Volume XXI, Number 1
since 1960 “of, by, and for the Wesleyan community.
25 September 2005
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA 27804
Photo by Sports Information.
Javon Williams and the NCWC football team will try to improve on last year's successful
inaugural season. See Trevor Seibert's early season coverage on page 3.
NC Wesleyan Joins
Katrina Relief Effort
First-Year Student Population
Includes More Females,
International Students
North Carolina Wesleyan College
I has joined a nationwide relief effort,
collecting money and needed sup-
^ plies and organizing a trip to help the
j victims of Hurricane Katrina.
I Members of the Wesleyan
community have been contributing
1 through the United Methodist Com-
I mittee on Relief (UMCOR), the
I USA South Athletic Conference, and
NCWC student organizations.
! Chaplain Barry Drum said that the
"X college is partnering with UMCOR
^ and that collections—cash or checks-
I -will continue through September
I at a table set up outside the cafeteria.
J Drum expects total donations
J to exceed the $800 that NCWC
^ raised for victims of last December’s
'I tsunami.
“The students care,” Drum said.
“I’ve been so impressed. If you
think about it, the typical college
student doesn’t have much money,
but our students, and the entire
Wesleyan community, have been
willing to dig into their pockets and
give generously.”
Drum noted that NCWC hopes
to send volunteers to the Gulf Coast
during fall break as part of a trip
organized by First United Methodist
Church of Rocky Mount. The group
will help with basic reconstruction.
Drum said.
In the USA South Athletic
Conference initiative, “USA South
CAREs,” NCWC athletes, coaches,
athletic trainers and administrators
have been asked to donate at least one
dollar apiece, with the proceeds sent
to the Red Cross, Salvation Army or
other charities. The Athletic Depart
ment reported that others on campus
have donated to CAREs as well.
The NCWC Greek Council and
Carleton House Residents Committee
have organized “Project: (S)aving
(0)ur (S)elves,” collecting money
as well as donations of clothing;
washcloths, towels and toiletries; and
canned goods and other non-perish
able items.
Sociology 410 students are con
ducting a campaign titled “Backpacks
for Hurricane Katrina’s Children Left
Behind.” Professor Amy Kamehm
Willis reported that the students,
working in conjunction with 'The
Down East Partnership for Children,
were collecting art supplies, books,
toys as well as backpacks for the
youngest victims of the hurricane.
Wesleyan Welcomes
Two UNO Students
NCWC has welcomed two
University of New Orleans students,
who came here after their evacuation
from the flood-ravaged Crescent City.
Niran Mousa and Kristoffer
Daniel have arrived in Rocky Mount
and enrolled for fall semester. Mousa,
a senior, is an English major with
a minor in history, while Daniel is a
freshman.
By Jessica Bowen
Decree Staff Writer
Of the 359 first-year students at
North Carolina Wesleyan College,
36 percent are female, a 17 percent
increase over last year’s class. First-
year students include 288 freshmen
and 71 new transfer students, making
total enrollment about 875 students for
the Rocky Mount campus.
According to Gary Sherman, vice
president of enrollment, the percent
age of females is “still skewed, but
much better than last year.” Sherman
called the increase in female students
a substantial step forward for Wesleyan.
NCWC students seem pleased
with the change. An anonymous
sophomore said that she felt “much
less tension in her classes” attributing
this factor to the increase of females
in the classrooms. She said “This year
most of my classes have just a couple
more males than females.”
Two male students expressed
similar reactions. “There’s more
females and it’s a good thing because
the female-to-male ratio was bad last
year,” said junior Mike Brown. Senior
Rick Acka, added, “There had been
a lot of dudes (in classes). This year
there’s more females to talk to instead
of just guys.”
Sherman explained that women’s
soccer and volleyball attracted a larger
number of first-year students this year.
Soccer went from last year’s total of
Fayetteville—The USA South
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
(SAAC) has announced that North
Carolina Wesleyan College has been
chosen as the winner of the inaugural
USA South Sportsmanship Trophy.
NCWC won the trophy after earning
individual awards in football, softball,
golf and women’s tennis during the
2004-2005 academic year.
“We’re very honored to have won
the inaugural USA South Sportsman
ship Award,” said NCWC Athletic
Director John Thompson. “Sportsmanship
has been an important focus in the league
for a number of years and we’re proud
of all of our student-athletes.”
Thompson said that the award
reflects a school-wide emphasis.
“'There is a determined effort on the
part of all our coaches to instill the
6 first-years to this year’s 16, while
volleyball increased from 4 to 7. The
addition of women’s lacrosse brought
10 athletes to campus. Besides the
increased number of female athletes,
Sherman noted that the number of
first-year football players decreased
by about 75 from 2004, when the
football program began.
Sherman pointed out other
changes in enrollment, including an
increased number of international
students—six as compared to one
last year. Of the total, five participate
in athletics. Their home countries
include Canada (1 student), Gambia
(2), Germany (2), and Ireland (1).
“In recent years we’ve not had a very
significant international base, so this
is a step forward,” said Sherman.
He added that the best recruitment
method for international students is
word of mouth, which he described as
the “building block effect.”
According to Sherman, the SAT
scores of first-year students were on
average 14 points higher than last
year’s scores. The average SAT score
was 915, compared to last year’s 901.
High school GPAs increased by .14.
The first-year population consists
of five valedictorians compared to
zero from last year. The NCWC hon
ors classes have been filled to capacity
with the 15 new honors students.
ideals of sportsmanship in our student-
athletes,” he said. “Our coaches are
teachers and role models, and we
place an emphasis on sportsmanship.
I think that carries over to the courts
and fields.”
'There is a sportsmanship award
for 12 of the 14 conference-sponsored
sports. For every sport, each team
member votes for the team he/she
deems to have demonstrated the best
overall sportsmanship throughout the
season. The team garnering the most
votes receives that sport’s award. The
school that wins the most individual
sport awards wins the overall USA
South Sportsmanship Trophy.
The only other schools that won
multiple individual sportsmanship
awards were Averett University (3)
and Peace College (2).
NC Wesleyan Wins 2005
USA South Conference
Sportsmanship Trophy