Janelle Monae performs live at the Wireless Festival in London, England on July 2, 2011. (Photo: Getty Images)

She might have been called “a different kind of diva” by Vogue magazine, but she’s not a diva in our eyes. In fact, she might just be the one true artiste who carries quality music to the masses with ease and uniqueness all the way.

Classy, creative and comfortable in her own skin, one of the world’s most in-demand performers Janelle Monae is set to take the Ohio University’s Campus Consciousness tour this month on Tuesday, October 18th at the Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium.

The concert reportedly sets the atmosphere for inspiration and activism in a rare community-driven experience for students wishing to make an impact on their world through education and environmentalism.

For official ticket information, visit the links below or click on the image above.

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It’s becoming increasingly difficult for parents and students to pay for college tuition.

If it wasn’t for Pell Grants, Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) and the Education Opportunity Fund (EOF), 24-year-old Vanessa Denis would have graduated from Montclair State University with tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

“My high school was a college prep school and they explained all of the options to us,” Denis said. “I probably would have gone to a community college for two years, done really well and then finished my last two years at a university if I didn’t receive the funding I did.”

As an in-state student Denis was lucky enough to have the option of staying at home with family since her aid didn’t cover room and board. During her sophomore year she decided she wanted to try out dorm living and took out a loan of $4,500 to cover the cost. But most college graduates aren’t as fortunate as Denis. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 66 percent of undergraduates received some type of student aid for the 2007-08 academic year. The average tuition, room and board for the same academic year was $17,102.

New York University Assistant Vice President of Office of Admissions, Shawn Abbott, says 60-70% of incoming freshman receive federal financial aid.

“Even though we award millions [in financial aid] each year, it’s not nearly enough for us to meet the full need of our freshman class each year,” said Abbott.

Perhaps this country is long overdue for reevaluating the rising costs of tuition.

Long gone are the days where middle-class Americans could work hard and save for their children’s education. In the Institute for Higher Education Policy’s most recent figures, a 2003-2004 study found that 70 percent of Black students had a remaining financial need after grants had been rewarded, and about 54 percent borrowed loans to meet that need. Paying for a college degree has become a burden for both the parents and their children. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree should not be a legal I.O.U. indebting young adults to the federal government for years to follow one’s education. But that is exactly what is happening.

Thankfully there is financial aid for the 66 percent of American’s who cannot pay for college out of their pockets. However, financial aid isn’t necessarily free money.  More times than not financial aid is dispersed in large sums through subsidized and unsubsidized loans. And when additional funds are needed to cover the remainder additional private loans or Parent Plus, loans are taken out to cover the rest. And not all Black students qualify for Pell Grants. Those who don’t qualify for Pell Grants or aren’t the first generation to attend college are usually left to fend for themselves in terms of securing money for school.

In “A Lesson on Wealth Pt. 2,” I wrote about the difficulties of building wealth when graduating from college already in the hole. Building wealth requires the ownership of homes, land or businesses. Paying back loans for 10-20 years is not conducive to ownership.

It is up to guidance counselors, parents, church members and mentors to assist Black youth with college preparation. Scholarships are a great way for minority students to cut tuition costs. Searching for scholarships though takes time and should be done as early as possible. Grants are also viable options to supplement scholarships. Parents should begin saving for their child’s tuition as early as the child being one month old. Through savings bonds or certificates of deposits parents can put away a set amount per month while the money accrues interest over the years. These are only a few steps to take to ensure young adults aren’t solely reliant on financial aid.

What are other helpful tips for potential college students who want to have minimum reliance on financial aid?

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The article talks about the website, Seekingarrangement.com, which is home to “college tuition sugar daddies.”

The pieces focuses on a young, New York college student who signed up on the website and ended up meeting a man from mostly affluent, Greenwich, Ct.

The Huffington Post reports:

A month prior, faced with about $15,000 in unpaid tuition and overdue bills, Taylor and her roommate typed “tuition,” “debt,” and “money for school” into Google. A website calledSeekingArrangement.com popped up. Intrigued by the promise of what the site billed as a “college tuition sugar daddy,” Taylor created a “sugar baby” profile and eventually connected with the man from Greenwich. (“Taylor” is the pseudonym she uses with men she meets online. Neither she nor any of the other women interviewed for this article permitted their real names be used.)

In her profile on the site, Taylor describes herself as “a full-time college student studying psychology and looking to meet someone to help pay the bills.” Photos on the site show her in revealing outfits, a mane of caramel-colored hair framing her face. But unlike other dating sites, where a user might also list preferred hobbies or desired traits, Taylor instead indicates preferences for a “sugar daddy” and an “arrangement” in the range of $1,000 to $3,000 a month.

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NEW YORK — The story was compelling when it was first broken several weeks ago by the New York Daily News — a 13-year-old Black whiz-kid named Autum Ashante accepted to the University of Connecticut, only to have that acceptance rescinded, and her fraught father calling for justice.

But the story might be a work of fiction.

Original New York Daily News Story on Autum Ashante’s acceptance

The University of Connecticut spokesman cited by the Daily News as having confirmed Autum’s acceptance, Richard Veilleux, tells NewsOne that he never told the paper’s reporter any such thing.

Tanyanika Samuels reported in the Daily News that Autum — described as a home-schooled genius — had been admitted to UConn and would be enrolling in the fall. Samuels later published a follow up story reporting that UConn had rescinded Autum’s acceptance. In the article, Autum’s father, Batin Ashante, said the university told him that she was not “academically ready.”

Veilleux and Michael Kirk from UConn’s communications office tell a different story.

“She applied, and her application was denied. It was not accepted. Nothing was ‘rescinded,’” Kirk wrote in an email to NewsOne.

Veilleux gave credence to Kirk’s statement, telling NewsOne: “When the Daily News called me, I spoke to Lee Melvin, our vice president for enrollment management, and he told me that Autum had not enrolled at the university. I passed that information to the Daily News.”

That information was never mentioned in any Daily News story.

In the Daily News‘ original news break of Autum’s acceptance, Samuels never quoted any UConn official to confirm Ashante’s story. The story only cited Autum and her father.

In the Daily News’ subsequent story reporting UConn’s alleged reversal, Samuels wrote: “UConn Spokesman Richard Veilleux confirmed Autum had been accepted to the school but said university officials were still waiting for the family to formally enroll.”

Though Veilleux is cited, he and Kirk categorically deny that Veilleux ever said that.

New York Daily News’ director of communications, Jennifer Mauer, told NewsOne that the Daily News “stands by the original story,” and that Veilleux did indeed confirm Autum’s acceptance to Samuels. When Samuels was questioned by phone on the matter, she referred all inquiries to Mauer.

When asked if he could produce a document to prove Autum was accepted to the university, Batin Ashante didn’t answer. Instead, he maintained that UConn is “closing ranks” because of the potential success of a petition, started by UConn alumna Josephine Minnow, to sway the university’s alleged decision to rescind Autum’s acceptance.

“I’m done with you and all media,” Ashante told NewsOne. “I’m saying [expletive] UConn right now.”

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Winter break is a great relief from the mundane routine that is college life. You get to be lazy for a month, non- proactive and maybe even fit some sleep into your usually hectic schedule. The problem with all this fun is that sometimes you get too stuck in the luxury of doing nothing and then you have to get back on the grind. Snapping yourself out of it can be tough, but we have the solution to this problem. Here are five ways to get back on the grind, when school kicks back into session.

1.Get a Holiday Job or Internship
This is great time to get a job and make some extra money. Stores are hiring like crazy during the holiday season. We all know how expensive college can be, so why sit around and gain the freshman 15, when you can work and save money to pay off some of that college debt. Working will keep your brain active and your body use to performing at a certain level of activity. An internship is also a good way to keep you active. You will gain work experience for that future resume you will have to make, in order to gain employment after college.

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2. Create a Workout Routine
Getting in shape is a great New Year’s resolution and a good way to shake the stress from the finals you just took. Working out is a good way to  keep your stress levels down when you return to school. It will keep your body in shape, you won’t gain weight during the holidays and you can carry your workouts into the new semester. Try some new workouts that vary from the usually gym type exercises. Yoga, Tai Chi, Pilates and running are all great workouts.

3.Stay Educated
Most people take this opportunity to just be lazy and catch up on a season of their favorite television show. I think the best solution to prevent brain failure during the winter break is to take a winter break class. Another solution is to email one of your professors, so you can order your books ahead of time and read them before the semester begins. Keeping your brain active is a sure way to succeed in college. The more you use it, the better it works.

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4.Volunteer Somewhere
This is the season for giving and sometimes the best gift you can give is your time. There are a number of people and places that have more to worry about than college finals. Volunteering not only humbles you, but it also makes you open minded to the world around you; it will also give back to the community.

5. A Week Before Class, Try Waking Up Early
Your body is full of cells that have memory just like your brain. So waking up early is something that you usually program your body to get accustomed to. A week before you start school, especially if you have early morning classes, set your alarm to seven or eight am. This will help your body get use to being proactive during that time of day.

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“The idea here is simple,” Obama said Monday at a White House event promoting his “Skills For America’s Future” program to develop better partnerships between private industry and community colleges. “We want to make it easier to connect students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire. We want to help community colleges and employers create programs that match curricula in the classroom with the needs of the boardrooms.”

At first glance this would seem like an ideal plan that everyone would agree with. People with 4 year degrees are having a difficult time finding a job so perhaps the best alternative would be to only attend a 2 year college and receive an Associate’s degree. That way, you will still have some education on your resume, remain a competitive candidate in the job market, and not have to attend a 4 year university and be over qualified for positions or feel as though your education was a waste. Lastly, you would owe less money for loans etc.

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“They may not go to four-year colleges right away, but the community college system can be just a terrific gateway for folks to get skills,” said Obama. “Some start at a community college and then go on to four-year colleges. Some just get technical training, get a job and then come back maybe five years later to upgrade their skills or adapt them to a new business.” Obama also believes that this will increase graduation rates.

Other are not happy with Obama’s plan, saying that Obama giving special attention and money to community colleges over 4 year Universities is unfair. Schools like University of Phoenix And Kaplan are in an uproar. They believe that he is giving community colleges preferential treatment by funding and highlighting them. Personally, I think that the more educated people America has the better. Even if it is only a 2 year degree or specialized training.

The health care legislation signed into law earlier this year included $2 billion to fund the Community College and Career Training initiative to try to improve graduation rates.

The 2009 stimulus bill also had $3.5 billion in Pell grants aimed at helping low-income students at hundreds of community colleges, according to White House officials, as well as $1 billion in workforce training programs at community colleges.

Does this sound like a wise strategy for President Obama?

Via: CNN

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What do you remember most about your high school or college graduation?

Do you remember what it felt like the day you received your high school diploma or even the day you walked across the stage at your college’s commencement ceremony? What was that moment like for you?

One of music and entertainment’s brightest stars has just experienced that same feeling, too, and it’s finally none other than the Queen of Hip Hop/Soul herself, Mary J. Blige.

For years we’ve heard her speak out on the importance of getting the education she bailed out on early in her high school years before her mega success, fame, notoriety and respect in the music industry.

This week, the 39-year-old singer announced live on ABC’s “Good Morning America” that she’d just received her GED from her hometown of NYC. Mary J. Blige is now amped in more ways than one because she’s also been accepted into college and Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Congrats to the Queen of Hip Hop/Soul! Mary J. Blige has just received her GED and plans to attend Howard University.

The student of the stage and show biz is eager to get started as she aims for a Bachelors degree with an intended graduation date near the end of the 2014 term. There’s currently no report on what Mary J. Blige will choose as her major or even how exactly she will attend classes. Pretty soon we guess she’ll stop touring and doing music for awhile to complete her studies or officially decide if she’ll juggle both a full time career with her planned courses at Howard University.

Now what would you do if you were sitting in class one day learning all you can and Mary J. Blige walks in and asks for a steno notepad to take notes on the lesson? Wouldn’t that be crazy? Hopefully, MJB will be able to take a few online classes like many of us do, but I want her to also get the complete college life experience.

Granted she might not need to go as far as renting a dorm room, but it’d be nice to see her doing her best to further her education and hang out a few times on the yard. Think she’ll join a sorority, too?

Howard University is one of the most popular HBCUs (historically Black colleges and universities) so whatever Mary J. Blige decides to do, I’m sure her music has been the soundtrack to a few generations of step shows, fashion shows, homecoming celebrations, frat parties and late night study sessions.

Go Mary! We’re so proud of you and how you kept your word. Best wishes in all you do. Continue to be an example and a light showing the world that it is never too late to get an education! We love you MJB. See you at graduation!

Share your thoughts and congratulate Mary J. Blige in the comments section below. Rate this story based on your interest, too.

Be the first to respond here at TheBuzzCincy.com – the online home of 1230AM WDBZ The Buzz. Link up with Cincinnati’s community and inspiration station by checking us out on TheBuzzCincy.com. Let us know here or check out the conversations with 1230AM WDBZ‘s network of friends on on Facebook, or join our group page here – 1230AM WDBZ The Buzz Group Page.

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Of 5,500 college students surveyed, 97 percent send and receive text messages.

A survey of 5,500 college students by a Ball State journalism professor reports that text messaging surpasses e-mail and instant message mediums. With only about a quarter using e-mail or instant messaging, 97 percent send and receive text messages.

Michael Hanley, Ball State journalism professor found that 49 percent of mobile communication devices are smart phones, up 10 percent since October of 2009. Due to their hectic lifestyles, college students are leaving their computers and e-mail behind to embrace their smart phones and texting.

What do you think about this survey? Do you think technology is going in the wrong direction?

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