BRIEFS/ continued from pa^e 14
The Compass Friday, Novembers, 1995 15
Faculty to consider
tough new policy
on class attendance
College and consisted of eight mod
ules or sections and twenty-four hours
of training.
On August 31 officers, Cpl. Wilbert
Shannon and Ptl. Wajme T. Barclift
completed a course on Police Commu
nication and Traffic Stops, also held at
Coastal Plain Law Enforcement Train
ing Center at Wilson Technical Com-
mimity College.
The course focused on commimica-
tion skills that officers can employ
which will enhance Police/Community
relationships, save time and permit ci
tations to be written with fewer com
plaints and court appeals. Both offic
ers received a certificate for successful
completion of the course.
Trenace Fayton, Miss ECSU for 1995-
96, was crowned Miss National Black
College during the Aimual Black Col
lege Hall of Fame Queens Pageant in
Atlanta. Fayton, who received a $3,000
scholarship, is the first Miss ECSU to
ever win the national pageant.
Six ECSU students attended the 25th
aimual NCCTM State Math Confeiv
ence Sept. 21-22 in Greensboro, NC:
Cordell Garrett, Lamont Robinson,
Abdulaye Fofana, Reshma Downing,
Samantha Brown and Darlene Walton.
ECSU students Curtis Felton, Marie
Dail, and Kuchumbi Hayden made pre
sentations at the annual MUSPIN Con
ference held in Baltimore, MD. Oct 5-
7. Tammara Ward, Cory Ellis and
Clutilda Monk, members of the
Fractals/Chaos team, made presenta
tions at the same conference.
Jason Powell and Vincent Thomas pre
sented papers at the National Confer
ence on Undei^aduate Research in
Schnectady, New York, in April. They
were the only students from an HBCU
to present papers at the conference.
Six ECSU students enrolled in the
UNC-System Summer Field Camp
this year, Vincent Thomas, Jason
Powell, KeUy Spivey, Melanie Turner,
Dessalines McClure, and Roy
Norwood. The students traveled to the
western part of the U.S. as part of their
degree requirements for geology ma
jors. They visited New Mexico, Ari
zona and Colorado to map different
project areas like Rattlesnake Gulch,
and Wildcat Gulch. They also visited
The Grand Canyon and The Petrified
Forest.
The U.S. Dept, of Energy sponsored
sxmuner internships for four geology
majors, Vincent Thomas, Melanie
Turner, Tyrone Mitchell and Kelly
Spivey. As the first group to complete
the Office of Gas and Petroleum Tech
nologies internship program, they were
invited to give presentations on their
work experience at a meeting held in
Washington D.C. Floyd Fayton, a
sophomore geology major, also partici
pated in the EPA sxmuner internship
program.
Renita Boone, a biology major, and
Elizabeth Cash, a physical science ma
jor participated in surmner internships
sponsored by National Science Foun
dation grants for the Department of
Geosciences.
by James Perry
Beginning with the spring semester
of 1996, ECSU's students may find
themselves attending class much more
often.
University officials are currently con
sidering a massive revamping of the
attendance policy. The proposed
changes, which would shift control
over absences from administration to
faculty, will have a dramatic impact on
students, particularly those who miss
classes.
Under the new policy, officials will
not write excuses for students. Students
who miss classes will have to deal di
rectly with their instructors. Under the
current system, students are allowed
only three imexcused absences per se
mester for a three hour course. The
proposed new policy, which faculty
members wiU vote upon in November,
will allow students six cuts per semes
ter for a three hour course; however,
students who exceed that number of
cuts can automatically fail the course.
Under the new policy, the instructor
may also choose to lower a student's
course grade for each additional
absence.
Dr. Helen Caldwell, Vice-Chancellor
for Academic Affairs, said that the ex
isting attendance policy needed to be
revised. Officials and students admit
that the current policy is not taken
seriously.
"The policy has a tendency to be
abused, and is ineffective," said Cald
well, who stressed that the university
has an "obligation, responsibility and
a privilege" to educate students.
Under the current system, it is com
mon for students to miss over
20 percent of class meetings, according
to the preamble to the revised policy
statement. Committee members
working on the change in policy say
they are seeking firmer control over
students' class attendance, so that
students will benefit from a full
semester's exposure to course content.
Several ECSU students said they ob
ject to the existing policy, particularly
"the hassle" of having to go to admin
istrators for excuses.
ECSU senior Jennifer Capps Sciid she
objected to having to produce a pro
gram from a family member's funeral.
"Why would I lie about something as
serious as my mother's death?"
Another student pointed out that
some instructors are not always sure
who is in class cind who isn't.
"How do they know whether you're
there or not?" said Jean Samuel, an
ECSU senior. "You come in late and
they say you're absent anyway. They
need to come up with a policy about
lateness."
The new policy will also allow in
structors to record excessive tardiness
as an absence.
SHUN XING
Chinese Restaurant
Szechaun, Hunan & Cantonese
(Take Out or Eat In)
OPEN: Mon. thru Thurs, —- I i :00 a.m.-10:00 p.nn.
Friday and Saturday — 11:00 a.m.- i 0:30 p.m.
Sunday —- Noon -9:00 p.m.
Telephone (919) 335-5188 or 338-5198
Elizabeth City, NC