roommate and boyfriend had to say about her. She is a very kind person who has a warmth to her as well as an ease you would not expect. For being an attractive twenty year old sorority girl, she won’t use it to intimidate you. She instantly puts down her guard and lets you in, introducing you to the kind caring girl any of the people around her would tell you she is. Whatever big city this small town girl ends up in, they’re in for a treat as she will no doubt bring her caring energetic personality to the table.

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Every news source except National Public Radio and cable news networks has lost readers and viewers to the internet since the 2000 election. Research shows that while almost a quarter of all Americans receive regular campaign news from the internet, 42% of those ages 18 to 29 use the internet as their primary campaign news source. The use of traditional news mediums of television and newspaper has remained relatively flat since the 2000 elections, suggesting that the internet has become an additional source of news for most Americans, rather than a replacement for traditional sources.

The internet still ranks fifth on the list of news sources most used by Americans. The most common source of news is still television and the daily newspaper, according to a recently released PEW Research Center survey report on sources of campaign news. The most visited websites include MSNBC, CNN, and Yahoo News – while the most watched television news continues to be local news programs.

CBSnews.com is offering live results from every county of every state, updated every minute. CBS has partnered with washingtonpost.com and The Politico to offer streaming news and analysis about the event. CBSnews.com is also simulcasting Katie Couric’s television coverage online, as well as clips from the campaign rallies.

CNN has developed the Multi-Touch Collaboration wall to graphically display information on a large touch screen that is operated like an iPhone. CNN uses the wall to display large amounts of information quickly and easily. The Multi-Touch Collaboration wall is a far cry from the dry erase board and marker seen in the 2000 elections.

Print coverage of Obama and Hillary following Super Tuesday was split between those that chose to focus on the results, concluding whether there was a candidate now expected to win the presidential nomination, and those that chose to evaluate what each candidate could do to secure the nomination in the remaining primaries.

The headline in USA Today read, “Obama, Clinton Locked in Virtual Tie”. Similarly, the U.S. News headline read, “Clinton, Obama Emerge From Super Tuesday Tied.” The stories that followed these headlines were equally as vague, not talking about the candidates’ policies or making any predictions, just reporting the results of Super Tuesday based upon the numbers.

Although countless newspapers had identical headlines, a few approached the story from a different angle. Those newspapers stood out from the rest by analyzing the situation in-depth. The Washington Post headline for the article above was “Promises They Can’t Keep”. The story looked at what has been expected of the candidates up to Super Tuesday and how those expectations will change and grow in the future. The Boston Globe’s headline read “Super Tuesday Shows How Much We Don’t Know”, again stating specifics in the story on Obama and Clinton and comparing their ideas.

Looking at print media on a national issue such as Super Tuesday it is obvious that the more prestigious papers are the ones that give detailed stories, attempting to get away from headlines that everyone will have.

On February 3rd, 2008, Kasey E. Frye, 21, was involved in a fatal motorcycle accident. Traveling North on College Hill Drive located on East Carolina University’s campus, Kasey, clocked at 74.2 miles per hour, collided with an orange Ford Escape who pulled an illegal u-turn ultimately taking Kasey’s life.

Traveling to join the Superbowl Sunday festivities with his friends, Kasey did not pay attention to speed limits set for the campus’s streets crowded with young students from all over the country while the students driving the SUV did not pay attention to local traffic laws.

Since Kasey suffered from hemophilia, a disease where the blood does not clot, his survival chances were extremely minimized. With almost no chance of survival, Kasey was reported to not have suffered from his accident since he died about 45 seconds after impact. Although the family did not wish to have an autopsy done, it is reported that Kasey suffered severe internal injuries in his brain and abdomen. This is result of Kasey not strapping his helmet securely due to the pain and bruising it caused him from his Hemophilia. If Kasey had strapped his helmet securely, he might have had a chance at living a healthy life.

While no one witnessed the accident, ECU provided video footage of the accident from cameras positioned at the top of the light posts on College Hill Drive. The video has not been released to the family who is currently trying to achieve custody of it but we know of its existence from Kasey’s best friend’s father, Kevin Wilson, a Greenville Sherriff.

The Greenville Police Department analyzed and reviewed the footage and clocked Kasey driving down College Hill at 74.2 miles per hour. Since they could only obtain small frames of the accident, the entire accident cannot be analyzed. They have concluded that when Kasey realized that the SUV was making a u-turn, he “panic braked”. This means that Kasey pressed the brake so hard that the back tired locked up. Kasey flew over the front end of the motorcycle into the side of the SUV. Kasey was found lying unconscious under the SUV next the back left tire.

To remember the life of Kasey Frye, his friends from Hickory and Greenville, North Carolina banded together to form a memorial ride in his honor. They designed and sold t-shirts for girls and guys with pictures of him, his birth and death dates and his favorite quotes. The shirts were sold to raise money to assist the family with funeral costs. Decal stickers were also designed that consisted of a motorcycle in mid-wheelie with his name, death and birth dates. The shirts were sold for 20 dollars and the decals were sold for 30.

The family and friends of Kasey Frye created Facebook groups in his memory. Both groups “In loving memory of Kasey Frye” and “RIP Kasey Frye” asked for donations for the family and advertised the benefit ride to remember their friend.

To advertise the benefit ride around town, Kasey’s friends and family came together to create donation proposal letters asking for generous donations and flyers advertising the ride. The flyers included simple information of what, when, where and why while the donation letters provided specific information as to why the group wanted to do such a great thing in honor of their friend. These letters were distributed to local businesses such as Hooters, Finelli’s Café, Logan’s and Jiffy Lube.

On March 1st, 2008, the memorial ride began at 10:15 am and lasted about half an hour. Registration began at 9:30 am costing 10 dollars a rider. 32 bikes and seven cars registered for the ride. Ron Ayers Motorsports, the host of the ride, provided lunch and a place for the group to remember their friend. Police escorts accompanied the riders by blocking intersections and providing safety for all the riders.

The route went from Ron Ayers Motorsports down Memorial BLVD to Fire Tower Road to Portertown Road to Highway 264 back to Ron Ayers Motorsports. Passing cars respected the ride by pulling over on the side of the road until all the bikes had passed.
The ride also included door prizes and drawings for donated gifts from random businesses located around Greenville such as Ron Ayers Motorsports, Jiffy Lube and Hooters. The 50/50 drawing was a drawing that gave half the money to the family and half the money to the winner. Luckily, Kasey’s grandfather won the 50/50 drawing totaling 75 dollars while ultimately 500 dollars was donated to Kasey’s parents.

The door prizes included three 50 wing coupons from Hooters, three free oil changes from Jiffy Lube, a free helmet donated from Ron Ayers, a Harley Davidson sweatshirt and a Harley Davidson wall clock.

Before the ride took place, the group leader and best friend of Kasey Frye, Kacey Wilson, read a motorcycle’s prayer. For about five minutes, about 100 people hung their heads to remember their friend in silence while the prayer was read aloud.
WNCT News Channel 9 also participated in the memorial ride. Arthur Mondale, a first year general assignment reporter reported on the benefit ride for a six o’clock airing. He interviewed Kasey Wilson, Colby Young, Maria Anderson, Wyatt Yelverton and Hamad Aholic. He set up his camera and was very helpful in getting the point across to the Greenville community: be cautious on the road.

After Kasey’s death, many things changed for his friends and family he left behind. Before the accident, Kasey and his friends rode their motorcycles with no care in the world. Performing stunts such as wheelies and riding at top speeds, they feared no danger. After the accident, things changed.

With the loss of their friend, riding safely and cautiously was a top concern. Since the love of riding will never die, Kasey’s friends took this lesson to ride within the speed limit and only perform dangerous stunts under supervision and in private areas with no oncoming traffic.

Since the accident, specific riding positions have been put in place while riding in a group. Kasey Wilson has been designated as the group leader and Jonathon Anderson follows up the tail so safe riding is executed at all times.

Riding a motorcycle or any vehicle for that matter is taking a risk with your life but besides taking that risk, the group executes safety and alertness while on the streets. The group has made it an effort to not take risks for the safety of their lives and the safety of other drivers on the road.

Another reason the friends and family of Kasey wanted to have the memorial ride was to advertise motorcycle or vehicle safety at all times in local communities. They want to get across that we need to be aware of all vehicles and pedestrians on the streets.
They now know that anything can happen at any time so being cautious and alert may prevent a freak accident. Speeding puts other people in danger so following the speed limit not only protects your life but protects others.

Traffic laws have been put in place to protect all drivers on the road so obey them and you might save someone’s life. When riding a motorcycle, always wear your protective gear correctly to prevent death or serious injuries.

Many people ask the group why they still ride motorcycles if it is so dangerous and life threatening. As a group of close friends, they still ride because they believe it is what Kasey would want them to do. Riding was Kasey’s passion and for them to give it up would let him down. Even though there are so many risks involved, “Riding is not our hobby, it’s our way of life.” – Kasey E. Frye.

The New York Giants handed the Patriots their first loss 17-14 in Super Bowl 42 Sunday night as Eli Manning completed one of the best postseasons by a quarterback ever; capping it off with the MVP Award.

With the win, New York pulled off one of the biggest upsets in sports history. The Patriots came in as 12 point favorites and even took the lead with around 3 minutes left. However, The Giants would not be denied. Behind an acrobatic 33 yard catch by David Tyree late; the Giants moved into scoring position. The go ahead score would come a few plays later as Plaxico Burress would catch a fade pass with 35 seconds remaining.

The Patriots following drive would result in no positive yardage; and the Giants would complete the impossible. 19-0 was denied and the history books rewritten.

Major companies such as Coke Cole and many celebrities, were having fun with their image. Even beer companies such as Anheuser-Busch followed this trend. They exchanged the typical sex appeal and violence for animals and touching themes. Victoria’s Secret ditched their normal flashy and over the top type commercial, for a more sophisticated and classy one.

This lighter tone contrasts last year’s barrage of violence, sex, and slapstick humor. The commercial breaks gave viewers a nice break from the action on the field and possibly a sneak peak at this year’s trend in commercials.

The TEC reported cold, hard facts and included results for all the candidates. One of the democratic nominees, Barck Obama,took a few steps forward by claiming thirteen states. His democratic opponent, Hilary Clinton,won over eight. Although Clinton fell short of Obama in state votes, she led in the number of delegates that supported her.

On the republican side Mitt Romney got the support of seven states, Mike Huckabee won five, and John McCain held onto support from a majority of the delegates. The results of the primary are too close, making it hard to make any predictions concerning the 2008 presidential election.

The only feeling that showed in the article was how unfortunate it was that North Carolina was unable to participate in this big day with voting not taking place here until May.

There was even unbiased advice at the end of the article encouraging voters to review all of the platforms of each presidential campaign. The writer of this article understands the importance of words and how saying the right thing can give useful information without attempting to influence the readers’ opinion.

She began a modest and humble story that turned out to be nothing less than an amazing tale of overcoming adversity and how in the most challenging situations she was able to strive and push forward.

“Relaxed,” “amazing,” and “reliable” were a few among many adjectives that Tara’s friends consistently used to describe her. When you get to know her you realize why she really is that way and why the small stuff doesn’t bother her.

Tara did not have your average childhood; some would say she did not have much of one at all because she was forced to grow up so fast.

Tara’s father left the family when she was a young child and her mother also left when she was only 12, leaving only Tara and her older sister to fend for themselves.

Tara moved around during the most crucial development stages of her live. She and her sister were living from family to family and just getting by.

Tara’s older sister Ashley recalls their childhood together. She explained that there was no way that she would have made it without Tara.

“Tara was my rock” she stated, “that stood strong and grew up and matured extremely fast”.

When many people are faced with these odds, some tend to turn to alcohol and drugs for comfort, but not Tara. Tara kept her head screwed on and kept her focus on education and the betterment of her life. She did no let the past obstacles get in her way but used them as motivation.

In high school Tara was well liked, her friends say, and had no enemies. Her friends further described her and said that if you were to just met her you would not know right off how great of a person she is because she is shy until she opens up, but when she does, that is when Tara is the most beautiful.

“Tara has the biggest heart and there is no one better at giving advice,” best friend Raquel told me.

Another friend said that she was the perfect complement to her own stress filled life. Terra Clark told me: “She is so easy going and care free and her advice is always on.”

As high school became part of the past, Tara had a big decision to make. Because of her family history her finances college did not seem to be in the picture, but she looked at her options and found that East Carolina would offer the most financial aid. With a job she would be able to pay her way through college.

Despite her determination, circumstances outside of her control caused her funds to run out after two years, and she had to take some time off.

When many would have given up and not returned, a year later Tara returned to ECU a 23 year old senior majoring in communications, to finish what she started.

Tara now lives with her boyfriend and two-year old boxer and continues to work hard to pay her way through school.
Tara has recently reunited with both her mother and father and being the kind and understanding person that she is, has “made nice” and is now on good terms with both.

Tara is also half Indian on her mother’s side, to which today they use as a common ground to bond at Powwow Indian events.
It is obvious that friends are a very important part of Tara’s life as she is an important part in theirs. I saw this most when Raquel told me “Tara is the only friend I would keep forever; friendships like hers are irreplaceable.”

None of her friends could think of a single negative thing to say, but all loved to tell about hanging out with their favorite bottle of wine just “chatting” it up on the weekend.

Tara’s sister said that she knew she was bias about her sister but said that she is the most amazing, smartest person that she knew. Tara also is a great aunt to her sister’s son. I asked her sister one last time to sum it all up, she explained “She is pretty bad ass, can I say that?” I heartedly replied that she could, and that it fit Tara Qwen perfectly.

By Jasmine Young and Jared Thompson

The neck and neck race between Obama and Clinton was one of the highlights of the event coupled along with the announcement that Mitt Romney would drop out as a result of the poles. Obama has ridden the wave of momentum and gained four more states and the U.S. Virgin Islands and only trails Clinton by approximately 30 delegates. He actually lead Clinton in pledged delegates from the states and continues to be a front runner for the democratic party, but Clinton is still maintaining the lead for the democratic party.

Clinton won the big delegate rich states like her home state of New York plus California, while Obama won a majority of states although they were much smaller. Huckabee who won a few states on super Tuesday continues his campaign even though he is far behind McCain. Wednesday saw only 15,000 popular votes separating Clinton from Obama out of 15,000,000 and McCain ran away with the Republican party lead by nearly a 2:1 margin. All of this information was garnered by my friends and myself through the dual mediums of CNN (the internet and broadcast tv.)

“Tenika should have her own show — The Tenika Show — because you never know what she will say or do,” Kim said. “She’s a trip.”

This sentiment was repeated as I spoke with each of her friends. They used words like ‘crazy,’ ‘caring,’ ‘friendly,’ ‘unique,’ ‘loyal,’ and ‘determined,’ each expressing a different facet of the persona that is Tenika Dunston.
Tenika Dunston was born on December 27, 1987 and lived in Raleigh, North Carolina until she came to the exciting new world of East Carolina University. When asked about what she was like in her younger years long time friend Danielle recalled that she as quiet and reserved, but blossomed when she came to ECU.

“She heard that people said she was quiet and when she went away to college she made the effort to get to know people and became really outgoing” Danielle said.

This thought was shared by her friend Kim. She speaks about late night talks that she and Tenika had about Tenikas younger years. Tenika told her that when she came into contact with the new people she met here in college she wanted to make the effort to be heard.

One of the key factors that helped this transformation, according to her friends, was when Tenika joined the Theta Alpha Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. It is in this ECU sorority that Tenika is also a member of the step team, a well-known and highly respected group of dancers.

“Tenika has no rhythm at all” Kim said, “but after we saw her step her first time, we were all so proud!”
One of the most frequent keywords used when describing Tenika was ‘determined’. According to Kim, this dedication and determination are evident in the activity of stepping. “She is always at practice,” she said, drawing long on the word always, “She will be chillin’ with us and then be like ‘I’ve gotta go to practice’.”

These same words of dedication and determination were shared by longtime friend Danielle. When asked about what Tenikas strengths were Danielle said that she believed Tenika was extremely intelligent, this was also shared by Kim and Stacy, saying that when she found something that she wanted, that she wanted to learn, or to do, she never stopped, she set her mind to it and went at it with all her heart and mind.

This intelligence came into play as she spoke of her major and future plans. As a Communication Major with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Psychology, Tenika spoke of her desire to travel, and to use her schooling in the area of Psychology to learn how people work, to see, as she says “To see why people act the way thy do.”

When asked what she wanted to do after her graduation, she said she wanted to go to Graduate School or work at an internship for a PR firm. Eventually she wants to go out and work in the entertainment field. Seeking out work at such establishments as MTV, or and entertainment show where she desires to bridge the gap between the audience and the news. To learn what audiences want to hear and how to better interact with them, as she said, “I don’t want to be front and center, but to find a way to connect the two.” This was also expressed by her friends, who said she wanted to write books, to travel and participate in graduate school to further her education and better herself, and that when she was younger she wanted to be a travel correspondent, but now wanted to work more in a major city where she could get to know the people.

Of all that was spoken about Tenika, the most emphasis that her friends placed on an aspect of her personality was her loyalty. As Kim and Stacy both agreed, she is fiercely loyal to the people she loves the most. When asked about how she interacted with people she was spoken of as, ‘smiley’, ‘friendly’, bubbly’ but more importantly she was loyal and determined. As she spoke about how Tenika felt about her sorority Kim pointed out how she was fiercely loyal to her sisters, saying she would never let anyone talk badly about her sisters or her friends, they also spoke about how she was loyal to the ideal that were presented in her sorority.
When all was said and done, Kim’s statement seemed to sum up Tenika Dunston the best, “You never know what she’s going to say, but you knew she was there and that you wanted to be around her”.

Jamie is currently majoring in Communication with a double minor in graphic design and religious studies. She plans to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Print Journalism. With so much on her plate this East Carolina University student juggles it all without a problem.

Her friends describe the ECU student as “rebellious,” because she does not follow the pack and accept the prescribed norm. A close friend of Jamie, Sara Farrior, says, “Jamie doesn’t accept cultural norms unless they make sense….she doesn’t let anyone tell her what to believe.”

Friends describe her as the type of person that likes to go against the grain and set her own trends. “Jamie wouldn’t wear something just because everyone else was wearing it, even if she liked it just so she could be different”, says her close friend Sara Farrior.

Jamie currently works for The East Carolinian, a student newspaper that reaches 25,000 readers, on ECU’s campus. Her job position includes overseeing the layout of the newspaper, and managing the student magazine Pulse.

When not busy working Jamie enjoys watching movies and writing short fictional stories with hopes of publishing them one day.
Jamie also has a major love for photography, with some of her work being published in magazines such as the Pulse.
When asked about her love for photography Jamie says she likes taking pictures at events. Jamie’s camera of choice is a Cannon, which is very expensive. Jamie even has her own photography and design company, “ A Thievery Conspiracy.” She travels with her company to take professional style photography for various people and events. Her sample work includes photography from weddings, band performances, and community activities.

Jamie also enjoys reading historical novels when not writing. She is not the kind of person who enjoys going out and partying but describes herself as liking to stay in the house. All of Jamie’s friends described her love for movies. Fiance Rob Olson states, “ She is a big movie buff”. Ms. Crouthamel says she likes to watch movies, especially horror movies. One of her favorite all time movies is The Fountian. In addition to movies she is also a obsessively dedicated Red Sox Fan. She also likes to listen to Electronic and techno music.

Jamie spends her time giving back to the community; she is a dedicated member of the St. James Methodist Ministry. This is where she befriended friend Sara Farrior who describes her and Jamie’s conversations consisting of deep intellectual topics often centered on religious topics. Jamie is descried as a spiritual person that is understanding and non judgmental.

Jamie along with friend Daniel Rankin is organizer of her own organization, “Waking Hour Music.” I had the opportunity to speak to Daniel who describes the organization as a non-profit Organization that puts on charity events for local organizations. Jamie holds the position as Vice President and Creative Director in the organization where she has worked along side longtime friend Daniel, also known as “Dan”. Dan describes Jamie as a “creative and passionate individual.”

Once graduating Jamie aspires to move to Charleston, South Carolina and gain a job working at Charleston Magazine. Jamie plans are: graduating ECU in July but walking in May. She also plans to marry her fiance in August. There is no doubt that with so many talents she will have no problem gaining a job. At only 22 she has already traveled and took pictures of concerts, bands, weddings and other events.

Jamie was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, but was raised both there and in New Jersey, where her grandparents reside. Her dad, and Air Force Major, was stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force base in Goldsboro, North Carolina. She grew up in a private school and in a home with two younger brothers. When she first came to ECU it was to pursue a degree in art but she later decide to switch to communication, after discovering a passion for photography and graphic design in print publications.

When asked about Jamie, all of her friends described Jamie as a strong willed, independent, trustworthy individual. “ You can tell her anything and she will completely understand and not judge you”, says best friend Sara Farrior.

Jamie Crouthamel is a very artistic, talented and creative individual. Dan added that she is just a great person to get along with”

Even at the young age of two, Katrissa would put on high heels and her mother’s nightgowns and beads to become an imaginary princess in her little play world. Always a drama queen or an “actress” as her mother puts it, Katrissa was making a scene wherever she went.

As Katrissa grew older, dance became a major part of her life. As an aspiring dancer, Katrissa has always had the dream of becoming a professional dancer in a jazz company. Her first big step toward her dream was when she enrolled in the NC School of the Arts. She went to UNC Greensboro her freshman year and began studying dance and theater.
After finishing her freshman year there, she transferred to ECU where she is now a senior and is working toward a degree in Public Relations. Realizing today that dance was something she should have never gave up on. She has a secondary dream to open her own wedding planning business.

Katrissa’s mother, Karen Bennett, claims she has a terrible memory but desperately attempted to remember her daughter’s crazy escapades. Mrs.Bennet believes Katriss is a super-sensitive but passionate young woman who needs to take things in life slower and come closer to God. But Katrissa’s mother also understands that growing up in an extremely religious family eventually put a strain on her daughter. Katrissa felt that religion was being shoved down her throat so she decided to walk away from her youth group and church to find her freedom.

Katrissa’s mother only wishes that her daughter would stop living the “wild” college life, give her problems to God, and go to church.

Katrissa’s father, William Bennett, is an electrical engineer in Franklin, Virginia. He recently move to Virginia last Thanksgiving when Katrissa’s parents, married for twenty-one years, decided to go their separate ways. “Our relationship has been very hard on Katrissa. She only wanted us to be happy together so she could feel happy. Katrissa always felt that her mother and my problems were her fault and always strived to get us back together as a young child,” says her father.

Mr. Bennett made it very clear that he is so proud of his daughter. “Katrissa is such an over-achiever and a motivated student. I have no problem paying for school because she makes wonderful grades and is going to go far in life,” says her father.

Mr. Bennett expresses his unconditional love for his daughter and wishes he could spend more time with her. He stated that he only wanted what was best for her and knows that she is “growing into a mature woman.”

One thing William Bennett wishes that she had more control over is her financial situations and her dependency on men. It seems that Katrissa has a true love for shopping and shiny plastic credit cards which in turn has thrown her deep into debt. She also often finds herself in unhealthy relationships that she can’t seem to find the strength to get out of. When she finds someone to love and care for her, she rushes into a serious relationship. Currently, Katrissa is single and her family couldn’t be more ecstatic about it.

On another note, Katrissa had a series of love relationships throughout high school, but a particular one with a marine eight years her senior shocked her family and friends. At the young and restless age of 17, Katrissa decided to venture out to Cherry Point, a military base located in Havelock, N.C. She quickly met Aaron Harvey who at the time was twenty-five. The two wasted no time with falling in love and rushed right into engagement. Unfortunately, and not the least bit surprising due to her bad luck with men, Harvey walked out on Katrissa to head for Kansas City, his hometown.

With a wedding ring, a wedding gown, a church, and weeks left until their wedding, this left Katrissa scarred and devastated, causing her to return home from her freshman year of college.

“I wish I had never left her,” said Harvey. “I wish that we had gotten married. I will always love her no matter what.”

Even thought Harvey regrets his past decisions, the two still communicate on a weekly basis and continue to remain good friends.

“She was such a big part of my life and I can’t let what happened years ago affect our relationship. She will always be my best friend,” Harvey continued.

Harvey is not alone when it comes to thinking highly of Katrissa. Another close friend, Laura Long, had much to say about their close friendship.

“She is a very loyal friend. She’s the friend that makes you go out on a random Monday night because you have no other excuse not to. We both love to go somewhere fun for the weekend, like the beach, and I can always count on her to come up with the idea first and make the plans.”

Katrissa has become a very strong individual although living the life of an emotional roller-coaster. It seems that as soon as she rebuilds herself, she is knocked down again. However, each and every tribulation she has overcome, her friends and family have been there with support and love for her.

Whenever Zach goes home to visit he spends a lot of time with his 6-year old sister Morgan. They are very close and the bond between the two is very apparent. His mother, Susan Athey, said that when Zach is home not only is he is awe at everything that Morgan does, he will make the effort to spend a lot of time with her.

Athey explained to me why Zach’s compassion for others is so genuine and helps shape how Zach lives his life from day to day. Athey shared with me how she has seen over the years that Zach has been the type of person that cares about everyone. He is not concerned about one’s background or what they wear; he looks deeper into people and tries to really get to know them and accept them for who they are.

Zach has a great sense of humor and one of his best qualities is his loyalty to his friends. Athey explained to me how important Zach’s friend’s are to him. He will stand up for a friend even if all the others gang up on that person, Zach will be the one to stand up for them, even if it means going against what the rest of his friends are doing.

Both his friends and his mom said that he is the type of friend that will give you the shirt off his back. His mother expressed to me how giving Zach is and that he is the type of person if he had one piece of candy, he would break it up and split it five ways and go without so that everyone around him would have a small piece to enjoy.

It was interesting to see that one of his friends, Isaiah Simmons, made the same type of comments about Zach stating that he is the friend who is “always there for you.” Whether it is advice (“he is a great talker”), money, or if you need anything else you can turn to Zach and he will be there to help you out.

Josh Ammons has lived with Zach for the past two years and they enjoy watching sporting events and playing video games together. Their favorite sports show to watch is “Around the Horn.” Zach loves to watch Ohio State football games, Carolina basketball games, and during baseball season you will see him cheering for the Yankees. Even Isaiah explained how knowledgeable Zach is when it comes to sports. The boys also enjoy watching stand up comedy together and comedic shows such as The Office and Family Guy.

Isaiah and Zach met while living in Tyler Residence Hall at ECU during 2003 and they spent the following summer at Emerald Isle. They have shared many great memories together but one of Simmons’ favorites was the night they were running down from their rooms on the ninth floor of Tyler and Zach fell down the last stair and broke his ankle. Despite this interruption, Zach wrapped his ankle and still went downtown that evening.

Simmons explained that in his opinion the one event that probably changed Zach’s live the most is the time that he got into a car accident in Zebulon. That night, an 18-wheeler slammed into Zach’s car. Right before this event Simmons said that Zach was not hanging out with the right kind of people and this really showed him that he should get back on track with his life.
On a sadder note, Athey describe one of the hardest memories she has of Zach as the day he graduated from high school and the day that he left for college. His sister Morgan agreed that the day he went to college was equally difficult for her.

Despite his family not wanting him to move away, his mom did acknowledge that one of the things that has changed about Zach since moving is his cleanliness. She noted that he was rather messy growing up but has now realized the importance of being clean in the past couple of years.

Zach likes to participate in social events and drink with his friends. He has his priorities straight and even though he might not always apply himself to the fullest he is very intelligent. He does not let a lot of people know but he is a very talented writer. He has little patience for bad drivers but rarely shows his temper.

In high school, Zach never drank or smoked and was always honest which allowed his parents to never worry about him. If he was going to be late he would call and give the reason, explain the situation and not try to cover up why he was not home on time. Zach is a hard worker and this is apparent - he has worked at Sports Connection for a little over a year. He usually puts in around twenty hours a week.

Zach’s mom stated how he was such a wonderful son and had only nice things to say about him and his friends also thought very highly of him. Zach is a genuine guy and I can see why he is liked by so many.

On Super Tuesday there are 24 states involved in narrowing down the candidates for this extremely close race to the 2008 presidential election. There are different rules for each political party and state. The democratic rules provide delegates to be awarded proportionately on the basis of the popular vote, while nine of the Republican contests are a winner takes all style.

On February 5, John McCain gathered primary victories in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Overall, McCain ended up with 331 of the 1,191 delegates it takes to win the Republican nomination. On the Democratic side it is going to be a long and tight race between Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton. There are 2,025 delegates needed to be able to have a victory at the Democratic Party convention. The numbers gathered on Tuesday came out to about 348 for Clinton and 282 for Obama. Clinton won California and Obama won other big states like Illinois, Alabama, and Georgia. Overall he won 13 states, whereas Clinton won 8.

After reviewing the results of Super Tuesday it is predicted that John McCain will more than likely be the Republican candidate for the presidency, but it is too early to tell who will be running against him as the Democratic candidate.

In December of 2007 Dwayne was selected as a member of the Conference USA All-Freshman team after a very impressive season as a multi-purpose threat for the Pirates. Since then Head Coach Skip Holtz has been able to use number 17 in several different roles. Dwayne may be listed on the roster as a wide receiver but he also racked up stats as a quarterback, running back, and a special teams player in punt returns.

One of Dwayne’s best friends and fellow teammate Kevin Gidrey describes him as “ahead of his time” and as a player that “always wants to make the big play.” Another ECU player who has a lot of positive things to say about Dwayne is his roommate Melvin Patterson. He spoke of his friend Dwayne as a “very motivated, hard-working, enthusiastic person that is always looking towards the future and simply loves the game that he plays.”

ECU capped off their 2007 season with a win at the Hawaii Bowl last December and Dwayne describes the experience as one of the best of his life. Before the game he and his teammates went to some local clubs, visited a water park and relaxed on some of the nicest beaches that the Unites States has to offer.

Dwayne is a public relations major at ECU and he is also pursuing a minor in business. He says that he would like to own his own business after college if the NFL doesn’t come calling first.
Dwayne Harris was born and raised in Georgia with two sisters and three brothers. As a kid he was involved in any sport that he could find and began playing football around the age of six. He graduated from Tucker High School in Tucker, Georgia in 2006 and considered several top universities before deciding to come to ECU. Boston University, UNC Chapel Hill, Southern Miss, Kentucky and Maryland were all schools that he considered before accepting a full scholarship to play with the Pirates.

Before coming to ECU, Dwayne enjoyed a successful high school career playing football. His biography on the popular athletic recruiting website www.scout.com sums up his college days well. It describes him as a “mobile quarterback capable of playing several positions on the college level.” The website also ranked him as 35th in the country at his position.

When he is not fulfilling his responsibilities as a student-athlete, Dwayne can usually be found relaxing as much as possible. His roommate Melvin Patterson calls him a “Madden guru” in reference to his video game skills. He also likes to play basketball because it keeps him in shape during the off-season.

Dwayne says that his mother is his biggest personal influence and that she and some other family members have been able to come from Georgia to see him play at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium. Michael Vick is his favorite football player possibly because he shares a lot of his multi-threat characteristics on the field. He says that he likes almost all types of music and that his favorite rapper is T.I. Dwayne also mentions that he will watch any movie “as long as it doesn’t put him to sleep.”

One obvious characteristic of Dwayne is that he loves the clothing company Polo. As a self-proclaimed collector of the designer clothes he will almost always be seen wearing the brand unless he is in a football uniform.

Even as such a popular figure at East Carolina University, he doesn’t allow himself to become distracted from his goals. His friend Kevin Gidrey mentioned how “humble and laid back” Dwayne is and although he is a social person he usually minds his own business. Melvin Patterson also wasn’t hesitant to call his roommate a “very positive influence.” These are the types of individual qualities, combined with natural talent, that really determine a successful student-athlete in the collegiate arena.

So there I am baffled that it’s 2008 and I can’t get a reliable picture on my 50-inch TV and wondering whether or not I should make a sacrifice to the obviously angry gods of Broadcasting. And then it hits me like a Charlie Brown special. This prestigious holiday isn’t about Football; it’s about booze, money, and scantily clad women. You know, the important things.

The undefeated New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants Sunday in a nail biting fourth quarter. The Giants took the lead in the beginning of the fourth quarter only to have it taken back by the Patriots. With the Patriots in the lead, 14-10, New York Giants quarter back, Eli Manning, lead the Giants down the field with a touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress with 35 seconds on the clock. The New York Giants won 17-14.

Some say that the key to this victory was the pressure that the Giants put on the Patriots’s quarterback, Tom Brady.

Jimmy Johnson, a Super Bowl commentator, commented that this heart wrenching blow to New England’s head coach, Bill Belichick, would be difficult to overcome, but it can be done with next year’s season.

Even though some conservatives argue that McCain hasn’t captured their votes yet, McCain won nine states Tuesday. McCain won AZ, CA, CT, DE, IL, MO, NJ, NY, and OK. Mitt Romney came in second, while Mike Huckabee was in third.

Obama and Clinton aren’t giving each other much room to breathe. Obama got only four more states than Clinton. Obama won AL, AK, CO, CT, DE, GA, ID, IL, KS, MN, MO, ND and UT. Clinton won AZ, AR, CA, MA, NJ, NM, NY, OK, and TN.

It has been projected that after Super Tuesday, Huckabee will drop out of the presidential race. But so far that has not been the case. Huckabee is hoping to get the conservative votes that McCain and Romney can’t seem to get.

The number of delegates needed to win the Republican nomination is 1,191. So far, McCain has 714 delegates, Romney-286, and Huckabee-217. The number of delegates needed to win the Democrat nomination is 2,025. Clinton has 1,108 and Obama has 1,049.

Clinton gave her campaign a self-loan Today. Some believe this was a competitive move to try and win more delegates than Obama. The race is too close to go home now.

Internet coverage for post Super Primary Tuesday depicted Clinton and Obama’s stand on health care and stimulating the economy.

Clinton is pushing for a mandatory individual insurance coverage and is offering subsidies for those who can’t afford health insurance.

Obama wants to make a national health care program for people who don’t have insurance coverage through their employers. He also wants to expand the program to those who aren’t covered by any existing service.

For economic stimulation, Clinton would create a $30 billion emergency fund for housing that would help against foreclosures. Obama would invest $75 billion into the economy by enforcing tax breaks.

They both have valid arguments for improving health insurance, and improving the current economic status. Although Clinton and Obama w