Volume XXI, Number 3
since 1960 of, by, and for the Wesleyan community.
RTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN ^OLLEGE ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA 27804
10 November 2005
S' I ^
. , Photo by Anthony DeGregorio
Bishops midfielder Eva Benavides (29) fights for ball control in NCWC's recent 7-0
rout of Averett. For tournament results and other sports coverage, turn to page three.
Advice Offered for Combating Flu
Borrowing Program
Proposed to Ease Burden
Of Expensive Textbooks
Jessica Bowen
I Decree Staff Writer
The flu season is here, according to
Holly Fairley, Wellness Center nurse.
The flu causes fever, cough, sore throat,
headache, chills, muscle aches, and
fatigue. Although the flu is usually not
alarming to college students, influenza
kills up to 36,000 people a year.
There is not a medicine that can
cure the flu; however, Fairley recom
mends getting a flu shot to build your
immune system.
Fairley says the shot is recom
mended for small children and elders
65 and older; however, it should be
considered for students living in
dormitories. “Usually the age group
of students in the dorms is healthy,”
says Fairley, “but the shot should be
considered any time people are within
close proximity because the flu travels.”
She says that 30 injections of the flu
shot will be available on the NCWC
campus, and the Wellness Center will
hang flyers letting students know the
date and cost of the flu vaccination.
The flu and other illnesses, such
as strep throat, carry many of the same
symptoms making it hard to differenti
ate. Fairley says that a sore throat that
may be accompanied by a fever could
be strep throat, but if you add a cough
and runny nose it could be the flu.
Since strep throat is making its way
around campus, Fairley recommends
doing your part to prevent illness. She
says that washing your hands, increas
ing your vitamin C intake, as well as
avoiding sick crowds, will help control
the spread of the flu. She also says you
should “cough into your elbow area
instead of your hand because you use
your hand to shake hands.”
If you are interested in the flu
shot, it is available in November and
December. Fairley says that there is a
physician or physician’s assistant on
campus Monday, Tuesday, and Friday
from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to answer
questions.
Adequate sleep and exercise help
combat illness as well.
Dr. Jay Quinan, associate profes
sor of psychology, suggests getting
plenty of rest. He says that the average
college student should sleep eight to
nine hours a night. “The loss of sleep
is a stressor,” Quinan said, “and stress
tends to weaken the immune system”
leaving you more prone to sickness.
Dr. Meir Magal, assistant professor
of exercise science, recommends mod
erate exercise to help strengthen the
immune system. Athletes tend to have
a stronger immune system because of
regular exercise. Therefore, Magal said
that non-athletes should attempt “any
aerobic type of exercise (walking, run
ning, cycling) that will positively affect
the immune system.”
ODK Inducts Six
By Shannon Williams
Decree Staff Writer
Six students were inducted into the
Omicron Delta Kappa society as part of
North Carolina Wesleyan College’s 49th
annual Founders’ Day celebration.
Shanisha Barnes, Kimberly High, Eliza
beth New, Kimberly Scott, Lori Strickland,
and Leslie Taylor, together with English
professor James Bowers, were inducted into
ODK at the event, held at Minges Audito
rium on October 20. Established in 1914,
Omicron Delta Kappa is a national leader
ship honor society for college students,
faculty, staff, and alumni.
“I was shocked and elated” at receiving
the honor, said Barnes, a junior biology
major and Vice President of SGA..
Founders’ Day celebrates the founding
of the college. “Wesleyan...The Beginning:
By Jessica Bowen and Jessica Jones
Decree Staff Writers
Ahmad Crudup, a Wesleyan
sophomore, was unable to buy his
books until two weeks into the fall
semester. He says that because he did
not have his text, he incurred absences.
Crudup says “my CIS teacher told me
there was no sense in coming to class
without a book.” According to Crudup,
his parents spent $530 on textbooks
that were not used for his major.
Senior Kristin Hurd also has
trouble paying for books. She says
she had to go “as far as canceling
one of my insurances and using grant
money in order to pay for my books.”
Even after this, she was still unable to
afford her Biotech book.
Crudup and Hurd are among many
students who find it difficult to pay the
high prices for textbooks, on top of
the costs of tuition and other college-
related expenses.
Many students look for ways to
cut back on the cost of books. Junior
Zach Marks says that he has traded
books with friends in his past years.
This year Marks had bought all of his
books, with the most expensive being
$115. He says that many students
trade only their prerequisite books,
leaving money to afford the texts for
their major.
One solution to the high cost of
books is a loan-a-book arrangement
that would resemble the program
at Barton College in Wilson. Cas
Hooks, a junior transfer student from
Barton, said the program worked well
at Barton and, citing the high costs
of a Wesleyan education, he believes
a similar program would be attrac
tive to students here as well. Under
this program, the library would keep
a single copy of each textbook on
hand for students to use. It would
be a first-come, first-serve arrange
ment. Students would not be allowed
to check out the books; rather, they
You are There,” a dramatizadon presented
by NCWC’s drama troupe. The Wesleyan
Players, provided the audience with a de
tailed and entertaining look at the sequence
of events that helped establish the college in
the mid 1950s. Directed by theatre professor
Roger Drake, the performers included Jen
nifer Evans, Vanessa Gore, David Robinson,
and Richard Tibbs.
College staff and faculty were honored
during the event. NCWC Financial Aid
Director Vickie Fleming was given the
Distinguished Staff Award in honor of her
extraordinary accomplishments in service to
the college. Fleming has been an employee
at Wesleyan for 10 years and has made a
positive impression on her colleagues. As
a new employee of the college, Bobbie
Rowland, student accounts representative,
only worked with Fleming for a few months.
would reserve the text for two hours
of reading while in the library.
Although this sounds like an in
triguing idea, there are considerations
to take into account. One obvious one
would be the price tag. Using figures
from the current semester, it would
cost $12,348 to pay for a single new
copy of each of the required books,
though savings could be made by
using available used texts. Accord
ing to statistics compiled by its staff
members, the College Store stocked
205 individual titles this semester,
with prices ranging from $7 for
certain paperback novels to $259 for
an anatomy and physiology “bundle.”
Another consideration would be
where to house the books. According
to Kathy Winslow, director of the
Library, there is about twelve feet of
shelf space available at the circulation
desk for reserve titles. She estimates
that 120 text books could be shelved.
Winslow said, “I am not ruling out
the idea of textbooks on reserve in the
library-though both space and costs
need to be addressed.”
Winslow suggests an open reserve
system, where books are on shelving
that is accessible to students in the
library. However, for this to become
a reality, there would need to be more
room for shelving. She pointed out
that running a loan-a-book program
would be more “feasible both for
space and cost if the texts on reserve
were for core courses in the education
program or majors.”
How would a program like this
benefit students here at NCWC? Hurd
says the program “is a good idea. A
lot of students I know don’t have
books or have to pay a huge amount of
money out of pocket for books.”
According to Marks, “it would
be cheaper and some people would
only buy the books for their major.”
Donterio Perkins, a senior, said, “We
need that.”
mented. “She’s very pleasant to be around.”
More than two dozen faculty and staff
members were recognized fer their years of
service to the college. Nineteen faculty and
staff members received the five-year service
award. Fleming was presented the 10-year
award along with religion professor Fred
Grissom, and athletic director John Thomp
son. Mathematics professor Gail Stafford
and business professor Kathy Wilson
were awarded the 15-year award. Barbara
Perry-Sheldon, professor of education, was
presented the award for 20 years of service.
Next year, the Founders’ Day celebra
tion will mark Wesleyan’s 50th year in
existence
Students as Founders’ Day Observed
but came to appreciate her supervisor’s mild
mannered attitude. “She’s a wonderful lady,
very kind and patient,” Rowland com-