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Tm News Argus
www.thenewsargus.com
Winston-Salem State University’s Student Newspaper
September 2005
Three students from Gulf Coast come to WSSU
By Lisa R. Boone
ARGUS EdITOR-IN-ChIEF
Blaring homs did not disturb
the thoughts of Hurricane
Katrina evacuee Arteeca
Eccles as she watched an uninter
rupted stream of brake lights creep
along the backdrop of a dark New
Orleans morning.
"We left for Texas at 3 a.m.," said
Eccles, an Xavier University fresh
man now enrolled at WSSU.
"It seemed like a regular hot
New Orleans morning was on the
way.
"I finally got in contact with my
parents right before I left," she
added, "but I didn't really know
how I was going to get home, so I
was thinking about a lot."
Eccles, a Charlotte native, is
one of three students enrolled
at WSSU from Gulf Coast universi
ties affected by Hurricane Katrina,
which has been described as
the third most destructive, expen
sive and intense tropical cyclone
to hit the U.S. The other two
students are from Southern ,
University
"I didn't realize how [the hurri
cane] affected me until I got here,"
Eccles said- "I basically had to
replace my whole wardrobe
because I just grabbed one outfit
for the next day when my
roommate made me leave with
her.
"We could have prevented the
loss of so much if we had known
what was coming," she said.
The hurricane made landfall
near Empire, Louisiana, shortly
after 7 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 29.
After Hurricane Katrina tore
through New Orleans, portions of
the levee system there failed,
flooding most of the city causing
even more damage and death.
Dr. Donald Mac-Thompson, an
associate professor of political sci
ence at WSSU, said he has both
historical and family ties with New
Orleans.
"I was devastated when I heard
about the storm for many reasons,"
said Mac-Thompson, a native of
Freetown, Sierra Leone, "not just
because my cousins lived there,
but. . . there is a place in New
Orleans called Freetown and there
is a historical connection that, exists
between the Creoles of New
Orleans and the Creoles of
Freetown, Sierra Leone."
Mac-Thompson, who describes
fumselt as Creole, said ' the federal
government's response was atro
cious and it is something that is'
very difficult for us to forget."
^ See GULF COAST,
page 2
Photo courtesy of KRT Wire Service
Roy Cooks, right, carries Cortez Stovall, 2, as they make their way through floodwaters to the
Superdome in downtown New Orleans, La., on Aug.'S!.
Higher gas prices force
students to make sacrifices
By Robyn Floyd
KRT WIRE SERVICE
When Calvin Foster, a
Winston-Salem State
University senior, budgeted
for school costs this year, he
had no way of knowing that
gas prices would take an
unexpected leap.
The nationwide average
for a gallon of gasoline is
$3.05, although prices are
much higher in most major
metropolitan areas. What
this has meant for Foster,
who commutes to campus
from Greensboro, is that
he's been forced to cut back
on extras.
"I miss being able to eat
out," he said. "I don't go
out to eat as much as I used
to." Foster said he selects
premium gas to fill his
Lexus, and a recent trip to
the pump set him back
Photo by Garrett Garms
Sophomore Kevin Bryant
refills his gas tank.
$45.00. "I refill my tank
every three days," said the
business administration
major.
See GAS PRICES,
page 2
Dreadlocks a no-go for sports club
By Tiphane Deas
Argus Managing Editor
onald Stevens, a
WSSU senior and
A V president of the
Sports Management Club,
knows firsthand how
important it is to make a
good impression, especial
ly when it comes to a
prospective employer. He
also understands that you
should always be dressed
to impress, because you
never know if the person
you meet today will be
your boss tomorrow.
"We kind of really shoot
ourselves in the foot when
we don't know how to
present ourselves," he said.
We already have one strike
against us."
Steven's attitude is one
that Dennis Felder, associ
ate professor of Human
Performance and Sports
Science, has tried to instill
Photo by Garrett Garms
Dr. Felder, associate professor of Human Perform
ance and Sports Science, gives his students specific
guidelines for appearance to help them obtain jobs.
themselves at odds with
Felder and the club's rule
when they refused to
adhere to what's known as
in all members of the
Sports Management Club.
However, not everyone
agrees with Felder's idea
of what defines appropri
ate dress and grooming.
Two freshmen found
the "tenth rule" and cut
their dreadlocks.
According to Felder, this
rule covers everything
from wearing a hat or
durag indoors to particular
hairstyles.
"I tell my students that
you can't come into an
educational building with
a hat on your head or a
durag because they might
do the same thing going to
a job interview, and I can't
take that chance," said
Felder, who has worked at
WSSU since 1984.
In the end, the two fresh
men have been allowed to
remain in the academic
program, but they are not
members of the club.
What is and what's not
appropriate dress in the
workplace and in school is
an ongoing controversy,
not only at WSSU but also
across the nation.
Numerous businesses and
page 7
ARGUS INDEX
September Edition
Got Questions?
Ask WSSU’s own answer
man, Dear Quill
Students like shuttle despite problems, delays
WSSU's latest residence
facility now open 3
Are you living an
examined life? 4
By Lisa R. Boone
ARGUS EDITTOR-IN-CHIEF
Twelve WSSU students sit
in vehicles parked at
Bowman Gray Stadium on
Martin Luther King Drive,
waiting for the new 28-
passenger RamExpress to
arrive.
After several minutes, a
shuttle arrives, but it's not
the bright red and white
RamExpress that made its
debut on campus Aug. 15.
Instead, a replacement shut
tle arrives. This is because
less than one month after the
shuttle was introduced to the
campus, the RamExpress is
already out of service, at
least temporarily.
Aaron Singleton, director
of news and media relations,
said that the WSSU custom
RamExpress shuttle vehicle
was temporarily out of com
mission while it underwent
repairs to its air conditioning
system, according to the
Winston-Salem Transpor
tation Authority.
For the convenience of
the WSSU students, faculty
and staff, WSTA provided
another vehicle until the
repairs were completed on
the RamExpress."
The RamExpress shuttle
service is free and operates
from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Monday through Friday. It
makes eight stops around
the
campus in 30 minutes or less.
Sisters Denise and Devon
Bames are frequent passen
gers of the shuttle.
"I leave an hour earlier
than usual when I ride the
RamExpress because I never
know when it's going to be
there," Devon Bames said.
But she added: "I will con
tinue to ride it as long as it's
offered."
Denise Bames, a senior
nursing major, said the con
venience of the shuttle is
ideal for nursing and com
puter science majors.
"The string you pull to sig
nal a stop makes the shuttle
seem authentic," Denise
Bames said. "I never rode
any public transportation
before, so this is new to me,
but I really like riding the
RamExpress. It is fun."