Source: Paras Griffin / Getty Atlanta’s famous Morehouse College announced that it will be admitting transgender men to the school in 2020. The school’s board of trustees approved the move over the weekend stating, “Once admitted to the College, all students are expected to self-identify as men throughout their education at Morehouse.” Other single gender schools across the country are also taking a closer look at admissions policies for transgender students. Mills College in Oakland, as well as Spelman College have both changed admissions policies in the past years. Spelman College graduated their first transgender woman in 2018. RELATED: Photo of Morehouse Professor Holding A Student’s Baby While Teaching Goes Viral What are your thoughts on the changes? Should Morehouse College also admit Trans women as well? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ___ [ione_media_gallery src=”http://hellobeautiful.com/” id=”3008485″ overlay=”true”]
Source: Tetra Images/Getty Images / Getty Florida Deputy Caught On Tape Body Slamming Student A Florida (of course) deputy will not see consequences for his actions after he was caught on camera violently violating a student. A 15-second video shows a Sheriff’s deputy body slamming a sixth-grade student outside of Lincoln Park Acamedy in Fort Piece, Florida. According to an incident report obtained by WPTV the confrontation between the student and deputy occurred on April 9. Before the body slam, the student, who was not identified, had already been suspended from school for being disruptive in a classroom. Later he was standing outside “being disruptive” while waiting for his parents to come pick him up. Lincoln Park Academy’s Assistant Principal said however that the student was not supposed to leave his office and asked the deputy to help bring the student back inside. The Deputy reported that the student ignored his commands and “continued walking with his fist clenched and had an agitated expression on his face. His brows were turned down and he was punching his fist into the palm of his hand” before the slam. St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara is denying that the deputy used excessive force. “Our school resource deputy is very familiar with this student and knows he has a violent history, including possessing weapons,” Mascara said during a press conference reports WPTV . He added that a knife had recently been confiscated from the student and the student has to be escorted around campus because he’s been “physically aggressive to staff and students.” Do YOU think that justifies that body slam???
Source: brankokosteski / Getty No matter how many times White folks are told not to use the N-word , for some reason they continue to test the limits to see how far they can actually go. A video of White, male, American University student, Aise O’Neil, confidently using the racial slur has gone viral — and while some people are outraged, others are not surprised by the overt disrespect. When asked why he thought it was okay to use the offensive term, O’Neil replied: “I think it’s okay to say any word.” This is why I don’t feel welcomed at American University @AmericanU @SylviaBurwell pic.twitter.com/65nepSJ4Yp — Tas (@TasneemOsm) April 7, 2019 But according to the school, the conversation was completely taken out of context. On Sunday, AU released a statement explaining: “It is vital that we recognize the historical context of the language we use. A slur that has been used in the context of racism, bigotry, discrimination and violence does harm when it is used without understanding its context and painful impact on members of our community. We remain committed to building an inclusive community where every member feels valued and is treated with respect and dignity.” AU students, however, say that racist behavior at the school is nothing new. This is disgusting. During welcome week freshmen year, a white student (male) came up to me trying to make conversation and i guess being “hip” to him is calling me his “nigga” so im not surprised to see such utterly appalling behavior from students @AU @AmericanU @SylviaBurwell — Kèylia Carter (@KayKeylia_) April 7, 2019 The tea is that people act like American University is some liberal fantasyland when there’s plenty of dumb, racist fucks like this guy all over campus. No wonder students of color are looking elsewhere to study. AU needs to take racial equity seriously, not just as a nice idea. https://t.co/V83RREySz5 — R Y A N (@RyanMarsan) April 7, 2019 The University added that they’re currently working with the students involved and affected the discriminatory language, and moving forward, the school will be guided by the Student Code of Conduct. Okay.
Source: ABC Photo Archives / Getty By now, we should’ve all learned that sitcom and T.V. legends aren’t off limits when it comes to a scandalous past. This proved to be true this week when well-known T.V. actors were charged for trying to finesse their kids into college. According to USA Today , Lori Loughlin is one person caught up in what’s being called the nation’s largest-ever college admissions bribery case prosecuted by the Justice Department. Loughlin famously played Aunt Becky in the forever-syndicated 1990s sitcom Full House . She was the love interest of the suave Uncle Jesse (played by John Stamos ), and eventually they got married and had two adorable twins in the show. Picture-perfect story right? Too bad Aunty Becky was trying to play the education system in real life. The Justice Department charged 33 affluent parents, which included television stars and CEOs, with participating in a detailed conspiracy to get their kids into elite schools. The scheme included cheating on the SAT and ACT, as well as parents paying coaches “enormous sums” to accept students who’s athletic credentials weren’t realistic. In some instances, coaches agreed to pretend that students applying to their school were highly recruited athletes, when in actuality, the student didn’t even compete in that specific sport. Along with parents, people who have been charged include two ACT and SAT exam administrators, one exam proctor and one college administrator. At the core of the case was an admissions consultant named William Rick Singer, according to federal prosecutors. They say he ran a college counseling organization called “The Key,” which accepted more than $25 million in payments from parents from 2011 to February 2019. Singer is accused of funneling money to coaches and other education officials to guarantee students’ admission into top schools like Georgetown, Yale, Stanford, the University of Southern California and Wake Forest University. According to NBC News , Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli agreed to pay $500,000 in bribes to boost their two daughters’ chances of getting admitted into USC, according to court papers. Loughlin even allegedly told a cooperating witness that she would arrange for one of her daughters to pose in a rowing machine in order to boost the false claim that she was the crew coxswain for the L.A. Marine Club team. Loughlin was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services fraud. Felicity Huffman of Desperate Housewives fame was also an actress charged in the conspiracy. She and her husband, actor William H. Macy , allegedly paid $15,000 to get one of their daughters unlimited time for her SAT exam. Huffman faces the same charges as Loughlin. Her husband, however, wasn’t charged, whereas Loghlin and her husband were both charged in the scandal. Whew! It’s a lot. And people didn’t waste time ridiculing the T.V. stars for their dishonest endeavors. Loughlin especially got a lot of heat when the Full House references came flying. Aunt Becky…SMH pic.twitter.com/xAhBQzORGW — Yashar Ali (@yashar) March 12, 2019 Some people foreshadowed Aunt Becky’s demise via alleged Full House easter eggs. Hey I'm trying to determine if signs of the forthcoming Aunt Becky scandal were in front of us the whole time. Is that Alcatraz? pic.twitter.com/vYvFVZEuRT — nascarcasm (@nascarcasm) March 12, 2019 People even brought up episodes where Aunt Becky ended up behind bars and when Uncle Jesse helped DJ cheat on her SAT test . But of course, there were some who wouldn’t let their childhood sitcom icon go out like this. I need a Free Aunt Becky shirt. — Lil’ Newsie Murph (@TomMurphyNews) March 12, 2019 Hit the next pages for more humorous tweets in response to the college scandal news. And if you’re in school, stay woke. You might be studying next to a student with rich no-good lying parents.
T he Freeform series grown-ish follows the chronicles of students adjusting to life in college and now the show is making the effort to help real-life students. According to Black Enterprise , the show has teamed up with the app Scholly to help students pay off their student loans. @FreeformTV ’s @grownish and scholarship app @MyScholly have partnered up on a program that will pay off up to $125,000 in student loan debt. https://t.co/iZnX9j24kM — Black Enterprise (@blackenterprise) January 3, 2019 The app—which was launched in 2013—was designed to help students find scholarships, the news outlet writes. It was featured on Shark Tank and backed by investors Daymond John and Lori Greiner and subsequently garnered national attention. Cognizant of the burden that student loan debt can have on students, the company has decided to join forces with grown-ish and pay off $125,000 in student loan debt. “Scholly, up until now has focused on helping students avoid student loan debt but, we want to help those who have already amassed a certain amount of student loan debt break free of it,” Scholly founder Chris Gray said in a statement, according to Black Enterprise. “This is just the beginning. Our plan is to do a lot more of these sorts of grants in the near future.” Since its inception, Scholly has helped students across the nation secure $100 million in scholarship money. The winners of the student loan contest will be revealed at the 2019 Freeform Summit. Many companies and institutions have been stepping up to help individuals pay off their student loan debt. Last month Jasmin Ford —a single Black mother from Chicago—had $150,000 of her student loan debt paid off by Fifth Third Bank. After witnessing the impact that the generous act had on Ford, the bank decided to launch a contest similar to grown-ish and Scholly’s. SEE ALSO: Bank Pays Off Student Loan Debt For Chicago Single Mom DeVos Plan Is A Setback To Black Student Loan Borrowers [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3841941″ overlay=”true”]
Grown-ish Cast Will Help Fans Pay Off Student Loans In addition to being great actors and actresses, Yara Shahidi and the rest of the Grown-ish cast are dedicated activists…always looking to serve the public and assist the youth in whatever way they can. Now, as Grown-ish returns to Freeform for the start of a second season this week, the cast has announced a new student loan payoff program that will help their fans pay off debt. Grown-ish has partnered with Scholly App to help folks pay off up to $125,000 in debt , according to the promo video released on Wednesday, January 2. “Acknowledging that student loans have crippled a generation of young Americans and are keeping them from achieving their dreams, the program aims to help student loan borrowers pay off debts that may be holding them back from living their best lives,” a press released stated, according to Just Jared . Current students and graduates with an outstanding loan balance can apply by heading over to myscholly.com/grownish . Winners will reportedly be announced this Spring at the 2019 Freeform Summit. Watch the promo clip up top.
T here’s now independent confirmation that Georgia’s Governor-elect Brian Kemp fabricated a tale about a cybercrime while serving as secretary of state to help himself steal the gubernatorial election from Stacey Abrams . This comes on the heels of news that federal investigators did not indict Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum in its probe into city government corruption. His Republican rival for Florida governor exploited the FBI investigation to win votes by falsely suggesting that Gillum was a criminal. See Also: Brian Kemp’s Latest Move Shows His ‘Desperation,’ Stacey Abrams Says Kemp, who as secretary of state oversaw his own election, was in a virtual tie in the polls with Abrams when he claimed on Nov. 4–days before the election–that the state’s Democratic Party hacked into his office’s voter registration database . However, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Friday that it found no evidence to support that claim, concluding that, “It appears unlikely that any crime occurred.” In a race that Kemp won with 50.2 percent of the vote, the Journal-Constitution speculated that Kemp’s fable could have swung the election in his favor. Stacey Abrams is still fighting for Georgia. https://t.co/owAHnJfy56 — NewsOne (@newsone) November 20, 2018 Abrams, who was trying to make history as the nation’s first Black female governor, dismissed Kemp’s cybercrime claim as a “desperate” attempt to distract voters. While appearing Nov. 4 on CNN’s “State of the Union with Jake Tapper,” host Jake Tapper informed Abrams that Kemp opened an investigation of the Georgia Democratic Party. “This is a desperate attempt on the part of my opponent to distract people from the fact that two different federal judges found him derelict in his duty and forced him to allow absentee ballots to be counted,” she said after hearing about Kemp’s allegations for the first time. Kemp tried to use every trick in the book to suppress the Black vote for the 2018 election. Many, including former President Jimmy Carter , urged Kemp to recuse himself as secretary of state to ensure a fair election . But Kemp refused. In another closely watched election, Florida’s governor-elect Ron DeSantis painted Gillum, who would have become the state’s first Black governor, as a criminal. It was part of his racist campaign to win a close election. The cloud of corruption finally lifted from the mayor on Dec. 12 when an FBI report on its probe of Tallahassee officials confirmed Gillum’s denial of wrongdoing. Gillum’s name was not listed among those indicted by federal authorities in an investigation into whether businessmen were able to influence Tallahassee development projects. DeSantis poured millions of dollars into a smear campaign against Gillum. Republicans spent at least $7 million on TV ads to connect Gillum to the investigation. It paid off, with DeSantis winning a narrow victory. SEE ALSO: Police Kill Black Teen But Charge 16-Year-Old Girl With Murder For The Shooting Prosecute Cops Caught On Video ‘Planting’ Drugs On Innocent Black Men, Legal Advocate Says [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3840106″ overlay=”true”]
A single mother recently got the biggest Christmas shock of her life. Last week, Jasmin Ford , a 30-year-old registered nurse, found out that Fifth Third bank paid off her $150,000 student loan debt. Talk about a Christmas miracle! Jasmine Ford is now free of student debt after @FifthThird paid off $150k for her. Ford is a nurse and has been working two jobs to support herself and pay her loans. https://t.co/drQzRX6xR5 pic.twitter.com/ThxbuEspA8 — ABC 22/FOX 45 Dayton (@ABC22FOX45) December 13, 2018 “I still can’t find the words,” Ford told Good Morning America last Thursday, adding, “I’m off work again today and I’m just sort of pacing around and restless because I know my life is going to change.” GMA reported that the Chicago native was the first in her family to graduate from college, receiving a Master’s Degree in nursing. She found herself having to pay for school on her own, using student loans to help pay for tuition, rent, food and her other bills. Like many of us, Ford admitted that she never thought she would be able to pay off these loans down in her lifetime. “I could not foresee when I’d be able to pay it off,” Ford said of her debt. “I just knew this was going to be a part of my life as long as I was alive unless there was some significant change, which — wow.” According to WLS News , Fifth Third bank became aware of Ford, who is a customer, while they were working on a promotional video about student loan debt. Bank officials said they later “chose to pay off her student loans because she exemplified the impact that loans can have on a family trying to achieve.” Because of this huge act of kindness, Ford believes this will change her son’s life too, allowing her to be a more present mother. See, she worked two jobs almost every day of the week, something she can now give up. “I just imagine being able to spend more time physically with my family, not having to hustle, having mental freedom and with that, some spiritual freedom,” she told GMA. “I can open myself to more experiences, opportunities and just be able to sit and be with my thoughts and be able to pursue what it is I came to do.” “His life will be totally different,” she added. “I’m so happy and so proud that I’m able to offer that to him more than anything else because he deserves it.” Just amazing. RELATED NEWS: Good Deeds! Tyler Perry Donates $430,000 To Two Atlanta Walmarts To Help Pay Off People’s Layaway Bills BEAUTIFUL NEWS! More Black Women Are Running For Political Office In Alabama Than Ever Before BEAUTIFUL NEWS! Granddaughter Graduates College Alongside Grandmother Who Raised Her
Source: Jacques LOIC / Getty Woman Dies On First Tinder Date In Motorcycle Accident This is sad! According to the Daily Mail reports , Jennifer St. Clair, 33 went on a date with Miles McChesney, 34, after meeting him on the Tinder dating app. Reportedly the date was riding a 2001 black Harley Davidson and St. Clair was his passenger for the night of December 6. She fell off the motorcycle and her body was run over by as many as nine vehicles after her date did NOTHING to help her, her family’s lawyer Todd Falzone told a news conference on Friday. Her date left her on the road and over a day later, she was finally helped by passing cars. St. Clair was found dead on Interstate 95 in Pompano Beach at 3.00 am on December 7. SMH. St. Clair’s family is not filing a lawsuit against the Tinder date, claiming he was drunk when the incident occurred. According to the lawsuit, the pair met with two other couples and visited a few bars in the area. The suit claims that McChesney ‘drank alcohol to the point where he became impaired’. McChesney is accused of ‘carelessly and negligently’ operating the motorcycle, causing St. Clair ‘to be expelled from said motorcycle into oncoming traffic’ on Interstate 95. Falzone said that McChesney did not call police and did nothing to help her. The lawsuit is seeking $15,000 in damages from McChesney. So far, no criminal charges have been file, the victims family is citing lack of witnesses as a reason. So sad.
Source: Nigel Carse / Getty $150 Million In Student Loan Debt To Be Wiped Away The Education Department is wiping a whopping $150 million in federal student loans off the books, and has already begun the process of informing thousands of borrowers that they no longer owe the government money because the schools they attended shut their doors. The loan forgiveness, which was announced earlier this week , applies to about 15,000 borrowers as federal education officials begin to carry out new rules that they fought in court for more than a year over. The department said it began notifying some of the borrowers by email on Friday that their loans would be discharged within the next few months. Any payments that the borrowers made toward a loan will also be refunded, it said. About half the borrowers attended Corinthian Colleges, a large for-profit chain that went bankrupt in 2015 after a deluge of lawsuits accusing it of predatory recruiting practices and false marketing. The rest attended one of the more than 1,000 other schools that shut down between November 2013, the start date for the automatic-discharge rules, and November 2015. The new rules require the department to automatically forgive the loans of eligible borrowers three years after their school closed, but students can apply before then. Under the Education Department’s closed school forgiveness program, federal student loan borrowers can apply to have their loans wiped away if they attended a school that closed while they were enrolled, or soon after, and they do not transfer their credits elsewhere. The program is based on the principle that lenders bear responsibility for ensuring that a loan is sound, and that borrowers shouldn’t be responsible for loans taken out for an education that turned out to be worthless. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has said that she intends to rewrite the rules for some of the agency’s debt-forgiveness programs; The soonest those changes could take effect is July 2020. “The federal government must become a more responsible lender,” Ms. DeVos said, adding that students “need to understand the implications of their decisions.”