iDraif for| SiKtaS! A career may be only a keystroke away New dorm will benefit future students TV shows fuel stereotypes page 2 page 3 page 4 The News Argus www.thenewsargus.com Winston-Salem State University’s Student Newspaper Oct. 30, 2006 NASCAR and a new curriculum help put WSSU in the driver’s seat Larry Williams STAFF REPORTER On Thursday, Oct.l9, uni versity officials unveiled plans for a new curriculum: Motorsport Management. The announcement was made at a press conference in the Cleon F. Thompson Student Services Center. The announcement of the new bachelor of science curriculum marked the beginning of a day filled with opportunity and high expectations for Winston- Salem State University and its students, today and in the future. In attendance for the announcement was Jeff Burton, NASCAR driver and current NEXTEL Cup series points leader. Burton drives the #31 car for Richard Childress Racing. The presence of an A-list NASCAR driver at the cele bration spoke to the impor tance that everyone involved placed on this spe cial day. "Having Jeff Burton lend his support today is criti cal," said Dr. Travis L. Teague, WSSU's Motorsport Management Program Coordinator. Oct. 19 was also a stop on NASCAR's 2006 NASCAR College Tour, which focuses on improv ing diversity in NASCAR and providing information about internships and job opportunities. The magnitude of the day wasn't lost on Burton. "I'm very proud of this university for stepping up to the plate," he said. "I think the program is a wonderful idea and will help fill a void in our busi ness and sport." The buzzword echoed by most in attendance was "opportunity." Interim Chancellor Michelle Howard-Vital spoke about that at the morning press conference. "There are 24,000 jobs in North Carolina dealing with NASCAR. There are 75 million fans of NASCAR, and about 8.9 percent are African- American; that's up 29 per cent since 1999," she said. Howard-Vital also spoke about opportunities and expectations for students at WSSU. 0. .Nate Boulwarc Thousand Dollars Five ii:mi Photo by Lee Adams Mass Communications student JaNate Boulware won a $5,000 scholarship from NASCAR for her presentation on diversity in sports and motorsports in partictilar. ~ "I'm confident students will enjoy the academic challenge in this fast-paced and exciting field," she said. "The university hopes that the curriculum will begin in the fall of 2007." NASCAR's goal of becoming more diverse will not happen overnight; like wise, trying to develop a new academic curriculum is a long process. This senti ment was expressed by Jonathan E. Martin, J.D., executive assistant to the chancellor. "This is an exciting day at the university to kick off this one-of-a-kind pro gram," he said. "It's the cul mination of two or three years of building relation ships with the motor sports industry. Our goal is not to develop a program in a 'vacuum,' but rather to address the needs of the motor sports industry as a whole." Burton also commented on the need for the pro gram to address non-techni- cal aspects of the industry. "We need people to understand there are opportunities in the mar keting, promotion and management side of NASCAR," he said. "Without good marketing and management people on a race team, there is no race team." NASCAR and WSSU have taken the first step by letting students know that the doors are open for minorities in NASCAR; However, NASCAR acknowledges that the industry must make progress in the areas of diversifying and breaking down lingering stereotypes. "It's no secret that for whatever reasons, our sport See NASCAR, page 3 Advanced degree may guarantee success Erin C. Per*fcins EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Similar to high school diplomas in the past, nowadays, bachelor degrees come a dime a dozen. In order to become professionally accomplished in most occupational fields today, students, especially underrepresented minorities and women, need to be better than good, smarter than aver age, and more ambitious than most. Graduate school is an opportunity for under represented minorities to be set apart from other students who will com pete with them for the same job positions. Seeking Winston-Salem State University students have the privilege of learning more about various graduate schools and the programs they offer during the Graduate and Professional School Fair sponsored by the WSSU School of Graduate Studies and Research. Forty institutions will be represent ed at the fair, which will take place Nov. 10 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Anderson Center, McNeil Banquet Hall.. The annual event provides stu dents with an opportunity to meet recruiters from various universities, learn about graduate school admis- » * / / a master's degree may be beneficial to one’s future. Photo courtesy of Lee Adams sions requirements, determine avail able funding opportunities and dis cover future opportunities. According to WSSU Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Dr. Linda Nixon Hudson, the Graduate and Professional School Fair is an opportunity to encourage students to think outside of WSSU's walls. "We hope to generate interest because we want a lot of students to come and see what opportunities are available to them," she said. "We want to be ranked No. 1 in sending our students to graduate school. "Our goal is to get students in graduate school, regardless if they go here or elsewhere." The WSSU School of Graduate Studies and Research is only six years old and it houses nine gradu ate programs. According to Hudson, "The master's degree is the fasting growing degree in this country." Dean and Chief Research Officer of the School of Graduate Studies and Research, Amos O. Olagunju Ed. D, insists that there are several See Advanced, page 3 Photo by Lee Adams Winston-Salem police train extensively in order to maintain a safe driving environment. Radar training helps campus police Darius Porter STAFF REPORTER WSSU's campus police department will be taking additional measures to increase the safety of stu dents crossing Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. The near future will bring radar detector enforcement to help deter speed viola tors. North Carolina state law requires an officer to have 40 class hours of radar training. The overall goal of the course is to improve the effectiveness of speed enforcement, through proper and efficient use of radar detectors. The class focuses on basic skills, principles and operation of radar detectors. Another requirement is 16 hours total, of super vised clock training. The officers practice radar clocking on highways and city streets. This training allows officers to clock traffic speed using front or See Radar, page 3

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