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Vol. 65, No. 2
Circulation 2,200
Elizabeth City, NC
October 29, 2001
The Compass
Elizabeth City State University’s award-winning student newspaper.
LET IIS RECEIVE OUR mV KING AND QIIEEN
Mr. and Ms. ECSU
- photo courtesy of Rich Harvey
2001-2002, Mr. Kevin Wade and Ms. Chrishanda Rodgers
ECSU Hires Director of
Facilities Management
Public Relations Reports
Chancellor Mickey L. Burnim re
cently announced two personnel ap
pointments—Mr. Benjamin Hunter as
the ECSU Director of Facilities Man
agement and Mr. Gregory Magee as
Director ofDesign and Construction,
a newly created position. Both report
to the Vice Chancellor for Business
and Finance.
Hunter will be responsible for
management and maintenance of
the university’s facilities. Magee will
be responsible for design and
construction projects resulting from
last year’s bondreferendum. Magee
formerly had responsibility for both
areas.
Chancellor Burnim states,
‘These personnel appointments
enable us to provide effective
leadership in two very important
areas facilities and capital projects.
Restructuring the facilities manage
ment organization in this way
Cylea Seabrook
cylea@yahoo.com
On Oct. 18, at the Fine Arts
Auditorium, Chrishanda Anecia
Rodgers was officially crowned Miss
Elizabeth City State University.
The Miss ECSU Coronation is a
formal ceremony designed to offi
cially crown the university’s queen. It
is also a night for the queen to pub
licly display her elegance just as
Miss Rodgers did.
During her reign for 2001
through 2002 school year, her goal
is to see that some changes are
made with the Miss ECSU title. She
would like the Miss Elizabeth City
State University showcase to be
judged based poise, speech, and
talent. She says that it should not be
judged by popularity, but by ability.
“There should be a panel of judges
and a student judge to judge the
showcase,” she said. She believes
that this will enable the candidates to
be judged fairly and not on their
popularity among students.
She also wants Miss ECSU to
have the opportunity to receive a
scholarship designed just for Univer
sity queens. She also wants to make
the Mr. ECSU title equal to the Miss
ECSU title, because both are am
bassadors for the school.
“Mr. ECSU is just an escort for
now, but he should be given the
opportunity to speak at campus
activities and other public functions.
There should also be a showcase for
that position, displaying the ability of
the candidates,” Miss Rodgers said.
Since she has been voted as
queen, her schedule has picked up
with regularly scheduled meetings
with the ECSU Advisory Board. Her
vibrant presence is requested at
university functions and she has
been invited to speak at an alumni
chapter meeting. During homecom
ing week, she was preparing for
coronation, participating in the pa
rade and attending other weekly
festivities. Asked what her advice
would be to young ladies who aspire
to be queen, she said, “excel in your
academics, be friendly, and involve
yourself with on and off campus
activities.”
Her inspiration came from Hope
Jones, Miss ECSU from 1998-1999
school year. “Hope inspired me
because she was a mentor and
inspiration to young women on and
off campus and I aspire to do the
same, “ she said.
Ms. Rodgers would like to thank
her family, close friends, the student
body, faculty and staff for all their
support. She is also thankful for the
opportunity to represent her school in
the Ebony magazine where her
picture will be accompanied by other
black university queens.
After graduation, Miss Rodgers
plans to attend graduate school to
pursue a career in Public Relations
and Advertising.
Miss Chrishanda Anecia
Rodgers is truly a queen.
enables the university to manage
each area more efficiently. With the
expertise that Mr. Hunter and Mr.
Magee bring, 1 am certain our exist
ing facilities as well as our new
facilities will be first-rate. Please join
me in welcoming Mr. Hunterand
congratulating Mr. Magee on their
new appointments.” Prior to joining
ECSU, Hunter served as a Plant
Maintenance Supervisor in the State
of NorthCarolina Facility Manage
ment Division in Raleigh.
Hunter has worked in similar
positions for other state departments
since 1999, and his overall career in
facilities management and operations
extends back to 1990. A graduate of
Shaw University, Hunter also is
licensed as both a mecha?iical and
electrical contractor, and is certified
in the areas of energy management
and refrigeration.
ECSU Hires Director
of Corporate and
Foundation Relations
Chancellor Mickey L. Burnim is
pleased to announce the personnel
appointment of Mrs. Laura W. Cross
as the ECSU Director of Corporate
and Foundation Relations, effective
October 1, 2001. Mrs. Cross is part
of the ECSU Institutional Advance
ment team.
Cross, a 1976 ECSU alumna,
also received a Master’s Degree in
Public Administration from American
University in 1978. Her professional
career has focused on public service
and management beginning in Wash
ington, D.C. as a management ana
lyst for the U.S. Environmental Pro
tection Agency, then to the Centers
for Disease Control in Atlanta as
program manager for the Exposure
and Disease Registries Program.
From there she went on to serve as
executive director for a Federally
Public Relations Report
Qualified Community Health Center
in Virginia.
In each of her roles in both the
public and private sectors, Mrs. Cross
has developed funding mechanisms
and community relationships that she
will draw upon to successfully culti
vate business and foundation rela
tionships at ECSU.
Per Mrs. Cross, “It is an honor to
serve at ECSU and support Chancel
lor Burnim’s charge to prepare lead
ers for the 21st century. My research
of ECSU prior to accepting the posi
tion revealed many activities promot
ing academic excellence, technologi
cal advances, cultural development
and a sound business organization. I
encourage other alumni to research
ECSU and identify areas where they
may be able to provide stewardship
and become a part of the process to
advance ECSU.”