At Chowan
International students
finishing first year
Recount experiences
Chowan’s two exchange students, Ronaldo A. Karunungan
and Annika Kritz, right, point out their respective count
ries on a world globe as they discuss plans with Rowland
Pruette, professor of religion.
Two international students at
Chowan will head for New York
City after completing a year of
study in May, one to assume a
summer job at the United Na
tions and the other to enplane
for her homeland.
The students, Annika Kritz
of Sweden and Ronaldo A. Kar
unungan of the Philippines,
shared frank appraisals of their
stay at Chowan and in the United
States with Smoke Signals
(the Chowanian).
Annika, attractive blonde, says
her year at Chowan has been
full of surprises. “I never thought
I'd meet so many people,” she
said. “I found it is very easy to
make friends. The students at
Chowan are outgoing while the
Swedish young people tend to
be more shy or reserved,” she
added.
She termed the campus atmos
phere as “relaxed” and said she
plans to keep in touch with her
roommate, Becky Wall of Clay
ton, and other friends. Annika
said Becky has made plans to
visit her in her hometown, Stock
holm.
Another surprise was the fact
that many students hold “con
servative opinions.” Annika ex
plained she expected more
would have liberal ideas, such
as on the race issue.
She frankly believes that
Swedish students place more
emphasis on studies and intel
lectual endeavors than do their
American counterparts. “Team
sports are more important here
than they are in the colleges in
Sweden.” She said extracurri
cular activities commonly take
the form of discussion groups,
political organizations, chess
and photography in Sweden.
She said that such winter
sports as ice skating and skiing
are popular and that she has
missed these activities. She
attended most of Chowan’s foot
ball and basketball games and
admitted she did not understand
football very well. She said she
enjoyed watching basketball
more “perhaps because there is
always action.”
As a student, she found the
fall semester harder than the
spring as she took 15 hours then
and now has 12.
Concerning her Chowan pro
fessors, she said they “are very
good.” and was pleased to find
they “show an interest in the
students. It is easy to talk to
both faculty and staff members,"
she stated.
Her busy schedule has includ
ed traveling to cities in North
Carolina and Virginia while visit
ing in the homes of girls from
her dorm, Jenkins, or speaking
to a civic club.
Annika, a Rotary exchange
student, reported she spoke to
Rotary clubs in Murfreesboro,
Columbia, Elizabeth City and
Ahoskie and also to several
churches in the area.
She also visited Greensboro,
Raleigh, Richmond, Va., and
Norfolk. Va., and plans to see
Washington, D. C., and New
York City before leaving the
middle of June.
Annika said she had to adjust
to the North Carolina weather.
"I arrived in August and it was
very hot. Our winter extends
PAGE TEN
from October to April or May.
The March weather in Mur
freesboro is equal to May wea
ther in Stockholm,” she explain
ed.
She has not been bothered
with homesickness, she said,
perhaps because she returned
home during the Christmas
holidays.
When asked. “Have you chang
ed any?” she reflected for a
moment. Her reply: “I think I
have changed. I’ll have to wait
until I get home to find out.”
She feels she has matured by
traveling and meeting many
different people and becoming
acquainted with a different way
of life. “I believe I can take
care of myself better,” she
commented.
Her advancement has taken
one concrete form: she can now
understand her roommate and
vice versa. “We had difficulty
in September communicating
with each other,” she laughed.
“Now I can talk easily with her
and the other students.”
She believes she’ll make use
of her command of English at
the University of Stockholm
where there are many foreign
students. A Swedish student
spends three years in college
and thus she has two years of
study remaining. She is planning
a career as a librarian, teacher
or archaeologist.
Asked to summarize her year
at Chowan, she said, “I’ve en
joyed every moment being here.
Sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t
go back.”
Then she added, “I’m pretty
sure I’ll return to this country.
I want to come back to North
Carolina to see my many
friends.”
Ronaldo Karunungan
Ronaldo, known as “Ronnie”
on Chowan’s campus, is from
Binan, Laguna province of the
Philippines. He arrived in San
Francisco in May, 1969 and
spent the summer in Washing
ton, D.C., where he was the
guest of a former Chowan pro
fessor, Dr. J. E. O’Connell.
Dr. O’Connell, now associated
with the National Science Found
ation. is the reason Ronaldo is
at Chowan. Ronaldo became ac
quainted with Dr. O'Connell
when his uncle, who works with
the foreign service, introduced
him to an American scientist.
Dr. O’Connell.
Later, in 1966, Ronaldo again
met Dr. O’Connell, this time in
Tokyo. The two did consider
able sightseeing together, giv
ing Dr. O’Connell the opportun
ity to convince Ronaldo of the
value of an education in the
United States.
He recommended Chowan Col
lege for his first two years of
study. “He explained Murfrees
boro would be quiet and a good
place to study and not play,”
Ronaldo said.
Ronaldo arrived at Chowan
August 24 for orientation for
freshmen. Since then he has
grown to appreciate the faculty
and staff. “I like all my subjects
and professors,” he said.
He’ll return for the 1970-71
academic year before trjuis-
ferring to a senior college, “most
likely Chapel Hill.” He plans to
major in public administration.
On campus he shares a room
with Roger Cope, president of
the Baptist Student Union, in
President and Mrs. Whitaker’s
home.
Ronaldo helps to finance his
education by working in the
cafeteria. He also relies heavily
on his summer wages and has
received two scholarships from
Chowan, the International Stu
dent Scholarship and the Lee
Fagan Scholarship.
Ronaldo says he has made
many friends at Chowan. He
frankly believes that some of the
students have reversed their
priorities, however. “Some study
in chapel and talk in the lib
rary,” he mused.
He also questions why some
students are critical of certain
college policies when they do
not get involved. “I can under
stand that it is only natural not
to want to get involved. But they
should not complain if they do
not participate in student gover
nment and campus activities,”
he stated.
Although he considers himself
to be an independent thinker
when it comes to religion, he
believes in respecting the views
of others and concentrates on
the messages presented in chapel
programs.
Ronaldo, sensitive and bright,
is conscious that as a visitor in
the United States he represents
his country. “I am aware that
what I’m doing reflects on my
country as well as on me.”
This responsibility and the
opportunity to be on his own
has helped him leam “to be
more independent in all my
actions,” Ronaldo explained.
His interest in politics — both
of the campus variety and in
the future — comes naturally.
His uncle is one of three elect^
representatives to the national
government from his province,
of which there are 53 in the
Philippines.
He ran, unsuccessfully, for
the vice president’s position of
the Freshman Class and has
decided to compete for the pres
idency of the Student Govern
ment Association.
He hopes to sharpen his polit
ical acumen this summer by
taking advantage of an oppor
tunity, which he hopes will
materialize, to work at the Unit
ed Nations in New York City.
The permanent delegate from
the Philippines to the UN, Pri-
vado G. Jimenez, is a close
friend of the Karunungan family
and he has invited Ronaldo to
spend the summer with him. He
is attempting to land him a job
at the UN.
“I would love the opportunity,”
Ronaldo said. “I would be able
to meet many people from
many different nations. Also, 1
plan to talk with Mr. Jimenez
about the situation in the Phili
ppines.”
This will be practical experi
ence for the friendly but intense
young man. When he returns to
the Philippines after completing
his education in America, he
plans to run for Congressman.
He will not see his family, which
includes two brothers and a
sister, for another three or four
years.
His desire to enter the political
arena stems from a conviction
that through personal involve
ment the way of life of his people
can be vastly improved.
“At present some 90 percent
of our economy is controlled by
10 percent of the people,” Ron
aldo, who has a penchant for the
succinct, pithy phrase, said.
“The way we elect officers
in the Philippines is not always
according to the merits of the
candidate's platform. Often, it
By COACH BILL McGRAW
Basketball during 1969-70 pro
vided few opportunities for opti
mism in view of the dismal re
cord. General team attitude
was good in face of repeated
disappointment.
Todd McConnell deserves much
applause for he performed well.
No player in the conference was
more valuable to his team than
Todd was to Chowan. When you
consider that he was forced to
work with little help, still man
aging to place runner-up in both
scoring and rebounding in con
ference play, his achievements
take on added significance.
Not withstanding Clifton Fai
son, Ken Byrd, and Karl Yankey
filled in, and in sports, looked
good enough though victories
were few and far between.
There is some reason to review
this last season and see promise
for the future. Faison, a fresh
man who wasn’t counted on for
much of anything, acted well
and proved to be the best of the
freshmen. He gained valuable
is a negative vote. We vote out
of office a person who has been
doing a bad job by replacing
him with anyone. I want to work
to upset this pattern and get
rid of the negative vote.”
He also has a vision of a
developing middle class society
so that more of the people have
a share in the wealth of the
nation. “The reshaping of the
economy is important and I
want to involve myself in it,”
he said quietly but with deter
mination.
experience and shows promise
for next year. It is possible that
others from this year’s squad
will be of help next season.
However, without a question,
basketball in 1970-71 will see
rnany new faces. We are look
ing for the return of Flipping
and Jack Ross. Many outstand
ing high school seniors have
been contacted. Should room de
posits from a few selected boys
come in, Chowan will certainly
have enough size and jumping
ability to play around the back
boards.
It is also possible that the
Braves will be quick enough
and f^st enough to handle them
selves in the backcourt, too. Of
course, these are only “ifs” right
now; the news won’t be in until
later this spring. It can be said,
however, that the picture looks
a little optimistic at this time.
There are usually several boys
already in school who can help
the varsity team, but do not
come out for one reason or
another.
The Chowanian
Coach AAcCraw reviews prospects
for 1970-71 Chowan basketball play