Newspapers / North Carolina Wesleyan University … / Dec. 2, 2005, edition 1 / Page 3
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Volume XXI, Number 4 North Carolina Wesleyan College Rocky Mount, North Carolina 27804 NEWS Jefferson-Pilot Prof Balances Teaching, NCAA Work, Research By Anthony DeGregorio Decree Staff Writer This year North Carohna Wesleyan Col lege honors Dr. Ron Smith with the Jefferson Pilot Award, the most prestigious honor given to a NC Wesleyan faculty member. This award is only offered to tenured professors and acknowledges teaching excel lence, scholarship and service to the college. The award was estabhshed in 1981 and its winners are selected by the president based on faculty recommendations. As part of the award, Smith will give his lecture on nutrition in the spring. Smith is in his ninth year at NC Wesleyan. An associate professor of exercise science, he serves as chair of the mathematics and sciences division. “He is a great advocate for our division as chairperson,” said Dr. Bill Yankosky, associate professor of mathematics. Smith is never short of compliments for his colleagues. “We have a first rate faculty here at Wesleyan,” said Smith “They are some of the finest people I have ever worked with.” Smith’s teaching methods have changed over the years. Recently he has been using power-point presentations to help aid in his teaching. He stated that this allows him to more clearly demonstrate the topics that he teaches. “I like to ask a lot of questions and get a class discussion going, which allows me to make sure that they understand the difficult concepts,” Smith said. Karen Hathcock, a student in courses on measurement and evaluation and personal and community health, said the Smith is ef fective at keeping all students involved in the discussions. She added: “ff he thinks you’re not paying attention, or you’re falUng asleep, he won’t hesitate to put you on the spot.” On top of teaching Smith has many other responsibilities. One is that he is the NCAA representative for the college. Coaches come to Smith asking him to speak to prospective students who are interested in NC Wesleyan. He serves on advisory committees, acts as an intermediary between faculty, coaches, and athletes, and monitors the academic success of athletes. Smith spends a lot of time cheering on Wesleyan sports teams. Smith attends games for all the sports, even the Bishops home golf tournaments. “I enjoy watching sport ing events where I know the students who are playing,” said Smith, who at Southern Mississippi taught Brett Favre’s wife as well as Kevin Young, the former first basemen for the Pirates who had six career ten- homerun seasons. Smith received his B.S. from Briar Cliff College in Iowa, where he majored in physi cal education. He earned a masters at Kansas State University before receiving his Ph.D. in exercise physiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During his summers. Smith and a friend from graduate school work in the osteoporo sis research center at the Creighton Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. They study the interactions between bone, exercise, nutrition or drug treatments on lab animals, then try to determine how this would affect humans. “It’s amazing how well he does keeping up with his research and teaching” said Yankosky. This past summer Smith worked on two papers that explored the effects of cigarette smoke on the bone. The study was funded by a tobacco settlement decision. The money he will be receiving for the Jefferson Pilot award will go to further his studies during the summer. New editors Jessica Bowen (left) and Shannon Williams Photo by Decree Staff New Decree Editors Named Shannon Williams and Jessica Bowen have been named editor and managing editor of The Decree. Their appointments take effect in spring semester. Distance Parenting”: A New Element in Higher Education By Shannon Williams Decree Staff Writer “Diapers. Books. Bottles. Notebooks. Baby food.” Thus reads the shopping list of some students on North Carolina Wesleyan College’s campus. There are many students who juggle being a full-time student with being a full-time parent. While some are commuters, a surprising number reside on campus, leaving their little ones behind as they pursue a college degree. “I call my son every day,” said Sherwood Armstrong, a senior, and the father of a 3-year-old son. While Armstrong attends NC Wesleyan, his son resides with his mother in Maryland, Armstrong’s native state. Unlike some students, Armstrong didn’t hesitate when it came to leaving his child to attend college in a different state. “The birth of my son didn’t really affect my decision on where I attended school,” he said, “because I knew I would call him every day and see him during my time off from school.” Willie Perry, a sophomore, also has a young son. Perry resides in New Bern, which allows him to see his 8-month-old son at least every other weekend. When he received the news that he would be a father, Perry had mixed reactions. “I was excited, shocked, and sad all within a matter of 10 minutes,” he said. Sophomore Shaquilla Yarborough remembers how she felt when she realized she would be a mother. “MY first time I was scared; the second time I was disappointed,” said the mother of two from Raleigh. Armstrong and Yarborough both became parents before attending Wesleyan, but Yarborough, who gave birth to her second daughter only six months ago, is learning to adjust to leaving a baby behind in Raleigh. Yarborough and Perry said they both reahze the strong possibility of missing things sacred to parents such as first words and first steps. “When you have a child or children, it’s hard to have to stay on campus, but you just have to take it one day at a time,” said Yarborough. Perry noted a change in his extracurricu lar activities as a result of becoming a parent. “I stopped playing basketball and started job searching. It was something I felt I had to do to get money to take care of him,” he said. Armstrong, who is graduating in the spring, is making plans towards starting a career. “I’m going to do what I have to do to make sure my son is well taken care of,” he said. Yarborough plans to get through the next two years at NC Wesleyan by looking towards the future. She plans to graduate with a degree in biology. “All the things that I can’t do for them now, I will be able to then,” she said. “I don’t go to school for me, but instead I go for my kids. I want mothers in my position to know that you don’t necessar ily have to quit school.” Perry commented on his overall change of attitude upon the birth of his son. “Having my child made me grow up and stop being so selfish,” he said. “I used to only think about myself when I got money, like how I’m about to get this or that for myself, but now I only think of him. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. Although adjusting to parenthood is hard, when you finally do adjust, it’s well worth it because the child makes you so happy.” Donors, Scholarship Winners Gather for Ceremony By Shannon Williams Decree Staff Writer One hundred and seventy-five students were recognized during North Carolina Wesleyan College’s annual Scholarship Recognition Ceremony. The ceremony, held November 17 in Minges Auditorium, allows students receiv ing endowed scholarships the opportunity to meet the scholarship donors. Julianne Cyr, a freshman from Maryland, was chosen to speak on behalf of the students who have re ceived scholarships. “Without the generous contributions of others, I would not have been able to attend this college,” said tyr, a Gravely Honors Scholarship recipient. The Gravely Foundation Scholarships provide first- and second-year students with financial assistance for educational expenses. Among the donors in attendance were Beverly Nassrie and Patrice Beard, mother and sister of Joseph Nassrie, Jr., a student at NC Wesleyan who died from leukemia on April 7, 2003, just before his graduation. Nassrie’s mother discussed the founding of the Joseph D. Nassrie, Jr. Memorial Scholarship. “This endowment scholarship was established to honor Joseph’s memory in a meaningful way,” she said. “I know he would be very pleased that this scholarship is positively affecting fellow students for many years to come at the place he truly loved.” Beard said students should appreciate the opportunities provided by the scholar ships. “Students, when you come up here to receive your scholarship and it’s in someone else’s memory, try to really get what that means to us, the families,” she told the audience. “It means that a part of the person we lost lives on. It means that we’ve chosen to make something positive out of a painful situation. What an awesome opportunity for you.” This year’s recipients of the Joseph D. Nassrie, Jr. Memorial Scholarship were Sandra Braswell and Kimberly McCorkle. Williams, a senior and a Louisburg na tive, is a justice studies major with a minor in journalism, while Bowen, a junior from Pilot, is an English major and journalism minor The two will assign and edit articles and write headlines for the news and arts pages. In addition, they will supervise the staffs of the opinion and sports pages. In other moves, Anthony DeGregorio and Trevor Seibert will become co-sports editors. Jessica Jones will edit the opinion page. Ron Fitzwater will continue to serve as Editor-at-Large while writing his “Here’s What’s Real” column. Evelyn Hunter remains the chief staff pho tographer And Graig Cherry and Christine Werfelman will serve as senior staff writers, reporting on a variety of issues. If you would like to submit news articles, opinion pieces, or photos, or if you would like to serve as a staff writer or photographer, contact the Decree advisor. Dr William Grattan, at Room 171 Braswell. Previous newspaper experience is not required. Justice Studies Honor Society Continues Tradition Of Holiday Giving By Anthony Hawkins-Tobias Decree Staff Writer The North Carolina Wesleyan Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma (APS) has been filling a Christmas wish list for two families it has adopted at My Sister’s House, a battered women’s shelter in Nashville. APS, the national criminal justice honor society, will continue the drive through the semester. For each family, a wish list has been posted in front of the criminal justice conference room across from the cafeteria. The Adopt-a-Family program is conducted in addition to APS’s annual holiday fund drive, which benefits a host of local charities. Collection boxes have been placed at the entrance of the College Store for students, faculty and staff to make contributions. APS has encouraged the Wesleyan community to show holiday spirit by donating non- perishable food in the original sealed containers; warm winter clothing; and new toys. Professor Mark Stevens, APS advisor, notes that state law prohibits donations of unwrapped toys. The Adopt-a-Family campaign is just one of several community service projects undertaken each year by APS. Other efforts involve the “Adopt-a- Highway” program, “Moot Court,” and “Alcohol Awareness Week.”
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