Student
volunteers
page 12
Softball team
soars
page 4
Literacy
awareness
page 3
All-female
SGA slate
page?
THE
WCC
volume 4, no. 2 Wayne Community Conege, G^^boro, 27533-8002
Governor addresses
education needs
MAY 17, 1991
By: A. Z. Hubbard-Thotnas
and Joe Carlyle
Governor James Martin
visited Uayne Community
College on April 22 to
present his objectives
concerning North Carolina's
educational system.
His visit was sponsored
by the Wayne County Chamber
o-f Commerce as the -fourth
o-f a twelve-part series
entitled "Educational
Excel 1ence."
Across the nation and
more apparently in North
Carolina, education is
quickly becoming front page
headlines. The state's
concerns are valid due to
the current short-fall oi an
estimated $729 million.
This marks the second
consecutive year that North
Carolina has su-f-fered
drastically in its econo
mic situation.
One solution to the
shor-fall is to increase the
sales tax by 1 cent, but
Martin opposes this
suggest i on.
Martin stated, "A tax
increase would hurt the
recovery o-f North Caro-
1ina's economy."
The governor said that
while education has to be
our number one priority, it
still must share in the
cuts.
The General Assembly
will decide what educa
tional programs can a-f-ford
to be cut.
Currently two-thirds o-f
North Carolina's budget is
being spent on education.
I-f education does not
share in the cuts, the
other one-third will have
to be cut three times as
much.
The comnunity college
system receives only -five
percent o-f the budget
allotted -for education.
The -forum concluded with
Martin receiving the key to
the city by Goldsboro Mayor
Hal Plonk.
Dean Gurley, president
o-f the Uayne County Chamber
of Commerce, served as the
master o-f ceremonies.
The dignitaries present
included congressional
delegates Senator Henson
Barnes, Rep. Carolyn
Russell, and Rep. John
Kerr.
Porter responds to shortfall
By: A.Z. Hubbard-Thomas
and Joe Carlyle
Dr. G. Herman Porter,
UCC's President, responded
to the state's short-fal 1 in
an exclusive interview on
May 7.
Dr. Porter stated that
North Carolina's community
colleges will lose an
estimated $19.2 mi 11ion in
budget cuts -for the 1990-
1991 -fiscal year.
North Caroli na's
community college system
has been su-f-fering -from
budget cuts since 1984,
according to Porter.
Although in 5 out o-f the
last 6 years -funding -for
education has increased,
the community college
system su-f-fered -from
cutbacks.
"This will a.-f-fect WCC in
several ways," Porter said,
"because our -funding is
based on enrollment."
Currently UCC's
enrollment has increased
approximately 9% over last
year.
System-wide, community
college enrollment is
approximately at a AV.
increase. Porter said.
Even within this -fiscal
year, UCC has experienced
cuts in the -form o-f
un-filled sta-f-f positions as
they have become vacant.
Three o-f the areas
involved include student
activities, the registrar's
o-f-fice, and security/main
tenance .
continued page 2
ind Operating Budget
g in North Carolina
Correction
$0,42 Billion
^ IS* /
General Government
»■' ' and Other
S0.87 Billion
Human Resources
$1.10 Billion
Governor James Martin listens to Ray Rouse's introduction
prior to speaking at the Chamber of Conimerce forum.
Photo; A. Z. Hubbard-Thomas
Reynolds funds
ENABLE
By: Jennifer Anderson
On May 10, the R. J.
Reynolds Tobacco Company
formally awarded UCC a
$250,000 grant to fund
Project ENABLE.
According to Dr.
Marsellette Morgan, the
Head Coordinator for
Project ENABLE since March
of 1991, "the ultimate goal
is to increase employee
product i V i ty."
Project ENABLE (Eastern
North Carolina Adult Basic
Lab Skills for Employ
ability) is a computer-
assisted program designed
to improve basic workplace
sk i11 s.
The effort originated
when Gloria Urenn, Adult
Education Coordinator of
the Literacy Center, wrote
a 30-page proposal to the
Department of Community
Colleges (DCC).
She requested a grant
for a computer-assisted
program to improve overall
basic skills in the
workplace.
After the Rural Economic
Developement Center <REDC)
and DCC made some re
visions in the request,
the officials involved
wrote a letter to R. J.-
Reynolds requesting funds
to promote and activate
Project ENABLE,
R.J. Reynolds issued the
grant to start Project
ENABLE in February of this
year, according to Morgan.
The grant will fund a
three-person staff, which
includes a coordinator/
instructor, program
recru i ter , and sk i11s
techn i c i an.
The grant will al so
supply the program with an
administrative work
station and 15 IBM 25-286
computers which will train
workers through the use of
two software packages.
continued page 2