since 1960 “of, by, and for the Wesleyan community.”
September 30, 2011
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE, ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA 27804
Twelve large trees were felled on NCWCs campus during Hurricane Irene, which
caused power outages and led to a one-day cancellation of classes. Grattan Photo
Enrollment Declines
^or First-Year Students
Housing Update: NCWC Continues Renovations
By Joshua Meeks
Senior Staff Writer
North Carolina Wesleyan’s freshman
class dropped to 229 students in 2011,
but the college hopes to increase the
number next fall with new leadership in
Enrollment Management.
Last year’s freshman class numbered
278, according to college officials.
While the college announced tougher
admissions standards last year, there
was minimal change in the average test
scores of new incoming students. After
a final audit, the college reported that
average SAT scores decreased from 890
to 885, while the average ACT scores
remained at 18.
Among the new students, the average
grade point average did rise by .07 from
last year’s average of 2.91 to 2,9&.
The gender differential saw little
change from 2010. The freshmen class is
comprised of 129 males, or 56.3 percent,
and 100 females, officials said. Wesleyan
continued its dedication to diversity, add
ing 18 from countries that include Nepal
(.six students), Sweden (five), Australia,
Canada, England, France, Gambia,
Germany, and Iceland.
Bill Allen, the new vice president of
Enrollment Management, attributes the
smaller number of new students to the
higher standards established at the school.
‘The numbers are down a little bit because
of the decrease in applications and the
increase of denials,” Allen explained.
Allen reported that the number of
applications decreased from 1,847 last
year to 1,651 in 2011. At the same time,
the college’s rejection rate climbed from
8.3 (or, 154 students) to 14 percent (230
students). In 2006, prior to the national
recession, Wesleyan received 1,316
applications and denied admission to
7.75 percent (102 students), Allen said.
As part of the admissions process,
Allen said, the college is requiring more
personal interviews and considering the
addition of an essay. “We’re taking a lot
of time to judge motivation levels, which
is tricky,” he said.
Many Wesleyan community members
have noticed a difference on campus
as a result of the smaller freshman
class. “There seems to be less people
in some of the organizations around
campus,” said Terrance Hooks, junior
class president, “but I feel like there are
some new freshmen here with a different
attitude. They seem to be excited to be
here while in the past it seemed as if the
students were tired of school and forced
to be here.”
Steve Myszak, director of Residence
Life, agrees with Hooks about the
change of atmosphere on campus.
“They [freshmen] seem very excited and
engaged this year versus past years,”
Myszak said.
Myszak also noted that administrators
were surprised by a higher than expected
retention rate from last year. With a
higher number of returning students,
the college has altered plans to close
Petteway Hall for the year. “Due to lower
numbers we were initially going to shut
down Petteway to take advantage of low
enrollment and do renovations to the
dorm,” he said. “With an increased number
of returns, we were forced to not only use
the entire first floor of Petteway but also
use about half of the second floor.”
North Carolina Wesleyan won four
conference championships last year and
it could not have been done without the
contributions of freshmen. Of the 229
incoming freshmen, about 45 percent
are athletes. The number is an estimate,
Allen said, because Enrollment Manage
ment bases its numbers on information
contained in student applications.
A smaller freshmen class means
smaller teams, at least in football. In the
past, the football team has brought in 80
to 100 freshmen, but saw that number
dwindle to 56 in 2011. Head Coach
Mark Henninger sees the change as both
a positive and negative for his team.
“From a football perspective,” Henninger
explained, “with fewer guys, we can give
each of those guys more instruction on
technique and there’s a higher chance
they’ll have a positive experience. And
it allows the upper-classmen to lead and
helps the team grow tighter. On the other
hand, we don’t have as many guys as we
need for depth purposes. We’re about
10 guys short to have what we need for
practice.”
Allen assurhed his position late in
the process—last March—and although
numbers are down and the outlook of
the school appears somewhat bleak,
the new VP spoke with enthusiasm and
determination about the challenge that
lies in front of him.
“There is a challenge,” Allen said, “be
cause there is a competitive marketplace
with a lot of good colleges in North
C^olina. But we have afready changed
some of the old ways things were done
and implemented some new.”
When asked to name specific
initiatives, Allen already had a long list
in front of him.
“We’re developing a more profes
sional admissions process,” he said.
“There is a lot to do in a little amount
of time, so we already have counselors
traveling, and we are trying to do more
follow-up than in the past,”
Allen identified several regions as pos
sible growth areas. “We’re trying to focus
more energy on the Virginia, Maryland,
DC area,” he said, “and we’re looking at
South Carolina and New Jersey as places
where we could grow.”
Allen’s staff has increased phone ac
tivity to try to reach students on a more
personal level. “We have ambassadors
on the phone encouraging students as
we try to rank prospects’ interests,” Al
len said. “We want personal conversa
tions with applicants to try to find who
they are and what motivates them. We
need to find their hopes and dreams and
see how Wesleyan fits that.”
Allen expressed confidence that his
department will help Wesleyan grow
as “America’s next great college.” He
thinks an improved web page will be an
essential component in that jrocess. “We
need to woric on our identity as a school
to build a better brand,” he said. “We need
more images of what Wesleyan is and show
it on a revamped webpage, which is a key
marketing tool.”
Along with an enhanced web presence,
the college needs more promotional mate
rial to support the college’s marketing
effort. “Last year, our counselors would
go to college fairs and wouldn’t have
anything to give the students,” Allen said.
“We have a beautiful campus and we
need to let people see that.”
Allen has high goals for the school
but he does not have a specific number
he wants to reach next year. “We just
need to improve our current numbers,”
he said. “We need to work on what we
do best and build on that.”
The Decree staff conducted a recent email
' interview with Director of Residence Life
Steven Myszak Now in his second year at
NC Wesleyan, the Indiana native holds a BS
from Saint Joseph’s College (Rensselaer,
Indiana) and master’s degrees in student
personnel and higher education.
He’s waked in higher education since
1996, beginning as a residence hall cooidina-
tcr at East Carolina University. Among his
many positirais, he has saved as the Director
of Residence lifeat Bartai College for three
years and Assistant Directra- of Residence Life
at ECU fw five years. Rom 1999 to 2002,
Myszak was emptoyed at NC Wesleyan
as a pB-majcr advisw and cooidinatcr of
tutoring as well as directcr of WesBridge (the
fre-cursor to Freshman Advantage).
Q. First let’s discuss the improvements
that were made to the residence halls over the
summer Could you please detail the changes?
A. Petteway, Edgecombe, Nash and
Collins lobbies had sheet rock installed over
the concrete, ceilings were lowered so that
the new lighting could be mounted flush with
the ceiling, and new flooring was laid in a
combination of faux wood tile and carpet
tiles. Also the lobbies were painted, flat screen
LCD TVs were installed, and new furniture
will be placed in the lobbies come mid-
September The goal is to move the buildings
fiom dorm to Residence Hall, where students
can watch television, play video games, and
be comfortable in a “Irving room.”
In Nash Hall a kitchen was added so
students can cook if they choose, especially
when the dining hall is not open over breate.
Additionally, in Nash Hall each room on
the first floor was nsnovated to include:
faux wood tile on the floor and sheet rock
covering the concrete blocks. Ceilings were
drcpped in order to have new flush-mounted
lighting as well as canister lighting, and
the old built-in closets were removed,
Corian sinks/countertops and cabinets with
sensor faucets replaced the old sinks. New
windows/blinds, new room doors with
dead bolt-style locks, and new furniture
(adjustable-height beds, dressers, desks,
chairs, and wardrobes) were purchased. In
the hallways on the first floor, the ceilings
were lowered for flush-mounted lighting,
sheet rock was iristalled to cover the concrete
blocks, and new carpet tiles were laid.
Q. What process was used to determine
which improvements to make?
A. In late April Attila Szekes, director of
Facilities, Dean Randy Wrlliams and I met to
look over the flooring choices and discuss the
need to have the halls feel more like home. We
came up with ideas on how to make this occur.
At this time we were only looking at renovat
ing Nash 1 sL The Board of Tmstees approved
the renovations in May (after our students
left) and asked us to consider renovating all
the lobbies. A designer who has worked with
several college campuses was hired. The
designer then provided schematics which were
approved by the college. Then a constmctioa
company was hired to commence work.
Q. How much did this summer’s
renovations cost?
A. The estimated budget for the Nash
first-floor changes was around $265,000.
With the addition of the tfiree other lobbies.
I’m sure this changed; however, I do not
know for certain.
Q. How did Wesleyan fund the work?
A. The Board of Trustees agreed to
allow the college to take out a loan for the
improvemeftts until the Capital Campaign
can help pay for the rest.
Q. Remind us of the specific renovations
undertaken last summer (2010) and during
last school year.
A. A couple of the halls received new fiont
doors, and Petteway and Edgecombe adopted
card- button electronic access to the halls. Pette
way’s first-floor bathrooms were renovated,
and so was one bathroom in Edgecombe.
Q. What’s your reaction to all the work
done so far?
A. I’m happy with the renovations that have
occurred. And Attila and I have learned what
we would do slightly different in the future. My
hope is that as an institution we will continue to
address the residence halls in order to provide
students with a comfortable, safe, and enjoy
able experience. While students are here to
receive an education, the outside-of-class
experience should aid, and not detract, from the
acklemic experience. Today’s college students
■ are smart shqjpers. They r^ize they can eam
a degree at a wide variety of educational institu-
tifflis and it’s the outside-of-class experience
that can assist them in their decision-making.
I’m craifident that the College started right on
track as we continue our own journey.
Q. What have you heard from students
and other staff about the improvements?
A. The staff informed me that they’re
amazed at the beauty and comfort of the
renovations. From the students, especially
our returning students. I’ve heard that tjiey
are proud of the lobbies and want to m^e
sure that the residents take care of them. The
students are encouraged and recognize we’re
trying to improve their experiences, but they
also understand that they have a responsibil
ity to maintain the nice environments in
order for us to continue renovating the halls.
Nash residents are proud that they have the
nicest rooms in the Residence H^ls!
Q. What renovations plans (if any) are
envisioned for the upcoming year?
A. At this time I have not been involved
in any conversations regarding renovations.
My hope is the college will be able to
continue with the renovations in Nash.
Q. Update us on the Wesleyan Villas.
A. This summer the college purchased
three of the villas, with plans to lease a fourth,
as we have had many students show interest
in living there. Currently we have 17 students
living in the three we own (12 women and 5
men). When we lease the fourth townhome,
we will have 6 more men living there for a
total of 23 students. A significant change is
that a student resident, Melanie Rhodes, is
serving as a community advisor (CA). The
CA’s main responsibility is to communicate
with me, be a resource for the student resi
dents, and encourage responsibility in regards
to what it means to live in a neighboriiood.
Melanie went through a week of training
with the residence life staff and is prepared to
help the townhome community.
Villa residents were selected in the
following manner
—During the “Retum to Residential
Living” process in March, there was a
sign-up sheet for mterested students, who
also completed an application for our
residence halls.
—In April I reviewed the hours earned
and the current cumulative GPAof student
applicants.
—The smdents with the most hours and
the highest GPA’s were allowed to move
into the townhomes.
Also, student who were previously in
the townhomes were allowed to retum to
them if they wished.
Q. Are there any plans for more such
housing?
A. I have not been involved in any conversa
tion related to purchasing the two we do not own
or in building mere. I beleve tfie developers
wouU wwk with us if we desired to build
something like the townhomes out tJiere.
Q. Last year, in an effort to help fieshmen
make the transition to college, Wesleyan
integrated first-year students into the same
dorms with upper classmen. We know that
move was m^eWore your arrival, but assess
whether the initiative has been a success.
AI have only heard what it was like prior to
my arrival. Fnan my undastanding, last year was
a noticeable improvement I cannot say it was
because we integrated the upper-class and fiesh-
mai, as I have not done the necessary assessments
that could yieW ftiis data. My instinct tells me that
life in the residence halls improved for a variety of
leasais that include stalling as well as integratiai
of iieshman with upper class. But research
concerning living enviraiments has shown that
fieshman leam how to beiiave and navigate
college life finm the uf^ class studesits who live
near them. Last year I heard minimal concerns
regarding the integration that occurred. This
year I haven’t heard any concerns. Tliis doesn’t
mean the concems aren’t there.
Q. What’s the current status at
Petteway? We got an inirial report that it
would be shut down. Now we understand
that certain floors have been closed and
just for one semester.
A. Based on the number of enrolled
students and the fact that Petteway needed
some minor renovations, we were trying not
to place students in this hall. But due to our
gender breakdown and the available spaces
in the halls, this was not possible. Currently,
we have the first floor of Petteway filled
and I have several men on the second floor
Hopefully by the time our community reads
this, the men on second will be moved off
this floor and into their permanent assign
ments. Petteway first floor will remain open
as we do not have bed space in the other
halls to accommodate the male students.
Q. How will this save the college money?
A. If we had shut down Petteway, we
would have saved money in the form of
payments for AC, electricity and water.
Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly how
much this would have saved, even though
last year I had requested information
from our Facilides department.
Q. Is the plan to iBtum the Petteway to full
use in tfie spring? How will tliat be determined?
A. At this time there is no pkin to have
Petteway go to full capacity unless we do an
awesome job at recruiting 80 new male students,
who would then fill the second and third floors.'
Q. Describe the damage to the
residence halls during Hurricane Irene.
A. The halls did not sustain damage
during Irene Other than loss of electricity,
hot water, A/C.
Q. When did we lose power and when
was it restored?
A. Power was lost on Saturday and restored
on Monday morning. Due to the electricity
being out, the hot water also went out For tiie
most part, our students understood what was
occuning and why Additionally, when we
lost power the issue of meals became priority.
Sodexo did an amazing job at working with
one of their sister schools to bring sandwiches
and hot food to our students.
I would like to see the college invest in
some generators that could be hooked up
to our residence halls to ensure power stays
on. While this is an item that would only
occasionally be needed, I believe it would
add to the srfety and emotional well-being
of our students during crisis.
Q. Over all, how did residents conduct
themselves during that weekend?
A. For the most part our students qcted
responsibly. The Residence Life staff was
on hand to answer questions and to aid in
calming down anyone who needed help.
The students rallied together and I’ve
heard that several stayed up all night in
the lobbies playing games and talking.
Of course we had issues regarding
students misbehaving, but these students
were talked with during the storm and
immediately after the storm.
Q. What other changes might we
see, in the upcoming year, in the area
Residence Life?
A. Residence Life is growing and iri my
opinion becoming a stronger department on
campus. I have been fortunate to hire Courtney
Quinn as an area director respoasible for Edge
combe, Nash and Petteway halls. She has great
experience in residence life and has a master’s
degree fix)m Eastern niitKjisUruversity. In
addition, Humza Ismail is working as an area
director for Collins, Boddie and Centura halls ■
while also being responsible for the Taylor
Recreation Center. He earned a masters degnse
from Austin Peay State University.
The RAs went through a strenuous week
of training which I don’t believe has been
seen here in recent years. The RAs are
motivated and understand the importance of
maintaining order while developing the re
lationships on their floors. I’m excited about
the Residence Life staff as they have already
gone above my expectations this year and I
look forward to the RAs continuing in their
successes in programming and relationship
building, and serving as referral agents so
our students receive assistance.
Q. There have been reports of bed bug
in the dorms. What can you tell us?
A. I have one confirmed room of bed
bugs in Edgecombe (as of September
20). This past summer we had a company
come out with a bed-bug sniffing dog on
two occasions, once at tlie beginning and
once at the end of summer The dog is 93
percent accurate at sniffing out bed bugs
and their eggs. The second time, no bugs,
were found in any of our halls. The first
time two rooms were found with bugs.
Q. If your department were given $5
million tomorrow, how would you spend it?
A. I would first hire another area
director. While our current set-up is ad
equate, it is definitely not ideal. 1 would
then renovate our halls in some fashion
but I would also include the “guts” (the
systems such as electrical, plumbing,
HV/AC. No one sees these improvements
but they impact student satisfaction.
In conjunction with the renovations, I
would like to build a new residence hall
that specifically serves our freshmen to
develop a specialized first-year living
learning community. About eight years
ago, I had the opportunity to be part of a
campus that built a new hall and this cost
just under $3 million for 100 beds.
Q. We imagine your position keeps
your pretty busy. When you get free time,
what do you like to do to unwind?
A. I have a four-year-old son whose
name is Sonny. So when I leave work, I
go into a daily routine of fixing dinner for
my family and spending quality time with
my son. After Sonny goes to bed, I enjoy
reading to unwind. On weekends I like
playing cards with friends, and of course
my partner and I are still renovating a
1917 home. That work was put on hold
when Sonny came into our lives.