News Roundup

Obama Announces Virtual Records System for Veterans

President Barack Obama announced a virtual records system Thursday that should ease delays in healthcare for wounded veterans.  The electronic record keeping system, will handle service members’ administrative and medical records from the day they enter service. Those files will be transferred to the Department of Veterans Affairs when they leave active duty.

“Currently, there is no comprehensive system in place that allows for a streamlined transition of health records” between the Department of Defense and the Veteran Affairs Department, said Obama. “That results in extraordinary hardship for an awful lot of veterans, who end up finding their records lost, unable to get their benefits processed in a timely fashion.”

Because the two agencies have different medical systems, veterans have complained about bureaucratic hurdles and long waits as they enter the VA system.  Both departments will work together to define and build a system that will ultimately contain administrative and medical information, from the day an individual enters military service, throughout their military career, and after they leave the military.  There is a six-month backlog in disability claims at the VA.

More than 1.6 million troops have deployed in support of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Of those, more than 33,000 have been wounded, according to the Associated Press.  There are more than 23 million veterans in the United States, and nearly 5.5. million people sought health care at a VA facility last year.

— Deborah Creighton Skinner

Black Athletes Graduating at Higher Rate

The Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for black college athletes has increased compared with three years ago, according to a new report.

The report, issued by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida, also found that black athletes are graduating at higher rates than black college students as a whole.

The GSR, which the NCAA uses to measure graduation rates, is 62% this year, up from 59% in 2006. For black football players in the top division, the GSR rose from 54% to 58%. The rate rose from 49% to 54% for male basketball players and from 71% to 76% for female basketball players.

“These results reflect what we’ve been saying for a long time – the opportunities available through intercollegiate athletics and the hard work of many have led to academic improvement for African-American student-athletes, especially African-American male student-athletes,” NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson said in an e-mail. “We hope and expect this progress will continue.”

— Marcia A. Wade

Links Chapter Rings In 60 years

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, The Links Inc. Greater New York Chapter rang the NASDAQ closing bell yesterday.

“We thank the NASDAQ for providing us the honor of closing the market today,” said Gwendolyn Lee, national president of The Links. “This event presents a fabulous opportunity for us to generate awareness about our programs and the impact that we have here in New York, as well as nationally and globally.”

Established in 1946, the Links is one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of women committed to enriching the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African ancestry.

–Marcia A. Wade

USPS Issues Richard Wright Stamp

Author Richard Wright has been honored with a stamp, which went on sale nationwide April 9. He is the 25th inductee into the Postal Service’s Literary Arts series. Most renowned for his 1940 novel, Native Son, and his 1945 autobiography, Black Boy, Wright often employed a wide range of literary traditions that explored racism in American society. Before becoming a legendary author, whose works have inspired many contemporary writers and musicians, he worked for the Chicago Post Office from 1927 to 1930 as a letter sorter.

Artwork for the stamp, created by Kadir Nelson of San Diego, California, features a portrait of Wright in front of snow-swept buildings on Chicago’s South Side and is based on a 1945 photograph. Carl T. Herrman of Carlsbad, California, was the stamp designer. One hundred million stamps were printed in sheets of 20.

“This nation experienced a historical event in our most recent presidential election,” said U.S. Postal Service Chicago District/Postmaster Gloria Tyson. “It was an event Richard Wright helped to bring about with his often controversial writings; writings of a world view on humanity and politics that were far too forward-thinking for his own generation … writings that eventually helped to direct a change in how America addressed and discussed race relations.”

Customers may purchase new stamps at their local post office, at the Postal Store Website, or by calling 1-800-STAMP-24.

— Janell P. Hazelwood

Syracuse Offers Full Scholarships for Architecture Studies

Syracuse University is offering ten full scholarships to African American students interested in studying architecture. Mark Robbins, dean of the School of Architecture, says the university is committed to bringing diversity to the field. While enrollment among Latino students has made gains over the years, the program still struggles to attract black students. The scholarship money will cover tuition and education related expenses for the ten students.

For more information, contact Mark Robbins at 315-443- 2255 or e-mail robbinsm@syr.edu.

— Renita Burns

Ford Announces HBCU Business Classic Finalists

Ford Motor Co. this week announced five teams from Florida A&M University, Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University, and Howard University as finalists in its 2009 HBCU Business Classic.

“The Ford HBCU Business Classic is an exciting opportunity for students to apply their classroom knowledge and develop real-world business ideas and solutions,” says Crystal Worthem, multicultural marketing manager at Ford. “In the current economy, it is as important as ever that we continue to foster the development of future business leaders and entrepreneurs.”

To enter the competition, students, individually or in teams of two to five, along with a faculty adviser, had to submit a fully developed business plan.

The finalists will have 25 minutes to convince judges that their business plans can be converted into a viable strategy during the last round of the competition at Clark Atlanta University on April 17.

The students are competing for $100,000 in scholarship prizes. The grand prize-winning team will receive $35,000 in personal scholarship funds and $15,000 for their HBCU, courtesy of Ford. The Business Classic is in its third year and has had submissions from 80% of the nation’s HBCUs. 

— Renita Burns

Obama Names Donald Remy for General Counsel to Army Post

President Barack Obama nominated several individuals to key administration posts, including Donald Remy, who was named for general counsel to the Army.

Recognized by Black Enterprise magazine as one of America’s most powerful executives under 40 in 2005, Remy is a partner at the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins. At the firm, he has represented clients in enforcement proceedings and white-collar criminal defense matters, including alleged foreign bribery in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), money laundering, securities fraud, and international traffic and arms regulations.

Remy also serves in a management role at the firm as a member of the global training and career enhancement committee. He has published, lectured, and testified before Congress on legal topics relating to torts, constitutional law, employment law, diversity, government contracts, litigation and compliance.

The Howard University School of Law graduate previously served as deputy assistant attorney general for the civil division of the United States Department of Justice, where he handled several cases, including those involving the events at Waco and Ruby Ridge.

— Janell P. Hazelwood