The Broncos’ Voice
December 1993
Student Center Tour
by Kelli Cardenas
On behalf of the staff, I would
like to take this opportunity to wel-
conae all new and returning students
to FSU and the Rudolph Jones Stu
dent Center. This is the epicenter
for student activities. The Center
was built to provide facilities to meet
the social, cultural and recreational
needs of all students — traditional
as well as non-traditional.
In the center, you will find a
myriad of activities in which to par
take. Allow me to serve as your
hostess on a tour. The front entrance
is on the foyer level where you will
be greeted by persons at the infor
mation desk. Here, you will dis
cover such informative literature as
flyers annoimcing upcoming activi
ties, events, and city bus schedxiles.
The centers administration offices
are located to the iamiediate left as
you enter the doors. Daily opera
tions of the center are administered
by a staff led by Mr. Jerry Will
iams, Program Director; Mr. Gene
Carroway, Game Room Supervisor;
and Ms. Yvonne Robinson, indis
pensable Secretary. Further down
the hall are the office locations of
the Bronco Voice newspaper, the
Yearbook and photography staff, and
the Student Government Associa
tion.
On weekends and between or
after classes throughout the semes
ter, students enjoy gathering around
televisions located in several areas
of the building. The large screen
television is located in a lovmge area
across the hall from the office ar
eas. A second, smaller TV is lo
cated in the main lounge area; an
other is neEU" the stairs on the lower
level; and a fourth is in the com
muter lounge area adjacent to the
snack bar on the main level.
Along with the TV’s on the lower
level are also facilities for a barber
shop, beauty salon, bowling, pool
tables, card tables, foosball, air
hockey and video game machines.
The post office is also on this level
with a separate entrance.
No semester can be complete
without trying the freshly baked
cookies sold in the Corral. There is
also a conference room, photogra
phy studio, and music room. A large
multi-piupose room is located next
The Non-Traditional Student:
Child Care
Continued from page 3
vider is foaming at the mouth and
breathing down yoiu* neck threat
ening to discharge your children
because you are two weeks to a
month past due on your payments.
Then it becomes a case of trying
not to loose your cool on several
rettim trips to the Financial Aid
Office. Due to government regula
tions and stacks of uncooperative
paperwork, the office staff has no
control of the situation. Bad atti
tudes begin to accumulate on both
sides, the student versus financial
aid, like a tea kettle beginning to
boU, until some days it is an out
right explosion. And you thought
Fort Bragg training exercises make
a lot of noise.
I thought to myself, the mili
tary must have some answers. So I
contacted Barbara Mantia, President
of the Enlisted Wives Association
to find out if they offered any schol
arships. They do; the funds can
only be used for tuition and books
and any left over fimds must be
returned. I also contacted Jackie
Zimmerman, Membership Chairper
son and Terry Mattingly, Scholar
ship Chairperson of the Officers
Wives Club, and foimd that they
also offer scholarships.
Then I contacted the Army Fam
ily Advocacy Program on Fort Bragg
to see if they had any information
for the military non-traditional stu
dent as regard to day-care assis
tance. It was suggested that stu
dents should go to night school so
the military spouse and student
could take turns babysitting. Yeah,
right. Many of the soldiers in the
82nd are out doing extensive train
ing exercises for months at a time
during the height of the school se
mester. And some military fami
lies cannot count on extended fam
ily members for day-care needs be
cause their spouses’ military careers
move the military family from its
point of origin.
I looked up child-care informa
tion on Ft. Bragg and found they
charge according to the soldiers’
rank and payrate. No matter what
enlisted rank, the family budget is
being choked. For those who are
E-6 and above the child-care costs
are competitive with rates offered
throughout Cumberland County.
I heard that Fayetteville State
had child-care facilities on campus.
So I decided to go talk to Mr. Mat
thew R Bowman at the Early Child
hood Learning Center that is housed
in two buildings here on the
Fayetteville State Campus. The
Learning Center is under the direc
tion of the School of Education. The
center not only serves the univer
sity, but the Fayetteville commu
nity as well. According to the Early
Childhood Learning Center Parent’s
Handbook, “The center’s curriculum
provides each child with basic con
ceptual understandings. Individual
classrooms vary in the method of
presentation, the specific objectives
to be attained, and the
abstractedness of the material and
ideas used.”
I asked Mr. Bowman how many
students utilized the facility, “It is
one-third percent. Even some of
the faculty have their children en
rolled in the school.” The enroll
ment is on a “first-come, first served”
basis. One person whom I met at
the copy machine in the C.J. Bar
ber building said his daughter is only
eighteen months, and has already
put his child on the list because the
waiting period co\ild be as long as
two years. According to Mr. Bowan,
when openings become available all
depends on the age of the child.
I was very impressed with
the facility and the programs offered.
It was very clean and looked like a
place I would not mind leaving my
children in care of. The Mitchell
Building serves three year olds with
a current enrollment of thirty (30).
And the Newbold Building serves
children four to five years old. But
what if you have children older or
yoimger than three through five year
olds? According to Mr. Bowan there
was a center for children six months
to eighteen months old, but it was
discontinued in 1988 due to lack of
funding.
I have heard nothing but posi
tive comments from students who
have their children currently en
rolled. The average cost is two
hundred eight dollars ($208.00) per
month. 'This is way below the cost
of an average day-care / preschool
facility which is two hundred fifty-
two dollars ($252.00) per month for
three to five year olds. If you have
an mfant, the price could get as high
as two hundred sixty-eight dollars
($268.00) per month for quality day
care.
Mr. Bowman also said the cen
ter is trying to get funding for the
“Smart Start” program. According
to Ms. Rossie Bullard, Executive
Director of the Cumberland County
Partnership for Children, “The
Cumberland Coimty Partnership for
Children which oversees the Smart
Start funds is paying attention to
the need for day-care subsidy for
the working poor.” As of yet, “work
ing poor” has not been defined.
Ms. Bullard and I both agreed
that we may not see any immediate
changes, but the challenges of pro
viding day-care are to be reckoned
with. It is our hope that in the
future, higher learning institutions,
governments, and businesses will
take the above social change con
sideration. As we well know, our
future is at stake.
to the kitchen to handle banquets
and other large gatherings.
The student center is a home
away from home for resident stu
dents and a place to relax for com
muters. The staff here are respon
sive to your suggestions and we
welcome all comments to better
serve the FSU family. We have
included a listing of normal hours
for the center to be open. Monday-
Thursday 8 A.M. to 10 P.M.; Friday
8 A.M. to 12 A.M.; Saturday 9 A.M.
to 12 A.M.; and Sunday 3 P.M. to
10 P.M. Please check with indi
vidual offices for their hoiu*s.
The following is a list of some
of the activities planned at the cen
ter.
Kelli Carenas ia editor of FSU's
yearbook. The Fayettevillian.
January
7 7 pm to 7 am
Pajama Party
12-13 ACU-I Recreational
Tournament
14 Martin Luther King, Jr.
Birthday Celebration
17-21 9:30 am to 4:30 pm
Video Program:
Laving the Dream (I & II)
Id Remembrance of Martin
Montgomery to Memphis
18 7 pm
Bingo (multipxirpose room)
21-23 7 pm to 10 pm
Weekend Movies / free
play
activities
24-28 Video Tape;
The Sorrow and the
Spectacle
February
1 Video Tape
Eye on the Prize
7-11 Video Tape:
Malcom X — An
Autobiography
21-25 Video Tape:
r*.