Jackson Free Press

Members of Jackson State University's MADDRAMA performance group received top honors during the 2019 National Association of Dramatic and Speech Arts Conference in Baltimore from April 2-6. A release from JSU states that MADDRAMA took home either first or second place honors in every competitive category it entered.

DeShadrian Hopkins, a senior speech communication major with a concentration in theater, won first place in the oral presentation of poetry category for her performance of the poem "I'm Not Giving My Black Back" by Jewel Diamond Taylor, despite suffering from acute laryngitis during her performance.

Other MADDRAMA members who won awards include Clement Gibson for persuasive speaking and playwriting; Jaquan Walker for oral interpretation of prose; ParKer DeLoach and Michael Barber for duo acting; and Shameelah Abdullah for dramatic monologue. The troupe also received awards in the play festival, reader's theater and all-star cast categories.

In addition to the awards ceremony, the NADSA conference also included workshops for students on topics such as acting, narration and the arts.

The schools competing in the NADSA awards included Albany State, Bethune-Cookman, Bowie State, Coppin State, Delaware State, Grambling State, Morgan State, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M and Winston-Salem State universities.

USM Hosting National Pan-Hellenic Council Gala

The University of Southern Mississippi will host a gala celebration for the National Pan-Hellenic Council on Saturday, May 4, at 7 p.m. at the Thad Cochran Center ballrooms on the Hattiesburg campus.

NPHC is a national organization consisting of nine historically black college fraternities and sororities. Members chartered the organization on May 10, 1930, on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C. NPHC coordinates information and program exchanges among the member organizations through meetings, forums and other functions. USM chartered its NPHC branch on Dec. 31, 1993.

The fraternities and sororities that make up NPHC include Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.; Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.; Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.; and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Michael E. Cristal, international president of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., will deliver the keynote address.

Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity elected Cristal, a Grenada native, as its 35th international president in July 2017. He joined Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity while attending Mississippi State University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in marketing.

For more information on the National Pan-Hellenic Council at USM, call 601-266-4823 or visit the USM Greek life website.

UMMC Doctor Receives American Academy of Dermatology Award

On Friday, April 12, the American Academy of Dermatology named University of Mississippi Medical Center physician Robert T. Brodell as a Patient Care Hero for his work in opening a dermatology clinic in the Mississippi Delta. A release from AAD states that the area previously did not have any practicing dermatologists within 100 miles.

Brodell joined with 11 of his colleagues in UMMC's department of dermatology to offer their services inside an existing medical clinic that South Delta High School in Rolling Fork was staffing inside of one of its empty classrooms. Brodell and his colleagues will each offer their services at the clinic for one month each per year.

AAD's release states that another dermatologist will also provide care at UMMC's Community Care Clinic in Belzoni once a month, with dates staggered with the classroom clinic so that dermatologic care is available every two weeks.

For more information on Brodell and his clinic, visit the AAD's website.