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December 2017 Big South FROM PAGE 1


chief reason for being. The smaller geographic footprint will also reduce travel


with the Mid-Eastern


expenses. Another important consideration is the large number of alumni located in the Big South region. We have enjoyed our 22-year relationship


Athletic Conference and hope to continue competing against some of its teams.”


To a raucous ovation, Hampton


University Athletic Director Eugene Marshall announced the move.


“Hampton University is moving forward, and the timing is right for a new venture,” he said. “Our President, Dr. William R. Harvey, says to ‘Dream No Small Dreams,” and this is a great time to dream big."


Big South Commissioner Kyle


Kallander couldn’t be more pleased for the conference and for Hampton University.


“This is a big day for the


Big South! We have always been impressed by Hampton’s academics and athletics


under President Harvey’s visionary leadership,” appreciate


Kallander his interest and support


of the Big South and look forward to working with him and the rest of Hampton’s leadership to support our student-athletes. The Big South is a better conference with Hampton – athletically, academically, and in providing outstanding opportunities for our student-athletes.”


association Athletic


Marshall said that Hampton’s with its Mid-Eastern rivals will


Conference


continue. “We are thankful to the


Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for 22 years of great athletic competition and tremendous support,” Marshall said. “We hope to retain long-time rivalries by playing MEAC schools. We are not leaving our fellow HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and


accomplishments said. “We


Universities). We reach.”


www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com are expanding our Joining the Big South is not just


about athletics. Marshall echoed Dr. Harvey’s most important reason for joining the Big South.


“This move enables us to better


manage class time, reducing lost class time for our athletes, with the goal of high academic achievement at the forefront of HU Athletics,” Marshall said.


Kallander said that the vote


to admit Hampton University was unanimous, and was based on excellent academic and athletic achievement.


“The Big South’s goal is to win,”


Kallander said. “We expect them to win and to compete for championships their first season in the conference. We have admitted Hampton University due their integrity and character.”


Hampton’s athletics history dates back to the mid-1970s and includes memorable NCAA


Tournament


moments in 2001 when the No. 15-seeded Pirates upset No. 2-seeded Iowa State, as well as in 2014-15 making consecutive NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament appearances. The women’s basketball team has won five Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships in a row and six in the last eight years.


On the football field, the Pirates


have made five FCS Championship postseason appearances, as well as making five trips to post-season play as a NCAA Division II member.


With the addition of Hampton,


the Big South Conference will now have four members based in Virginia (Hampton, Liberty, Longwood, Radford), South Carolina (Charleston Southern, Presbyterian College, USC Upstate, Winthrop), Carolina


and (Campbell, championship membership in


High Point, UNC Asheville). conference


formats upcoming 2018-19 season.


Read the Hampton Roads Messenger online 24/7: www.hamptonroadsmessenger.com


North


Gardner-Webb, The


exploring different scheduling models and


will begin for the


Nezida Davis (right) trains with National African-American Gun Association safety instructor Mitch Mitchell (CBS46)


BY BREANNA EDWARDS A group offering itself as an


alternative to the National Rifle Association and focusing on training African Americans in the proper use of guns says it has seen a spike in its membership, particularly since the election of Donald Trump.


Te National African-American


Gun Association says that some black gun owners are particularly concerned about protecting their homes and family from crime, while others are concerned about the current political climate, which has shown a spike in hate crimes and a rise in hate groups, CBS46 notes.


“With the recent election


and Trump getting into office, we anticipated a spike in gun ownership within the African-American community, and we were right,” Mitch Mitchell, a NAAGA safety instructor, said.


“I’d be lying to you if I didn’t


say ... that there’s an apprehension in the community based on some of the political rhetoric, regardless if you’re a Republican or Democrat, leſt or right. A lot of folks are just concerned with the way the country’s being run right now,” Phillip Smith, president of NAAGA, which is based in Atlanta,


added. Nezida Davis, a group member


who is currently in training, says that she is in this to survive.


community, there could be


“Besides just crime in your crime


coming from anywhere. And we’re not just talking about terroristic threats—domestic terrorism, you know, white supremacists, whatever you want to call them,” Davis said.


While NAAGA has existed for


just about two years, its membership currently stands at around 20,000, with the president telling Te Root that the group grew from four chapters in 2016 to 30 chapters in 2017.


However, the group insists


that its core principles have nothing to do with politics and everything to do with safety, protection and acceptance as more and more black citizens believe that owning a gun to be a good thing.


“We are now getting to the point


where folks are saying, ‘You know what? I can get a gun and protect my family if I’m a single mom or a dad,’” Smith said.


The Hampton Roads Messenger 15


Atlanta-Based Firearms Training Group Sees Rise


in Membership


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