Red Carpet Out For Echo Conference Delegates
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Self Defense Plea In ^TriaV Forecast
Murder Charged
In Mock Court
Ivan “Blossom” McCaskill, 24
year old freshman law student
from Miami, Fla., is expected to
enter a plea of self defense in the
March 14 “slaying” of a fellow
law student, Lloyd Yancey, 22,
of Philadelphia.
No date has been set for thei
trial which will be heard in the
Moot Court Room of the law
building before one of Durham’s
practicing attorneys who will
act as judge. The student body
and the general public are in
vited to attend.
Yancey’s “death” climaxed an
argiunqnt which began over a
cigarette. According to bystand
ers, McCaskill asked Yancey for
a cigarette. Yancey uttered sev
eral insulting remarks, to which
McCaskill replied with several
insulting remarks of his own.
Yancey became enraged, appar
ently, and advanced several
steps toward McCaskill with
’ hands in pocket. McCaskill then
flipped out his knife and inflict
ed the “fatal woimd.”
Sammie Chess, Jr., District
Solicitor, says he plans to seek
the death penalty for McCaskill.
Chess is a senior law student
from High Point. He will be as
sisted with the prosecution by
Theosious Clayton, Roxboro sen
ior, and James Faison, Seaboard
freshman.
McCaskill will be represented
by Nathaniel Belcher, chief de
fense coxmsel, Plymouth senior.
Assisting defense attorneys are
Nathaniei Dedmon, Beauford,
^d Moses Burt, Hillsboro, both
jimiors.
The “murder” and “trial” are
a part of the Student Bar Asso
ciation’s annual moot covirt pro
gram, promoted by the Moot
Court Committee imder the
chairmanship of Nathaniel Bel
cher.
S. Govt. Names
Election Leaders
Jqrome Dudley, Speaker of the
House in Student Congress, told
the ECHO last week that the fol
lowing persons have been ^ect-
ed by fellow congressmen as
members of the 1958 election
committee: Robert Stephens,
chairman; Edith Sutton; Doris
Edwards; Delores Brinkley;
Clarence Ellis; and William Nel
son.
Robert Stephens, when con
tacted by the ECHO, stated that
the objective for the committee
this year is “To get the studenta
to realize the impwrtance of vot
ing. A student without a vote
is a student without power.”
Stephens further stated that
the elections for SGA president
and vice president and Camposl
Echo editor will be held on A-
pril 25. Registration for elec
tions will be held April 23-24.
Requirement for registration
wiU be presentation of student
identification cards.
Candidates and campaign
managers will meet in the Stu
dent Government office Friday,
April 11, at 4 p. m. for the piu*-
pose of ironing out possible
flaws in the coming ele;ction.
“The election committeJ
would like to see 1000 or more
students take part in this elec
tion by first registering and then
exercising their right at the polls
by voting,” the group told the
ECHO last week.
Prior to press time, only onei
student had openly announced;
his condidacy for any of the e-*
lective positions.
Qjinpus
Echo
VOL. XVI—NO. VII DURHAM, N. C., MONDAY, MARCH 31, 1958 PRICE: 20 CENTS
Campus Echo staff leaders are shovpn above as they put finishing touches on the program for
the Third Annual Campus Echo Publications Conference which will be held on April ll. Plan
ners, who will also play principal roles in the program include Editor Sigredda Richardson
and staffer Joyce Newkirk, seated; and Theodore Gilliam, literary editor, Elnora Joyner, fea
ture editor; Beatha Williams, exchange editor, and Perry Leazer, managing editor.
Literary Editor Seeks Campus Echo Editor Position
Theodore Gilliam, Durhan^
junior, has announced his candi
dacy for Editor of the Campus
Echo, 1958-59. One of the out
standing students of the English
and dramatic arts departments,
Theodore has been an active
member of the Echo staff since
1956.
This year he is acting in thd
capacity of literary editor and,
in working in this capacity, has
had unlimited experience in the
work which the college, news
paper entails.
Gilliam’s surprise announce
ment gives him first-place pri
ority in the forthcoming race for
editorship of the Campus Echo,
for he is the first person to an
nounce his candidacy.
When he announced his can
didacy, Gilliam released the fol
lowing statement:
“I am seeking the office of
editor of the Campus Echo be
cause two years of experience
with the newspaper have given
me sufficient knowledge of its
operation to feel qualified to
serve in the capacity of editor.
If I win the editorship in thd
spring electioijs, I would not
cease to try to continue the mer
itorious jobs done by previous
editors and to make the Echo the
most outstanding newspaper of
its kind.
“A college newspaper, I think,
should represent the voice and
conscience of the college com
munity, particularly the stu
dents. As editor I would strive!
persistently to have the Echd
represent the best that North
Carolina College students and
faculty have to offer. No news
outside of sensationalism would
be too controversial to print a9
long as it would be written witb
good intentions. It is the respon
sibility of the editor to judge
the quality and content of his
paper. These aspects of the job
I would diligently carry out.
An efficiently run newspaper,
one to which the college com-
mimity would look with pride.
and the best newspaper of its
kind are the objectives that
would always bei before me.”
Noted Editor On Echo Program
L. E. Austin, distinguished
Durham, N. C., newspaper pub
lisher, will deliver the principal
address diuring the honor awards!
ceremonies at the Third Annual
Campus Echo Publications Con
ference at North Carolina Col
lege on April 11.
The conference begins at 8
o’clock in the Commerce Build
ing at NCC.
Widely known and in great
demand as a speaker, Austin’s
editorials have been quoted and
reprinted in newspapers
throughout the country. Hi^
newspaper, the Carolina Times,
widely heralded for its vigorous!
editorial policy, is sponsoring
the award for excellence in edi
torial writing at the Echo con
fab..
Awards will go to outstanding
(Please tvim to page 10)
300 Scholastics
Expected April 11
High school publicists from
three states — the Carolinas and
Virginia — will descend upon
the campus next Friday, April
11, for the Third Annual Camp
us Echo Publications Confer
ence.
This year’s meeting will fea
ture separate sessions for news-
papeirs and yearbooks, with
Charles R .Stanback, American
Yearbook representative, i n
charge of the yearbook clinic.
The Commerce Building will
host the meeting.
High school faculty advise|rs
and students, in cooperation
with Campus Echo personnel,
will direct the newspaper sess
ions in a series of instruction an4
discussion groups.
Being sponsored jointly by the)
Echo, prize winning NCC news
paper, the Eagle, yearbook, and
the American Yearbook Comp
any of Owatonna, Minnesota, the
conference will also provide the
setting for the first meeting of
Southeastern Scholastic Publi
cations Association.
Organized last year during the
publications meeting, SSPA is
an interscholastic organization
of newspapers and yearbooks.
One of the high points of the
conference next Friday will be
the honor awards prograip
which will see foiirteen prizes
awarded to newspaper and year
book staffs for outstanding pub
lications accomplishments dur
ing the school year.
R. O. Mensah, press attache^
in the embassy of Ghana, and L.
E. Austin, Carolina Times pub
lisher have been listefi as main
speakers. A college publicist,
Charles J. Smith, III, public re
lations officer of Florida A & M
University of Tallahassee, Fla.,
is also expected to take part.
And Clathan Ross, editor of
the Carolina Times, Durham,
will lead one of the discussion
groups.
The program calls for regis
tration beginning at 8 and end
ing at 9 o’clock Friday morning,
April 11. A general assembly
featuring the Mensah address
will follow at 10, after which
the interest groups will go into
(Please turn to page 10)
Press Attache Will Keynote Publications Conference
R. O. Mensah, press attache in
the Embassy of the new state
of Ghana, will be keynote speak
er for the Third Annual Campos
ECHO Publications Conference
here on April 11.
The African publicist, who re
ceived his undergraduate and
graduate degrees in the United
States, will discuss the challenge
of journalism as a career, espec
ially in terras of representing
governments in foreign coun
tries.
The Echo confab is expected
to attract about 300 newspaper
and yearbook faculty advisersi
and student staff members from
throughout the Southeast. Thel
majority of delegates will comS
from the Carolinas and Virginia.
Also meeting in conjunction
with the publications group iS
Southeastern Scholastic Publi
cations Association, an organiza
tion of scholastic publicists with
headquarters at NCC.
Mrs. Ruth Tillman, assistant
adviser of the Panther, Person
Coimty High School in Roxboro,
is president of SSPA.
Mr. Mensah heads a list of
experts in journalism and pub
lic relations who will take part
in the day-long training insti
tute at NCC. The purpose of the|
R. O. MENSAH
meeting, according to Sigredda
Richardson, editor of the spon
soring Echo, is “to help highi
school faculty members and stu
dent staffers solve their publi
cations problems. We have on
program a number of experts
who will deal with specifics irt
the area of high school publica
tions.”
After receiving his early
training in Africa, Mr. Mensah
enrolled in Florida A & M Uni
versity, Tallahassee, Fla., from
which institution he was grad
uated With Great Distinction in
1952. He won his master’s de
gree in history at Coliunbia Uni
versity the following year.
While at FAMU, Mr. Mensah
was assoi;iate editor of the
FAMCEAN, student newspaper
and was elected to Who’s Who
Among Students in American
Colleges and Universities.
He held several positions in
the civil service in Africa prior
to taking up his public rela
tions post in the Ghana Embassy
in 1956.
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